Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [126]
‘Why?’ Jack protested, his emotions suddenly overwhelming him at the prospect of losing another father. His guardian had given him so much and asked for so little in return. How could he ever express the love and gratitude he owed this man? ‘It’s me that should stay! I should be sacrificing my life for yours.’
‘Don’t worry about me. I’ve lived my life. I don’t fear death. But you must live to fight another day, young samurai.’
‘But –’
‘Jack-kun, I’ve taught you all you need to live this life,’ he said, smiling with paternal pride. ‘That’s more than any teacher, or father, could hope for. You’ve come of age, my son.’
Masamoto bowed his head to Jack, then disappeared into the night.
‘There he is!’ came a shout from the garden.
The courtyard outside pounded with the sound of charging feet.
‘Long live the Niten Ichi Ryū!’
Unable to let go of the well’s lip, Jack had to know his guardian’s fate.
He heard a clash of swords and a body crumple to the ground.
But the fighting didn’t stop.
The steel of katana and wakizashi sang above the screams of dying samurai. Masamoto refused to yield.
‘STOP!’ shouted a brusque voice. ‘Your men will all die before he’s even shed his first drop of blood.’
Jack recognized the voice. It belonged to daimyo Kamakura.
‘Leave Masamoto-sama to me!’ he commanded. ‘Complete your search. Kill all Christian traitors!’
59
THE WELL
Jack clambered down the well as fast as he could. But the walls were slick and hard to grip. Below him, Akiko had almost reached the bottom.
Hearing the shouts of the Red Devils echoing above, he hastened his pace. In the ever-deepening gloom, he misjudged a foothold and, despite his years on-board a ship, his fingers failed him on the slimy rock. Jack fell down the well, knocking Akiko off as he tumbled past.
They splashed into the water together and Jack found himself sinking to the bottom. He tried desperately to swim up, but his armour was weighing him down. Struggling against it, he kicked himself towards the surface. But it was no use. It was as if an anchor had been tied to his waist.
Then he felt Akiko’s hands upon his armour, deftly undoing the ties. In moments he was free of the heavy breastplate. Shrugging off the rest, he burst to the surface and drew in a large gulp of air.
As he got his breath back, Jack looked around the solid walls of the well. ‘Where’s the tunnel?’ he asked in a panic.
‘Under the water,’ Akiko replied, shedding her last bits of armour. ‘I almost swam down it looking for you. This must be why the ninja never used this route.’
‘So how are we going to get out now?’
‘We swim.’
‘You’re out of your mind!’ exclaimed Jack, staring aghast at Akiko. ‘We’ll never make it.’
‘It can’t be that far,’ she replied seriously. ‘The well house is near the bailey wall. I’ve swum much further when I dived with the ama.’
‘I’m no pearl diver, Akiko,’ he reminded her, starting to shiver in the chill of the water. ‘Drowning’s a sailor’s worst nightmare.’
‘What other choice do we have?’
Jack didn’t have an answer. Then he realized something was missing.
‘The rutter!’ he exclaimed. ‘My pack! It came off with the armour.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll get it. It should be a lot easier to find than a pearl.’
Taking a deep breath, Akiko dived beneath the surface.
Jack was left alone in the darkness, only the sound of the water lapping against the walls and the echoing shouts of the samurai above to keep him company. It seemed an age before Akiko popped up again, the bag and rutter in her grasp.
‘Got it!’ she said, grinning. ‘But surely it’s ruined by the water?’
‘No, the oilskin wrapping will protect it,’ replied Jack, taking the bag from her.
Suddenly a large rock splashed down between them.
‘There they are!’
Another stone bounced off the walls, nearly hitting Jack in the head.
Jack didn’t need any further incentive. ‘The tunnel it is,’ he said, bracing himself for the long swim.
‘Take lots of deep breaths and try to stay calm,’ instructed Akiko.
More rocks crashed into the water as they dived beneath the surface,