The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [37]
Hana chewed hers enthusiastically. ‘And if you have one every morning it’ll ward off misfortune.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said Jack, grimacing. ‘Nothing could be worse than one of these!’
Ronin helped himself to more plum wine, steadily making his way through the bottle, while Jack became increasingly impatient to leave.
‘We need to go,’ insisted Jack. ‘You said Kyoto’s still some way off. We won’t get there until after dark at this rate.’
‘My lassst one,’ promised Ronin, slurring slightly from the effects of the alcohol.
As one of the customers stood up to leave, Ronin leant forward and whispered in Jack’s ear. ‘Did you say your inro had a sakura tree engraving on it?’
Jack nodded. ‘And a lion’s head netsuke.’
‘Well then, that man’s got your case.’
22
INRO
Paying the tea-house owner, the three of them hurried outside in pursuit of the man. Dressed in a fine silk kimono of deep green, but bearing no swords, he looked to be a successful merchant on his way to Kyoto.
Jack only caught a glimpse of the inro as the man stepped into his palanquin. Yet the carrying case did appear to be remarkably similar. The inro that daimyo Takatomi had given him, as a gift for foiling an assassination attempt by the ninja Dragon Eye, was unique – crafted from thickly lacquered wood, it had been decorated in gold and silver leaf, with a sakura tree engraved upon its surface, its blossom picked out in ivory; while the lion’s head netsuke was expertly carved out of the same material.
‘You could be right,’ said Jack as the two porters lifted the enclosed seat from the ground and set off in the direction of Kizu.
‘Then let’s go after him!’ said Hana.
‘It’s only a box,’ replied Jack, reluctant to retrace his steps yet again.
‘But what if the man’s involved?’ said Ronin. ‘Or knows who attacked you?’
Ronin had a point. They had to follow. The inro could very well lead them to the rutter.
The palanquin had already turned the corner and was fast disappearing among the trees. Without a moment to lose, they raced after their quarry, Jack and Hana in front with the inebriated Ronin trailing behind. The two porters were clearly very fit as it took the three of them a while to catch up with the palanquin – only to find it standing empty in a small clearing, the porters taking a rest next to a stream.
‘Where’s the merchant?’ whispered Hana as the three of them hid behind a clump of trees.
‘I’ll stay here … while you look for him,’ said Ronin, sipping from his saké bottle and recovering his breath.
Circling the clearing, Jack and Hana discovered the merchant squatting in the undergrowth and waved Ronin over. The merchant cried out in surprise as they surrounded him.
‘Show us your inro,’ demanded Ronin.
Staring aghast at his three assailants, the merchant exclaimed, ‘Can’t a man answer the call of nature without being robbed?’
Hana could hardly suppress her giggles at finding the man in such a compromising position.
‘We’re not here to rob you,’ Jack explained quickly. ‘We just … want to look at the inro.’
With trembling hands, the merchant passed Jack the carrying case. Although the netsuke was a beautifully carved lion’s head, the inro was decorated with a cedar, not a sakura tree.
‘My apologies, this isn’t mine,’ said Jack, returning it guiltily.
‘Of course it’s not,’ fumed the merchant. ‘I bought this only yesterday in Kyoto!’
The three of them backed awkwardly away, leaving the merchant to finish his business. Once on the road, Jack felt his frustration explode.
‘I can’t believe you led us on that wild goose chase!’
‘But you said the inro looked like yours,’ replied Ronin tetchily.
‘I didn’t get a clear view and now we’re halfway back to Kizu again!’
Furious, Jack kicked a branch from his path and pointed accusingly at Ronin.
‘If you hadn’t drunk so much plum wine, we wouldn’t have wasted an entire afternoon and got sidetracked by that merchant. It’s all your fault!’
‘Don’t point your finger at me,’ snarled Ronin, swaying on his feet as he took a swig of saké. ‘Remember, there’s