Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [127]
Jack kicked as hard as he could, struggling to keep up with Akiko. He lost contact with her and panic seized him. The fear of drowning wrapped its cold, clammy fingers round his throat. His heart beat harder in his ears and the pressure built up and up in his lungs. He already had a desperate urge to breathe out and suck down the icy water.
A light-headed calm began to wash over him. Realizing he wasn’t going to reach the end of the tunnel, he stopped swimming. He let his breath bubble out. A heavy sleepiness seeped into his bones and he lost all care. Strangely, he almost welcomed the idea of drowning. At least he’d die with the rutter. He’d be able to return it to his father. He’d see his mother again.
Jack was peacefully resigned to his fate.
All of a sudden, he felt two warm lips press themselves against his. Air was forcibly blown into his mouth and his lungs welcomed the oxygen like a heady elixir. Jack felt his stupor lift and realized he’d been on the verge of blacking out, the reason why he’d so willingly given in to death. But he wanted to live.
The lips drew away and a hand clasped his wrist, pulling him along the tunnel.
Moments later, Jack and Akiko burst to the surface of the moat.
Jack gulped down air in heaving gasps.
‘I thought I’d lost you,’ said Akiko in a distraught whisper.
‘You’ll have to try… harder… than that,’ replied Jack, hacking up water.
‘Shh!’ warned Akiko. ‘The enemy are all around.’
Looking to the opposite bank, Jack saw hundreds of troops running through the darkness and became aware of countless dead bodies floating beside him and Akiko. They bobbed in the water like rotting logs. Stifling a cry as a headless corpse bumped into him, Jack followed Akiko who was swimming silently to the other side of the moat.
Slipping out of the water, they bolted for the cover of a nearby building. When the way was clear, they headed in the direction of the outer wall. Keeping to the shadows, they weaved their way carefully through the many courtyards and pathways of the outer bailey. Their going was painfully slow as they tried to avoid the enemy.
Suddenly a patrol of Red Devils came marching up the road towards them. Akiko pulled Jack into a nearby stable, startling its occupant. She gently stroked its mane, calming the horse as the samurai passed by.
‘That was close,’ Jack sighed with relief.
‘It’s getting too dangerous,’ whispered Akiko. ‘They’re all on the lookout.’
She peered into the darkness of the street.
‘I have an idea,’ she said, slipping out of the stable and leaving Jack on his own.
Akiko returned, dragging the body of an enemy ashigaru killed during the attack on the castle.
‘Bakemono-jutsu,’ she said, in response to the shocked look on Jack’s face. ‘It’s a ninja ghost technique.’
60
MOUNTAIN TO SEA
The quiet of dawn was more a deathy silence than a peaceful awakening. Osaka Castle had settled into an uneasy sleep during the night as the last few pockets of resistance were crushed and the fires brought under control. By the time the first rays of the morning sun broke through the smoke-laden sky, Kamakura’s troops had fallen into a weary stupor. With the enemy now vanquished, many had dropped their guard and were dozing amid the ruined battlements while awaiting further orders. At the outer gateway, though, there was still a heavy presence of Red Devils.
‘We’ll never get past them,’ hissed Jack, leading Akiko on the horse down the main road.
‘It worked for Sensei Kyuzo,’ Akiko whispered in reply. ‘Just don’t stop.’
Jack adjusted his helmet and menpō. ‘It’s too small. It keeps slipping off,’ he complained.
He was dressed in the blue-and-yellow crested armour of the dead ashigaru. He also had the man’s swords. Akiko had managed to find a bow and a quiver of arrows along with the armour of a high-ranking samurai loyal to daimyo Kamakura.