Captain Arashi ignored him and glanced down at Saburo. ‘What’s the matter with him?’
‘Poisoned by the pirates,’ replied Miyuki.
The captain snorted. ‘Quick answer, young girl, but don’t think that will convince me of your innocence.’ He kicked Saburo’s prone body and got no reaction. ‘Throw this corpse overboard too.’
‘NO! He’s only paralysed!’ protested Jack from beneath his hat.
Captain Arashi’s eyes narrowed. He stepped over Saburo to confront the straw-hatted pirate boy. Putting his stick’s brass tip to the brim, he pushed the hat clear of Jack’s face.
‘By all the storms in the sea, I never expected to lay eyes on you!’
23
The Bilge
‘The Shogun will bestow great fortune upon us for capturing the gaijin samurai,’ Captain Arashi declared to his crew. He reassessed the group of five before him. ‘Take them below and put them under guard. Set sail for Imabari; I want us there by the morning.’
Jack and his friends were separated from the Wind Demons. Cheng was assumed to be one of them and the pirate boy didn’t argue when a guard ordered him to help Miyuki carry Saburo. He preferred to take his chances as a wanted samurai rather than a condemned pirate.
A unit of guards escorted them below deck. The interior of the atake-bune was gloomy, lit only by a few oil lamps and the diamond-shaped shafts of sunlight that seeped through the loopholes and gun ports. The first and second decks were dedicated to battle. A number of cannon lined each side, although Jack observed that none matched the European artillery in terms of size or power. The Sea Samurai appeared to depend upon small-arms’ fire – arrows, bows, muskets and ammunition were neatly stacked beside each loophole. The samurai themselves sat in groups, recovering from the exertions of combat, some nursing wounds. They looked up in curiosity as Jack and the others were marched down the steps.
The stale smell of sweat struck their nostrils on the next deck. Eighty bare-chested men stood beside two rows of yuloh-style oars. The large heavy sculls were pivoted on a pin and counterbalanced by a rope running from the underside of the handle to the wooden floor. At the far end a large round drum hung from the ceiling. The captain’s command to set sail was given and a man started to pound out a heavy rhythm. The oarsmen grunted and groaned as they pushed and pulled on the massive roped oars, their muscles straining to propel the immense battleship through the water. From a standing start, the atake-bune slowly yet steadily picked up speed.
The deck beneath was given over to storage. Gunpowder, cannonballs, grappling irons, spears and other weaponry were stockpiled towards the stern. Spare ropes, sailcloth, wood and repair materials were stowed in the bow. In between, bales of rice, barrels of fresh water and other provisions were packed to the low rafters. Having to stoop as they passed through, Jack spotted their canvas bag and his red-handled swords among the pile of confiscated weapons from the pirates. He prayed the rutter was still safely hidden inside the bag.
‘Keep moving!’ said the guard, prodding Jack with his spear.
Ushered towards a set of rickety wooden steps, Jack descended with the others into the very bowels of the ship. Here in the dingy bilge – only a single oil lamp for light – a dank mildew smell filled the air. Their feet sloshed into knee-deep grimy water. As their eyes adjusted to the dark, Jack could make out a large wooden grille that separated the square-ended bow from the rest of the ship. One of the guards unlocked a small door.
‘I hope you’ll be comfortable during your stay!’ he laughed.
The other guards grunted their amusement as they shoved Jack and his friends into the slimy confines of the ship’s on-board prison. Miyuki and Cheng lost their footing on the slick deck and Saburo fell face first in the water. Jack rushed to pull his friend out before he drowned. Rolling him on his back, he dragged Saburo to the side, propped up his head and wiped the putrid water from his face.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Jack.
Saburo didn’t blink.
Jack shook him. ‘Saburo! Are you –’
‘Yesssss,’ came the faintest of replies, no more than a breath.
Jack smiled with relief and held his friend close.
Bedraggled and dripping wet, Miyuki and Cheng got back to their feet.
‘No thanks to them,’ spat Miyuki, glaring at the guards as they locked the door. Two remained behind to keep watch over their charges, sitting on the steps to avoid the noxious bilge-water.
