Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire (24 page)

Yori put on a brave face. ‘I’ll be fine,’ he insisted. ‘Everyone’s worried about what tomorrow will bring. It’s just that as a monk I need to show strength of spirit to the villagers. They want to be reassured by my faith.’

‘I have total faith in you,’ said Jack. ‘I couldn’t have done any of this without your wisdom.’

Yori bowed his head in humble acknowledgement.

They gazed over the freezing paddy fields as the last rays of the sun disappeared and the sky began to fill with stars. Glancing down at the moat, Yori spotted Miyuki crouching at its edge.

‘What’s she doing?’ he asked.

‘Looking for weaknesses and gaps, I presume,’ Jack replied, admiring her commitment to the cause. ‘She’s walked the whole stretch this evening.’

‘It’s good to have a ninja on our side,’ said Yori unexpectedly.

‘I wish everyone saw it that way.’

‘I believe they do,’ replied Yori, looking over towards the bridge. ‘But samurai pride won’t allow them to admit it.’

Snow began to fall around them and settle on the ground.

‘A storm’s brewing,’ Yori observed, hugging himself against the icy wind that blew across the plain.

Jack looked up. Dark clouds gradually extinguished each of the stars, a thin sliver of moon barely visible in the sky.

Tomorrow, even that would be gone.

41

FEAR

The next day the snow lay crisp and even over the plain, a chill blanket muffling all sound and stripping the world of features. The village, tiny against the mountains, was the sole island in this sea of white. Keeping watch over the deserted landscape, both farmers and young samurai found it hard to believe that, in a few hours with the coming of the black moon, Tamagashi would turn into a bloody battleground.

On Hayato’s suggestion, a guard rota had been organized so that everyone’s strength would be preserved for the fight itself. A small contingent of farmers was assigned to each defence, while a young samurai patrolled the village, ready to raise the alarm at a moment’s notice.

So far it had all been quiet.

Jack was finishing his rounds when he heard a clink of armour. Coming to relieve him of his duty, Saburo was dressed in full battle garb – he wore a skirted breastplate of red lacquered leather, decorative gold and brown shin guards and a pair of heavy black gauntlets. From his shoulders hung blue rectangular pads for protecting his upper torso and on his head was a bronzed helmet with curving red horns. The final touch was a
menpō
across his face, a gruesome half-mask with razor-teeth and a hook nose, designed to protect the wearer and at the same time instil fear in the enemy.

Cocooned within his layers of armour, Saburo waded stiffly through the snow over to Jack.

‘You’ll collapse with exhaustion wearing all that!’ exclaimed Jack, staring in astonishment at his friend.

‘I’m not taking any chances!’ Saburo replied, only his eyes and black bushy brows visible, his voice slightly muffled behind the mask. ‘Not after what happened last time.’

‘Better safe than sorry,’ agreed Jack. Having experienced the pain of an arrow wound himself, he understood Saburo’s precautions. But with the Two Heavens sword technique at his disposal, Jack favoured freedom of movement over protection of armour.

‘Neko’s cooked up a feast, by the way. I got her to understand that a samurai can’t fight on an empty stomach,’ said Saburo, patting his armoured belly. ‘But you’d best hurry – Yuudai has an even bigger appetite than
me
!’

‘I’ll be left starving then,’ said Jack, heading over to the farmhouse for a much-needed meal and, if he could, some sleep too.

Jack was woken by Yori shaking his shoulder. Before he’d even opened his eyes, he’d grabbed his swords and was rising from his bed.

‘Akuma?’ he asked, blinking away the remnants of sleep.

‘Not yet,’ replied Yori, relief evident in his voice. ‘But dusk isn’t far off.’

Yori had apparently followed Saburo’s lead and kitted himself out in some armour too. But his diminutive size meant the breastplate and helmet he’d chosen swamped him. He looked more like one of his straw soldiers than a monk.

Everyone apart from Miyuki, who was on guard duty, had gathered around the hearth, warming themselves in preparation for the long night ahead. Neko had her
katana
in hand and Yuudai was offering last-minute tips on wielding it. Saburo was tucking into another bowl of rice, clearly worried it might be his last. On the other side of the fire, Hayato sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed in meditation, as he prepared his mind for the coming conflict.

With night soon to fall, everyone would join the watch and take their posts. This was the time of Black Moon. The attack could occur at any moment. The unpredictability, combined with Akuma’s fearsome reputation, put them on edge and Jack could see the strain in his friends’ faces. When he joined them by the fire, they all looked expectantly his way.

But words of reassurance failed Jack. He was as uneasy as they were. They were about to wage their first war. Although each of them had been in battle before, they’d had the support and experience of adult warriors leading them. This time they were to face their enemy alone. If things went wrong, they had no one to turn to but themselves.

‘Gather your units in the square,’ said Jack, attempting to keep his voice steady and at least give an outward appearance of confidence.

Bowing their obedience, the young samurai got to their feet, collected their weapons and marched out the door.

‘I couldn’t think of anything else to say,’ said Jack to Yori, his tone apologetic, as he secured his swords and put his five
shuriken
within the folds of his
obi
.

‘Don’t worry. Leadership is often more about attitude and actions than words,’ replied Yori, picking up his ringed staff and heading slowly for the door. ‘A call to action is reassurance enough for us. It shows you’re in command and know what you’re doing.’

But do I?
thought Jack.

