Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire (19 page)

In the distance, they heard another mighty roar.

Miyuki began to tremble. ‘The bear must’ve got her.’

Jack suddenly felt choked with emotion too. It had all happened so fast. The bear. Neko. Her sacrifice for them. He stood beside Miyuki in grief-stricken silence, too shocked to know what to do next.

‘We should go … before it comes back,’ said Sora, nervously scanning the bushes.

‘We can’t just leave her –’ said Jack, but stopped mid-sentence as he saw two cat-like eyes peer at him from a hole in a tree. ‘Neko!’ he exclaimed as she emerged from her hiding place, grinning victoriously.

Using the hand signs Miyuki had taught him, Jack asked,
Are you OK?

Neko nodded, having only suffered a few scratches in her escape.

Miyuki, delighted to discover her young charge unharmed, cried, ‘I told you, she’d make the perfect ninja!’

‘Well, she certainly doesn’t make a good samurai,’ said Hayato. ‘She disobeyed orders following us and almost got herself killed.’

‘If it wasn’t for Neko, we would be dead!’ shot back Miyuki.

‘And I’m thankful for that,’ replied Hayato. ‘But what’s she doing here in the first place?’

Miyuki signed the question to her. ‘She says she thought she could help.’

‘Which is exactly what she
has
done!’ said Jack, smiling warmly at their silent saviour.

Retracing their steps, they took up the trail once more, Neko now part of the expedition. They trekked deeper and deeper into the mountains. The land became more rugged and remote, spears of rock rising all around them. Approaching mid-afternoon, the trail led them up a hair-raising path cut into a cliff face before entering a narrow gorge.

‘How much further, do you think?’ Jack called to Miyuki.

She turned to reply, but Sora interrupted her.

‘Quiet!’ he hissed, putting a finger to his lips.

The three young warriors went for their weapons. But on looking around, the gorge was deserted.

What is it?
mouthed Jack.

Sora pointed a finger upwards and whispered, ‘Danger of avalanche!’

Above them, a colossal wave of snow teetered upon the edge of the gorge’s upper lip. Maintaining their silence, they cautiously edged further along the ever-narrowing chasm until, at its farthest end, they saw a sheer rock face blocking the gorge.

‘Are you certain they went this way?’ whispered Jack.

Miyuki nodded and pointed to the two tracks that continued ahead of them.

‘Maybe the bandits lost their way?’ suggested Hayato.

‘I don’t think so,’ replied Miyuki, under her breath. ‘There are no fresh tracks leading back from here.’

‘Then let’s keep going,’ said Jack.

Walking on, the walls of the gorge pressed closer until only a thin blue line of sky could be seen between the ridges of snow above. It was as if the mountain itself was trying to crush them.

‘We should turn back,’ said Sora, glancing up to spot dark clouds gathering. ‘I don’t know this area and there’s a storm coming.’

But Jack was determined to follow the trail to its end. As they neared the end of the gorge, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He now saw that the rock face cut hard right at the last moment. The optical illusion gave the appearance of a dead end, when in fact the track led to a narrow gap in the mountainside.

Passing through, the five of them were stunned to discover a hidden valley.

32

AKUMA

A waterfall cascaded down a cliff into a crystal-clear sliver of lake. Near the shore a patch of hardy trees clung to the steep valley sides, while further along the snow-clad bank was a knot of wooden buildings, protected in the lee of an overhanging crag. There was a storehouse, a stable and a large wooden bunkhouse, smoke rising from a hole in its thatched roof.

‘This has to be it!’ exclaimed Jack.

‘We should wait until dusk,’ said Miyuki. ‘To avoid being spotted.’

Hunkering down behind a boulder, they watched the camp for signs of life. A few men wandered around tending to the horses, but it appeared that most of the bandits were within the bunkhouse itself. Snatches of raucous laughter and drunken singing could be heard drifting across the lake.

