by Unknown
‘What do you mean by that?’ Jack scrambled to his feet, his hand on his sword.
‘Willing to defend her honour. How noble!’ Kazuki snorted. ‘If you’re so up for a fight, how about a little extra Two Heavens practice?’
Kazuki withdrew both his katana and wakizashi from their black-and-gold saya. These were the daishō Kazuki’s father had given him for successfully entering the Circle of Three. Their blades gleamed devilishly in the light.
Jack was wearing his steel daishō too, a privilege allowed all Two Heavens trainees. In class, though, these swords were only used for solo kata practice. Sparring was always done with wooden swords for safety. Jack wasn’t confident enough with both blades yet to rise to Kazuki’s challenge.
‘Or maybe you lack the guts?’ baited Kazuki, seeing Jack hesitate. ‘You see, that’s the difference between you and Yamato. He has honour and courage. He isn’t afraid to take a risk. That’s what makes him samurai and you not!’
Jack’s hand tightened round the hilt of his sword, but he refused to respond.
‘Your sort are spineless. I don’t blame Akiko for wanting to be with a real samurai.’
In spite of himself, Jack was goaded by Kazuki’s taunts.
‘Take that back!’ he exclaimed, unsheathing his swords.
‘But it’s the truth. It’s obvious she prefers Takuan to you.’
Jack could hold back no longer. He attacked, aiming for Kazuki’s head.
Kazuki was ready for him. He blocked Jack’s sword with his wakizashi and at the same time drove forward with the tip of his katana. It was the most basic of the Two Heavens techniques – a simple ‘parry and strike’ – but it worked.
Jack barely avoided the blade and would have been choking on the katana, if Kazuki hadn’t aimed a fraction too wide. He retreated before Kazuki retaliated.
‘Is that the best you can do?’ spat Kazuki.
Riled, his emotions getting the better of him, Jack went on the offensive again. Their katana clashed in mid-air. Before Jack could react, Kazuki drove forward, striking with his blade twice upon the back of Jack’s weapon. The katana was knocked from Jack’s grip and clattered to the wooden decking. Kazuki held the tip of his sword to Jack’s neck.
‘Would you believe it?’ gloated Kazuki. ‘The Autumn Leaf strike works!’
Jack still had his wakizashi, but there was nothing he could do to save himself. A single thrust from Kazuki would end his life. His rival was about to claim his so-called prize for defeating Yamato.
Kazuki forced Jack back off the veranda and up against a standing stone.
‘I’ll always defeat you with the Two Heavens,’ said Kazuki, savouring the panic in Jack’s eyes.
‘You wouldn’t dare!’ breathed Jack.
‘Again, that’s the difference between a true samurai and a gaijin like you. I most certainly would,’ said Kazuki, pressing until a pinprick of blood appeared on Jack’s skin.
Jack grimaced, feeling the razor-sharp steel pierce his flesh. He pulled back, but had nowhere to go. Kazuki grinned vindictively, a cruel intent in his eyes.
‘But I’ll spare you, this once,’ he said, retracting the blade.
Jack breathed an unsteady sigh of relief, then tensed in shock as Kazuki’s steel katana flashed before his eyes. It skimmed past his nose, the blade slicing him across his left cheek.
‘That, though, will serve as a reminder of what awaits you!’
Kazuki left Jack in the garden, blood trickling down his face and dripping red spots on to the pure white sand.
24
THE SPY
‘Your cut’s bleeding again,’ said Takuan as he and Jack led their horses back to the school stables the following evening. ‘It must have opened up during that last gallop.’
Jack’s hand went to his cheek where a raw red line now marked his skin.
‘You’ll have a good scar when that’s healed,’ observed Takuan. ‘Though you still haven’t told me how you got it.’
‘Two Heavens training,’ Jack replied, not wishing to elaborate further.
‘I’m glad I’m not in that class!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Akiko injured herself during one of those lessons too.’
Jack stared blankly at Takuan.
‘Haven’t you noticed the bandage round her arm?’
Jack shook his head. As far as he was aware, nobody had been hurt during Two Heavens practice. Though he hadn’t revealed the whole truth about his own injury, why would Akiko lie about hers? And how had she got it in the first place?
