The Lost Sword

by Pitt, Darrell

  Hiro pushed one of the pedals, turned the wheel and the giant dragonfly lifted off.

  ‘My goodness!’ Scarlet said, gripping Jack’s arm.

  The landscape flashed by. The curved design of the front windscreen deflected the wind, but it was still cold inside the cabin.

  Soon they were soaring high over a foggy Tokyo. Jack’s eyes were wide in amazement as he stared down. The tallest structures breaking through the fog included giant statues, many hundreds of feet high. Some were of huge cats, one paw raised in greeting; others were owls, men and other animals.

  ‘Those are Maneki-neko statues,’ Mr Doyle said, pointing to a cat. ‘They are said to bring good luck.’ He pointed to a squat figure of a man with a Mohawk. ‘As do the Fukusukue statues.’

  ‘And those?’ Jack asked, pointing at three giant owls to the west of the city.

  ‘They represent wisdom,’ Hiro spoke up. ‘We Japanese believe very much in symbolism.’

  Highways, jammed with fast-moving traffic, wound about the city like huge snakes, many of them passing straight through buildings.

  In the distant south, Jack could just make out a few islands.

  ‘Those are the Izu and Ogasawara Islands,’ Hiro explained.

  ‘I don’t see any rice fields,’ Scarlet said, peering down. ‘I thought they’d be everywhere.’

  ‘Most of the rice comes from northern Japan,’ Hiro said. ‘In Hokkaido and Niigata.’

  ‘We don’t have as many tall buildings in London,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘Is all of Japan like this?’

  ‘Mostly. Many are apartments,’ Hiro said. ‘But some are privately owned.’

  ‘The owners must be very wealthy.’

  ‘Some have earned their money honestly, but others are crime bosses.’

  ‘Is there a lot of crime in Japan?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Too much. Some of the bosses are very powerful.’

  Soon they had left the metropolis behind and were heading towards a line of steep mountains. A few of the valleys were dammed, and Hiro explained how they supplied much of the drinking water for Tokyo.

  He eventually brought the dragonfly into a shallow descent, over hills covered in cypress and cedar, and steered towards a winding road.

  Indicating some buildings nestled among a stand of trees, he said, ‘That’s it,’ he said. ‘That’s Takao shrine.’

  ‘I thought it would be like a church,’ Jack said.

  ‘It is where kami—spirits or universal elements—are said to live. This shrine is dedicated to the mountain, Takao.’

  The dragonfly landed smoothly on the road and Hiro tied it to a pole. Jack was surprised the creature was so placid. After placing a hood over its bulbous head, Hiro hung a feedbag under its mouth.

  ‘It won’t fly away?’ Scarlet said.

  ‘The dragonfly are well trained,’ Hiro said.

  The forest was quiet except for the sound of distant birdsong. At the edge of the road, Jack and the others came to a timber gate made from two upright poles, with another two placed across the top.

  ‘That is the torii,’ Hiro explained. ‘It symbolises the transition from the normal world to the sacred.’

  ‘It’s a bit lopsided,’ Scarlet said.

  ‘There was an earthquake here recently, so the shrine was evacuated. I doubt anyone will be here today.’

  They followed a path to a wide, flat building with a curving pitched roof.

  ‘The haiden,’ Hiro said, pointing. ‘Used for worship.’

  Inside, the building had been decorated with hand-carved timber poles and bright-red ceiling battens. Bamboo mats covered the floor. Signs written in Japanese hung from the ceiling. It smelt strongly of musk-scented incense.

  They continued on to a smaller building flanked by statues of hybrid lion-dogs at the entrance.

  ‘And this is the honden,’ Hiro said. ‘The heart of the shrine.’ The front door was slightly ajar. ‘Normally this is closed to the public, but the kami has probably been removed.’

  Here, they found a less ornate building with an altar at the other end. Paving stones covered the floor.

  ‘The kami is usually a mirror, or a statue, but neither is here.’

  ‘And this is where Edgar had planned to visit?’ Mr Doyle said.

  ‘Edgar was very excited about coming here,’ Hiro said, peering about. His face filled with dismay. ‘He seemed to think it would lead to the sword, but everything appears completely normal. I don’t see that this can possibly lead to the Kusanagi sword—or to Edgar!’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ‘We are only at the beginning of our investigation,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘These things take time. We will begin by making a thorough investigation of this room.’

  They started by examining the walls. Then Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle each took out their magnifying goggles and stared at the ceiling for several minutes. Finally, peering at the stones in the floor, they ran their fingers along the grooves.

  Mr Doyle stopped near the altar.

  ‘This is interesting,’ he said. ‘This tile is slightly askew.’

  ‘Maybe the earthquake caused it,’ Jack suggested.

  ‘Possibly, but it seems strange that none of the other tiles are affected.’ He gripped the edge. ‘Help me move it.’

  Jack and the others grabbed the tile and pulled upwards to reveal an ancient timber ladder leading to a tunnel beneath.

