Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [52]
‘Your challenge is to snuff out the candle,’ explained Sensei Yosa. ‘You will be allowed two attempts.’
‘Good luck,’ Yamato whispered to Jack.
‘I think I’ll need more than luck,’ replied Jack, glancing down at his bow.
The firing distance was equal to the length of the Southern Zen Garden, making it a difficult shot even without the additional factor of the flame.
The first to step up was Goro. Jack’s earlier annoyance over the selection of the bows was tempered by the boy’s appalling performance. A ripple of laughter broke out as one of his arrows missed the target completely and glanced off one of the pillars, narrowly missing Sensei Yosa.
Then it was Akiko’s turn.
She finished tending to the bamboo bow and hawk feather arrows that Sensei Yosa had presented to her earlier that summer. Being the only student to have her own weapon, she hadn’t needed to fight over the school’s. She lined herself up with the target, nocked an arrow on to her bowstring, then raised the weapon above her head. She did all this with an ease and elegance that was reminiscent of Sensei Yosa herself.
Akiko’s first arrow pierced the bullseye with a resounding thump like a heartbeat.
There was a moment of awed silence.
Akiko didn’t need to fire a second. Her arrow had flown so true that it had actually sliced the flame in half as the feathered flights snuffed out the candle.
The Butokuden was drowned in ecstatic applause.
Akiko’s performance put everyone else to shame. Each entrant filed through, firing to the best of their ability, but no one could match Akiko’s skill. Yamato struck the target both times, but missed the candle. Kazuki’s performance was more impressive, his second arrow slicing the edge of the candle and almost cutting it in half. To Jack’s relief, though, the flame stayed lit. Even Emi, who was usually on a par with Akiko, didn’t extinguish the flame, though she did get two bullseyes. Hiroto was the only one to prove the exception. His second arrow clipped the wick of the candle, snuffing the flame out.
Then it was Jack’s turn.
With Kazuki, Akiko and Hiroto having succeeded in a trial and therefore standing a good chance of being chosen to enter the Circle of Three, he was starting to feel the pressure.
He had to be chosen. He had to prove himself.
He had to learn the Two Heavens.
Drawing upon all his reserves of concentration, Jack took up position at the mark. He focused on the tiny flame at the far end of the hall, no larger than a rosebud. He drew back on his bow, moving fluidly between each movement as Akiko had instructed, and let loose his first arrow.
Jack grimaced in disappointment. It was a good hand’s width below the bullseye. The bow’s limited draw strength had thrown his aim off. He adjusted his stance to compensate. Focusing hard on the flickering light, he was about to fire his second arrow when he remembered Sensei Yosa’s words: ‘When the archer does not think about the target, then they may unfold the Way of the Bow.’
Jack finally understood what she meant. He was so focused on the flickering candle that he hadn’t noticed his body tensing up.
He stopped thinking about the target, let his mind go and relaxed with the bow. Starting again, he gave each moment of the draw his full attention. As he breathed out, he released the arrow. It whistled down the length of the dojo, straight towards the centre of the flame.
It struck the bullseye.
The whole dojo stared at the candle, the arrow quivering slightly above it. The flame guttered briefly and some of the students began to clap, but their premature applause died as soon as the candle flared back into life.
The next moment, the arrow’s feathered flights burst into flames like a terrible omen.
Jack had failed the second trial.
25
MORE THAN A PIECE OF PAPER
Perched upon a zabuton