by Unknown
Jack tried to ignore the comment, but his concentration had been thrown by the sensei’s deliberate distraction. Implanted in the back of his mind was now the thought that he wasn’t ready, that the combination of three blocks was too thick.
THUNK!
Jack’s fist collided with the wood. The first two boards broke, but the third layer of cedar held and Jack’s hand was brought to an abrupt halt, sending a sickening wave of pain up his arm.
A murmur of disappointment washed through the dojo.
Jack massaged his throbbing hand, infuriated at himself for allowing Sensei Kyuzo’s comment to break his concentration. It had been that sliver of doubt that had prevented the break.
He hastily bowed his respects to Masamoto, who was watching the proceedings from the ceremonial alcove with the other sensei. His guardian had returned to the school that morning for the selection trials and the journey appeared to have left him tired and irritable. His scarring was inflamed and he slowly shook his head, clearly as disappointed with Jack’s performance as Jack was with himself.
As he knelt back into line with the thirty students who’d entered the trials, Jack caught Sensei Kyuzo grinning smugly.
‘Don’t worry, Jack,’ said Akiko, who had also been defeated by tamashiwari. ‘We still have three more trials to prove ourselves.’
Jack was reassured by her words until Kazuki stepped up to the challenge accompanied by shouts of encouragement.
Sensei Kyuzo replaced the cracked blocks with new ones, while whispering in his protégé’s ear.
Kazuki nodded once, then focused his attention on the blocks of wood. With an unwavering look of determination, he smashed his fist through all three blocks, splintered pieces of wood flying through the air.
The school erupted in a huge cheer while Masamoto and his sensei applauded respectfully. Even Jack had to admit that the feat was impressive. Kazuki bowed smartly to Masamoto, his reputation affirmed as the first student to pass a trial.
The dojo was cleared and reset for Sensei Yosa’s Trial by Fire. An archery target was positioned at the far end, a tall wooden candleholder placed before it and a slim white candle fitted on top so that the wick was in line with the bullseye.
The trial participants prepared themselves at the other end of the Butokuden, choosing bows from the weapons rack and checking that their arrows were in good order.
Jack went to select his, but Kazuki, Hiroto and Goro pushed in front to seize the best ones. The only bow left was well-used and past its prime. Jack tested the draw strength and knew straight away that it had lost much of its power.
‘The first trial by Sensei Kyuzo tested strength,’ proclaimed Masamoto to the assembled students. ‘Strength of body and strength of mind. The next trial will be led by Sensei Yosa and will assess your skill and technical ability.’
Sensei Yosa stood and made her way to the target, her long black hair shimmering in waves down the back of her blood-red kimono. She held a burning taper in her hand, which she used to light the wick. The candle flickered into life, its flame a tiny petal of light before the bullseye.
‘Your challenge is to snuff out the candle,’ explained Sensei Yosa. ‘You will be allowed two attempts.’
‘Good luck,’ Yamato whispered to Jack.
‘I think I’ll need more than luck,’ replied Jack, glancing down at his bow.
The firing distance was equal to the length of the Southern Zen Garden, making it a difficult shot even without the additional factor of the flame.
The first to step up was Goro. Jack’s earlier annoyance over the selection of the bows was tempered by the boy’s appalling performance. A ripple of laughter broke out as one of his arrows missed the target completely and glanced off one of the pillars, narrowly missing Sensei Yosa.
Then it was Akiko’s turn.
She finished tending to the bamboo bow and hawk feather arrows that Sensei Yosa had presented to her earlier that summer. Being the only student to have her own weapon, she hadn’t needed to fight over the school’s. She lined herself up with the target, nocked an arrow on to her bowstring, then raised the weapon above her head. She did all this with an ease and elegance that was reminiscent of Sensei Yosa herself.
Akiko’s first arrow pierced the bullseye with a resounding thump like a heartbeat.
There was a moment of awed silence.
Akiko didn’t need to fire a second. Her arrow had flown so true that it had actually sliced the flame in half as the feathered flights snuffed out the candle.
