The Ring Of Earth Part 24

Miyuki glanced over at them, then quickly looked away when Jack caught her gaze.

Their sorrow was interrupted by Danjo, suddenly exclaiming, 'Look, they've taken prisoners!'

The boy pointed into the valley, where a detachment of samurai was returning victorious to Maruyama, daimyo daimyo Akechi at the head. Trailing behind was a sorry line of ninja. Not many, perhaps twenty or so. Akechi at the head. Trailing behind was a sorry line of ninja. Not many, perhaps twenty or so.

Jack's heart lifted at the idea that Hanzo might be among them. Then it immediately went cold.

'Daimyo Akechi vowed to kill everyone. Why's he taken prisoners?' Akechi vowed to kill everyone. Why's he taken prisoners?'

'Torture,' Zenjubo said bitterly.

'But he's won!' exclaimed Jack.

'He'll want the locations of the other ninja clans in his province,' explained Tenzen, getting to his feet.

Zenjubo turned to him. 'Your eyesight's better than mine. Who's survived?'

Squinting into the distance, Tenzen's expression turned from dejection to delight. 'My father's at the front with Momochi!' he exclaimed. 'And I think that's Soke at the back.'

Jack strained to make out any of them. Then he spotted Soke's bald head towards the rear of the line. Beside him, a small figure was helping him along.

'Hanzo's alive,' breathed Jack, turning to Akiko with relief.

But their joy was cut short as they recalled the fate awaiting her little brother. Now Jack only felt sick, shuddering at the thought of Hanzo imprisoned in Gemnan's garden of h.e.l.l. The pit. The hanging tree. The bamboo spikes. The boiling pot. The crucifix.

'We must must rescue them!' said Jack. rescue them!' said Jack.

Shiro, who had been silent until now, laughed scornfully at the suggestion. 'What can we possibly do? There's only eight eight of us.' of us.'

'Nine,' corrected Akiko.

'When did you you suddenly become a ninja?' Miyuki snapped. suddenly become a ninja?' Miyuki snapped.

'I've trained in your ways.'

'So you're a spy!'

'Take's one to know one.'

Miyuki stared daggers at her. 'What do you care anyway?'

'I care more than you know!' retorted Akiko, the jibe breaking her usual calm demeanour.

'I find that hard to believe,' shot back Miyuki, squaring up to her. 'Samurai lack heart.'

'And you lack '

'Enough!' said Tenzen, stepping between them, all of a sudden taking charge. 'This isn't helping matters.'

'What I don't understand is why she's she's here in the first place,' said Miyuki, glaring at Akiko over Tenzen's shoulder. here in the first place,' said Miyuki, glaring at Akiko over Tenzen's shoulder.

'Jack must have sent her a message,' said Shiro, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Horrified, everyone turned to Jack.

'Did you?' demanded Tenzen.

Jack nodded, mortified at being exposed in such a way. 'I asked Akiko to come.'

'So you did betray us!' seethed Miyuki.

'NO! My message was coded. Daimyo Daimyo Akechi had no idea of its existence. There was no way he could have found out,' Jack argued. 'Akiko joined the army as a disguise. Besides, she would Akechi had no idea of its existence. There was no way he could have found out,' Jack argued. 'Akiko joined the army as a disguise. Besides, she would never never reveal the location.' reveal the location.'

'Why should we believe that?' said Tenzen.

'Because I believe Hanzo is her lost brother.'

For a moment, no one spoke, stunned by the revelation. Tenzen stared at Akiko, clearly weighing up whether this was true and if he could trust her.

'That's why I care,' said Akiko ardently. why I care,' said Akiko ardently.

'But you're samurai,' Miyuki reminded her spitefully. 'Hanzo's a ninja.'

Akiko didn't back down. 'My little brother, Kiyoshi, was kidnapped by Dragon Eye and hidden with a ninja clan in these mountains. If there's even the slightest possibility Hanzo is Kiyoshi, I'll risk my life to save him!'

'There's more fire in this samurai than in my furnace,' commented Kajiya, who sat on the temple steps. 'If we're going to rescue Shonin and the others, then I want this one on our side.'

Zenjubo grunted his agreement.

'It's settled then,' said Tenzen, bowing formally to Akiko. 'A samurai could prove very useful in our rescue mission.'

'You're not seriously considering attacking daimyo daimyo Akechi's army, are you?' interrupted Shiro, his eyes wide with disbelief. Akechi's army, are you?' interrupted Shiro, his eyes wide with disbelief.

'I realize the odds are stacked against us,' replied Tenzen. 'But the shin.o.bi shin.o.bi faced far greater challenges against n.o.bunaga's son and won.' faced far greater challenges against n.o.bunaga's son and won.'

He looked at each of them, testing their resolve. Jack recognized in Tenzen's eyes the hawk-like intensity and inspiring conviction of his father. Without dispute, Tenzen had become the natural leader of the group. He'd risen to the challenge.

'Remember, we're not just rescuing friends and saving lives,' Tenzen continued, spurring their motivation. 'We're rescuing the clan, saving Shonin and Soke's knowledge. But we'll be fighting back on our our terms stealth, not strength, will win the day.' terms stealth, not strength, will win the day.'

47.

AN U UNLUCKY N NUMBER.

'We've got no chance like this this,' said Shiro, forcing them to take a look at themselves.

Apart from Akiko, they were a ragged bunch in their tattered, bloodstained work clothes with only a handful of weapons between them. It was apparent to all they were ill-equipped for any sort of mission.

'You're right,' conceded Tenzen. 'We'll have to return to the village for equipment and supplies.'