‘I have to go,’ said Takuan, passing Jack the reins to his horse. ‘You don’t mind stabling them both, do you? I’m due to help Akiko with her haiku.’
‘No, of course not,’ replied Jack, forcing a smile.
‘Thanks. We’ll work on improving your seat position next time.’
Bowing, Takuan headed back to school.
Dusk had fallen by the time Jack had unsaddled the horses and tethered them in their stalls. He’d have to hurry. Taro would be waiting for him in the Butokuden to start their extra Two Heavens practice. Jack much preferred that to horseriding. Their first session together had proved very helpful and, by the end, Jack had nearly mastered the Flint-and-Spark strike. Taro was a natural teacher, so they’d arranged to meet every evening to build on this initial success. At breakfast that morning he’d enthused about Taro to Akiko in the hope she’d join them, but to no avail. She was already busy. Now he knew why – Takuan.
As Jack put some extra hay into the horses’ troughs, he heard the back door of the stable block open.
‘So what have you found out?’ breathed a girl’s husky voice.
‘My father’s told me daimyo Kamakura now has some fifty thousand troops at his command.’
Jack instantly recognized the voice as Kazuki’s.
‘Fifty thousand!’ squealed the girl excitedly.
Creeping into an adjacent empty stall, Jack peeked through a gap in the wood. Kazuki was sitting close to Moriko, her pale face ghost-like in the darkness. The floor had recently been swept and like all Japanese stables was spotlessly clean.
‘So our lord’s ready to attack,’ she said in eager anticipation. ‘We can finish off the gaijin! Exterminate him like a rat!’
‘Not yet.’
Moriko’s face dropped.
‘Don’t worry. His time will come. I left him with a scar so he wouldn’t forget his fate.’ Kazuki smirked as he ran finger across his own left cheek.
Moriko’s eyes lit up with sadistic glee. ‘He must now look even uglier!’
Jack felt his cut throb as the two of them laughed at his expense. Moriko has some nerve to call me ugly, he thought. She has black teeth!
‘But when will daimyo Kamakura strike? When can the Scorpion Gang begin its work?’
‘Patience, my Moriko,’ said Kazuki, resting a hand on her knee. ‘Our lord is waiting for more samurai to come to his side. My father told me daimyo Satake of Dewa Province has recently joined his ranks. But daimyo Kamakura needs all the northern lords to pledge their allegiance to him.’
‘Why? He already has enough samurai to drive out every gaijin in our country.’
‘But not enough to take over the country.’
‘So the rumours are true?’ she breathed.
Kazuki nodded.
‘How do you know this?’
‘My father’s one of daimyo Kamakura’s most trusted samurai.’ Leaning closer to Moriko, he lowered his voice conspiratorially. ‘I’ve been asked to carry out a special mission. By order of Kamakura himself.’
Moriko gasped. ‘What do you have to do?’
‘The clever hawk hides its claws,’ he replied.
‘I don’t understand,’ she said, her face screwing up in puzzlement.
‘It means a great warrior doesn’t reveal his true strength until the time calls for it. But daimyo Kamakura will reward me for my service when I do.’
‘What with?’
‘My own castle!’
Moriko could barely contain her excitement.
‘You’d be made a daimyo!’ she fawned.
Jack had heard enough. Whatever Akiko had said about the Oda family fighting alongside daimyo Takatomi, that was no longer true. He had to tell Masamoto.
Slipping unnoticed out of the stables, he ran back to school.
As he hurried across the courtyard, Jack spotted his guardian entering the Butsuden with Sensei Yamada. Taking the steps two at a time, he found them standing before the large bronze Buddha, deep in conversion. Barging through the doors, he dashed over to them.
‘I overheard Kazuki… talking in the stables…’ blurted Jack, in between snatches for breath. ‘His father’s on daimyo Kamakura’s side –’
‘We know,’ interrupted Masamoto, holding up his hand.
Jack was stunned into silence.
The two samurai looked at each other gravely for a moment, before Sensei Yamada said, ‘I don’t think we have any choice but to tell him.’
