The Way Of The Dragon (13 page)

‘You’re certainly right about that,’ said Jack, climbing into a boat with Yamato. ‘It’s good of you to add ballast to her boat, though! But I still don’t rate your chances.’

‘That sounds like a challenge,’ grinned Takuan. ‘See you at the finish line.’

Takuan eased his boat away from the jetty, Akiko settling in the stern.

‘He’s certainly got a way with words,’ said Yamato, taking up the oars.

Jack nodded his agreement, watching Akiko drift by, her gentle laughter carried on the breeze. He very much hoped she wasn’t being taken in by Takuan’s charms.

Once everyone was lined up, the non-rowers climbed on to the rear rail of their boats. Many of the students were wobbling precariously, despite holding out their staffs for balance.

‘Are you ready… go!’ shouted Sensei Kano.

The little boats surged forward. There was a huge splash as Saburo was the first to topple into the water. He came up gasping and nearly capsized the boat as Kiku helped him back in, before picking up the oars and starting their penalty circle.

Jack quickly found his sea legs and urged Yamato to paddle harder. They eased ahead of the pack. Behind them, Jack heard another splash and glanced round to see Cho floundering in the pond. Emi was irritably telling her off, saying she should have chosen Kai instead. Kai looked like she would have appreciated swapping over, considering her partner was the heavyweight Nobu.

Akiko and Takuan were making steady progress, with Takuan being careful not to rock the boat as he rowed, though Jack knew Akiko could probably stand on one leg in a storm and still not fall over. These days her new talents seemed boundless. Then Jack spotted Kazuki and Hiroto speeding up behind them, Hiroto rowing in long, powerful strokes while Kazuki crouched on the stern, keeping his centre of gravity low and his
bō
in hand.

‘Row faster!’ shouted Jack. ‘They’re catching up.’

Yamato put his back into it. They passed the midway marker of an ornamental stone, but Hiroto proved the better oarsman and soon the two boats were drawing level with one another. All of a sudden, Jack’s ribs flared with pain and he almost toppled overboard.

‘That’s cheating!’ exclaimed Yamato, having witnessed Jack receive a jab in the back from Kazuki’s staff.

‘No, it’s not. It’s tactics,’ Kazuki replied as Hiroto brought their boat alongside. ‘This is a
bōjutsu
class after all. And don’t forget our agreement!’

Kazuki thrust his staff at Jack a second time. Still off-balance, Jack couldn’t avoid the strike and was caught in the stomach. He doubled over with pain. Kazuki went for the final blow, hoping to knock Jack into the water. But Jack managed to raise his
bō
at the last second and block the strike. He then whipped his own staff round in an arc, aiming for Kazuki’s head. Kazuki ducked and swept his
bō
low across Jack’s boat. Jack was forced to jump and barely avoided getting cracked across the shins.

Landing unevenly on the rails, Jack felt the little rowing boat rock dangerously. Yamato’s right oar dug deep into the water and was snatched from his grasp. The boat lurched to one side. Jack teetered on the edge of the rail, arms cartwheeling manically. Only years of seafaring allowed him to regain his balance.

To no avail. As their boat keeled over and water rushed in, Jack jumped to the other side, trying to level the boat before it capsized. But it was too little, too late.

Kazuki and Hiroto coursed ahead, laughing to one another.

‘Hope you can swim!’ Hiroto shouted back as Jack and Yamato floundered in the chilly waters of the pond.

By the time they’d righted their boat, clambered in and completed their penalty circle, three other boats had passed them by, including Takuan and Akiko.

Yamato grabbed the oars and began to row furiously, while Jack crouched low on the stern urging him on. They passed two of the boats before reaching the opposite bank. Takuan and Akiko were setting off on the return leg. Kazuki and Hiroto, however, had swapped positions and were already heading back towards the jetty. Jack took over the oars from Yamato, checked to see his friend was balanced, then dug the blades in.

With each stroke, they gained on the two lead boats. Takuan appeared balanced, but Akiko was not as accomplished a rower as Jack. He soon overtook their boat. Then Jack focused on catching up with Kazuki. Keeping the strength in his pull even and ensuring the blades didn’t catch the pond’s surface, he brought the boat cutting smoothly through the water until they were head-to-head with Kazuki and Hiroto.

