The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [54]
Ronin trailed off and said no more. He just stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes, more bloodshot than ever. He sniffed, a tear rolling down his cheek.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Hana softly.
‘Fine,’ snapped Ronin, wiping a forearm across his face. ‘The smoke’s just getting in my eyes, that’s all.’
33
HININ
The three of them sat round the fire, an uncomfortable silence hanging over them.
‘Nara it is then!’ said Hana in an effort to lift the mood. She picked up her bokken. ‘Botan had better watch out – Hana the samurai’s on his trail!’
Ronin ducked just in time as Hana swung the sword through the air.
‘Put that down!’ he growled, clearly regretting the decision to let her have it in the first place. ‘I told you, you’re not a samurai!’
One look at the scowling Ronin, his hands trembling, convinced Hana to do as she was told. ‘You could teach me how to use it,’ she ventured quietly.
Ronin glared at her.
‘So what’s the quickest way to Nara?’ asked Jack, hoping to divert Ronin’s darkening temper with a change of subject.
‘Through the Kizu Valley,’ replied Ronin.
‘Isn’t there another way?’ said Jack, feeling his frustration rise. They were about to retrace their steps yet again!
Ronin shook his head. ‘The mountain trails would take too long and crossing points over the Kizu River are few and far between. We’ll just have to take the risk.’
‘I’ve been to Nara before,’ Hana revealed. ‘It only takes a day to get there.’
‘Do you know where the Tōdai-ji Temple is then?’ asked Jack, showing her the green silk omamori.
Hana grinned. ‘You can’t miss it. The temple must be the biggest building in the world!’
Noticing that Ronin’s hands were still shaking, Jack shifted along the log. ‘Come closer to the fire, Ronin.’
‘I’m not cold,’ he mumbled, trying to control the trembling. ‘I’d be fine if only I had some saké.’
Hana, frowning, gave Ronin a troubled look. ‘Tell me, why do you always need to drink?’
‘To forget.’
‘You want to forget your … father?’ ventured Hana.
‘That’s none of your business!’ snapped Ronin.
Hana looked wounded by the return of Ronin’s harshness.
Ronin grunted an apology. ‘Ironic, isn’t it, Jack? You can’t remember but want to. I can remember and don’t want to!’
With that, Ronin moved away and bedded down against a tree to sleep. Jack saw him shudder and wondered if it was the lack of saké, the chilly night or his troubled past that was the cause.
Jack and Hana sat in silence for a while as the night closed in around them. Only the crackle of wood burning and the buzzing of insects broke the stillness. Their faces flickered in the firelight as Jack poked the embers with a stick and sparks flew into the night sky.
‘I love how the flames dance,’ mumbled Hana dreamily, gazing into its blaze.
Jack stared at the orange glow and lost himself in it too. For a moment, the fire consumed everything in his vision. Just like it had when the Niten Ichi Ryū had burnt. He thought he saw a face in the flames – Kazuki laughing – and recalled his rival’s threat on Akiko’s life.
He grasped his stick, his knuckles going white with fury at himself. How foolish he’d been to let slip that Akiko had survived her injuries.
But then he realized that as long as Kazuki was after him, he couldn’t be searching for Akiko. The problem would arise when Jack left Japanese shores for England – Kazuki would have free rein to carry out his terrible revenge. The thought of Akiko being hurt was too much to bear. Jack knew a final confrontation between him and Kazuki was inevitable. The stick in his hands snapped in a fit of enraged frustration. He blinked, suddenly aware of his surroundings.
‘Can I ask you something?’ whispered Hana tentatively.
Jack nodded and threw the broken branch into the fire.
‘When you’ve found this rutter in Nara, can I come with you to Nagasaki?’
Jack hesitated,