The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [26]
Quietening his mind in preparation for the task, Jack crept silently over to the sleeping woman. Crouching beside her, his breathing matching hers so as not to disturb her, he reached for the pearl. Ever so gently, he pulled …
But try as he might, the pin was caught fast in the lady’s layers of hair. There appeared to be no way of removing it without waking her. Hana, seeing the problem, moved in to help. Ushering Jack aside, she reached over to undo the lady’s artful knot of hair. But a comb she’d secretly stolen slipped from the folds of her kimono and clattered to the floor.
All of a sudden, the lady’s eyes opened.
She stared in horror at Jack. A split second later, she let out a piercing scream.
Jack grabbed Hana and they fled from the room on to the balcony, where they jumped to the garden below. Hitting the ground running, they leapt over the wall and disappeared into the darkness.
15
A NEW PLAN
‘I told you not to steal anything!’ said Jack as the two of them caught their breath in a paddy field outside the town.
‘It was just a comb,’ mumbled Hana apologetically.
Jack fumed. ‘I had the pearl in my hand –’
A snap of a branch made them both spin round. They were about to bolt when, weaving slightly, Ronin emerged from the cover of the forest.
‘Did you get it?’ he asked.
Glaring at Hana, Jack shook his head.
‘What went wrong?’
‘The lady woke up,’ Jack replied through clenched teeth. He omitted Hana’s blunder, knowing Ronin wouldn’t be so forgiving.
‘What are you going to do now?’ Hana asked Jack in a timid voice. Her eyes flicked apprehensively to the swords on Ronin’s hip.
Shrugging, Jack slumped down on an old tree stump, his head in his hands. It would be almost impossible to retrieve the pearl now. The merchant and his wife would be on their guard and would have alerted the dōshin to the break-in.
‘We simply need a new plan,’ said Ronin, handing Jack’s staff and straw hat back to him. Then he settled himself against a tree, took a long draught from his bottle of saké, and closed his eyes.
‘Sleeping’s a great plan!’ remarked Jack, his tone heavy with sarcasm.
‘Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down. Now let me think.’
Leaving Ronin to his drunken contemplation, Jack stabbed angrily at the ground with the end of his staff. He considered abandoning the quest altogether. Was Akiko’s pearl really worth the risks they were taking? However slim his chances, the sensible thing to do would be to head for Nagasaki as fast as he could – instead of wasting time in pursuit of his lost belongings.
Hadn’t the Riddling Monk said What you find is lost … and What you want is sacrificed? He’d just have to accept that Akiko’s precious pearl, though found, was otherwise lost to him.
Compelled by Jack’s obvious dismay, Hana crept over to him. ‘I’m really sorry …’
‘Forget it,’ said Jack, his initial anger with her having passed. ‘This isn’t your problem. You shouldn’t have been involved in the first place. Listen, you can go if you want.’
Hana laughed nervously. ‘Your friend’ll slice me into eight pieces if I do.’
‘I won’t let him.’
Hana didn’t leave, though. She stood staring at Jack. She seemed almost reluctant to go, as if she didn’t know where to go.
‘This Akiko means a lot to you, doesn’t she?’
Jack nodded, smiling at the very thought of her. ‘Akiko’s my best friend. She’s been by my side from the first day I arrived in Japan.’
‘Why’s she not with you now then?’
Jack sighed deeply. Feeling the ache in his heart, he remembered the time he’d left Akiko in Toba to ensure her family’s safety, and then how she had said goodbye to him at the ninja village. ‘Akiko needs to be with her mother. A daughter’s duty,’ explained Jack.
Hana nodded her understanding. ‘It must be nice to have a mother.’
For the first time, Jack sensed a hollow