The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [22]
‘Tell me, who did you sell the pearl to?’ demanded Ronin.
‘What’s it to you?’
‘That pearl belongs to Jack.’
‘Prove it!’
‘I was given the pearl by my best friend, Akiko,’ Jack explained. He remembered the moment with perfect clarity. Last year in Toba on a glorious summer’s day. How Akiko had swum deep like a mermaid, surfacing with an oval-shaped shell in one hand. He’d prised it open to reveal a black pearl, the colour of Akiko’s eyes. He’d treasured her gift ever since. ‘She dived into a bay near Toba and found it.’
‘Such a sweet story,’ said Hana, pretending to blink away tears. ‘I almost believe you.’
‘Please tell me who’s got it.’
Hana pursed her lips as if weighing up the truth in his story. ‘If you ask nicely, I might …’
Jack took a deep breath. It was like getting blood out of a stone. Bowing before Hana, he said, ‘I’d be indebted to you if you’d tell me who has the pearl. We’ll let you go if you do.’
‘A merchant,’ she replied, smiling coyly at him, pleased with her victory.
‘Which merchant?’ Jack persisted.
‘The one who sells fancy hairpins and kimono in Kizu.’
‘Do you know his name?’
Hana shook her head.
‘If you sold it to this merchant,’ said Ronin, ‘where’s the money gone?’
‘You’ve got it all!’ she said, exasperated. ‘Now I’ve done what you asked. Let me go.’
Ronin snorted in disbelief. ‘That was a black pearl you sold. Very rare. It’s worth at least a hundred times what you have here.’
Hana’s eyes widened with genuine shock. ‘B-b-but the merchant said black pearls were worthless.’
Ronin laughed coldly. ‘You’ve been robbed!’
‘Wish I’d stolen more of his precious hairpins now,’ muttered Hana, seething at being swindled.
Jack contemplated what to do next. His predicament was becoming more complex by the day. He’d been robbed by at least three men, possibly samurai, but one of them was now dead and the other two had disappeared. His swords had been won in a duel and were on their way to Kyoto, while the pearl had been sold to a merchant in the very town they’d just been forced to leave. Where his other posessions were was anyone’s guess. He still had the clue of the omamori, but no memory of how he’d got it or what had happened to him.
‘You said you stole the pearl from the dead man’s friends. Would you recognize them?’ asked Jack.
‘Probably.’
Jack turned to Ronin, who beckoned him away from the bound Hana.
‘What do you want to do?’ asked Ronin quietly.
‘If she’s telling the truth, there’s a good chance we could get back my pearl and identify my attackers.’
‘Well, we can’t take the girl to Kyoto. She’d be too much trouble,’ he replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully. ‘And it is a valuable pearl. Perhaps worth half a koban.’
‘That pearl means more to me than money,’ said Jack. ‘It was a gift from Akiko.’
‘All the more reason to return to Kizu.’
‘But what about my swords?’ asked Jack, despite being secretly relieved at the prospect of no longer going to Kyoto.
‘A samurai is nothing without someone to fight for,’ replied Ronin, a roguish grin on his face. ‘Once we’ve got back your precious pearl, we can resume our journey to Kyoto. Now we’d best get some sleep.’
Ronin gathered the stolen items together, slipping the knife into his obi and the rest inside his kimono sleeve, before settling down against the log. Jack found a place near a tree, so he could keep one eye on Hana and the other on Ronin, just in case the idea of the reward became too enticing for the samurai. He tried to make himself comfortable on the forest floor.
‘Hey! You promised to let me go!’ protested Hana, struggling against her bonds.
‘We will,’ replied Ronin. ‘After you’ve got Jack’s pearl back.’
13
THE MERCHANT
‘Don’t make me do this,’ pleaded Hana.
The three of them stood beside the merchant’s premises in Kizu, hidden from passers-by down