Young Samurai: The Ring of Wind (20 page)

‘Why would I want to do that?’ replied the captain, putting on an offended air.

‘Then what do you have planned for us?’ Miyuki demanded.

Captain Kurogumo eyed her with contempt. ‘You’ll know
your
fate once you meet Tatsumaki.’ He turned to Skullface. ‘Lock them away.’

‘What about your cabin boy?’ enquired Skullface, seizing Cheng by the scruff of his neck.

Captain Kurogumo scrutinized Cheng, who visibly shrank under his stony gaze. ‘Traitors of the
Black Spider
are punished with death by hanging.’

‘But I forced him to help us,’ protested Jack.

‘Is that so?’ said the captain, unconvinced by Jack’s ready defence.

‘At knife point,’ added Cheng hurriedly.

Captain Kurogumo grunted his displeasure at such weakness. Nonetheless he relented. ‘I suppose we are lacking in crew numbers; and, Cheng, you were showing real promise as a pirate. I’ll stay your execution for the time being. But you need to prove your worth … or it’s the noose!’

Cheng bowed gratefully for his reprieve. ‘By the word of the Wind Demon, I vow my life to you.’

‘I’ll hold you to that,’ said the captain menacingly. ‘Skullface, have your men take the others away.’

Tiger seized Jack by the arms, wrenching them behind his back.

‘Be more careful with them this time,’ cautioned the captain. ‘Remember, they’re our esteemed guests.’

Tiger eased his grip and Skullface imitated a formal bow to their captives. ‘This way, if you please.’

With little alternative, Jack and his friends followed. But Yori stopped at the steps and turned back to the captain.

‘I have a question. How did you survive the dragon?’

Captain Kurogumo raised his eyebrows. ‘You really want to know our
secret
?’

Yori nodded.

The captain leant in close to Yori and, with a conspiratorial whisper, revealed, ‘We feed it little juicy samurai!’

The startled expression on Yori’s face caused Captain Kurogumo to laugh out loud.

They could still hear him laughing when Skullface imprisoned them in the cage on the main deck.

‘I’ll be watching you like a hawk,’ he warned Jack. This time, he left two guards at the gate before stalking off with his gang.

‘Ah! The fish food returns!’ croaked a familiar voice. In the corner, the Korean slave rocked on his haunches, observing Jack and the others with crazed amusement.

Saburo slumped to the deck, his head in his hands. ‘After all we’ve been through, we’re back where we started! I almost wish we
had
been eaten by that shark.’

‘I don’t,’ said Yori quickly, shuddering at the memory. ‘We should be grateful for small blessings – at least we’re alive!’

Jack looked up at the sun, which hovered over the starboard bow of the
Black Spider
. ‘And we’re heading in the right direction this time.’

‘How can you be so upbeat?’ said Saburo. ‘Even as we speak, the pirates are likely devising some evil way to torture us.’

‘No, we’re valuable to the Wind Demons now – that means they won’t harm us.’

‘
You
are,’ corrected Miyuki darkly. ‘I doubt that we’re so privileged.’

With regret, Jack realized she was probably right. ‘Well, we escaped before,’ he said, eyeing the cage’s weakened lock. ‘We just need to find the right moment to do it again. And remember Cheng is on our side.’

‘Is he?’ questioned Miyuki, glancing towards the upper deck where Captain Kurogumo was talking intently with the pirate boy, who appeared to be nodding obediently.

As the evening stretched on, Jack bided his time. Yet not even the slightest opportunity to escape presented itself. The guards remained vigilant and the pirate ship sailed on across the Seto Sea, unopposed. Jack tried to keep his friends’ spirits up, but they were so exhausted that he worried they wouldn’t have the strength to make a run for it, when an opportunity did present itself.

Just before sundown, Cheng appeared with a jug and two large bowls of rice. The guards opened the gate and allowed him in.

‘Food and water by orders of the captain,’ he explained.

‘Is it safe?’ asked Saburo warily.

Cheng nodded. ‘I prepared it myself … since the cook’s dead.’

Ravenous and parched from their ordeal on the raft, the four friends tucked into the simple feast. The jug of water disappeared in a few shared gulps, the food going down almost as quickly.

Cheng waited by the cage as they ate.

‘Can you help us escape?’ Jack asked quietly in between mouthfuls.

‘I’d like to, but I can’t,’ replied Cheng under his breath. ‘They’re watching my every move. If you escape, the captain says he’ll flay me alive.’

Jack nodded his understanding. ‘Where are we being taken?’

‘Pirate Island – the Wind Demons’ lair.’

‘Is that where Tatsumaki is?’

Cheng nodded.

‘Have you met this Tatsumaki?’ asked Miyuki.

Cheng shook his head. ‘I have never been to the Pirate Island before. Its location is a closely guarded secret.’ He looked at them all with a grave expression. ‘But I’ve heard that no one sees Tatsumaki and lives.’

Kamikaze

Dawn broke like a bleeding wound, the distant scudding clouds turned crimson by the sun’s fiery rays. The southerly breeze was insistent, but the Seto Sea remained unnaturally calm.

Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning
, thought Jack absently as he rubbed the stiffness from his aching muscles.

The night had been cold and uncomfortable on the rough wooden deck. He and his friends had huddled together, with one of them always on watch in case there was a chance of escape … or the pirates tried to surprise them.

