Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [92]
‘That’s the pain that I’ve inflicted upon you so far. It will continue to grow like a furnace until you go mad with suffering. Only I can end it. I ask you one last time. Where is the rutter?’
The ninja repositioned his fingers on Jack’s face.
‘No, please…’ begged Jack.
Jack felt his resistance break like a tree in a storm. His only remaining hope was that daimyo Takatomi’s castle was ninja-proof. Even if he died tonight, there was a chance that his tormentor would be caught in the act and ultimately punished for his crimes.
‘Behind… the wall hanging of the white crane… in Takatomi’s reception room,’ said Jack, gathering what little strength he had left.
‘Good. Now tell me what the rutter is?’
Jack blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly.
‘My father’s navigational logbook,’ he replied, too stunned to question why Dragon Eye didn’t know what he was actually stealing.
‘I know that much. My employer insists this rutter is more effective than an assassination in gaining power. Tell me why.’
Jack didn’t reply.
Dragon Eye gave a sharp stab with his fingers to remind Jack of the pain he could inflict. Jack winced and felt his resistance crumble once more.
‘It’s the key to the oceans of the known world. The country that possesses this rutter can command the trade routes and rule the seas. The fortune of the world is in their hands.’
As Jack explained, he began to understand Dragon Eye’s increasing interest in the power of the rutter. The ninja may be a hired hand, but he was no fool. Now aware of the importance of such an object, Dragon Eye was perhaps considering the rutter’s value for his own purposes.
‘You’ve been more than helpful,’ said Dragon Eye. ‘But you’re now worthless to me. I keep my promises, though, so will release you from your torment. The Death Touch is excruciating but swift. You may not even feel your heart explode.’
Jack’s pulse thumped through his body, his heart clamouring to escape, as Dragon Eye formed a snakehead out of his hand and aimed it at Jack’s chest.
This was it, Jack realized. This was the face of Death, a featureless black mask with a single green eye. He was staring into it and all he felt was fear. Then, in the last dying moments, a thin smile broke across his bloodless lips.
‘What have you got to smile about, gaijin?’ asked the ninja, astounded at his victim’s bravado.
But Jack’s smile only broadened as he realized Dragon Eye’s efforts were ultimately futile. The key information in the rutter was protected by the cipher his father had devised. Only Jack could decode it. Without the key to unlock it, the rutter was virtually useless. A jigsaw with a vital piece missing.
Like a lifeline for a drowning sailor, Jack realized the rutter could save him.
‘Kill me and the rutter’s knowledge dies with me,’ stated Jack, emboldened by his belief.
‘Encrypted, is it?’ replied Dragon Eye, unfazed. ‘It’s of no consequence. I know a Chinese cryptologist who can decode anything.’
With that, Dragon Eye struck and Jack’s last hope died in his chest.
46
DIM MAK
Jack’s heart thumped against his ribcage as if it was trying to punch its way out through flesh and bone. His lungs became tight and constricted, as if a snake had coiled its way round his chest and was squeezing the breath from him. He collapsed against the alley wall and slid down into the thick mud, where he lay juddering and gasping.
Dragon Eye crouched down to admire his handiwork.
‘You have as long as a fish out of water before your heart gives out,’ he stated, wiping a strand of Jack’s blond hair out of his eyes in a gesture that was almost affectionate. ‘You would have made a great samurai, gaijin, but I can’t risk allowing you to fulfil such a destiny. Maybe in another life, eh?’
Jack was no longer listening. His breath whistled in his ears like wind in a cave and he could feel his blood pulsing through his body, pooling around his dying heart.
Thud… thud… THUD.
Dragon Eye spun round. A huge figure, large as a mountain bear, confronted him at the mouth of the dead