The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [8]
‘I knew it!’ the boy said, punching the air once again.
‘As you’re so clever, we should be friends,’ said Jack warmly. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Hanzo,’ he replied, bowing smartly.
‘Listen, Hanzo, if you let me go, I’ll teach you how to fight with a sword. Just like the warrior Minamoto.’
The boy eyed him cautiously. ‘My grandfather told me that tengu kidnap little boys. You’ll make me eat bugs and animal dung until I go mad!’
‘I promise I won’t. I’m King of the Tengu and want to help you become as powerful as Minamoto.’
Hanzo’s brow furrowed as he considered the offer. Then, without a backward glance, he walked off.
‘Where are you going?’ Jack shouted.
‘I must tell my grandfather I’ve caught the famous Sōjōbō. I’ll be back in the morning.’
‘You can’t leave me here all night!’ Jack protested.
But Hanzo had already disappeared.
5
GRANDFATHER SOKE
‘Here’s a fish that could live in a tree if it wanted to,’ said a voice as old and worn as the mountains. ‘A real survivor.’
Jack slowly came round. His mouth was parched and he felt nauseous. His head had seemingly swollen to twice its size during the night and he could no longer feel his right leg. All his efforts to free himself had failed and he’d been forced to wait for the boy’s return.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a wrinkled but kindly face. The old man, small of stature with spindly arms and legs, was bald save for his greying eyebrows, which appeared to be fixed in a permanent expression of surprise.
‘See, Grandfather, I caught the King of the Tengu!’ said Hanzo proudly.
‘Very impressive,’ the old man remarked, patting the boy with affection on the head. ‘Now, why don’t you give the tengu some water? I’m sure he’s thirsty this morning.’
Hanzo lifted a gourd to Jack’s mouth. Jack spluttered as more water went up his nose than down his throat.
‘Thank you,’ he croaked.
‘A tengu with manners. How unusual,’ said the grandfather. ‘Perhaps all is not as it appears. Hanzo, I think you can release your captive.’
‘But what about his magic powers?’
‘Do not worry. We’ve got our own, remember?’
Grinning, the boy ran off into the bushes. A moment later, Jack went crashing to the ground. Groaning with a combination of relief and pain, Jack’s first instinct was to escape. He rolled on to his back and undid the knot round his ankle. Grabbing his pack and swords, he got up to run away and promptly fell over.
‘Give your leg a good massage. That’ll get the blood flowing again,’ the old man suggested as he settled himself upon a nearby log. Resting his chin on his battered walking stick, he observed Jack carefully.
Hanzo returned and sat next to his grandfather.
‘So, Sōjōbō, King of the Tengu, are you known by any other name?’ the old man asked, giving him a knowing wink.
‘Jack Fletcher,’ replied Jack, taking another gulp of water from the gourd as he rubbed his numb leg.
‘I’m honoured to meet you, Jack Fletcher. I’m Soke. Tell me, where are you from?’
‘England.’
Soke’s eyebrows raised themselves even higher, seeking further explanation.
‘It’s on the other side of the world, across two oceans,’ Jack added.
‘He must be Sōjōbō!’ exclaimed Hanzo. ‘Only the King of the devil birds could fly around the world.’
‘No, I came by trading ship. I’m a sailor.’
‘Yet you carry the swords of a samurai,’ Soke noted, pointing to the katana and wakizashi with his cane.
‘I was trained as one, at the Niten Ichi Ryū.’
‘Ah! The famous One School of Two Heavens.’
‘You know Masamoto-sama then?’ Jack asked hopefully. The great swordmaster had been banished by the Shogun to a remote Buddhist temple on Mount Iawo and Jack had heard no word of him since.
Soke shook his head slowly. ‘Only by reputation – supposedly, the greatest swordmaster alive today. Did he teach you the Two Heavens?’
‘Yes, he was my guardian.’
Soke blinked in surprise. A foreigner being adopted was unheard of. ‘Well, that makes you samurai. Your life has as many twists and turns as a mountain stream. You’re far from home, young samurai.