Jack and his friends didn’t have that luxury. They were forced to crouch in the darkness and sludge. Yori discovered a narrow ledge and they laid Saburo along it. He was still unable to move, yet the fact that he’d spoken gave them hope. But the cold dank prison was no place for him to recover. Jack took off his jacket, placing it over his friend in an attempt to keep him warm, while Miyuki quietly resumed her Sha healing.
From far off, a bloodcurdling scream was heard.
‘Sounds like the captain’s boiling that pirate alive!’ laughed one of the guards.
Cheng winced at their cruel jibe. ‘Not having arrived at the Yellow River, the heart is not dead,’ he whispered to himself.
‘What did you say?’ asked Jack.
‘It’s a Chinese proverb,’ explained Cheng, sitting on his haunches beside him. ‘It means only when there is no road left should we feel despair. And, because of you, I’ve escaped the fate of my fellow pirates.’
‘Don’t thank me yet,’ said Jack. ‘Our road is almost running out too.’
He studied Cheng and noticed something odd. ‘Why don’t you have a spider tattoo like the other Wind Demons?’
Cheng self-consciously touched his neck and looked embarrassed. ‘I haven’t earned my right to one yet. Any Wind Demon must prove themselves on a raid first – either by killing, stealing or saving another pirate’s life. I suppose now, I won’t ever get my tattoo.’
‘But why would you want to become a pirate?’ asked Yori, appalled by the idea.
Cheng’s brow furrowed. ‘In my village, nothing ever happened – except for never having enough rice to eat. And the pirates always seemed to have food. Every time I visited Penglai port, I heard their tales of adventure, riches and foreign lands – it sounded so exciting!’
Cheng looked round at their dismal prison with its scurrying rats and foul stench. ‘This is not how I imagined the life of a pirate.’
24
Hulled
Jack guessed that night had fallen. There were no windows or portholes in the bilge. The only indication of their progress across the Seto Sea was the creaking of the ship, the splash of the oars and the grunts of the rowers. The tortured screams from the top deck had stopped some time back: either Captain Arashi had obtained his answer … or the Wind Demons were all dead.
Jack realized he and his friends were on course to meet the same fate. When the atake-bune docked at Imabari in the morning, they would be delivered into the hands of daimyo Mori. The ruthless sea lord would have the means to transport them direct to Edo where the Shogun resided. Once there, their lives would no doubt be brought to a swift end.
Yet only the day before, the four of them were sailing south to Nagasaki and freedom. Aside from a dishonest captain, little had stood in their way. Now all their hopes had been dashed by a combination of vicious ninja pirates and cruel Sea Samurai.
‘Look! Saburo’s wiggling his toes!’ cried Yori in delight.
Jack saw them move too. Pleased as he was at the news, his smile was tinged with sadness. His friend was coming back from the brink only to face a death sentence from the Shogun.
‘Well done, Miyuki,’ said Jack, laying a hand upon her shoulder. ‘Only your ninja skills could have saved him.’
Completing her chant, Miyuki lay back against the hull, rubbing her temples. She was too exhausted to reply, the intense healing having taken its toll.
‘Water,’ Saburo wheezed through dry cracked lips.
Yori ran to the wooden grille and called to the
guards. ‘We need food and water.’
‘Drink what’s at your feet,’ snarled one of the guards, barely bothering to look up.
Yori glanced in revulsion at the scum floating over the brackish water. He thought for a moment then worded his reply carefully. ‘Your captain needs us alive for the Shogun. If you let one of us die, I’m sure he’ll be most displeased with you. And we all know what punishments await those who displease the captain.’
The two guards exchanged an uncertain look. Huffing in irritation, the first guard got to his feet and disappeared up the steps. He returned with a jug and a bowl of cold rice. Opening a small hatch in the grille, he passed the vital supplies to Yori.
‘That’s your lot,’ said the guard, slamming the hatch shut.
Handing Cheng the rice, Yori lifted the water jug to Saburo’s lips while Jack supported his head. Saburo swallowed eagerly. He even managed a mouthful of rice. The combination was enough to return some colour to his cheeks.
‘Thank you,’ he said. His eyes flicked to Miyuki. ‘I owe you my life.’
