Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire (23 page)

‘Miyuki wants me to hit that charge with a flaming arrow from
here
!’ Hayato explained, indicating the gunpowder cask half hidden beneath the bridge.

A small wooden target had been set up in front for practice. From where they stood, the distance and awkward angle made the shot difficult for any archer. However, bushes near the bridge obstructed the view and made the task even more challenging. An arrow from Hayato’s previous attempt was embedded in the bridge’s supporting strut, a good hand’s breadth off-target.

‘It would be simpler and less risky to dismantle the bridge,’ Hayato urged Jack.

‘But we’d lose an opportunity to reduce Akuma’s force,’ Miyuki argued.

‘Can’t you move the gunpowder?’ suggested Yori.

Miyuki shook her head. ‘We have to put the main charge there,’ she explained. ‘Otherwise the bridge won’t collapse. And we can’t get any closer, since Hayato would become a target for musket fire.’

‘Why not use a line of gunpowder and light it from here?’ said Jack.

‘Over this distance? It’d be impossible to get the timing right. Akuma’s men could be across before it blew.’

‘I don’t understand why we can’t place
two
charges,’ demanded Hayato, indicating a second cask of gunpowder next to Miyuki. ‘Put that one where I
can
hit it and have the explosion set off the other.’

‘Sorry, but I need that cask,’ she replied.

‘More invisible ninja defences?’ said Hayato sarcastically.

Jack turned to Hayato. ‘Try again. I’m sure it’s just a matter of practice.’

Nocking the arrow, Hayato raised his bow, took aim and fired. They all watched with bated breath as the arrow sped through the air, its feathered flights whipping past the bushes. A moment later it clipped the target, but flew beyond and disappeared into the river. It was a good shot, but not good enough.

‘Missed again,’ Miyuki tutted.

Hayato glared at her. ‘I’d like to see you do any better!’

Jack stepped forward and handed Hayato another arrow. ‘Remember how you hit a moving target in that boat on the river. Just use the same technique now.’

Reluctantly, Hayato accepted the arrow and took aim a third time. But in mid-flow he paused and looked hard at Miyuki. A sly grin spread across his lips. Narrowing his eyes, he refocused on the target and fired.

The arrow shot towards the bridge and struck the target dead centre.

‘I
knew
you could do it!’ said Jack.

‘Yes,’ said Hayato, shooting Miyuki a sideways glance. ‘I just had to imagine the target was a ninja!’

Miyuki took the insult in her stride.

‘Whatever it takes,’ she replied coolly. ‘But you’d best hit it
first
time when Akuma comes, because you won’t get a second chance … just as you wouldn’t with a ninja.’

39

BATTLE CRY

A massive shout erupted from the moat.

Jack and the others turned to see Saburo astride the built-up wall of earth, punching the air.

‘We won!’ he cried in jubilation.

Exhausted and covered in mud, his unit crawled out of the trench and admired their work. The thorn-filled ditch now encircled the entire village, forming a daunting barrier to any invader.

‘The village wins,’ corrected Jack, his and everyone else’s spirits lifted by the accomplishment of such a monumental feat. At the start no one would have believed the task was possible.

Yuudai’s team laid the last of the thorn bushes.

‘Let Akuma come if he dares!’ he said to Jack, giving the barbed defence a final inspection. ‘That bandit’s about to get one very nasty shock.’

Flopped in the snow, Kunio was picking thorns out of the palms of his hands. With a pained expression, the boy begged, ‘Can we rest now?’

‘Tonight,’ said Jack, clapping him encouragingly on the back. ‘But first you must practise your spear drills.’

Groaning at the thought, Kunio marched off with the other farmers to fetch their weapons. After their last training experience, none of the villagers showed much enthusiasm. But the imminent threat of Akuma compelled them to make an effort and the return of their daughters had given them hope that the impossible could happen.

They obediently gathered in the square in their assigned units. Toge was the last to arrive and found his position at the front.

‘Let’s hope Akuma is late too!’ Hayato remarked, the farmers laughing at his jest.

Toge bowed his head in apology. This was the first time Jack had seen him since their return from Akuma’s camp and he hoped the farmer was coping with his grief. It must be hard to see all the other families reunited when his own never would be.

Under Hayato’s command, the units went through their drill formations. Jack was as relieved as Hayato when the farmers managed to keep in line and maintain at least a semblance of coordinated defence. But in spite of their efforts, their skills were still greatly lacking. Practising their attack manoeuvres, the units were hesitant and would run all ways rather than make a concerted charge.

After several false starts, Hayato called for a break and the young commanders gathered together on the farmhouse veranda.

‘They wouldn’t scare off a flock of birds!’ he muttered.

Jack nodded reluctantly in agreement. ‘Akuma’s going to plough straight through them. They’ve got no confidence in their abilities.’

‘These farmers lack courage,’ stated Hayato. ‘And we need a
fighting
force if we’re to have any hope of defeating the bandits.’

Yori raised a hand. ‘Even a sparrow has courage when it flies with others. Individually the farmers know they’re weak. We need to convince them there’s strength in numbers.’

‘What do you suggest?’ said Jack.

Yori thought for a moment. ‘A battle cry. One that will unite them.’

‘Good idea,’ said Hayato, nodding approvingly. ‘By all means, give it a try.’