  ‘I assume hondens don’t usually have underground tunnels,’ Mr Doyle said.

  ‘They do not,’ Hiro said.

  Mr Doyle led them down to another tunnel made of stone. Breathing in the cold, dry air, Jack smelt incense, but it was very faint.

  As Mr Doyle lit a candle, Scarlet tilted her head. ‘Did you hear that?’ she asked.

  ‘What?’ Jack said.

  ‘I’m not sure. It sounded like voices.’

  They listened hard but there was nothing.

  ‘It may have been my imagination,’ she said at last.

  The tunnel eventually opened onto a square chamber. A mural of an ancient sword covered the far wall. On an altar below was an ancient parchment.

  ‘I believe this is our first clue,’ Mr Doyle said.

  The image on the parchment was a map of a bay, surrounded by trees and something that looked like the entrance to a cave. In the middle of the bay was a mountain with a red top. A string of flowers bordered the picture. The other side was blank.

  ‘It appears to be some kind of map, but—’

  ‘There!’ Scarlet said, swinging about. ‘I heard it again.’

  Hiro hurried to the doorway. ‘We are being followed!’ he cried as a shot rang out, and a bullet ricocheted off a wall. ‘There’s a group of men back there! Europeans!’

  ‘It must be those damn Nazis!’ Mr Doyle said, pulling out his gun, Clarabelle. He said to Hiro, ‘Do you have any experience handling a firearm?’

  ‘A little.’

  Mr Doyle handed him the weapon. ‘Shoot sporadically. We’ll need tim
e to find an exit.’

  Hiro tentatively fired off a shot as Mr Doyle rolled up the parchment and pocketed it. He began to examine the walls.

  ‘Are you sure there is an exit?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Without a doubt,’ he said, pointing to the floor. ‘You see this scrape here? It’s where the wall has swung back.’

  They tried pushing on various places on the wall, but nothing happened. Hiro continued to fire at their attackers. Suddenly Scarlet pointed to a brass torch holder set into the stone then indicated the floor beneath it.

  ‘This surface is clean,’ she said.

  ‘What?’ Mr Doyle said. After his gaze had followed hers, he grinned. ‘Scarlet, you’re a genius. Any torch would leave some waxy residue.’

  He gave it a twist, and the wall swung forward.

  ‘Come on!’

  After piling through the opening, they pulled the door shut and raced up another tunnel, the clatter of footsteps close behind. At the very end came a faint sliver of light.

  Mr Doyle pulled at another torch holder, and the wall swung open, revealing trees and thick shrub. Scrambling through, they found themselves at the base of a narrow ravine.

  ‘Up there!’ Mr Doyle cried.

  Racing up the hill, they reached the road. Scarlet pointed.

  ‘There’s our ride!’ she yelled.

  Within seconds, they were back in the egg-shaped cabin of the dragonfly, and Hiro was spurring the giant insect into the air.

  ‘Do you think—’ Jack started.

  A shot rang out. A second dragonfly had taken off from behind the temple, with men crowded into its cabin.

  ‘They’re chasing us!’

  Mr Doyle leant out and fired. ‘I hit it,’ he said, ‘but it hasn’t had any effect.’

  ‘Dragonflies are very tough,’ Hiro said.

  Breaking through some low-lying clouds, they headed towards the city. Jack glanced through the rear window. ‘I can’t see anything,’ he said. ‘Maybe we’ve lost them.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Scarlet said. ‘We’ve got that parchment and they want it.’

  Crash!

  The other vessel came out of nowhere and slammed into them sideways. More shots rang out, shattering the front window.

  Mr Doyle fired off another shot, but missed as the other dragonfly rapidly climbed. Then two men leapt through the air. The moustached of the pair landed on their dragonfly’s neck while the bald man somehow made it into their cabin, his gun raised.

  ‘Give me the parchment!’ he said in a thick German accent. He was short, swarthy and built like a boxer. ‘You will—’

  Scarlet knocked the gun aside as Mr Doyle slammed a fist into his stomach. Through the window, Jack glimpsed the Nazi on the dragonfly’s neck trying to force the creature towards the ground.

  Hiro yelled, ‘Hold on!’

  Jack and the others gripped the underneath of the seats as Hiro jerked the wheel to one side, which sent the Nazi into the wall. Then they were upside down.

  The Nazi struggled to regain his footing, but Mr Doyle kicked at him, and the man screamed as he went crashing through the side door and dropped from the sky. Outside, the second man lost his grip on the dragonfly’s neck and fell away.

  ‘Watch out!’ Scarlet cried.

  They were in a steep dive with a forest only seconds away. Hiro jerked the wheel back and they narrowly avoided the tops of trees.

  ‘Where are they?’ Jack said. ‘Are they still—’

  The Nazi’s dragonfly slammed into them again. This time its wings tangled with theirs. A Nazi took the opportunity to dash around to their vessel. As Mr Doyle took aim with Clarabelle, the German managed to fire off the first shot, and the weapon flew from the detective’s hand.