Outside the light was fading fast as the farmers took up position and Jack stepped on to the veranda. Junichi emerged from the farmhouse to greet him. His face was grizzled with stubble and his eyes were hollowed black rings from many sleepless nights.

‘The time of judgement has come,’ said Junichi gravely, glancing up at the darkening sky. ‘Do not fail us. Otherwise Akuma will burn this village to the ground and everyone with it. Our fate is in your hands, Jack Fletcher.’

Jack felt the weight of responsibility fall heavily upon his shoulders.

Yoshi tottered out. ‘Ignore Junichi’s doomsaying. He’s afraid, like all of us,’ wheezed the old man, waving his walking-stick at the gathered villagers. ‘Whatever happens, young samurai, know that your answer to our cry of help is
all
that matters. Win or lose this battle, as long as there is good like that shown by you in this world, evil can never conquer.’

Jack bowed his head. ‘I appreciate your faith in me. I will not fail you.’

But turning to the row upon row of terrified farmers’ faces, Jack seriously questioned whether he’d made a promise that he couldn’t keep. The farmers shuffled nervously on the spot, their fear intensifying as the sun dropped below the horizon. Barely a handful of stars lit the night. The moon was nowhere to be seen and the invasive darkness fuelled their fright.

‘Words are needed to reassure them, however,’ Yori whispered urgently.

‘Any suggestions?’ said Jack, out of the corner of his mouth.

‘I’m not Sensei Yamada!’ replied Yori with uncharacteristic sharpness. ‘I don’t have all the answers on the tip of my tongue.’

Jack was taken by surprise with his curt reply and realized he’d put too much pressure on his friend. ‘Sorry, I was only asking for
your
wisdom, not his.’

Yori bit his lip, thinking hard, determined to help Jack. He made to speak, then stopped himself. Eventually he said, ‘The farmers’ fear is greater than ours … That makes us brave and courageous in their eyes, so you must appear strong in whatever you say and they’ll gain strength from you.’

‘That’s all I needed,’ said Jack, his friend’s advice triggering a memory from the
Niten Ichi Ryū
.

Jack took a breath and addressed the petrified farmers.

‘When I first trained as a samurai,’ he began, ‘I was told:
Courage isn’t the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear
.’

Jack let the lesson sink in.

‘I know you’re afraid, but this village, your families, your rice and your fields are all more important than your fear of Akuma. So tonight … fight like
samurai
 … so that tomorrow you can be
farmers
once again!’

Roused by his heartfelt speech, they raised their weapons as one and gave an almighty battle cry that echoed across the plain.

42

NIGHT WATCH

‘Any sign of him?’ whispered Jack, crouching down beside Miyuki.

She lay well hidden within a clump of bushes at the edge of the forest. The rest of her unit were stationed behind the wooden barrier, staying close to the sentry fire to stave off the cold and keep their fears at bay.

‘Nothing,’ she replied, her eyes constantly scanning the inky forest for the slightest sign of movement.

‘Do you want me to take over?’ offered Jack, aware she hadn’t rested for several hours.

‘No, I’m fine. The Grandmaster trained us for night operations. You quickly learnt not to fall asleep on your watch. Otherwise you’d wake up with all your hair cut off and bound to a tree until the following day.’

She shuffled over in the snow to make space for him. ‘Some company would be nice, though. The farmers are too wary of ninja to talk much to me.’

Jack lay down next to her. The ground was cold, but he could sense the warmth of Miyuki’s body close by his side.

As she resumed her watch, she asked, ‘What will your plans be if we survive all this?’

‘I’ll head south again,’ Jack replied. ‘Get to Nagasaki, somehow.’

‘My offer was genuine,’ she said, her gaze softening as she turned to him. ‘I’ll go with you … if you want.’

Jack truly valued Miyuki’s loyalty and friendship. Yet after Yori’s observation about her feelings towards him, he felt compelled to say something.

‘I –’ Then he hesitated. What if Yori had been wrong? He might insult her and things could become awkward between them. Then again if Yori was right, he had to be clear that, much as he admired and liked her, he couldn’t feel the same way. ‘I’d like you to join me, but –’

Miyuki placed a finger to his lips. ‘Shh!’

All of a sudden her senses were on full alert, her eyes and ears tuned in to the forest.

Jack’s breath caught in his throat as he too heard the rustle of bushes and the crunch of snow. He couldn’t see anything moving, but he could hear the noise getting closer.

Is Akuma finally here?

Jack reached for his
katana
and prepared to run back to the defensive line to raise the alarm. But Miyuki stopped him.

A deer nosed its way out of the undergrowth in search of food.

Jack relaxed his grip on his sword. As the creature foraged towards the path, Miyuki picked up a small stone and threw it. The deer bolted away in shock.

‘That was one lucky deer,’ she whispered. ‘Any closer and it would have been tomorrow’s lunch.’

Aware Akuma could come from any direction, Jack’s mind now turned to the northern, eastern and southern approaches. ‘I must check on the other defences,’ he said, getting to his feet.

Miyuki nodded in response and waited for Jack to say more. But the moment had passed and Jack left their previous conversation unfinished.

‘It’s been as quiet as a mouse,’ Yuudai informed Jack.

His unit were taking turns to patrol the barricade, their presence reinforced by the line of straw soldiers. Two farmers paced nervously up and down, building up their courage to peer every so often through the gaps. Beyond the spiked defence and the light of their fire, the road rapidly disappeared into sinister blackness.