Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire (25 page)

If Akuma approached from the north, as Jack knew he was likely to, they wouldn’t have much of a warning.

‘The men are becoming tired and edgy,’ said Yuudai, under his breath. ‘They’re not used to guard duty.’

‘They shouldn’t have to wait much longer,’ replied Jack. ‘Junichi told me that Akuma always raids before midnight.’

‘Yes, he’ll come at the darkest hour to gain the best advantage,’ said Yuudai, grimly contemplating the unseen road. ‘How are the other units holding up?’

‘I’m visiting Saburo, then Hayato next. Miyuki’s had one false scare. Otherwise it’s just as quiet and her unit is just as scared.’

‘And Neko?’

Jack smiled at him. ‘Neko’s the bravest – the only one who dares venture beyond the firelight.’

Yuudai laughed, making some of the farmers jump in fright. ‘She’s fearless, that one. How I wish I’d seen her confront that bear.’

‘But if you’d been with us,’ said Jack, laughing too, ‘the bear would’ve run away
before
Neko got there!’

Confident that Yuudai had everything under control, Jack made his way down to the square. Yori was perched in the watchtower, keeping his eye out for the warning beacon.

‘Are you all right up there?’ called Jack.

‘Yes,’ replied Yori. ‘It’s so peaceful it’s easy to forget we’ll be fighting soon.’

‘Who knows? If Akuma’s repelled by our defences, we may not even have to,’ said Jack, although deep down he knew Akuma would never give up, especially when the bandit realized this was the village that had attacked his camp and freed the girls. ‘Ring the alarm if you see anything.’

Yori waved to him and resumed watching the skyline.

Jack joined Saburo on the village’s southern border. The whole stretch felt terribly exposed, with just the frozen paddy fields and the thorn-filled moat for defence.

‘It’s freezing,’ complained Saburo, stamping his feet for warmth. ‘No sane bandit would want to raid in these conditions.’

‘That’s because Akuma’s mad!’ said Kunio, shuddering despite sitting so close to their sentry fire he was almost in the flames.

‘Don’t make the mistake of thinking Akuma’s mad,’ Jack corrected the boy. ‘He knows exactly what he’s doing. This is the best time to attack, when you’re at your weakest and most vulnerable.’

‘So where is he?’

Jack looked into the night. ‘Out there. Somewhere. Waiting to strike.’

The long night stretched on. The biting cold made the farmers shiver and fatigue made them yawn. The task of the young samurai commanders was as much to keep the farmers awake and focused as to watch out for Akuma.

Jack stood beside Hayato at the eastern entrance. They both listened hard for the sound of horses’ hooves and the crunch of footfalls in the snow. But apart from the crackling of the sentry fires, the night was as deaf as it was blind.

‘He’s not coming,’ said Toge, crouched behind the hay bales out of the wind.

‘This night’s not over,’ Hayato reminded him.

‘Akuma has always raided us by now.’

‘Maybe our attack on his camp scared him off,’ Sora suggested, a hopeful expression lighting up his face as he tried to warm his hands by the fire.

‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ said Jack. ‘He didn’t look the sort of man to be frightened.’

‘Then he could be trapped, his back route out of the valley blocked by snow too.’

‘Wishful thinking,’ said Hayato. ‘Akuma would find a way – or make one. He’s probably just been delayed by last night’s storm.’

But the farmers preferred the idea that Akuma had failed to show up.

‘I think Toge’s right,’ said another man. ‘It’ll soon be dawn. Black Moon never attacks in the day.’

‘All this training, ditch digging and barricade building has been a complete waste of time,’ complained Toge bitterly.

‘You don’t know Akuma won’t come,’ said Hayato. ‘There’s still time.’

‘But he isn’t here now,’ argued a farmer, beginning to rejoice. ‘And he won’t be. Akuma’s
not
coming!’

Jack and Hayato glanced anxiously at one another as the false victory spread like wildfire among the gathered farmers.

‘Look!’ cried Sora, pointing to a faint glow in the mountains. ‘The sun’s about to rise.’

But it wasn’t the sun.

The furious clang of the alarm broke the peace of the night as a warning beacon lit up the sky.

43

THE RAID

‘He’s attacking from the north!’ cried Yori as Jack sprinted into the village square.

‘You stay there,’ shouted Jack. ‘Keep an eye out in case Akuma has split his forces.’

He dashed up the road to the barricade. Yuudai had already rallied his men. They crouched in two rows behind the secondary wall of hay bales, their spears at the ready. The beacon on the hill burnt brightly, but down in the valley it remained pitch black. The thunder of horses’ hooves grew louder and disembodied howls and shouts sent shudders of fear through the farmers. Some began to back away, their overwhelming instinct to flee their posts.

‘Stay in line!’ ordered Yuudai fiercely.

Out of the veil of darkness rode Akuma and his bandits. Like black ghosts, they charged down the road. Caught in the flickering light of the sentry fire, their faces appeared savage and bloodthirsty. They descended upon the village, swords and weapons drawn to massacre any who stood in their way.

Jack now comprehended the utter terror the farmers harboured for Black Moon. Even in his worst nightmares, he couldn’t imagine a more fearsome and bone-chilling sight.

Only at the last moment did Akuma register the barricade in the darkness. He furiously brought his horse to a halt. The bandits around him did the same. But a number, too intent upon the attack to notice, continued the charge. As the barricade loomed into view, their horses broke from their gallop, straining every sinew to stop. The bandits were thrown head first off their mounts to crash into the wooden barricade. Some were knocked unconscious on impact. One victim landed upon a spike, its tip driving straight through his chest.