Masmaoto turned to Jack. ‘We’re about to trust you with a highly sensitive secret. Do you understand?’
Jack bowed to show he appreciated the gravity of his guardian’s words.
‘Oda-san’s actually on our side. He’s keeping us informed of daimyo Kamakura’s plans,’ Masamoto explained.
‘Kazuki’s father’s a spy?’
Masamoto nodded. ‘In order that Kamakura wouldn’t suspect a thing, Oda-san’s entire family had to pledge their allegiance, including Kazuki-kun. Even they don’t know.’
Jack realized Kazuki was totally convinced by the set-up. Dangerously so.
‘Don’t worry about Kazuki-kun,’ said Masamoto, seeing the concern on Jack’s face. ‘Oda-san will tell his son the truth when the time comes. But, until then, you mustn’t say a word of this to anyone. If daimyo Kamakura ever found out, Oda-san and his family would be put to death instantly.’
‘I promise I won’t,’ replied Jack, understanding the seriousness of the situation. ‘But if you know daimyo Kamakura intends to take power, why aren’t the Council stopping him now?’
‘It isn’t as simple as that,’ said Masamoto. ‘Even though we know this coming conflict isn’t just a question of faith, publicly daimyo Kamakura insists he’s only interested in expelling Christians and foreigners. As a key member of the Council, he claims to be acting in Satoshi’s best interests. He’s defending Japan against the supposed threat of gaijin and fighting in the Emperor’s name.’
‘But he’s killing innocent people. Isn’t that justification enough?’ implored Jack.
Masamoto sadly shook his head.
‘Unfortunately not,’ he sighed. ‘Daimyo Kamakura is as cunning as a chess player. Until he directs his forces against a Japanese daimyo, no one can act against him. Otherwise the Council become the aggressors. If we start the conflict, then we are the enemy of the Emperor.’
‘So war is inevitable,’ said Jack.
‘Not necessarily. It depends upon daimyo Kamakura getting the support he needs. Though his army is large, it’s still no threat to the Council’s combined forces.’
Despite Masamoto’s assurance, Jack remained unconvinced.
One thing was certain, the impending war wouldn’t aid Jack’s search for the rutter. And the logbook definitely wouldn’t be a priority for Masamoto, whose enquiries had still come to nothing. But there was little he could do about that. He would have to hope the logbook remained undeciphered. In the meantime, his priority was to learn the Two Heavens. He had to be prepared for the future – however uncertain it was.
25
LAST SAMURAI STANDING
Jack sat upon his wooden horse among the decaying brown leaves.
Autumn was over and the trees lining the Yabusame course of the Kamigamo shrine were almost bare. The threat of war, once so sharp and terrifying, had now dulled and hung on the horizon like a distant storm. Though news continued to trickle in of foreign persecution and ronin drifting northwards, daimyo Kamakura had yet to attack a Japanese lord and the conflict itself had failed to materialize. Many students considered the danger had passed. Jack realized such complacency was hazardous with a man as devious as Kamakura. But even he was beginning to hope the daimyo’s crusade had lost its momentum and that the samurai lord hadn’t got the support he needed.
‘In-yo, In-yo,’ said Jack half-heartedly, as he went through the motions of drawing an arrow, nocking it on his bow and shooting the wooden target.
He could do this now with his eyes closed. He knew the exact height of the mark. He could hit the target from any distance and any angle. He knew precisely how long it would take him to nock an arrow, fire and prepare for his next shot. And he knew the jindou arrows with their blunt wooden ball heads had a tendency to drop slightly during flight. But he still had no idea whether he could do this on a galloping horse.
Jack watched enviously as the rest of the class thundered down the Yabusame track on their steeds. Emi went by, taking out the first two marks but missing the final one. Despite the months of training, no one – apart from Takuan – had struck all three targets in a single run. Occasionally, a student took a tumble in the dirt, but Sensei Yosa didn’t relegate them to training permanently on a wooden horse – as she had with Jack.
‘Takuan tells me your horsemanship has improved greatly in the last month,’ said Sensei Yosa, startling Jack as she approached him from behind.
‘Really?’ he replied, snatching at this glimmer of hope. Though he was surprised to hear this, considering Takuan spent more time watching Akiko’s prowess on the course than observing his riding skills.
