The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [76]
‘NO!’ Jack shouted, jumping into his line of sight. ‘She’s with me.’
Tenzen shot Jack a disbelieving look, but Miyuki gave an affirmative nod and he lowered his hand.
‘Where’s Shonin?’ asked Miyuki urgently.
‘I don’t know,’ Tenzen replied with dismay. He pressed his hand to his wound. ‘I took the commander’s other eye out and my father took his head. But I lost him after that. The battle was too chaotic.’
‘And Soke? Hanzo?’ asked Jack.
Limping over, Tenzen put a hand on Jack’s shoulder, both for comfort and support. ‘I’m sorry. I haven’t seen them.’
‘We have to go,’ Miyuki urged.
At that moment, Kajiya the bladesmith ran in. ‘They’ve set fire to the farmhouse!’ he shouted.
Behind him, Shiro and two other students appeared, Danjo and Kato, panic etched on their faces. Smoke was already billowing from the corridor into the room.
‘Good,’ said Miyuki to everyone’s surprise. ‘It will cover our escape.’
She pushed at the wall panel with the painting of the kingfisher. It pivoted open to reveal a secret corridor. Jack stared open-mouthed, but he didn’t know why he should be surprised. This was a ninja house after all.
‘Who’s the samurai?’ Kajiya demanded as Miyuki disappeared down the passageway.
‘A friend of Jack’s,’ replied Tenzen, limping after Miyuki. ‘On our side, supposedly.’
Kaijya stared at Akiko. ‘You picked a fine day to visit,’ he said, ushering her and Jack ahead of him.
The corridor led through a door into a small hidden room. They crowded in, barely enough space for the eight survivors.
‘We’ll be burnt alive in here!’ commented Akiko.
‘Out of the way,’ Miyuki ordered, pushing Akiko to one side.
Bending down, she removed the shoji’s wooden runner and lifted a square section of the corridor’s floor to reveal a secret passageway.
Now Jack was surprised.
‘Go!’ beckoned Miyuki as the sound of flames crackled above them. ‘Kajiya, you lead the way.’
The bladesmith jumped into the hole, swiftly followed by the other ninja and Tenzen. Miyuki, affecting a bow, stepped aside to allow Akiko down. ‘samurai first.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Akiko, equally civil.
‘You next, Jack,’ said Miyuki. ‘I’ll protect your back.’
Jack landed in a narrow passageway that led down and away from the farmhouse. The floor was wooden, but the walls and low ceiling were hard-packed earth and rock, reinforced by beams. He had to crouch and shuffle along. Up ahead, he could just make out the faint light from Kajiya’s candle and the sound of running water. Behind him, it was pitch darkness as Miyuki shut the trapdoor.
‘Hurry,’ she whispered, ‘and be quiet as we pass under the well shaft.’
When they reached the bottom of the slope, they entered the water. Jack went waist deep, its chill almost taking his breath away, but at least he could now stand. Passing through a patch of pale light, the sounds of cheering could be heard echoing down the shaft.
‘It’s all over,’ said Miyuki in a quiet voice.
Jack looked back to see her face ghostly in the reflected light, a single tear running down her cheek. Once again, her life had been destroyed by the samurai.
They forged on, the slope rising slightly beneath their feet. The current became stronger as the sound of running water grew louder in the darkness.
‘Where are we?’ whispered Jack.
‘Under the mountain,’ replied Miyuki. ‘Shonin came across an underground stream when digging the well.’
‘Why didn’t everyone use this escape route?’
‘It’s a secret only known to a select few. The holding of the square was to give the children and their mothers time to escape. Shonin wasn’t going to let the samurai slaughter them this time.’
Jack was amazed by the ninja leader’s cunning and sacrifice. Akechi and his samurai saw all the villagers run for the square. With everyone dead there and the farmhouse burnt down, the daimyo would believe he’d wiped out this ninja clan.
Miyuki sighed. ‘Unfortunately, we didn’t hold out long enough to get Shonin, Soke and the other heads of family through.’
Or Hanzo, thought Jack desperately. How am I going to