But Kazuki was determined not to let them pass. Their oars clashed and he threatened to ram Jack’s boat. Hiroto tried to dislodge Yamato with his staff, but Yamato was too quick and skilful with the
bō
. He neatly deflected the strike, cracking his staff across Hiroto’s knuckles and forcing him to drop his weapon. Then he jabbed Hiroto hard in the chest and the boy flew off the stern. Kazuki cursed and broke off from the race. Jack and Yamato let out a shout of triumph.

They’d won!

All of a sudden their boat came to a juddering halt, Yamato landing in a heap on top of Jack. Too intent on beating their rivals, they’d crashed into an ornamental rock. They could only watch as Akiko rowed calmly by.

Takuan raised his staff in salute. ‘Your exploits have inspired me to compose a
haiku
in your honour…

‘Spring hare runs too fast

to cross the finish line first –

hear the tortoise laugh.’

Jack, still wet from capsizing in the pond, trudged through Kyoto’s side streets in the direction of the
Niten Ichi Ryū
. Yamato had stayed behind with Sensei Kano for his advanced
bōjutsu
practice, while the rest of the class, in high-spirits following the race, had taken a more direct route back to school.

But Jack was not alone. Yori had insisted on accompanying him.

‘He’s so full of himself!’ muttered Jack, kicking at a loose pebble on the ground.

‘Who?’

‘Takuan.’

‘Ah! The tiger returns,’ said Yori, arching his eyebrow in a sage-like manner.

‘What
are
you on about?’

‘The tiger of jealousy, of course.’

‘I’m not jealous,’ declared Jack. ‘Why on earth should I be jealous of him?’

‘No reason. Good-looking, excellent at martial arts, impresses the sensei, a bit different, admired by Akiko…’

‘OK, I might be a
little
bit envious,’ admitted Jack.

Yori stopped walking. Jack turned round to see his friend shaking his head, a despairing look on his face.

‘I was describing
you
.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes,’ sighed Yori in exasperation. ‘Jealousy is seeing the other person’s blessings instead of your own. You
chose
to hear it as praise for Takuan. But I was pointing out why you’ve no reason to feel threatened by him.’

‘I’m not… I’m just worried for Akiko’s sake…’ began Jack, but he trailed off under his friend’s questioning gaze.

‘Takuan is a nice person. He’s just being friendly. He wants to be your friend too. Why don’t you let him? Then he’ll no longer be a threat; he’ll be your ally.’

‘You’re right, as always,’ said Jack, squeezing the water from the sleeves of his
kimono
. ‘I don’t know why I’ve been acting so irritably recently. Perhaps it’s the pressure of the Two Heavens. It’s
so
hard to learn. Even Masamoto-sama’s admitted only a few students ever master the technique. What if I’m not one of them?’

‘You will be,’ assured Yori. ‘You conquered the Circle of Three. Remember what the High Priest said. “If your spirit is strong, you can accomplish anything.” It’s just going to take time. Besides, a fruit that falls without shaking is too ripe for eating.’

‘Have you swallowed Sensei Yamada’s prayer book or something?’ exclaimed Jack, laughing.

‘It means good things only come through hard work.’

‘But Kazuki and Akiko seem to be progressing so much faster than me.’

‘There you go again, comparing yourself to others. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Concentrate on your own progress.’

Yori paused a moment, his fingers lightly tapping his chin as he contemplated what to say next.

‘It’s like today on the pond. You were so focused on beating Kazuki that you forgot the purpose of the race. It’s the same with the Two Heavens. If you waste your energy thinking about others, you’ll end up on the rocks again. Focus on rowing your own boat and you will reach the shore.’

Yori gave a sagely nod of the head, clearly satisfied with his advice, and set off down the road again. Jack stared after his little friend. Yori may not possess the build of a warrior, but he certainly had the brains of a priest. Jack was glad of his friendship. He lifted the sodden folds of his kimono and hurried after him.

As they passed by a building with an arched roof of green tiles and dragon finials, Jack recognized they were in the outer courtyard of the
Ryōanji
, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon. He’d been here several times before.

