Young Samurai: The Ring of Wind (13 page)

‘Eat this,’ Miyuki ordered, shoving the black square into Saburo’s mouth.

‘It tastes … disgusting,’ lisped Saburo.

‘Of course it does, it’s charcoal. It’ll bind with the toxin inside you and prevent further absorption. Now swallow it, before your body can’t even do that.’

Saburo crunched down on the tablet. On the other side of the cage, there was a heavy thump as the captain keeled over, clutching his chest.

Jack and Yori gently lay Saburo back on his pillow. His lips twitched into a sad smile.

‘Wish … I was … seasick … now …’ he wheezed.

Kneeling by his side, Yori put his hands together and began to murmur incantations.

Jack turned to Miyuki. ‘Is there nothing
more
we can do for him? It’s a ninja poison – don’t you have an antidote?’

Miyuki gravely shook her head. ‘There’s no known antidote to
fugu
. But Saburo’s strong. All we can do now is wait and pray.’

Pirate Boy

Saburo gazed up into Jack’s face. He looked almost peaceful. But Jack knew that was the effect of the
fugu
. Miyuki had explained that the fish’s toxin slowly paralysed the muscles, leaving the victim fully conscious until the lungs gave out and the person died from suffocation. That’s what made it such an effective poison for ninja assassinations.

‘Can you still breathe?’ asked Jack.

Saburo blinked his eyes twice.
Yes
.

‘Wriggle your toes.’

Jack glanced towards Saburo’s feet, but nothing moved.

‘That’s good,’ he lied, not wishing his friend to give up hope. ‘Now, can you feel your hands?’

Saburo blinked once.
No
.

‘Hang on in there,’ urged Jack. ‘Miyuki says if you can just survive the night, you’ll make a full recovery.’

Two blinks.

Yori remained at Saburo’s side, deep in prayer. Jack stood and joined Miyuki where she was tying his pilgrim jacket to the bars as a sunshade for Saburo. It was now mid-afternoon, the sun relentless as the pirate ship continued on its southern course. Jack helped her secure the last corner.

‘So how many people have survived
fugu
poisoning?’ asked Jack under his breath.

Miyuki thought for a moment. ‘One.’

Jack stopped what he was doing and stared at her in disbelief.

‘That I know of,’ added Miyuki hurriedly. ‘It was Soke. That’s how I knew what to do to limit the poison.’

‘So what happens if Saburo stops breathing?’

Miyuki chewed her lower lip, her expression uncertain. ‘If it comes to that, I’ll have to breathe for him.’

Jack furrowed his brow. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I’ll blow air into his lungs – hopefully keeping him alive until the poison wears off and he can breathe on his own again.’

Jack had never heard of such a bizarre remedy, but he trusted Miyuki and the mystic healing abilities of the ninja, having benefited from their skills himself.

‘Can’t you also use
kuji-in
?’ he suggested.

Miyuki considered this. ‘Ninja magic won’t have any effect on the poison … although
Sha
might keep his heart and organs strong. It’s worth a try.’

Miyuki knelt close to Saburo. Clasping her hands together, she extended the index finger and thumb to make the hand sign for
Sha
. With eyes shut, she moved her hands in figure-of-eight patterns over his chest and chanted the healing mantra.

‘
On haya baishiraman taya sowaka …
’

Saburo’s laboured breathing seemed to calm almost at once. Sitting next to Miyuki as she performed the ritual, Jack used his pilgrim stole to waft cool air over Saburo’s prone body while Yori continued to pray, each of them doing what they could to save their friend’s life.

It was too late for the captain, however. Although his body still twitched occasionally, the poison had seeped into every limb and muscle. His eyes flickered around in despair, his life ebbing away with each feeble breath.

‘He’ll be fish food soon,’ the Korean slave muttered. ‘We’re
all
fish food.’

The gate opened. The pirate boy hefted a large cooking pot, which he dumped in the middle of the cage. A thin gruel of rice water slopped over the sides. The prisoners leapt hungrily at it, feeding like a pack of wild dogs.

Jack was about to go over and see what he could scavenge for his friends, when the pirate boy hastily approached. From under his arm, he produced a jug and swapped it for the empty one. Then, reaching into the folds of his jacket, he removed a couple of cooked fish and presented them to Jack.

‘More poison and salt water?’ enquired Jack bitterly.

‘No, it’s fresh,’ insisted the pirate boy. ‘And these are mackerel.’