The Butokuden was drowned in ecstatic applause.
Akiko’s performance put everyone else to shame. Each entrant filed through, firing to the best of their ability, but no one could match Akiko’s skill. Yamato struck the target both times, but missed the candle. Kazuki’s performance was more impressive, his second arrow slicing the edge of the candle and almost cutting it in half. To Jack’s relief, though, the flame stayed lit. Even Emi, who was usually on a par with Akiko, didn’t extinguish the flame, though she did get two bullseyes. Hiroto was the only one to prove the exception. His second arrow clipped the wick of the candle, snuffing the flame out.
Then it was Jack’s turn.
With Kazuki, Akiko and Hiroto having succeeded in a trial and therefore standing a good chance of being chosen to enter the Circle of Three, he was starting to feel the pressure.
He had to be chosen. He had to prove himself.
He had to learn the Two Heavens.
Drawing upon all his reserves of concentration, Jack took up position at the mark. He focused on the tiny flame at the far end of the hall, no larger than a rosebud. He drew back on his bow, moving fluidly between each movement as Akiko had instructed, and let loose his first arrow.
Jack grimaced in disappointment. It was a good hand’s width below the bullseye. The bow’s limited draw strength had thrown his aim off. He adjusted his stance to compensate. Focusing hard on the flickering light, he was about to fire his second arrow when he remembered Sensei Yosa’s words: ‘When the archer does not think about the target, then they may unfold the Way of the Bow.’
Jack finally understood what she meant. He was so focused on the flickering candle that he hadn’t noticed his body tensing up.
He stopped thinking about the target, let his mind go and relaxed with the bow. Starting again, he gave each moment of the draw his full attention. As he breathed out, he released the arrow. It whistled down the length of the dojo, straight towards the centre of the flame.
It struck the bullseye.
The whole dojo stared at the candle, the arrow quivering slightly above it. The flame guttered briefly and some of the students began to clap, but their premature applause died as soon as the candle flared back into life.
The next moment, the arrow’s feathered flights burst into flames like a terrible omen.
Jack had failed the second trial.
25
MORE THAN A PIECE OF PAPER
Perched upon a zabuton at the front of the Butokuden’s ceremonial alcove, Sensei Yamada leant forward to listen to a petite girl with a short sweep of dark-brown hair. The girl whispering in his ear was Harumi, who, despite her size and to everyone’s astonishment, had demolished the three blocks during the Trial by Wood. Having given her answer to the Trial by Koan, she bowed and waited for Sensei Yamada’s verdict, her pale round face delicate as a porcelain doll’s.
After a few moments contemplation, Sensei Yamada gave a resigned shake of the head and dismissed Harumi back into line.
‘Can no one provide Sensei Yamada with a satisfactory answer?’ demanded Masamoto, glowering at the trial participants who knelt before him. His indignation at everyone’s failure to solve this third trial was marked, a fact conveyed by the reddening of his scars. ‘Are you telling me that there is not one student in my dojo who can demonstrate intellect and insight worthy of a samurai?’
He was greeted by shamed silence, the entrants’ disgrace growing with each empty second.
Jack joined the others in bowing his head. Despite the fact that, thanks to Yori, he could fold a paper crane, frog or goldfish with practised ease, the solution to the riddle remained elusive. When his turn had come, Jack’s suggestion was that origami taught patience, but Sensei Yamada had reluctantly shaken his head in response.
‘Very well. I now open this trial to all trainee samurai of the Niten Ichi Ryū,’ Masamoto announced, ‘not just those vying for entry into the Circle of Three. So, what does origami teach us?’
The rest of the school suddenly stiffened to attention as his eyes raked the students for a solution. No one dared move in case the irate Masamoto thought they had the answer. The tension grew unbearable, dishonour now tainting everyone who failed to respond.
Just as Masamoto appeared ready to explode, a small hand raised itself among the sea of shamefaced samurai.
‘Yes, Yori-kun? You have an answer?’
Yori meekly nodded his head.
‘Then step forward and take part in the trial.’
Yori approached in quick hesitant steps like a dormouse seeking a bolt-hole.