Standing up to stretch, Jack was greeted by a breathtaking sight. A magnificent fire-red
torii
floated in the middle of the sea. So large was the structure, the
Black Spider
could have passed through, if its masts were lowered. With four supporting pillars and a curving green-tiled roof, the towering gateway marked the entrance to the harbour of a small forested island. Within the natural shelter of the bay, a large temple also floated on the waters. Daubed in the same fire-red colour, the main hall faced out to sea, its walkways and windows open to the elements, its roofline reflected in the rippling waves. Beyond the temple, a forested mountain rose into the sky, its peak wreathed in a ring of mist like a gateway to the heavens.

‘Is
that
Pirate Island?’ Saburo gasped, clambering to his feet.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Yori shook his head. ‘No, this has to be Miyajima – the legendary Shrine Island.’

‘It’s so serene,’ breathed Miyuki in awe.

‘Why is the temple on the sea?’ asked Jack.

‘The island is sacred,’ Yori explained in a reverential tone. ‘Commoners must not set foot on Miyajima. So the shrine was built as a pier above the water. By separating it from the land, the shrine exists in a limbo between the pure spirit world and our impure world.’

‘But why is the gate so far out?’

‘The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o, the Shinto deity of seas and storms. Anyone wishing to pay their respects must steer their boat through the
torii
in order to cleanse themselves before approaching the sacred island.’

Jack hoped the Wind Demons were devout worshippers of Susano-o. With land so close, this could be the opportunity they’d been waiting for.

Captain Kurogumo emerged from his quarters and climbed to the upper deck. Cheng followed close behind, bearing a tray with a china cup, a pot of steaming tea and a small jug of
saké
. He was evidently working hard to impress. Ignoring the tea, the captain went straight for the
saké
and knocked it back in one go. He coughed and banged his chest appreciatively, the potent rice wine invigorating him for the day. With a quick glance in the direction of the island, he talked with the helmsman. After some deliberation, Captain Kurogumo gave the order to sail on.

Rousing themselves, the pirates went about their duties. Skullface replaced the cage guards with fresh men before barking out orders to the other pirates. A skeleton crew was assigned to sail the
Black Spider
, while the majority worked on repairing the damage to the ship.

Powerless to alter their course, Jack despondently watched the great
torii
recede into the distance, until only the peak of Shrine Island was visible above the horizon. Once again, the Seto Sea widened into an open and unending expanse of water.

It wasn’t until mid-morning that Cheng managed to bring more water and rice to their cage.

‘Why didn’t we stop at the shrine?’ asked Jack after he’d taken a long draught from the jug.

‘Sea Samurai patrol these waters,’ Cheng explained, in a hushed voice so as not to let the guards hear him. ‘The captain can’t risk another confrontation with only half the crew and his ship in such a poor condition.’

‘Do you know if we’ll pass land again?’

‘They don’t tell me anything,’ said Cheng, shaking his head. ‘But I overheard the captain say that he intends approaching Pirate Island at night – so no one can follow us and
you
won’t know how to get back.’

Jack sighed. Captain Kurogumo was sly and shrewd. He wasn’t taking any chances with them this time.

With an apologetic smile, Cheng left the cage and resumed his cabin-boy duties. Jack and the others finished their meal in silence. They all appreciated just how dire their situation had become.

As the day drew on, the wind picked up and the sea turned rough. The
Black Spider
started to pitch and roll over the rising waves.

‘Looks like we’re in for a rough ride,’ observed Jack, glancing up at the darkening sky.

They all looked south towards a mass of ominous black thunderclouds. Captain Kurogumo gave orders to reef the mainsail, stow loose cargo and tie down any unsecured loads. As Skullface and his gang went to work, it became apparent that these instructions didn’t include the occupants of the cage. The prisoners were left helpless and exposed on the open deck.

With no land in sight offering a safe harbour, the
Black Spider
continued on its course. Jack realized the captain’s plan was to run before the storm. But the wind grew stronger, building rapidly into a gale. The sea heaped up, white foam blowing in streaks from the crests of the waves. The sky overhead lit up with forked lightning. A second later, a deep roll of thunder roared and shook the heavens.

The storm was almost on top of them.

Racing before it, the
Black Spider
heeled and listed wildly. The pirates hung on as best they could while making frantic adjustments to the sails.

Saburo threw up over the deck. ‘You said –’ as he wiped a hand over his mouth – ‘I wouldn’t be seasick after three days.’

‘There’s no cure for a storm,’ Jack replied grimly. Even he was struggling to find his sea legs in such a ferocious tempest.

The
Black Spider
surged in fits and bursts across the tumultuous sea, but the damaged ship groaned in protest, threatening to split apart with each and every battering. As the storm bore down on them, they were plunged into a hellish darkness. The sea was whipped into a cauldron of spray and gargantuan waves.

Jack and his friends desperately clung to one another, shivering from cold and terror at the sheer power of the storm. A monstrous wave broke over the ship and pummelled the cage, half-drowning those inside.

‘
KAMIKAZE!
’ yelled the Korean slave and raised his fists in a salute to the black boiling sky.

‘What did he say?’ cried Jack, thinking the slave had gone truly mad.

‘Wind of the Gods,’ Yori shouted above the crash of waves and the crack of thunder. ‘The pirates should’ve paid their respects … Susano-o is very angry.’

Sea Anchor

The typhoon hit the
Black Spider
with full force, the wind shrieking and howling like a banshee, deafening the crew and blinding them with spray. The Seto Sea churned and seethed as if wrestling with the storm-clad sky. Lightning bolts flashed and thunder boomed. Waves the size of mountains tossed the pirate ship like a piece of driftwood and Jack truly feared for their lives.