Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [92]
They walked down the main corridor towards Father Bobadillo’s study. A couple of guards passed by. For a moment Jack thought they’d been caught, but the two guards ignored them and descended the stairs. There were no other samurai around.
‘What if he’s in his room?’ asked Yamato.
‘Only one way to find out,’ said Akiko, indicating for them to wait in a side corridor.
She knocked on the door. There was no answer.
Akiko beckoned the two of them to rejoin her.
‘We’ll stand guard here,’ she said to Jack. ‘We’ll warn you if anyone comes.’
Jack nodded his agreement and slipped into Father Bobadillo’s study. The weird sensation of crossing the world struck him again. In a single step, he’d gone from East to West.
A few shafts of afternoon sun seeped through a shuttered window, giving the impression this darkened room was full of secrets. Crossing over to the recess, he looked for the dictionary. It was easy to spot. The binding was exactly as he remembered, worn from his constant use and slightly damaged on the lower edge where he’d once dropped it. Opening up the book’s pages, his suspicions were confirmed. Father Lucius’s name was clearly written in black ink on the first plate.
Jack had all the proof he needed. Father Bobadillo was the devil behind Dragon Eye. How else could he have got the dictionary? Why deny all knowledge of it? A cold realization fell over Jack. If this Jesuit priest had the dictionary, then he must have the rutter too. A surge of anger coursed through Jack. If Father Bobadillo was responsibile for hiring Dragon Eye, then he was as guilty of his father’s murder as the assassin himself.
Jack’s right hand clasped the ninja tantō tucked into his obi. He gripped the handle of the demon blade so tightly that his knuckles went white. Thoughts of revenge pulsed like fire through his veins.
‘What are you two doing here?’ said a voice outside the room.
Jack went cold. They’d been discovered. He shoved the dictionary back on the shelf.
‘Guard duty, officer,’ responded Yamato, sounding nervous.
‘You’re on the wrong floor. I requested a change of guards for Father Bobadillo’s guest on the fourth floor.’
‘But –’ said Akiko.
‘No arguing. Follow me!’
‘Hai!’ responded Akiko and Yamato, and Jack heard them all march away.
Jack let go of the knife. He had to think clearly. Revenge was not an option. Father Bobadillo was too powerfully connected and there was still the chance Jack could be wrong in his assumption. Besides, his priority was to find the rutter. Jack realized it could even be in this very room. He hunted through the other books, but with no success. He looked on the table. Then he spotted the locked casket in the corner.
Jack knelt before the immense chest and unsheathed the tantō. Carefully inserting its tip into the lock, he jiggled the blade round. When his little sister had lost the key to their own chest at home, his father had shown him how to pick such a lock. But this one was stronger and wouldn’t budge. His knife slipped. As he tried again, Jack got the unnerving sensation he was being watched. Looking round, he saw a man’s dark eyes stare accusingly down at him, but it was only the portrait of St Ignatius.
All of a sudden, the lock gave and Jack pulled it free from the plate. Lifting the heavy top, he looked inside. There were papers, silver coins, some jewellery, a thick velvet robe and three books. Jack snatched them up, but none were the rutter. He hunted the depths of the casket. Where would Father Bobadillo keep it? Had he given the logbook to someone to decipher? Perhaps Dragon Eye hadn’t even delivered it to him? Having discovered its true worth, the ninja may have kept the rutter for his own purposes. Through the rush of thoughts, Jack became aware of footsteps coming down the corridor. They stopped directly outside the door to the study.
‘Please thank daimyo Yukimura for his time today,’ said an oily voice.
It was Father Bobadillo.
Jack was trapped. Hurriedly replacing the contents of the casket and slipping the lock back on, he looked round in a wild panic. There