Dragon of the Red Dawn: A Merlin Mission (3 page)

“Are we wearing bathrobes?” asked Jack.

“I think they’re called kimonos,” said Annie.

“Oh, right,” said Jack. “Where’d we land exactly?” Jack and Annie looked out the window.

Below the tree house was a beautiful garden filled with cherry trees and long-leafed willows. A waterfall tumbled into a sparkling green pool.

“Wow,” said Annie.

Jack opened the Japan book and found a painting that looked like the garden. He read aloud to Annie:

In the 1600s, the Imperial Garden surrounded the Imperial Palace in the capital city of Japan. The city was called Edo (say EE-doh). In the mid-1800s, its name was changed to Tokyo (say TOH-kee-oh).

“Tokyo?”
said Annie. “I’ve always wanted to go to Tokyo!”

“Me too,” said Jack. He read on:

The late 1600s in Japan were years of peace and prosperity. Art and culture thrived. But it was a time when the country was completely closed to the outside world. No one was allowed to come in. The citizens of Edo were frequently checked to make sure they had passports.

“What’s a passport exactly?” said Annie.

“It’s an official booklet that says who you are,” said Jack. “It also lists the different countries you traveled to.” He read more:

Anyone who did not have a passport was considered a spy and punished severely.

“Uh-oh,” said Annie. “We don’t have passports.”

“Yeah, that’s a problem,” said Jack.

“Hey! What if we use the Wand of Dianthus to
make
passports?” said Annie.

“Good idea!” said Jack. He peeked inside his bag. Good, the Wand of Dianthus was there.

“Wait, wait,” said Annie. “We can’t. Remember the rules. We can only use the magic wand for the good of
others.”

“Oh, right,” said Jack.

“And we have to try our hardest before we use the wand,” said Annie.

“We haven’t tried anything yet,” said Jack.

“I guess we should just start looking for a secret of happiness and hope no one catches us,” said Annie.

“Shh,” said Jack, “listen.”

A bell was ringing in the distance. The ringing grew louder. Then came the sound of horses. Jack and Annie crouched down. They raised their heads just high enough to peek out the window. Through the flowery tree branches, they saw a small procession coming through the garden.

The man leading the procession was ringing a bell. Two men walked behind him, holding up banners. Behind them, four men rode slowly on horseback. They all wore baggy trousers and puffy shirts. Their heads were shaved, except for knots of black hair. Each had two swords—a long one and a short one—hanging from his belt.

At the very end of the procession rode a man in a billowing purple robe and a small purple hat. Red tassels hung from the bridle of his large black horse.

Jack looked at their research book again. He found a picture that looked like the man on the black horse. He read the caption to himself:

In the 1600s, the military ruler known as the shogun (say SHOW-gun) lived in the center of the Imperial Garden in a palace that had hundreds of rooms.

“That last guy is a
shogun,”
Jack whispered to Annie. “He lives in a big palace in the garden.” He kept reading:

Often the shogun’s warriors traveled with him. They were called samurai (say SAM-uh-rye).

“Oh, man,” whispered Jack. “Those other guys are samurai!” He and Annie had barely escaped an armored samurai on their earlier trip to Japan.

Samurai were excellent horsemen well trained in the arts of fighting. The code of the samurai was strict. Samurai did not show their feelings. They had great powers of concentration.

“They’re gone,” said Annie.

Jack looked out the window. The shogun and his samurai warriors had disappeared down a tree-shaded dirt road.

“We should get out of the Imperial Garden
fast,” said Jack. “If we stay here, we’re just asking to be caught.”

“How do we get out?” asked Annie.

Jack looked in the Japan book. He found a map of Edo. “Look,” he said, pointing at the map. “We have to get over this bridge that leads away from the Imperial Garden into the city. The bridge is on the east side of the garden.”

“The morning sun is over there,” said Annie, squinting into the sunlight. “So that must be east. Let’s climb down and head that way.”

“Good plan. Then we’ll be walking in the opposite direction of those samurai,” said Jack.

“Right,” said Annie. She started down the rope ladder.

“Be careful,” said Jack. “We don’t want anyone to see us sneaking around the Imperial Garden.”