  Jack scrambled from his seat.

  ‘Jack!’ Mr Doyle yelled. ‘Don’t—’

  But he was already halfway across the wing. The Nazi fired another shot and missed. Jack managed to knock his gun away, then dropped and swung out his leg, knocking the other man down. Snarling, the German grabbed Jack’s foot and tried to push him off the wing, but Jack smashed him across the face.

  Scarlet raced across the wing, and pushed Jack down. Umbrella in hand, she hooked the handle onto the back of the Nazi’s shirt and pressed the release button. The umbrella flew open, caught the wind and dragged the man into the ether.

  ‘Get back in here!’ Mr Doyle yelled.

  Hiro waited until they were back inside—then slammed on the brakes. The other creature continued forward, one of its wings damaged, towards a bank of trees. It seemed the Nazis were doomed, but the pilot regained control at the last moment, bringing in the dragonfly to an ungainly landing.

  As they flew away, Jack spotted the remaining men stagger from the aircraft.

  ‘We survived,’ Jack said, falling back in his seat.

  ‘And we have the parchment,’ Scarlet said.

  ‘Only one question remains,’ Mr Doyle said, pulling it from his pocket. ‘What does it mean?’

  CHAPTER SIX

  It was evening by the time they arrived back at the hotel. Mr Doyle insisted they eat a meal. They would tackle the parchment in the morning.

  ‘You know what I always say,’ he said, ordering food at the restaurant. ‘Brains work better when they’re well fed.’

  ‘I agree,’ Jack said. ‘Just as long as there’s no wasabi.’

  Mr Doyle smiled. The meal arrived, a dish called tempura—fish and vegetables dipped in batter and fried. All the while, strange music was piped through the intercom system. The restaurant was busy, with many of the Darwinist hotel delegates also eating. ‘There’s a lot of security here,’ Scarlet said, nodding towards the broad-shouldered men standing near the door.

  ‘Most of the leading Darwinists are present,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘Losing them would put science back by decades.’

  Dr Einstein noticed them and strolled over. They introduced Hiro as their guide.

  ‘Are you enjoying Japan?’ Dr Einstein asked them.

  Jack almost choked on his meal, remembering the day they’d had, but Scarlet managed a sweet smile. ‘It’s a beautiful country,’ she said. ‘Hiro very kindly took us for a tour on a kagerou.’

  ‘They’re an amazing beast,’ Einstein said. ‘A credit to the Japanese branch of the Darwinist League. And I hope you’ll be attending the seminars? I’m sure you’ll find them interesting.’

  ‘What will they be speaking about?’ Jack asked.

  ‘All the most recent breakthroughs in Darwinist technology. One of the highlights is an innovative new kind of scuba diving equipment. You’re familiar with jellyfish? Well, we’ve developed a new kind that we’re calling the jellysuit. The diver inhales a breathing tube and the suit wraps around them, protecting them from the sea.’

  ‘Oh. Where does the tube go?’

  ‘Into the diver’s lungs,’ Dr Einstein said.

  Scarlet blanched.

  Einstein turned to Mr Doyle. ‘Ignatius, we’ve scheduled your address
for the closing ceremony,’ he said. ‘Right after your presentation, we’re hoping the Hot Earth Accord will be signed.’

  ‘Are you sure that all the dignitaries will sign it?’ Mr Doyle asked.

  ‘We still have a lot of convincing to do, but we’re hoping to have won them over by then.’

  After Einstein had left, Scarlet explained the Hot Earth theory to Hiro.

  ‘This makes sense,’ Hiro said, thoughtfully. ‘Elderly people talk about how much snow there used to be on Mount Fuji. Now there is hardly any at all.’

  Mr Doyle offered to have a bed made up for Hiro, but he declined. ‘I look after my aunt,’ he said. ‘Her health is not good, so I do chores for her.’

  ‘Thank you for what you’ve done so far.’

  Bowing his head, Hiro headed off.

  The next morning, Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle ate breakfast in their room.

  ‘There’s one thing that’s disappointed me about Japan,’ Jack said. ‘Apart from the Nazis.’

  ‘What would that be?’ Mr Doyle asked, topping his okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake, with fluffy cheese from his pocket.

  ‘We haven’t come across any ninja yet.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘I don’t believe there are any ninja in modern-day Japan.’

  ‘That’s what the ninja want us to believe. Secrecy is their best tool. We could use a few ninja on our side,’ he said. ‘Not to mention their weapons.’

  ‘What sort of weapons?’ Scarlet asked.

  ‘Shuriken, for one.’

  ‘Shuriken? They sound like a type of fried fish!’

  ‘No! They’re throwing stars—flat, pointed disks that ninja throw at their enemies. And they also use sai, a kind of small trident, for stabbing.’