‘I haven’t seen any guards,’ said Jack, as the sun dipped below the mountain ridge.

‘Nor have I,’ agreed Miyuki.

‘They’re overconfident,’ said Hayato. ‘Akuma clearly doesn’t believe anyone would find them here.’

‘No one ever has,’ said Sora, shivering in the icy mountain air. ‘Or at least, none have returned to tell the tale.’

‘Don’t worry, we will,’ said Jack, praying he spoke the truth.

Skirting the edge of the lake, they kept to the cover of the trees for as long as they could, then used the larger boulders to creep closer. But this only took them so far.

‘It’s open ground from here,’ said Miyuki. ‘I’ll go first.’

Checking the way was clear, she sprinted for the near wall of the bunkhouse. As she reached halfway, the main door opened and a bandit stepped out. In an instant, she dropped into a crouch and became still as a stone. Dressed in her white
shinobi shozoku
, she appeared no more than a mound of snow. And despite knowing exactly where she was, even Jack had difficulty spotting her in the half-light.

The bandit, shuddering against the cold, strode in her direction. He drew closer and closer. She was bound to be discovered. From behind their boulder, Hayato took an arrow from his quiver and raised his bow.

‘Just in case,’ he whispered, targeting the man in the throat.

But the bandit walked straight on by, completely oblivious to Miyuki at his feet. He headed over to a small outhouse. A few minutes later, he returned to the main building, closing the door behind him. Only then did Miyuki look up and dart for the shelter of the wall.

‘That was
too
close,’ said Hayato, lowering his weapon.

Miyuki peeked through a slat in a lower window of the bunkhouse. Satisfied no one else was coming out, she beckoned them over one at a time. After they were all safely concealed in the shadows, Jack pressed an eye to the slat for his first real look at their enemy.

Inside, a roaring fire burned in a massive hearth at the centre of the room. Bandits were sprawled everywhere, gorging themselves on bowls of rice and large jugs of
saké
. In one corner a group of men were betting on a rowdy game of dice. In another, a small crowd cheered on two bandits arm-wrestling. Their wrists were bound together and either side of the table were flaming candles. Biceps rippling, they fought furiously against one another. The wrestler on the left screamed as his hand was forced into the burning flame. His opponent just laughed at his suffering.

If this is how they treat one another
, thought Jack,
what hope do we have?

Turning his attention to the opposite end of the bunkhouse, Jack immediately spotted Nakamura and Sayomi. They knelt before a bearded man with coal-black eyes and a broad chest. He wore a breastplate as dark as the night and around his head was tied a blood-red
hachimaki
. The bandanna, reinforced with a steel plate, was as potent as any crown.

‘That’s Akuma!’ whispered Sora, trembling at the sight of his village’s tormentor.

Jack laid a calming hand on Sora’s shoulder, but he too was struck by a chill of fear upon seeing the man known as Black Moon. The bandit leader’s malevolent presence dominated the room and he gazed upon the proceedings with the predatory glare of a killer shark. Jack noticed the bandits never looked directly at their leader and always kept a wary distance.

Akuma snapped his fingers and a girl appeared, bearing food and a pot of
sencha
. Bowing low, her eyes averted, she poured out a measure of green tea and handed him the cup.

Without even tasting it, he said, ‘The tea’s cold!’

‘But I just made it –’

Akuma brutally struck the girl with the back of his hand.

‘I said, the tea’s cold.’ His tone was calm and even, as if nothing untoward had happened. But blood trickled from the girl’s lower lip and a red welt bloomed across her cheek.

‘Sorry, my lord,’ she sobbed, scurrying off to bring him a fresh pot.

A man was dragged in by two bandits and dumped at Akuma’s feet. Dressed in a tattered farming smock and trousers, the prisoner quivered in terror.

‘I warned you not to resist,’ said Akuma, selecting a rosy-pink slice of salmon from a plate of
sushi
and popping it into his mouth.