‘I meant for you to teach them …’ said Yori, but Hayato had already stepped aside for him.

Jack offered him an encouraging smile as his friend nervously took centre stage on the veranda. The villagers stared back, wondering what the little monk was about to do.

‘A lion’s roar … can frighten the greatest foe … even if the lion has no claws,’ Yori began in a timid voice. ‘A strong battle –’

‘Speak up!’ cried a farmer near the back.

Yori cleared his throat and tried again. ‘A strong battle cry will scare your enemy; help focus and strengthen your attack; even overcome your own fear. So I want you all to shout.’

The farmers looked doubtfully at him.

‘Scream as loud as you can,’ urged Yori.

Feeling self-conscious, only half the farmers made an attempt.

‘You can do better than that!’ said Yori. ‘Roar like a lion.’

The second shout was louder, more farmers taking part, but they still lacked any conviction. Their third effort was no better. Yori began to despair.

‘You need to shout from your
hara
, your centre,’ he explained, pointing to his stomach. ‘Put your
ki
, all your energy into it. Like this!’

Taking a deep breath, Yori opened his mouth and roared.

‘YAAAAAH!’

The ear-splitting yell was so unexpected from a boy of his size that everyone was temporarily stunned. Kunio, who was directly in line, staggered backwards and landed on his rear. He lay there, clasping his chest, his face screwed up in agony.

‘What did you do?’ he wheezed. ‘It feels like you’ve hit me!’

‘Sorry,’ said Yori, smiling apologetically. ‘I … I got carried away.’

The farmers now all stared at Yori, dumbfounded.

Hayato and Miyuki glanced at Jack for an explanation.

‘
Kiaijutsu
,’ said Jack, referring to the secret fighting art of the Sohei monks, whereby warriors channelled their inner energy,
ki
, into their battle cry and used it as a weapon. Sensei Yamada had attempted to teach his students the skill at the
Niten Ichi Ryū
, but Yori was the only one to master it.

Yori’s convincing demonstration reinvigorated the farmers and he soon had them shouting in units at one another. Although there was no chance of them mastering
kiaijutsu
, their spirited battle cries gave them courage and gradually they bonded into a single united force … a
fighting
force.

40

DOUBTS

Jack stood on the rise overlooking the village. The square was deserted, all the farmers having retreated into their homes. After the tumultuous noise of so many battle cries, a deathly silence now took hold. Alone with their families, each farmer’s courage turned small and their confidence faded into fear once more.

Jack too felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding as he watched the sun sink below the horizon and the shadow of the mountains creep back over the plain. Compared to their towering peaks, the village’s improvised defences appeared weak and insubstantial. He began to question their ability to repel the almighty Akuma.

Ever since laying eyes upon the bandit leader, a seed of doubt had been growing within him. When he’d first agreed to the job, he’d foolishly presumed the bandits would be disorganized – little more than bullies made brave by their swords.

How wrong he had been.

While this might apply to some of the bandits, Nakamura, Sayomi and Kurochi were an entirely different matter. They’d proved to be deadly adversaries – skilled in fighting, devious in tactics and merciless in attitude. None would prove easy targets and all three would be highly dangerous in the forthcoming battle. Jack still felt a twinge of pain when he recalled Nakamura driving the burning branch into his leg.

Akuma himself was even more cause for concern.

The bandit leader’s heartless disposition chilled Jack to the bone. The man reminded him of the ninja Dragon Eye. Both shared the same ruthless and inhuman nature, and they matched one another in their sickening appetite for torture. Yet what worried Jack the most was Akuma’s reaction to the destruction of his camp. The bandit leader had paid no attention to the fire. His only focus had been the capture and punishment of those responsible. Akuma was clearly a man who would go to the ends of the earth to exact his revenge.

This worried Jack greatly and he wasn’t alone in his concerns.

Over by the eastern entrance Hayato was firing arrow after arrow at the target beneath the bridge. He’d been practising non-stop. Although Jack couldn’t judge the accuracy of his shots, Hayato’s furious determination suggested he still wasn’t satisfied with his performance. Like Jack, this young samurai understood none of them could afford to make a single mistake against a foe as formidable as Akuma.

Booming laughter suddenly burst forth from Sora’s farmhouse. It sounded strange and out of place against the tense atmosphere gripping the rest of the village. Neko came flying out of the door, Yuudai in close pursuit. They were re-enacting her episode with the bear again. Neko scampered away in delight and hid behind a wall as Yuudai stalked her. Then she jumped out, arms raised. Yuudai feigned shock and ran away, before they both charged back inside the farmhouse.

Smiling to himself, Jack thought,
At least they’re managing to keep their spirits up
.

The jingle of metal rings alerted Jack to Yori climbing the rise with his
shakujō
.

‘Dinner will be ready soon,’ he said. ‘Not that I feel much like eating.’

The thought of the impending battle was evidently tying his stomach in knots. Jack didn’t blame him. He knew the ordeal his friend had gone through during the Battle of Osaka Castle. Yori still suffered nightmares from thinking about the corpses he’d hidden beneath in order to escape certain death. That was one of the reasons he’d become a monk rather than remain a samurai warrior.

Jack placed an arm round his friend’s shoulder. ‘When the time comes, your role will be as lookout in the watchtower. Stay there. But if our defences are breached, stick with me.

I promise not to let any harm come to you.’