The Lost Sword

by Pitt, Darrell

  Mr Doyle said nothing.

  ‘You have already fought in a war,’ Drexler said. ‘You know the hardships it brings, the tragedies. How much better if our nations could be at peace?’

  ‘I doubt the Nazi idea of peace is the same as our own.’

  ‘Give me the map to the sword and we can part as friends.’

  ‘We will never be friends.’

  ‘Germany was defeated in the last war,’ Drexler said. ‘But our glorious nation will rise again and the German people will live out its true destiny, as the masters of Europe. Once we recover the sword and present it to the Japanese government, an alliance will be formed that will shake the world.’

  ‘Most people in Germany and Japan want to live happy, peaceful lives,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘You’re a small man who talks big. You speak of master races and global domination, but my admiration lies with men and women who work hard to raise their children, nourish them with love and kindness, and peacefully live with their neighbours to make better communities and—ultimately—a better world.’

  Drexler’s face blackened. ‘You’re a fool!’ he snapped. ‘When the next war begins—and there will be another war—I will personally make certain you and everyone you hold dear is annihilated. History will remember you as a failure!’

  ‘I’ll let history make its own judgements.’

  Drexler leapt to his feet, fury in his eyes. ‘You will be sorry we ever met!’

  ‘I already am. You’re a cockroach. Now leave before I crush you underfoot.’

  Drexler stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind.

  Jack and Scarlet stared at Mr Doyle. ‘What are we going to do?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Order a new pot of tea,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘This one has gone quite cold.’

  ‘Mr Doyle!’ Scarlet said. ‘That man has threatened to destroy us.’

  ‘Then we will be careful.’ He tilted his head. ‘What is that sound?’

  Racing to the window, they saw a large crowd, carrying banners and chanting, had approached the hotel.

  ‘It looks like the protesters have arrived,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘I suggest we go downstairs in case things turn nasty.’

  By the time they reached the foyer, the cries of the protesters had risen to a roar. Hundreds of people now surrounded the building. The hotel staff had bolted all the doors. Einstein and Dr Livanov were speaking to a police officer.

  ‘May I ask what’s happening?’ Mr Doyle inquired.

  ‘This appears to have been a well-orchestrated protest by Metalists,’ Einstein said. ‘Clearly they want to disrupt the symposium and discredit our work.’

  A smash came from the other end of the lobby as a rock crashed through a window. The police chief raced off, yelling orders. Then a Molotov cocktail smashed through a window in the dining room and exploded. The screams of the crowd became more frenzied.

  ‘This is out of control,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘It’s become a fully fledged riot!’

  Jack, Scarlet and Mr Doyle ran to the fire. There was no water around, so they snatched up tablecloths to beat it out as Einstein raced up to them.

  ‘This is getting worse by the minute,’ he said. ‘Another fire’s broken out on the other side.’

  ‘Are the fire brigade coming?’ Mr Doyle asked.

  ‘They’re already here, but they can’t get through the crowd.’

  As they followed Einstein back through the lobby, one of the main windows shattered and people with signs burst through.

  Jack and the others were surrounded in seconds. Mr Doyle was hit over the head with a sign, and Scarlet punched the perpetrator in the face. Einstein fought bravely against two assailants as a lobby boy came to his aid.

  Then police officers arrived, driving back the protesters.

  Endo raced over. ‘We’re evacuating the hotel. There’s an exit out the back. I suggest you use it.’

  Another flaming torch was thrown through a window. A fire alarm began to ring and guests came streaming down the stairs, many of them lugging bags. Staff started directing them towards the rear of the building.

  Following them, Jack suddenly slapped his pockets in alarm.

  Oh no, he thought. My compass and picture are still in our apartment!

  It would only take him a minute to grab them.

  Breaking away from the group, he raced upstairs. He reached their rooms and scooped the items off his dressing table as more crashes came from below. Either the protesters were causing more havoc, or the fire was really taking hold.

  Jack hurried down the hall and pushed the elevator button, but remembered that the stairs should always be used in a fire. They were already empty of people. With all the smoke, it was getting harder to breath by the second. Reaching the fire doors, he felt a wall of heat behind them.

  What’s going on?

  He pushed one open a crack—and cried out. Beyond lay a wall of fire. It had only taken minutes, but the fire was completely out of control.

  The hotel was burning to the ground with him in it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Clouds of smoke chasing him, Jack staggered up the stairs. He had to get out of here, but the only way to do that was from the roof. Things were popping and exploding downstairs as sirens filled the air: fire brigades were arriving. The hotel alarm bell was ringing, but then it ominously cut out.

  It was getting hotter by the minute. Jack had been in burning buildings before, but he had never seen a structure catch fire so quickly. Then he remembered: This whole place is made from timber.

