The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [88]
‘I won’t let you die, Ronin,’ said Jack, alarmed at his words.
Ronin grunted with laughter before grimacing in pain. ‘I’ve suffered far worse in my time. I’ll live. But you must go.’
Jack shook his head adamantly. ‘I can’t leave you like this.’
‘You must. That Kazuki and his gang will come after you. You cannot wait for me to heal. Leave now while you have the chance.’
Jack knew Ronin was speaking sense. There would be other bridges, other crossing points, and Kazuki would never give up on his hunt for him. Jack had got Ronin to a safe house. There was little more he could do for his friend. Leaving him was possibly the best thing he could do. He’d draw their pursuers away, allowing Ronin to recover in peace.
Ronin gripped his hand. ‘I just hope … one day … you can find it in your heart to forgive me.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ said Jack. ‘I now remember everything that happened to me that day. You were never one of Botan’s gang. They drugged you too. And you tried to stop them killing me. I take back all I said. You’re a samurai of true bushido. If I was a daimyo, I’d be proud to have you in my service.’
Opening up the folds of his sodden kimono, Jack pulled out the black pearl upon its pin and offered it to Ronin.
‘For saving my life,’ said Jack.
Ronin looked thoughtfully at the pearl. ‘I know how precious this is to you,’ he said, and handed it back. ‘I appreciate your respect for our agreement, but you’ve given me something of far greater value.’
Jack stared at him, bemused.
‘My honour and dignity.’
He glanced at the bottle of saké. ‘I’ve tried to drown my regret for far too long. I’ve believed myself unworthy to be a samurai, ever since I failed to protect my father from that murderous spy who infiltrated our castle as a monk.’
Ronin groaned as a wave of pain hit him, but he waved off Jack’s help.
‘I was ashamed that I’d failed in my principal duty. You see … I was the one to blame for letting the assassin in … I acted too slowly to save my father from his blade … The assassin even got away. That’s why I harbour such hatred towards all monks – one of them might be my father’s murderer.’
Ronin looked at Jack, his eyes bloodshot, not from saké, but from tearful grief.
‘I’ve lived with this guilt of failure ever since. But now I can hold my head up high. I fulfilled my duty as a samurai in aiding and protecting you. I’ve made good my mistake. In time, I hope my father’s spirit will forgive me too.’
Spotting a straw hat upon the floor, Ronin reached for it. With great care, he placed it upon Jack’s head and pulled down the brim to cover his face.
‘Now you’re a true ronin.’
57
RONIN JACK
Leaving the farmhouse far behind, Jack strode through the driving rain. In front of him stretched a waterlogged road, winding through countless paddy fields towards a mountain range hidden behind a curtain of low clouds. He was heading west for the plains of Osaka, where he would meet the coast and follow it round and down towards Nagasaki.
No one else dared brave the storm, but Jack kept the straw hat dipped across his face just as a precaution. To the casual observer, he appeared no more than a wandering masterless samurai. Anyone who looked closer would be in for a shock.
At least Jack was able to avoid towns and main byways for the next few days. With the little money Ronin had left, they’d been able to purchase some rice and provisions from the farmer. But his supplies wouldn’t last long and, with the onset of winter, there would be far less food to scavenge. Jack was gravely concerned how he’d survive the long journey ahead.
But, thanks to Ronin and Hana, he did have his swords, Akiko’s pearl, Tenzen’s shuriken stars, Sensei Yamada’s omamori and, most importantly, his father’s rutter.
The Riddling Monk’s first prophecy came into his head and Jack now saw a pattern in the monk’s mystifying words.
What you find is lost … He’d found the gang who’d taken his money, but the gambler had lost it all.
What you give is given back … He’d given Ronin the pearl, only