Jack put the Japan book into his burlap bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. As he stepped onto the ladder, he nearly tripped on his
kimono. “Oh, brother,” he said. He held up the cloth and carefully climbed down.

Jack joined Annie on a wide path. A gust of dry wind carried petals from cherry trees through the air. The long branches of the willows swayed over the grass.

Jack and Annie began heading east, keeping their eyes and ears open for more people. They walked past flower beds and big rocks. They walked around a pond with swans. They started down a narrow lane between blossoming cherry trees.

Just as they came out from under the trees, Jack and Annie saw four men strolling toward them. One man was shorter and older than the others. He wore a straw hat and a tattered brown coat and used a walking stick. The other three had shaved heads with topknots, and two swords hung from each of their belts.

“Samurai!” whispered Jack.

“Yikes,” said Annie.

“Run!” said Jack.

Jack and Annie turned around and started running back down the narrow lane.

Jack heard the men running after them. “Halt!” cried a samurai.

Jack grabbed Annie’s hand and they stumbled to a halt. Out of breath, they turned to face the three samurai who were rushing toward them.

“Who are you?” one of the samurai barked. He was holding up his sword. “Why do you run from us? Are you spies?”

Just as Jack was about to answer, he heard a voice shout, “Baku! Koto!”

The man with the walking stick and straw hat was hurrying toward them. “Baku, Koto, what are you doing here?” he called out to Jack and Annie. “Why did you not wait for me at the bridge?”

The three samurai turned to the man with the walking stick. “You know them, Master?” one asked.

“Yes, of course,” the man said. “This boy and girl are Baku and Koto, my best students.”

“Hi, Master!” said Annie, pretending she knew who the man was. “We couldn’t find the bridge, so we—uh—we—”

“We came here to look for you,” said Jack.

“And now you have found me,” said the man. “I am sorry you were frightened by my friends.”

The samurai put away his sword. “Forgive me,” he said, bowing before Jack and Annie.

“Sure, no problem,” said Annie.

The samurai turned to the small man. “We will leave you with your students now,” he said. “Thank you, Most Honored Master, for your visit with us today.” All three warriors bowed deeply before the man. Then they walked away.

Why did the samurai call the small man “Most Honored Master”?
Jack wondered.

When the samurai were gone, the man turned to Jack and Annie. His eyes twinkled. “I believe you are safe now,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Annie. “But I’m afraid we’re not Baku and Koto.”

“No, you are not,” said the man. “But you are not spies, either, are you?”

“No,” said Jack.

“I did not think so,” said the man. “That is why I thought you needed my help.”

“Thank you,” said Jack.

“You are most welcome,” said the man. “Now perhaps you will tell me who you really are,
and how you came to be here in the Imperial Garden.”

“Our names are Jack and Annie,” said Jack. “And we—” He paused. It seemed impossible to explain: Teddy and Kathleen’s visit, Merlin’s sorrow, Morgan’s research book.

“We came here to search for a secret of happiness,” said Annie.

The man smiled. “I believe that is something we all seek,” he said. “But you must be very careful, Jack and Annie. The shogun does not allow foreigners into our country. If you do not have passports, you could be caught and punished.”

“We know,” said Annie. “What should we do?”

“Perhaps you should travel with me today,” said the man. “You can continue to be my students, Baku and Koto.”

“Good plan!” said Jack.

“You must remember, seek harmony with your surroundings,” said the man. “Observe the
people of Edo and do as they do. If you do not stand out, you will not be noticed by the samurai.”

“Got it,” said Annie.

Seek harmony with your surroundings. Observe the people of Edo and do as they do
, Jack repeated to himself.

“Come,” said the man. He started walking briskly through the garden.

Jack and Annie hurried after him. “Excuse me, but what’s your name?” Annie said.

“My friends call me Basho,” the man answered.

“Basho? That’s a cute name!” said Annie.

“And why did the samurai call you ‘Most Honored Master’?” asked Jack.

“Because I am their teacher,” said Basho.

“What do you teach them?” asked Jack.

Basho smiled. “Today they learned how to listen to a cricket in a woodpile,” he said, “and how to think like a frog.”

“Cool,” said Jack.
Those must be warrior skills
, he thought,
special ways to listen for an enemy or jump around with a sword.
He remembered how ninjas used secrets of nature to fight their enemies.