  Racing up the remaining five floors to the roof, he ran to the edge, but was alarmed to see flames already billowing up that side of the building.

  Bazookas, he thought. I’m going to get fried like a sausage!

  The building groaned alarmingly beneath him. Glancing over the edge, he saw the rioters had withdrawn. A fire engine was ineffectually hosing down the structure, but it was too little, too late. The fire had already spread to an adjoining building. This was turning into a major catastrophe.

  He looked upwards at the sky above. For once, it was clear of dragonflies.

  You can never get a lift when you need one!

  Police had formed a roadblock further down the street where Mr Doyle was struggling to get through. Scarlet spotted Jack and waved in alarm. In London, there were airships that could put out fires, but they obviously didn’t have them here in Japan. He had to get off this roof, but how?

  Clunk!

  Jack turned in alarm. A grappling hook, attached to a rope, had wrapped around a chimney behind him. It led to a figure on the roof of the next building.

  The red ninja!

  She pulled the rope tight and tied her end to a pole on her building as the crackling of the fire grew louder. The flames were only two storeys below and would reach Jack within seconds.

  Gripping the rope, he pulled himself headfirst over the edge and lifted his legs up so his ankles crossed over the rope. He started dragging himself across to the ninja’s building. He’d done this a hundred times at the circus, but not without a
net, and not ten storeys above the ground. The flames from the fire began licking the rope as a huge crash came from below. If he didn’t reach the other side soon—

  A hand gripped his shoulder, and Jack looked up into the eyes of the red ninja. He had reached the other side.

  Untangling himself from the rope, Jack glanced back to the hotel. It was fully alight, and wouldn’t have held for much longer. When he went to thank the ninja, she was gone.

  ‘What is this woman?’ Jack asked. ‘Invisible?’

  Within seconds, he was back on the street and racing towards the barriers. Mr Doyle and Scarlet appeared.

  ‘What happened?’ Mr Doyle asked. ‘We turned around and you were gone. The police wouldn’t let us back in the building.’

  When Jack explained he had gone back for his belongings, Mr Doyle’s face darkened.

  ‘My boy,’ he said. ‘I know they’re precious to you, but they don’t equal a human life.’ His eyes glistening, he pulled Jack close. ‘Especially yours.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Mr Doyle.’

  ‘Jack,’ Scarlet said, gently touching his arm. ‘I suppose you wanted to save my Brinkie Buckeridge books too.’

  ‘Er, no. I forgot about them.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Two buildings were now fully alight. Jack and the others were forced back to another barrier as a dozen fire engines worked to contain the flames. The ground shook when the hotel collapsed.

  Jack stared at the scene in disbelief. An hour before, they had been comfortably settled into the hotel. Now it was a smouldering ruin.

  Checking his pockets, Jack gripped the locket and the compass. Mr Doyle was right to be angry. He shouldn’t have risked his life to save them.

  Red faced and puffing, Hiro appeared. ‘I could see the fire from a mile away,’ he said. ‘I am pleased you are all safe.’

  ‘Me too,’ Jack said.

  Einstein also appeared. ‘I’m so glad you’re all fine,’ he said. ‘We’re reassembling at a ryokan down the block.’

  ‘We’re not going to a hotel?’ Jack said.

  ‘It’s an inn,’ Mr Doyle explained. ‘Dating back to the seventeenth century, they were originally situated on highways for travellers.’

  Leaving the sound of fire engines behind them, they made their way down the block, reaching a timber clad two-storey building called the Utsukushii. A large pool took up most of the reception area with paintings of ancient Japanese buildings lining the walls.

  Livanov was pointing people to a function room at the back. When all of the scientists and diplomats had assembled, she stepped onto a stage and called for silence. ‘I’m pleased to report that everyone at the hotel survived the fire,’ she said. ‘We can thank the staff for their speedy action in getting everyone out.

  ‘I know this has been a terrible setback. The police arrested a number of protesters, but they have refused to speak. It seems clear, however, that the demonstration was initiated by a supporter of the Metalists, possibly an industrialist here in Japan.’

  ‘What will happen now?’ the diplomat from France asked. ‘Surely we must abandon the symposium?’

  ‘That’s exactly what we must not do,’ Livanov said. ‘The Hot Earth crisis is the most serious threat to ever face mankind. The accord must be signed this week, or it will be too late.’

  ‘But Hodder has already been killed!’ a scientist protested. ‘And we’ve lost all our belongings!’

  Angry murmuring broke out among the crowd. People started to walk out.

  Einstein took to the stage. ‘I understand your concerns,’ he said. ‘But a backup plan has already been established.’

  ‘You mean there’s somewhere we can move?’ a woman asked.

