The Way of the Warrior - Chris Bradford [41]
‘How… did you do that?’ stammered Jack, astounded at Akiko’s lightning skills.
‘Japanese women don’t just wear kimonos, Jack,’ she replied, indignant at his incredulity.
Outside, they heard Taka-san shouting.
‘Quick! Taka-san needs our help,’ she said, hurrying to the door ahead of the two boys.
They raced out into the garden just in time to see Dragon Eye run Taka-san through with his sword. All three of them screamed at the top of their lungs and charged Dragon Eye as one.
Dragon Eye stepped away from Taka-san’s body, pulling his sword out, and turned to confront them. Taka-san crumpled to the ground, clutching his bleeding stomach and hacking up blood. Jack, Akiko and Yamato formed a protective ring round their wounded friend.
‘Young samurai! How novel!’ laughed Dragon Eye, amused at the absurd sight of three children wielding weapons.
‘Not too young to die, though,’ he added with sinister malevolence.
The two other ninja emerged out of the darkness, weapons at the ready. Jack noted that one of them cradled a broken wrist to his chest. Clearly didn’t hit him hard enough, thought Jack bitterly.
‘Rutter,’ hissed Dragon Eye, his solitary green eye flaring at Jack. ‘Where is it?’
21
NITEN ICHI RYŪ
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Jack, thinking on his feet.
Akiko and Yamato exchanged puzzled glances. Was Jack the reason for the attack?
‘Liar!’ countered Dragon Eye. ‘We wouldn’t be here unless they knew you had it.’
Suddenly there was a high whistling in the air and the soft sound of a fleshy impact. The ninja with the broken wrist fell face down on the snowy ground, an arrow quivering in his back.
‘Masamoto!’ spat Dragon Eye.
Masamoto, swords drawn, charged into the garden flanked by four samurai. Three more samurai thundered across the veranda, stringing fresh arrows on to their bows.
‘Another time, gaijin,’ promised Dragon Eye, before fleeing with the remaining ninja over the bridge.
Yamato dragged Akiko and Jack to the ground as arrows shot overhead. The first arrow caught the trailing ninja in the leg. The second pierced his throat. The third was targeted on Dragon Eye, who leapt cat-like into the cherry blossom tree, the arrow flying beneath him and embedding itself in the trunk. Dragon Eye swung from the lower branch, dislodging a thick curtain of snow, and deftly flipped himself over the wall, before escaping into the night.
‘By Akuma! Who was that?’ demanded Masamoto as he levelled with them.
‘Dragon Eye,’ said Jack, getting back to his feet.
‘Dokugan Ryu?’ echoed Masamoto, incredulous, then shouted at the nearest samurai. ‘Captain! Fan out. Secure the house. Raise all our samurai from the village. By the memory of my son, Tenno, find this so-called Dragon and destroy him!’
The captain barked orders at his retinue of samurai and they disappeared into the night. Masamoto, beckoning a heavyset samurai and a distraught Hiroko over from the house, turned back to Jack, Yamato and Akiko, who still knelt upon the ground cradling the wounded Taka-san in her arms.
‘Kuma-san here will look after you all. He is one of my most loyal samurai. Don’t worry about Taka-san, Akiko,’ he said, noting the pleading look in her eyes. ‘I will have him tended to. Now go!’
The next day, Jack, Akiko and Yamato were summoned to see Masamoto in his chamber.
‘Be seated,’ he ordered curtly.
Masamoto, sitting in his usual place on the raised platform, appeared to Jack to be less composed than on previous occasions. His scarring was more inflamed and his voice tight and hoarse.
Hiroko poured him sencha.
‘Dokugan Ryu has not been found,’ he said bluntly, clearly displeased at his samurais’ failure. ‘My scouts had word of a sighting of ninja from Matsuzaka village, ten ri from here. We came as fast as we could. However, our horses were not swift enough to save Chiro.’
Hiroko stifled a sob and Masamoto signed for her to make a discreet exit. They all knew she was grief-stricken by the loss of her faithful maid.
‘Masamoto-sama,