Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [117]
‘Or perhaps I should try you for treason. Charge – attempted murder. Verdict – guilty. Sentence – death.’
Father Bobadillo rose from his seat, a wheel-lock pistol in his hand.
He aimed the gun at Jack’s heart.
‘Even a samurai can’t avoid a bullet.’
53
SHADOW WARRIOR
Jack tensed but the shot never came.
Father Bobadillo was staring past him, an eyebrow raised in surprise.
‘I was just about to do your job,’ he said disdainfully, lowering the gun. ‘But now you’re here, you can finish what I paid you to do.’
Dragon Eye slipped from the shadows.
Jack felt an icy slither of fear run down his spine. He was trapped between his two worst enemies. Knowing the pain Dragon Eye could inflict upon him, he now wished Father Bobadillo had shot him.
‘So the rutter has been decoded. Entirely?’ enquired the ninja.
‘Of course! I wouldn’t have ordered you to kill the boy otherwise.’
Father Bobadillo rolled his eyes in exasperation.
‘Good,’ replied Dragon Eye.
Ignoring Jack, the ninja approached Father Bobadillo.
‘Then I’ll take the rutter,’ he stated, holding out his hand.
‘What?’ exclaimed Father Bobadillo, his manner now indignant. ‘Are you out of your mind?’
The ninja gave a single shake of his head. ‘Daimyo Kamakura has need of it.’
‘But you stole it for me,’ snarled Father Bobadillo.
‘Now I’m stealing it back,’ replied Dragon Eye.
Jack glared at the priest. The man must have been lying about his father. The real thief was Father Bobadillo.
‘You can’t. It’s mine. I paid you for it,’ he protested. Then, pointing an accusative finger at Dokugan Ryu, he growled, ‘I also paid you to kill the boy.’
Jack could see Father Bobadillo was trying to regain control of the situation by diverting the ninja’s attention from the rutter back to him.
‘His time will come,’ replied Dragon Eye, giving Jack a cursory glance. ‘But not before yours.’
The ninja took a step towards the priest. Jack couldn’t believe it. The assassin had turned on his paymaster.
‘Stop,’ exclaimed Father Bobadillo, his eyes widening in terror. ‘I’ll give you whatever you want. Money, jewels, guns…’
The priest threw his shoulder bag on the table, its contents scattering across the surface. Glittering gemstones and silver coins cascaded to the floor.
Dragon Eye shook his head in disgust, unmoved by the priest’s pleas.
‘Daimyo Kamakura is offering far more than you, a pitiful excuse for a priest, could ever give me.’
‘Whatever it is, I’ll double it, treble it,’ said Father Bobadillo in desperation.
‘Highly unlikely, considering you’re on the losing side,’ sneered Dragon Eye. ‘He’s promising me Yamagata Castle and a return to power.’
Jack’s mind flashed back to the old woman’s story in the temple.
‘So you are Hattori Tatsuo?’ he breathed.
Dragon Eye’s head snapped round, his single green eye boring into Jack.
‘You really should be a ninja!’ he hissed. ‘I need a spy like you.’
‘But… but Masamoto-sama chopped your head off!’ stuttered Jack, staring at Dokugan Ryu in disbelief.
‘Yes, he did,’ laughed Dragon Eye cruelly. ‘At least, he thought he did. That murdering samurai actually killed my shadow.’
‘Your shadow?’ said Jack, utterly bemused.
‘A kagemusha. A Shadow Warrior,’ explained Dragon Eye, humouring him. ‘I came across a man who looked identical to me. Apart from having two eyes, of course. But I soon remedied that. He was more than willing to become my shadow in return for sparing the lives of his family. So you see, your almighty Masamoto actually killed an innocent man.’
Jack was astounded at the ninja’s cunning and cold-blooded nature.
‘Clever, but ultimately futile,’ sneered Father Bobadillo, now aiming the gun at Dragon Eye.
As he fired, the ninja instinctively leapt aside.
The bullet cracked into the wooden panel behind.
Dragon Eye charged at Father Bobadillo, striking him with the tips of his fingers in rapid succession. The priest’s face froze into an expression of total panic, his eyes rolling in their sockets. He was completely paralysed.
‘Samurai might not be able to avoid bullets, but ninja can,’ whispered