  ‘Indeed. We had already anticipated problems in case there was an issue with the hotel.’

  One of the diplomats raised his hand. ‘Where are we moving?’ he asked. ‘And is it safe?’

  Einstein was able to manage a smile. ‘Is it safe?’ he asked. ‘Not only is it made to keep people out, but also to keep them in!’

  An hour later, the members of the symposium were moving into their new accommodation.

  ‘Well, I must admit,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘It certainly looks secure.’

  They were standing in the courtyard of the old Tokyo jail, which comprised half-a-dozen stone buildings surrounding a courtyard. The prisoners had been recently transferred to a new modern facility on the city outskirts, and the old building converted into a modern hotel. It was so new, in fact, that scaffolds still lined some walls while several of the rooms had not been painted.

  The scientists were housed in one building, with the diplomats and their staff in another. Jack and the others had another wing to themselves.

  On the way to their new accommodation, they had gone out to buy some essentials: a few changes of clothing and toiletries. Jack had a small cell with a comfortable bed, with Mr Doyle across the hall and Scarlet in a room at the other end.

  It was now late in the day. Mr Doyle suggested they eat a meal and get a good night’s sleep.

  The next morning Jack joined Mr Doyle and Scarlet in the jail’s dining room, enjoying a bowl of soup and omelette.

  They met Hiro in the foyer of the jail.

  ‘What will we do today?’ Jack asked.

  ‘There’s a session on improving Milverton’s Terrafirma,’ Mr Doyle said, peering at an agenda on the wall. ‘And another about building houses from the calcium carbonate of starfish.’

  Hiro’s eyes shone with excitement. ‘Starfish,’ he said. ‘I think I have it.’

  ‘What?’ Jack said.

  ‘I may know where the map is leading us. For hundreds of years, Hoshizuna-no-hama beach has been famous for its star-shaped sand. It is a remote island far to the south-west of Japan.’

  ‘So the sand is shaped like stars?’ Jack asked.

  ‘In truth, the sand is not. The grains are actually the skeletons of tiny sea creatures.’

  Mr Doyle nodded thoughtfully. ‘This fits with the images on the parchment,’ Mr Doyle said. ‘I suggest we go there, but first we should pick up diving and camping supplies.’

  ‘I know a shop,’ Hiro said. ‘My parents and I used to go there when I was young.’

  After picking up their equipment, they started on the long journey over Japan.

  ‘Will this take long?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Most of the day,’ Hiro replied. ‘I advise you to get some sleep.’

  Jack nodded, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they were flying over sparkling water and the sun was low in the sky.

  ‘Are we there yet?’ he asked Hiro.

  ‘Almost,’ Hiro said.

  I hope this leads to something, Jack thought. Otherwise it will have been a complete waste of our time.

  Glancing at Mr Doyle and Scarlet, Jack thought they looked as exhausted as he felt. The detective’s eyes were closed; he was either asleep or meditating, while Scarlet was reading a book. Noticing he was awake, she put it down.

 
‘Sleep well?’ she asked.

  ‘More or less.’

  ‘You should read for a while.’

  ‘I lost my book in the fire.’

  ‘You should have told me,’ Scarlet said, producing another book from a pocket in her dress. ‘It’s one of my favourites—The Adventure of the Stolen Face.’

  ‘The Stolen Face?’ Jack stared at her. ‘Really?’

  ‘It’s a complex mystery where Brinkie investigates a series of murders where the victims’ faces have been stolen.’

  ‘It sounds terrifying.’

  ‘It is, although in some cases it’s an improvement.’

  As Scarlet continued, Jack wondered again about her and Hiro. She had an oddly wistful look in her eye. Had anything happened between the two while he’d slept? Jack had never told Scarlet how he felt about her.

  Maybe I’ve left it too late, he thought. I should have said something.

  ‘...and you’ll never guess what Brinkie does in the end,’ Scarlet said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘She disables the bomb using only a banana. Isn’t that incredible?’

  ‘We should all carry one—just in case.’

  Hiro interrupted them. ‘We’re almost there,’ he said.

  Mr Doyle stirred himself and they all peered over Hiro’s shoulder at a group of islands. Hiro pointed to a large square-shaped island to the west.

  ‘That’s Iriomote-jima.’

  Sunlight sparkled off the shimmering water as they came in low over the beach and settled onto the sand.

  A flock of brightly coloured birds flew away in panic as they disembarked from the dragonfly. Jack’s back ached from the long journey. The egg-shaped cabin was fine for short flights, but too confined for long journeys.

  Looking around, Jack saw a rock platform clung to one end of the beach with a series of small islands at the other. Thick vegetation crowded the interior. A warm breeze swept across the beach. Despite the dramas of the last few days, Jack couldn’t help but relax.