The previous year Jack had spotted Akiko mysteriously leaving the
Niten Ichi Ryū
at night. Being both curious and concerned by her unusual behaviour, Jack had followed her and arrived at this very temple. He’d discovered she was visiting a strange monk who had knife-like hands more suited for fighting than praying. To begin with, Akiko had given no credible explanation for her nocturnal wanderings or why she kept them so secret. At one point, Jack had even thought she was training to be a ninja. But Akiko had eventually confided in him that the monk was simply offering her spiritual comfort for the loss of her baby brother, Kiyoshi, some years ago. Jack knew Akiko still called upon the monk as he’d seen her leave the school grounds at night on a number of occasions since their return to school.

‘
GRAB
HIM!’ shouted a gruff voice.

Two men jumped from a side alley and seized Jack by the arms, disarming him of his staff. A third man shoved a bag over his head. Before Jack knew what was happening, they had dragged him off his feet and were carrying him away. As Jack struggled wildly to escape, he could hear Yori shouting.

‘Stop! Or I’ll -‘

‘Or what, little one?’ snorted the gruff voice. ‘Bite our ankles?’

The two men holding Jack began to laugh.

‘I’m warning you,’ said Yori, his voice trembling. ‘I train at the
Niten Ichi Ryū
.’

‘Don’t make me laugh. They don’t teach pet samurai.’

Jack heard a scuffle. One of the men swore loudly. There was a snap of wood as a staff broke, followed by the dull sound of a fist striking flesh. Yori groaned and Jack heard a small body fall to the floor. Forgetting his fear and fuelled by anger, Jack redoubled his efforts. He managed to free a leg and lashed out. His foot connected with someone’s face. There was a satisfying crunch as a nose broke. Jack kicked again and freed his other leg.

‘Damn
gaijin
!’ the man growled, spitting blood.

Jack tried to get away, but the other man still held his arms tight from behind. He flung back his head in an attempt to knock his captor’s teeth out, but something hard struck the back of his neck first.

Lights exploded in front of his eyes. He felt sick. Then blacked out.

A musty smell of rotting straw filled Jack’s nostrils. His head pounded, his neck was stiff and a large bruise throbbed below his right ear. Licking his lips, a wave of nausea rose in his throat. He opened his eyes, only to discover it was dark. How long had he been out for?

Then he realized his captors hadn’t removed the bag from his head. His kimono was still damp, though, so he couldn’t have been unconscious for long. He tried to remove the bag, but his hands were tied. In fact, he couldn’t move at all. He was lying on his side upon a hard wooden floor, his feet and hands bound tightly behind his back.

‘I say we kill the
gaijin
,’ said a man to Jack’s right. ‘Far less hassle than delivering him alive.’

‘True…’ said the man with the gruff voice, standing behind Jack. ‘But he’s worth more alive.’

Jack tried to clear his head. He had to think his way out of this predicament. Who were his captors? They had to be ninja. Dragon Eye must have sent them to kidnap him. This was good news. It must mean the
rutter
was still not deciphered. But he’d planned to face Dragon Eye on equal terms, both swords in hand – not as a prisoner.

‘The only good
gaijin
is a dead
gaijin
,’ spat a third man to Jack’s left.

The wooden floorboards creaked as someone stepped closer. A cold steel blade was pressed against his throat. Bound and helpless, Jack couldn’t avoid his fate.

Snatching a last breath, he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to God. In those final moments, his mind filled with all the memories of his life, his mother and father, of little Jess, the voyage around the world, his time in Japan, of the
Niten Ichi Ryū
and Masamoto, of Akiko and his friends. He realized he’d be leaving them all behind and desperately wanted to live.

‘Stop!’ shouted the gruff-voiced man.

The blade hesitated on Jack’s skin.

‘But
daimyo
Kamakura’s ruling clearly stated that any
gaijin
found in his domain are to face punishment,’ said the man with the knife.

‘Yes. But we’re not in his province – yet. Kyoto belongs to that soft-headed, Christian-loving
daimyo
Takatomi. Besides, this
gaijin
is no ordinary foreigner. He’s pretending to be samurai! How perverse is that? If we deliver him alive to
daimyo
Kamakura in Edo, our reward would be tenfold. We wouldn’t be masterless
ashigaru
any more. He’d make us samurai!’

The blade was withdrawn and Jack let out an unsteady sigh of relief. Though it was only a short reprieve, he’d live to see another day.