He looked down into the valley, where the samurai were still pillaging the houses and checking for survivors. 'It'll be dangerous, though. Any volunteers?'

Jack was about to put up his hand, the chance of retrieving the rutter rutter foremost in his mind, when Miyuki interrupted. foremost in his mind, when Miyuki interrupted.

'All we need is a little faith,' she said, striding over to the temple. The others followed, bemused.

Inside, she knelt as if to pray before the Buddha, then, reaching forward, she pressed both hands against the wooden base. There was a soft click and a secret compartment opened. Miyuki pulled out the drawer to reveal a number of black shin.o.bi shozoku shin.o.bi shozoku.

'How come only you you knew about this?' asked Kajiya, amazed. knew about this?' asked Kajiya, amazed.

'I came to pay my respects to my parents one evening, when I found Soke checking their condition,' Miyuki explained, distributing the outfits to all but Akiko. 'Sorry, none left for you.'

'No matter, I've come prepared,' replied Akiko, smiling politely.

'We'll still need weapons,' pointed out Shiro.

Miyuki rolled her eyes. 'Don't you ever stop moaning? I sometimes wonder if you really are are a ninja.' a ninja.'

Ignoring his protests, she led them over to the far corner of the graveyard.

'But ... this is your family's marker,' said Tenzen.

Miyuki nodded. 'Read the inscription.'

Tenzen grinned and began digging in the earth with his knife.

'What does it say?' whispered Jack to Akiko.

'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.'

Now Jack smiled too and knelt down to help Tenzen.

The two of them dug down until a large lacquered box was revealed. Tenzen and Jack pulled off the lid. Inside was a carefully considered collection of weapons and equipment. Two ninjat ninjat, four pairs of shuko shuko claws and claws and ashiko ashiko foot hooks, a bag of foot hooks, a bag of tetsu-bishi tetsu-bishi spikes, a varied selection of spikes, a varied selection of shuriken shuriken, two kaginawa kaginawa climbing ropes, a blowpipe complete with poisoned darts, a sickle and chain and some explosives. climbing ropes, a blowpipe complete with poisoned darts, a sickle and chain and some explosives.

Reaching down, Miyuki picked up the blowpipe. 'Even from the grave, my parents will will have their revenge.' have their revenge.'

The rest of the equipment was handed out and the ninja prepared themselves for the mission. As Jack was getting ready, the cut on his arm opened up again.

'Let me bind that for you,' said Akiko, who was packing her armour into a sack for the journey.

He sat down on the temple steps, letting her clean and bandage the wound with strips torn from their discarded work clothes. Jack had missed her kindness and compa.s.sion. What a fool he'd been to leave her that day in Toba. But what choice did he have, with the Shogun banishing foreigners and his sister alone in England? If only only circ.u.mstances had been different, he'd have followed his heart. circ.u.mstances had been different, he'd have followed his heart.

'That should do it,' she said, smiling sweetly at him.

'Thank you,' replied Jack, though he wanted to say so much more. By the look in her eyes, she did too, but they both knew this wasn't the time or place.

'I'd better get changed,' he mumbled.

At that moment Miyuki pa.s.sed by. She gave Jack a cold, hard stare, before turning it on Akiko.

'Tenzen, do you really really think we should be taking this samurai along with us? Nine is an unlucky number. She'll bring misfortune upon the mission.' think we should be taking this samurai along with us? Nine is an unlucky number. She'll bring misfortune upon the mission.'

'Miyuki,' said Tenzen, gently leading her away, 'this samurai could be Hanzo's sister. If that's the case, she deserves the chance to help save him. And if we're going to succeed, we'll need everyone everyone.'

Akiko looked at Jack. 'I can understand her hating samurai, but why does she have such an issue with me? We're on the same side.'

'Miyuki takes a while to warm to people,' he replied in her defence. 'But she's a good person once she trusts you.'

'Really?' said Akiko, giving Jack a dubious look.

While they'd been getting organized and their injuries tended to, Kajiya had lit a small fire in the woods and cooked some of the rice he'd found stored in a large temple pot another of Soke's secret stashes. Their morale and strength were soon boosted by the warm meal.

'We have food, clothes and weapons,' Tenzen announced. 'Now all we need is a plan.'

48.

MIST C CASTLE.

The crucifixes lined the road like dead trees. Leading in an avenue up to the main gate of Maruyama, they offered a grim welcome to any traveller. A group of workmen laboured hard to erect the last cross before sundown. The sound of their hammering was faint but insistent to the ears of the ninja, who lay hidden at the forest edge.

It had been three days since the attack on the village. They'd caught up with Akechi's army on the second day and followed them through the mountains, but the prisoners had been well guarded and there were simply too many troops to stage an escape attempt. Tenzen suggested they wait until the samurai were no longer expecting trouble. 'Akechi's too arrogant to believe anyone would attack his castle. We'll have the element of surprise,' he argued, and they'd all agreed.

They watched the last crucifix being raised. It was smaller than the others.

Child-size.

Akiko let out a gasp of horror. So did Miyuki. Jack felt his blood run cold. This samurai lord was cruel and heartless. No wonder the ninja despised him so.

'Akechi's making an example of them,' said Tenzen with disgust. 'To warn the other shin.o.bi shin.o.bi villages not to resist.' villages not to resist.'

A rustling in the undergrowth alerted them to the return of Kajiya, Danjo and Kato. Only their eyes showed in the gathering darkness.

'All set?' asked Zenjubo.

The bladesmith nodded.

'We attack tonight,' announced Tenzen.