‘That must be the first time a samurai has said that to a ninja!’ she replied with a fatigued grin.
As the five of them shared their meagre meal, Jack contemplated how they could break out. But their predicament appeared even more hopeless than in the pirate cage. The wooden grille was solid, the iron lock unbreakable, and the guards too far away to subdue. And once in Imabari, surrounded by a garrison of samurai, escape would be all but impossible.
‘I should have gone on alone,’ said Jack, looking regretfully round at his friends. ‘It’s my fault you’re in this mess.’
‘It was our choice,’ Miyuki reminded him. ‘We knew the risks.’
‘But you’d have been safe at home by now. Not trapped in this hell-hole.’
‘It’s better to be in chains with friends,’ said Yori, ‘than to be in a garden with strangers.’
Jack sighed. Yori always had an answer. ‘How did I ever deserve such good friends as –’
‘Listen!’ interrupted Miyuki, suddenly alert.
Jack and the others fell silent.
‘I thought I heard the sound of gunfire –’
The distinctive crack of a musket rang out, followed by panicked shouts and urgent commands. Above, the beat of the drum grew more insistent and Jack sensed a change in course.
‘What’s happening?’ asked Yori.
Jack was about to reply when the outer hull imploded. Timber shattered apart and a dragon’s face, twisted and scarred with hooked teeth and blood-red eyes, blasted into the bilge. The whole boat jarred under the impact. The two guards shrieked in terror as they were hurled from the steps. Jack and the others were thrown to the floor. By the time they found their feet, the dragon had disappeared and seawater gushed through the breach in the hull. The two guards scrambled up the steps as the bilge flooded.
‘Don’t leave us here!’ cried Cheng, pulling futilely at the grille.
The water level rose around them, while above the thunder of cannon and musket fire filled the air. The atake-bune shuddered again, keeling to one side.
Jack front-kicked the prison door. His leg jarred against the unyielding grille.
‘Let me try,’ said Miyuki. She targeted the lock. But that held firm too. She bent to examine it. ‘Maybe I could pick the lock. But I need something thin and pointed.’
They frantically began to search the prison for a loose nail or anything that would serve as a pick. But in the darkness of the bilge, they came up with nothing. The water level continued to rise. It flowed over the ridge where Saburo lay and Cheng quickly sat him up. Jack’s pilgrim jacket floated away. Grabbing it, Jack felt Akiko’s pearl under the lapel.
‘Here!’ said Jack, passing Miyuki the pearl with its golden pin fastening.
Miyuki waded through the water to the grille and began to jiggle the lock. All the time, the sea flooded in through the gaping hole.
Jack and Cheng had to stand Saburo on his feet.
‘I can … move my fingers,’ said Saburo, his lips managing a lopsided smile.
‘Let’s hope you can float too!’ replied Jack, struggling to keep his friend upright.
The water was now chest high and rising. Yori was on his tiptoes. Still Miyuki struggled with the lock.
‘The gold’s too soft … it keeps bending …’
She ducked beneath the surface. Yori began to tread water. There was barely a head’s height between the sea and the bilge ceiling. Saburo spluttered as he struggled to hold his chin up.
‘We’re all going to drown!’ cried Cheng.
25
Raft
In the confines of the bilge, the water lapped at their mouths. Miyuki still hadn’t surfaced and their air supply was fast running out. The atake-bune shook with another explosion.
‘Yori … hold Saburo’s head up,’ gasped Jack. ‘I’ll find Miyuki.’
Struggling to stay afloat himself, Yori managed to get a footing on the narrow ledge and support their friend. Jack took several deep lungfuls of air, then dived. Peering through the murky waters, he spotted a dark shadow against the grille. Miyuki, her feet wedged against a beam, was pushing with all her might at the door. Joining her, Jack could see a piece of timber from the hull had wedged itself across the entrance. Miyuki signed to him that the grille was unlocked. Together they put their weight against it. The door stayed jammed shut. They tried once more. It gave a fraction. They kept pushing. Jack felt his lungs burn with the effort and he could only imagine Miyuki’s desperate need for air.