The ragged farmer prostrated himself on the dirt floor. ‘I was only thinking of my family. I won’t do it again. I promise –’

‘No, you won’t,’ interrupted Akuma. ‘I accept your pitiful apology.’

The farmer looked up in amazement. ‘Thank you, O great Akuma, thank you!’ he cried, bowing over and over.

Akuma rolled his eyes, quickly bored with the man’s overt display of gratitude.

‘Now roast him on the fire!’ he ordered.

The two bandits seized the farmer and hauled him towards the blazing hearth. The room fell silent as everyone watched in grim fascination.

‘B-b-but my apology!’ pleaded the farmer, struggling wildly in the arms of his captors.

No longer able to stand by and watch, Jack drew his sword. But Hayato prevented him.

‘No! It would be sheer suicide!’

‘But we can’t just do
nothing
,’ protested Jack.

‘We help him, we die – it’s as simple as that.’

‘He’s right, Jack,’ said Miyuki, although she was clearly as uncomfortable with the situation as they all were. ‘There are too many of them. We can’t sacrifice the village’s safety for the fate of one man.’

A horrendous scream pierced the night.

‘We
must
stop Akuma!’ said Jack.

The screams went on and on, only challenged in volume by the gleeful laughter of the bandits.

‘And we will,’ promised Hayato, a look of fierce determination on his face. ‘At the coming of the black moon, we will.’

The screaming stopped.

Sora sat back in the snow, weeping silently and trying to comfort the traumatized Neko. With great reluctance, Jack and the others forced themselves to look through the window again.

Akuma, apparently disappointed at such a short display of torture, announced, ‘Feed him to the dogs!’

The two bandits pulled the unconscious farmer away from the fire and dragged his blistered body out to the back. A moment later, excited howls, yelps and growls were heard.

Akuma’s the devil himself!
thought Jack, sickened to the pit of his stomach.

Turning to Sayomi and Nakamura, Akuma enquired, ‘I trust there’ll be no such resistance from the farmers of Tamagashi village?’

Sayomi shook her head. ‘Their spirit is broken after last time. Unless you count the old woman who beat Nakamura!’

Akuma let loose a booming laugh at this. Sayomi cackled too. Then, as if on cue, all the bandits joined in.

Nakamura fumed. ‘Well, I’m still suspicious of that trench,’ he mumbled.

‘You saw the state of their paddy fields,’ said Sayomi dismissively. ‘It was to stop the flooding.’

‘Maybe, but the old woman acted
too
bold for my liking.’

‘You’re just upset that a woman hit you,’ smirked Sayomi.

‘I’ll hit you if you don’t shut up!’ he snapped.

‘You can try,’ she challenged, her eyes narrowing.

Akuma held up his hand and the two of them immediately stopped squabbling. ‘So you think the farmers are planning something?’

‘I doubt they’re clever enough,’ replied Sayomi.

‘They might have sought help,’ Nakamura suggested.

‘But who’d listen to their pleas?’ said Akuma. ‘
Daimyo
Ikeda doesn’t care.’

‘Perhaps some masterless samurai.’

Akuma considered this. ‘But even
ronin
have standards. What sort of samurai would lower himself to serve a farmer?’

‘A desperate one!’ Out of the shadows stepped a man dressed in black and tan leather. The entire left-hand side of his face was burnt away, the skin red and rippled like candle-wax, the hair all gone. His left eye was missing, the lid melted over the empty hole.

‘
Kurochi the Snake
,’ whispered Sora, as Miyuki gasped in horror at the disfigured bandit.

‘But we need not fear
ronin
,’ sneered Kurochi. ‘Not with a weapon like this.’

He raised a loaded musket, aimed it at a large
saké
barrel in the corner and pulled the trigger. It exploded with a deafening crack. Bandits scattered in panic and rice wine cascaded over the group playing dice. Kurochi gave a cackling laugh and Akuma grunted in satisfaction at the deadly display.

33

UP IN FLAMES