The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [78]
Miyuki glanced over at them, then quickly looked away when Jack caught her gaze.
Their sorrow was interrupted by Danjo, suddenly exclaiming, ‘Look, they’ve taken prisoners!’
The boy pointed into the valley, where a detachment of samurai was returning victorious to Maruyama, daimyo Akechi at the head. Trailing behind was a sorry line of ninja. Not many, perhaps twenty or so.
Jack’s heart lifted at the idea that Hanzo might be among them. Then it immediately went cold.
‘Daimyo Akechi vowed to kill everyone. Why’s he taken prisoners?’
‘Torture,’ Zenjubo said bitterly.
‘But he’s won!’ exclaimed Jack.
‘He’ll want the locations of the other ninja clans in his province,’ explained Tenzen, getting to his feet.
Zenjubo turned to him. ‘Your eyesight’s better than mine. Who’s survived?’
Squinting into the distance, Tenzen’s expression turned from dejection to delight. ‘My father’s at the front with Momochi!’ he exclaimed. ‘And I think that’s Soke at the back.’
Jack strained to make out any of them. Then he spotted Soke’s bald head towards the rear of the line. Beside him, a small figure was helping him along.
‘Hanzo’s alive,’ breathed Jack, turning to Akiko with relief.
But their joy was cut short as they recalled the fate awaiting her little brother. Now Jack only felt sick, shuddering at the thought of Hanzo imprisoned in Gemnan’s garden of Hell. The pit. The hanging tree. The bamboo spikes. The boiling pot. The crucifix.
‘We must rescue them!’ said Jack.
Shiro, who had been silent until now, laughed scornfully at the suggestion. ‘What can we possibly do? There’s only eight of us.’
‘Nine,’ corrected Akiko.
‘When did you suddenly become a ninja?’ Miyuki snapped.
‘I’ve trained in your ways.’
‘So you’re a spy!’
‘Take’s one to know one.’
Miyuki stared daggers at her. ‘What do you care anyway?’
‘I care more than you know!’ retorted Akiko, the jibe breaking her usual calm demeanour.
‘I find that hard to believe,’ shot back Miyuki, squaring up to her. ‘Samurai lack heart.’
‘And you lack –’
‘Enough!’ said Tenzen, stepping between them, all of a sudden taking charge. ‘This isn’t helping matters.’
‘What I don’t understand is why she’s here in the first place,’ said Miyuki, glaring at Akiko over Tenzen’s shoulder.
‘Jack must have sent her a message,’ said Shiro, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Horrified, everyone turned to Jack.
‘Did you?’ demanded Tenzen.
Jack nodded, mortified at being exposed in such a way. ‘I asked Akiko to come.’
‘So you did betray us!’ seethed Miyuki.
‘NO! My message was coded. Daimyo Akechi had no idea of its existence. There was no way he could have found out,’ Jack argued. ‘Akiko joined the army as a disguise. Besides, she would never reveal the location.’
‘Why should we believe that?’ said Tenzen.
‘Because I believe Hanzo is her lost brother.’
For a moment, no one spoke, stunned by the revelation. Tenzen stared at Akiko, clearly weighing up whether this was true and if he could trust her.
‘That’s why I care,’ said Akiko ardently.
‘But you’re samurai,’ Miyuki reminded her spitefully. ‘Hanzo’s a ninja.’
Akiko didn’t back down. ‘My little brother, Kiyoshi, was kidnapped by Dragon Eye and hidden with a ninja clan in these mountains. If there’s even the slightest possibility Hanzo is Kiyoshi, I’ll risk my life to save him!’
‘There’s more fire in this samurai than in my furnace,’ commented Kajiya, who sat on the temple steps. ‘If we’re going to rescue Shonin and the others, then I want this one on our side.’
Zenjubo grunted his agreement.
‘It’s settled then,’ said Tenzen, bowing formally to Akiko. ‘A samurai could prove very useful in our rescue mission.’
‘You’re not seriously considering attacking daimyo Akechi’s army, are you?’ interrupted Shiro, his eyes wide with disbelief.
‘I realize the odds are stacked against us,’ replied Tenzen. ‘But the shinobi faced far greater challenges against Nobunaga’s son – and won.’
He looked at each of them, testing their resolve. Jack recognized in Tenzen’s eyes the hawk-like intensity and inspiring conviction of his father.