‘Please, Yori-kun,’ invited Sensei Yamada, his wrinkly face warm and welcoming in contrast to the fearsome expression of Masamoto, ‘reveal your answer to me.’
The hall fell silent as the entire school strained to hear Yori’s words.
Yori finished his explanation, every word a secret in his sensei’s ear, then stepped back and bowed. Sensei Yamada studied him a moment, twisting his grey beard through his fingers. Ever so slowly, he turned his head towards Masamoto and nodded once, allowing a wide, gap-toothed smile to spread across his face.
‘Excellent,’ said Masamoto, his thunderous mood dissipating at once. ‘At least one trainee warrior here has the aptitude to think like a true samurai. Yori-kun, enlighten your peers with an answer worthy of the Niten Ichi Ryū.’
Yori looked startled. Quiet at the best of times, he quaked under the pressure of addressing the whole school.
‘Have courage, young samurai. Speak!’
Yori’s voice came out in a petrified squeak, ‘Nothing… is as it appears.’
He swallowed hard to regain control of his voice.
‘Just like a piece of paper can be more than a piece of paper in origami, becoming a crane, a fish or a flower; so… so…’
‘A samurai should never underestimate their own potential to bend and fold to life,’ continued Sensei Yamada, taking over before Yori completely stuttered to a halt. ‘To strive to become more than they first appear, to go beyond their obvious limits.’
Yori nodded gratefully, finishing in a small voice, ‘This is what origami teaches us.’
‘The Gauntlet is your last trial,’ announced Sensei Hosokawa, pacing the dojo floor in front of the entrants who knelt respectfully in a line. ‘It is a test of courage, your final chance to prove yourselves worthy for the Circle of Three. Judging by the previous trial, you all have a great deal to prove.’
The Butokuden’s training area was empty, giving no clue as to what was involved in the Gauntlet.
‘Your goal is to walk from one end of the Butokuden to the other,’ he continued, indicating a route that ran straight down the centre of the dojo.
That didn’t seem too hard, thought Jack, glancing at Yamato who appeared to be thinking the exact same thing. But Akiko gave them both a dubious shake of the head, indicating that there was definitely more to this challenge than a mere walk.
‘The Gauntlet is your Trial by Sword, so you should carry your bokken. If you can run the Gauntlet and reach the other end, you will pass the test. I now ask all participants to leave the dojo.’
Jack and the others hesitated. What was so different about this trial that they were required to leave?
‘NOW!’ commanded Sensei Hosokawa.
A moment later, they were on their feet and marching from the Butokuden.
‘Wait in the courtyard until you are called for,’ ordered Sensei Hosokawa before re-entering the dojo and closing the large wooden doors behind him.
‘What do you think he’s got planned?’ asked Yamato as they stood shivering, ankle deep in the snow.
They could hear the sound of movement and the shuffling of a multitude of feet.
‘Perhaps he’s setting up an obstacle course,’ Jack suggested.
‘Or releasing a gaijin-eating tiger!’ snarled Hiroto, laughing with Kazuki.
Jack turned to confront them, his nerves already on edge with the forthcoming trial. The Trial by Sword was Jack’s last opportunity to prove himself. His only chance.
‘Save your energy for the Gauntlet,’ advised Akiko, ensuring her bokken was secure on her hip. ‘Sensei Hosokawa hasn’t been drilling us hard without good reason.’
Jack backed down and tended to his own bokken.
‘HIROTO-KUN!’ summoned Sensei Hosokawa from within the Butokuden.
Hiroto’s laughter died at the mention of his name, his narrow lips suddenly drawing tight with tension. He strode valiantly across the courtyard, but couldn’t disguise a shudder of nerves as he approached the entrance. As soon as Hiroto was inside, the Butokuden’s doors slammed shut with an ominous thud. Outside, the rest of the participants waited and listened.
For a while, they heard nothing but the light patter of snow falling around them from the cold grey sky. Then a thundering ‘KIAI!’ broke from the dojo, followed by the sound of fighting and a loud scream.