Little by little, the door edged open … until there was enough space for Miyuki to slip through. Swimming to the other side, she pulled the obstruction away. The door swung clear.
Jack headed back to their stranded friends, while Miyuki, on the verge of drowning, clawed her way up the steps to the hold. Jack found Yori, Cheng and Saburo squeezed into the last pocket of air.
‘Follow me!’ he cried, and the four of them half-swam, half-crawled through the flooded bilge, Jack and Cheng dragging the semi-paralysed Saburo behind them. They scrambled up the steps and burst to the water’s surface. Miyuki was there to greet them and heaved Saburo on to the hold’s deck. He lay there, panting, like a beached whale. Jack and the others clambered out next to him.
‘We all owe you our lives now, Miyuki,’ said Jack.
Miyuki laughed. ‘Perhaps you’ll forgive me for this then?’ She passed Jack the black pearl with its gold fastening, twisted and bent beyond repair.
‘I’ll forgive you anything if we escape this ship,’ said Jack, pocketing the pearl.
From above, the clash of swords and the screams of dying men resounded throughout the vessel. The blast of cannon and musket fire assaulted their ears. But even through this barrage Jack noticed the oarsmen’s drum was no longer beating, as if the very heart of the atake-bune had been ripped out.
‘Sounds like we’ll have to fight our way out,’ said Jack, struggling to his feet on the listing deck.
He ran over to their canvas bag. Inside were their clothes, pilgrim bags and – to his great relief – the rutter. Jack seized his red-handled swords from the pile of confiscated pirate weapons. Miyuki found her ninjatō and utility belt, tying it round her waist. Cheng rifled through the weapons, selecting a vicious-looking knife and a short sword. Easily spotting his shakujō, Yori then searched for Saburo’s swords. He put them inside the canvas bag before fastening it shut.
‘We head straight for the top deck and jump ship,’ instructed Jack.
‘What about Saburo?’ asked Yori.
‘I noticed a rowing boat hanging near the stern. If it’s still there, then we cut it loose and make for the nearest island.’
Nodding their agreement, Yori and Cheng once again carried Saburo between them. Miyuki drew her ninjatō, ready to beat a path through the Sea Samurai. Holding his katana in one hand, Jack grabbed the canvas bag with the other. ‘Let’s go!’
As they climbed the steps, the
deck above exploded in a flash of fire and flaming debris. All five of them were blown off their feet and sent hurtling back into the hold. The ceiling caved in, extinguishing all light. Jack felt a sharp pain across his brow and the warm rush of blood as he fell to the floor.
Clamping a hand to his head to stem the bleeding, he shouted into the darkness, ‘Yori? Miyuki? Is everyone all right?’
Dazed groans answered his call.
A flickering orange light returned to reveal a hold full of smoke and dust.
Yori, Cheng and Saburo were in a heap among the ropes and sailcloth. Miyuki had landed on the rice bales. It had just been Jack’s bad luck that his head hit the wooden water barrels. The gash didn’t feel too bad, but they were all scratched and bleeding from splinters of blasted timber.
‘What now?’ asked Cheng, looking in dismay at the destroyed steps.
Their way out was completely blocked by wreckage. Water swirled at their feet. The ship was sinking fast.
Jack glanced back at the hatch to the bilge. ‘We swim through the hole in the hull.’
‘But what about the dragon?’ asked Yori in horror.
‘We don’t have any other option,’ replied Jack, retrieving his katana as the light in the hold blazed brighter.
‘I’d rather take my chances with a dragon than this ship,’ said Miyuki. She pointed to the fire spreading through the wreckage towards the stocks of gunpowder in the bow.
Jack handed Yori the canvas bag, then pulled Saburo over to the hatch.
‘Take several slow deep breaths,’ he said, giving Saburo and Yori a crash course in ninja breathing techniques. ‘Clear your lungs completely, then suck in a large gulp of air and hold it.’
Saburo nodded. As soon as he’d taken his last big breath, Jack dragged him into the swirling water, the others following close behind. The blaze of the fire lit up the bilge and Jack easily spotted the hull’s gaping hole, black and jagged like the mouth of a shark.
Young Samurai: The Ring of Wind Page 11