‘He says you’re ready to learn how to ride without using the reins,’ she told him, patting the head of Jack’s dobbin affectionately. ‘If you make good progress, we’ll have you on a real horse for Yabusame by springtime. Now come over to the track, I have an announcement to make.’
Jack sighed at the thought of staying on his wooden horse for another three months. Dismounting, he kicked it in its unresponsive rear before trudging after Sensei Yosa.
‘How’s your mighty steed?’ said Saburo as Jack knelt down between him and Yamato. ‘Still eating sawdust?’
‘Very funny, Saburo.’
‘So when are you going to join us on a real horse?’ asked Yamato.
‘Not until spring!’
‘But that’s ages away!’ he exclaimed.
Jack nodded despondently. At least someone took his situation seriously.
‘You’ll have been on that dobbin so long, you’ll be getting splinters!’ said Yamato, his face cracking into a grin.
Seeing the funny side, Jack joined in the laughter. Sensei Yosa raised her hand for silence and the three of them stifled their giggles.
‘I’m very pleased with everyone’s progress. In the light of this, I’ve proposed a Kyosha against two of the local samurai schools, the Yagyu Ryū and Yoshioko Ryū. This competition shoot will take place as the first blossom forms on the sakura trees. In the meantime, I’ll be assessing everyone’s abilities and will select three riders to compete for the honour of the Niten Ichi Ryū.’
There was excited chatter among the students as they left the Kamigamo shrine and returned to school.
‘I wonder who’ll be chosen?’ asked Kiku.
‘Takuan will be,’ said Akiko. ‘He’s the best archer and rider.’
‘That’s kind of you to say, but there are many other fine riders in the school,’ replied Takuan, smiling warmly at her. ‘You would be my choice.’
Saburo rolled his eyes at Jack, who tried to ignore the exchange but couldn’t help noticing Akiko’s face flush in response to Takuan’s compliment. Jack realized Kazuki had been right. Akiko clearly had feelings for Takuan.
‘I also reckon you’ve got a chance, Jack, with all that target practice you’ve had,’ added Takuan over his shoulder.
‘Well, unless there’s a category for wooden horses, it won’t be me,’ replied
Jack, doing his best to hide his hurt. ‘Sensei Yosa said I have to wait until spring to do Yabusame on a real horse.’
‘You’re lucky,’ said Takuan. ‘I know one student at my old school who was made to train on a wooden horse for three years before he was allowed to ride a real one!’
Jack could well believe it. Judging by his experience of Sensei Kyuzo, there were clearly some very cruel sensei in Japan.
‘Don’t worry, Jack,’ said Yori, trotting alongside him. ‘When you do get on a real horse, your Yabusame technique will be so superior, you’re sure to be selected for the team.’
‘I wouldn’t get too excited about the Kyosha,’ interrupted Kazuki from behind.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Yori.
‘There’ll be a war on by then.’
Yori looked shocked. ‘But… but it’s almost winter and nothing’s happened. Surely the threat’s passed.’
Kazuki shook his head. ‘It takes time to gather an army. My father says this is just the calm before the storm.’
‘But why would Sensei Yosa be planning an inter-school contest for the spring, or Sensei Nakamura a kukai, if there’s still going to be a war?’ said Yori, a note of desperation entering his voice.
‘Competitions keep morale high and our minds off the coming conflict.’
Kazuki gave Jack a hard stare.
‘Nice scar,’ he said, before striding on ahead.
* * *
The knife flashed towards Jack’s stomach. He neatly slipped to Kazuki’s outside guard, struck the back of his wrist and disarmed him. But before Jack could enjoy the victory, a bokken sliced towards his head.
Jack evaded the blade’s arc, closing in on his second attacker, Goro, and grabbing hold of his arm. Applying a crippling lock, he disarmed the sword and drew the blade up between his legs.
Alerted by a shout from behind, Jack turned to see a spear ready to impale him through the chest. Barely avoiding the sharpened steel tip, he kicked his third attacker, Nobu, in the shins and took hold of the spear’s shaft. A quick twist and the end was driven into his face.