A moment later there was deathly silence.
The entrants looked at one another in shock.
They waited, expecting to hear more, but no further sound came from Hiroto.
‘YAMATO-KUN!’ Sensei Hosokawa beckoned, opening the doors and breaking the silence.
Yamato took three deep breaths, then made his way across the courtyard to the hall. Jack gave him an encouraging look, but he barely acknowledged it. Yamato was already in the moment, utterly focused on the unknown trial that awaited him.
Once again, the doors closed.
The hush from within the dojo was unsettling and Jack was reminded of the calm that preceded the most violent of storms.
All of a sudden the air was punctuated with screams of kiai, shouts of combat and the soft dull thud of bokken against flesh.
This time, the battle seemed to stretch on and on before a great guttural cheer exploded from the hall.
Then Sensei Hosokawa’s voice issued forth.
‘EMI-CHAN!’
‘Good luck,’ said Jack.
Emi smiled warmly at him, but her eyes belied the fear she really felt.
‘Remember what the painting in the Tiger Room said,’ Jack added, hoping to reassure her. ‘If you don’t enter the tiger’s cave, you won’t catch its cub.’
Emi disappeared inside the Butokuden.
‘When were you in the Tiger Room at Nijo Castle?’ enquired Akiko, her voice slightly strained. ‘We didn’t visit it during the tea ceremony.’
‘No. I went back.’
‘What? Just the two of you?’
‘Well… yes,’ mumbled Jack. ‘I wanted to see more of the castle.’
Pursing her lips, Akiko nodded curtly and glanced up into the sky, concentrating on the snowflakes as they fell and settled upon the ground.
A single kiai from Emi was heard within the hall and it was not long before the next participant was summoned. Several more entered before Sensei Hosokawa cried, ‘AKIKO-CHAN!’
Jack offered her a reassuring smile, but she was staring straight ahead as she strode over to the entrance. He hoped she wasn’t upset that he hadn’t told her about his second visit with Emi. But why should she be? He knew there were things that Akiko didn’t tell him.
In the courtyard, the snow continued to fall, settling upon everyone’s heads and shoulders. Jack heard Akiko kiai several times above the cries of battle, but just as he was wondering how far she had got, an ominous silence descended upon the Butokuden.
The dwindling group of entrants tensed to hear whose
name would be called out next.
Eventually only Jack and Kazuki remained. They ignored one another, the tension of the Gauntlet getting to both of them.
‘KAZUKI-KUN!’
Kazuki straightened his gi and headed confidently towards the entrance.
‘Good luck,’ said Jack on the spur of the moment.
Kazuki glanced back over his shoulder, a grim smile on his face. ‘You too,’ he replied with uncharacteristic camaraderie. ‘We’ll need it.’
Then he stepped inside and closed the doors behind him.
From the shouts that ensued, Kazuki seemed to be doing well, but Jack’s body was too stiff with cold for him to care whether Kazuki succeeded or not.
‘JACK-KUN!’
Summoned at last, he tried to rub some warmth back into his bones. He didn’t know if he was shaking more from cold or trepidation. He gripped the hilt of his bokken in an attempt to steady himself.
Stepping through the doors of the dojo, he entered the Gauntlet.
26
THE GAUNTLET
Jack dared not move.
Down either side of the dojo were lined the students of the Niten Ichi Ryū, appearing at first glance to be a ceremonial welcoming party. They formed a narrow corridor of samurai, stretching from the entrance to Hosokawa himself at the opposite end.
At various points behind these two rows, Jack noticed the other Circle of Three entrants. All of them looked thoroughly beaten, some nursing bruised limbs, others bloody faces. Jack spotted Akiko halfway down the hall. She didn’t look too injured, though she clutched her side, wincing in pain as she shifted to get a better view of Jack.
‘Welcome to the Gauntlet,’ greeted Sensei Hosokawa from the far end of the hall. ‘Please join me so we can begin.’
Jack took a wary step forward.
Nothing happened.
He glanced to one side, eyeing a burly student from the year above. The boy ignored him.