Confounded by the fortification, the bandits were bottlenecked in the valley and chaos reigned. With their normal strategy foiled, most were at a loss as to what to do next. Akuma, quickest to adapt to the unexpected resistance, barked out orders and marshalled his forces at a safe distance. Then he mobilized a contingent of men to launch a fresh attack. Dismounting, these bandits stormed the barricade on foot.

‘First row, get ready,’ hissed Yuudai to the farmers.

Although they were terrified out of their wits, their confidence had been boosted at seeing the bandits in such disarray. Yuudai picked up one of the samurai spears in preparation for their defence. Jack squatted beside him, his
katana
drawn.

‘We only need to go hand to hand if the barricade is breached,’ explained Yuudai, indicating for Jack to stay where he was. ‘I’ll need you to lead the second division, if required.’

Jack nodded his understanding.

The bandits had started to scale the outer defences. It was hard going and their weapons hampered them as they climbed. This gave the farmers a vital advantage. When the bandits were halfway, Yuudai gave the signal.

‘
KIAI!
’ he cried, leading the charge across the wooden gangway.

The farmers rose from their hiding place and rushed the barricade, their spear tips aiming between the gaps for the invaders. The attack was so sudden and swift that the bandits could do little about it. Cries of pain pierced the night as they dropped to the ground, one by one. Most met their fate where they fell, but one survived. Clutching his bleeding stomach, he crawled desperately back towards Akuma.

‘SAMURAI!’ he warned, pointing to the row of armoured figures behind the barricade.

On Yuudai’s instruction, the farmers quickly retreated back across the moat so as to maintain the illusion of an all-samurai force. Hidden behind the hay bales, breathless from the rush of combat, they grinned at one another, exhilarated by their first flush of success.

Paying no attention to his wounded men, Akuma glared in disbelief at such bold opposition.

‘Hear me,
ronin
!’ he roared. ‘This isn’t your battle. There’s no glory in fighting for farmers. If it’s rice you need, there’s more than enough to go round. I’ll even double what these farmers are paying. Stand aside now.’

Jack and Yuudai glanced at one another.

‘It’s a good offer,’ said Yuudai, with a playful grin. ‘Shall we take it?’

The nearby farmers looked shocked at his suggestion, but Jack was impressed that Yuudai could still make jokes under the circumstances.

‘Tempting as it is, I think we should refuse,’ he replied.

Nodding in agreement, Yuudai grabbed a spare spear. ‘Allow me to answer on your behalf.’

He launched the spear, his immense throw sending it soaring into the night. A moment later, they heard a crunch and a startled whinny as it embedded itself in the ground right next to Akuma and his horse.

‘You’ll regret that, samurai!’ snarled Akuma.

Yuudai turned to Jack. ‘I’m afraid the spear didn’t quite strike home.’

‘Don’t worry. There’ll be plenty more chances to deliver the message.’

Mustering his men, Akuma sent another bandit force to storm the eastern end of the barricade. Yuudai once again led his first division to engage with the attackers. Having lost the element of surprise, though, they found it harder to fend off the bandits. Akuma’s men were more cautious this time, keeping their weapons to hand, so they could deflect the lethal spear thrusts as they climbed.

While the farmers battled to bring them down, Akuma ordered a second wave to strike at the western end of the barricade. With Yuudai and his farmers distracted, these bandits climbed unopposed.

Spotting Akuma’s tactic, Jack took command of Yuudai’s second division and rushed to defend the unguarded end. He and the farmers fought furiously to stop the bandits breaching their defences. But one was already nearing the top. Without hesitation, Jack pulled a
shuriken
from his
obi
and threw it at the man. The ninja star flashed through the air and struck the bandit in the neck. Crying out in shock and pain as blood spurted out, the man lost his grip on the barricade. He crashed into the other bandits, dislodging them as he tumbled to the ground.

Fear and adrenalin driving them on, the farmers kept stabbing with their spears. Confronted with such a relentless defence, the bandits quickly lost the momentum of their assault.

Then a gunshot went off.

The farmers froze like startled deer.

One of Yuudai’s unit fell to the ground.

‘Got one!’ cried a delighted Kurochi, who stood beside Akuma reloading his musket.

Jack raced over to the lifeless man. An arm had been blasted off, but it still made a convincing samurai in the dark. Pushing the straw dummy back into position, Jack taunted, ‘You missed, snake head!’

Kurochi swore in disbelief. Furiously packing the gunpowder into the barrel, he reloaded his musket with a lead ball, aimed and fired.

This time the gunshot took off the dummy’s head … and Jack’s almost with it.

‘I
never
miss!’ shouted Kurochi.

But even though the musket had made an impact, the bandits were failing to make any dent in the farmers’ defences.

Realizing he was losing men and gaining nothing, Akuma bellowed, ‘
FALL BACK!
’

The surviving bandits hurriedly withdrew to their horses.

Pulling hard on his reins, Akuma turned and rode off into the mountains, his men following close behind.

‘They’re retreating!’ cried a farmer in amazement.

‘We’ve WON!’ exclaimed another.

Exhilarated by their combat experience, the villagers started to shout in delight.

But Jack and Yuudai knew different. The battle had only just begun.

44

THE MILL

The sun bled above the horizon, bringing with it a crimson dawn. As Jack stood with Junichi in the village square, he was reminded of the mariner’s weather lore:

Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight