The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [83]
Wielding his katana left-handed, Kazuki circled Jack in the pouring rain.
‘The Shogun’s just doubled the reward for your capture – alive or dead,’ Kazuki revealed, his eyes narrowing.
‘It’s good to know I’m valued,’ replied Jack, raising his katana into a guard.
‘But … I’ll happily kill you for nothing.’
Like a bolt of lightning, a flash of steel cut through the air. Jack instinctively deflected it, then swung his own sword in a blistering attack for Kazuki’s neck. Ducking, Kazuki thrust at Jack’s stomach. Jack leapt aside, the sword’s razor-sharp edge almost scything through his obi. He retaliated with a diagonal cut across the chest at the same time as Kazuki sliced for his body. Their blades clashed and they stared at one another between the cross of steel.
‘You can’t win, gaijin,’ snarled Kazuki, pushing hard against Jack’s sword.
Jack shoved back. ‘I don’t intend to beat everyone. I only need to defeat you.’
Releasing the pressure, Jack let Kazuki come for him. As their blades met again, he executed a Flint-and-Spark strike. The steel of his sword grated against Kazuki’s. At the last moment, he deflected it aside and struck for Kazuki’s heart. Grimacing with the effort, Kazuki barely evaded the attack, the tip of Jack’s sword catching his kimono and ripping his red sun kamon from his chest.
‘You’ll have to do better than that!’ Kazuki seethed and retaliated with a flurry of furious blows.
They battled through the downpour, while the Scorpion Gang and the garrison of dōshin watched on, transfixed by the life-and-death struggle. Kazuki’s skill proved to be equal, if not better, left-handed, and Jack was forced to retreat under his onslaught.
‘Behind you!’ cried Hana.
Blocking Kazuki’s strike to the head, Jack glanced round to see Hiroto with his katana aimed for his back. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his left arm, Jack drew his wakizashi and deflected Hiroto’s blade away at the very last second. With almost blinding speed, Jack brought his katana down and thrust it backwards, driving the tip into Hiroto’s gut.
Hiroto crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach. ‘Not again,’ he wailed.
‘I said he was mine!’ snapped Kazuki, without a shred of pity.
Leaving Hiroto to bleed upon the floor, Kazuki turned on Jack.
‘That’s enough practice. Time to truly test your Two Heavens!’
Jack raised both his swords. The cut on his left arm had opened up and he could barely keep a grip on his wakizashi. In his current state, the Two Heavens was likely to be more of a hindrance than advantage against a samurai of Kazuki’s ability. But he had no choice.
All of a sudden, chaos reigned in the ranks of the dōshin. Screams and cries of pain scattered the men to one side. A dōshin standing over the imprisoned Hana gasped, then spewed up blood. He collapsed to the floor, revealing a wild-eyed, bearded samurai behind.
‘Ronin!’ cried Jack and Hana simultaneously.
Seeing Hana caught beneath the prongs of several sasumata, the samurai’s fury boiled and he went to work on her captors. Ronin was like a whirling dervish, his blade slicing through any dōshin who failed to run.
‘KILL HIM!’ screamed Kazuki, when his Scorpion Gang failed to respond to the unforeseen attack.
As soon as she was free, Hana scrambled to her feet, grabbed her bokken and rushed to Ronin’s side. ‘I knew you’d come back!’ she exclaimed.
‘It’s a question of honour,’ replied Ronin.
‘And sacrifice,’ said Jack, taking up position next to him as the Scorpion Gang lined up to attack. ‘We’re all trapped now.’
‘I’d rather die on my feet – sword in hand – than live on my knees, clasping a bottle,’ explained Ronin, looking Jack in the eye. ‘I will right my wrongs. I will not fail you.’
‘You haven’t failed me,’ said Jack, wishing there was more time to explain.
But Kazuki was on the warpath and Jack was forced to fight. His rival attacked with vengeful fury as his sword struck again and again. But Jack fought with equal passion, his strength renewed now the band of three was together once more.