Jack eyed the boy distrustfully.

‘Honest. Last time Skullface made me switch the water for a joke.’

‘Well,
we’re
not laughing,’ said Jack.

The pirate boy looked shamefaced. ‘Just take them before anyone notices,’ he urged. ‘I’m risking the whip for you.’

His stomach knotted with hunger, Jack grabbed the fish. He dipped a finger into the jug and tasted it. The water
was
fresh. Realizing the pirate boy was genuine, he bowed his head gratefully. ‘Thank you. What’s your name?’

‘Cheng.’

‘I’m Jack.’

Cheng grinned, the smile lighting up his whole face. The boy had delicate features, with high thin eyebrows, almond eyes and fine lips. His hair was tied into a short braid at the back and his body was lithe, yet deceptively strong. He didn’t appear to be the typical ninja pirate … or Japanese, for that matter.

‘Where are you from?’ asked Jack.

‘A village near Penglai, China.’ Cheng studied Jack with fascination. ‘I’ve never met anyone with golden hair before –’

‘Oi, cabin boy! What’s taking you so long?’

Skullface was standing at the bow with his gang, coiling ropes.

‘Just spitting in their food,’ Cheng shouted.

Skullface grunted appreciatively. ‘We’ll make a pirate of you yet!’

Cheng turned back to Jack, his eyes deep wells of sympathy. ‘I hope your friend lives,’ he whispered, before clambering out of the cage.

Jack’s faith in human nature was restored a little. Watching Cheng cross the deck back to the ship’s galley, he wondered how a Chinese boy like him had ever become involved with the Wind Demons.

He picked up the jug of fresh water and leant over Saburo. ‘Can you still swallow?’

Saburo blinked twice. With Yori’s help, Jack raised his friend’s head and offered him a few sips. Some dribbled out of the side of his mouth, but the water appeared to revive him. Jack gave Saburo a little more before letting his friend rest. Breaking apart the two fish with his fingers, he shared their precious meal.

‘Can Saburo have any?’ asked Jack.

Miyuki shook her head. ‘He might choke. Besides, we want the poison to pass through his system first.’

As a matter of courtesy, they sat out of Saburo’s sight while the three of them devoured the mouth-watering mackerel. Immediately Jack felt his strength return. But the vital meal was over all too quickly.

As they were licking their fingers clean and drinking their ration of water, Saburo went into spasms. They rushed to his side. His breathing was erratic and his eyes bulged.

‘What’s happening?’ asked Yori.

‘The poison must have reached his lungs,’ replied Miyuki.

She immediately resumed her
Sha
healing ritual. But this time it had little effect. Saburo continued to shudder in the
fugu
’s death grip.

‘I can’t channel enough
ki
,’ gasped Miyuki, a bead of sweat breaking out on her brow. ‘We’re losing him.’

Jack immediately took up position opposite her. Having been trained in
kuji-in
, Jack knew the hand sign and mantra for
Sha
. But he’d only ever practised it on himself. He just prayed that the combined power of their
ki
would be enough.

Saburo’s convulsions reached a peak. Then, little by little, they diminished until his body was only trembling, and his breathing became more steady.

‘Just a little longer,’ urged Miyuki, ‘and we can save him.’

‘Hey,
gaijin
!’ snarled an all-too-familiar voice. ‘We’ve unfinished business to settle.’

‘Later,’ said Jack, trying to concentrate on the healing.

‘Now,’ insisted Skullface.

The tip of a spear was pressed against Jack’s neck.

Jack refused to budge. His friend’s life was at stake.

‘Don’t make me push any harder,’ threatened Skullface, the spear’s iron barb now on the verge of puncturing his skin.

Yori knelt next to Jack and whispered, ‘I’ll take over if I can.’ They both knew that Yori had only studied Miyuki’s healing techniques and had never performed them before on anyone.

With the greatest reluctance, Jack stopped. Saburo’s condition worsened. As Yori took up the
Sha
chant and began circling his hands, Jack was pushed out of the cage. Unable to take his eyes off his immobile friend, he was manhandled by Skullface’s gang into the middle of the deck. A crowd of pirates had gathered in a circle to watch the
gaijin
prisoner’s punishment.

Spear in hand, Skullface confronted Jack. He advanced until they were nose to nose. ‘You’ve not only disrespected me,
gaijin
. You’ve upset other members of the crew.’

Four pirates stood to Jack’s right, glaring at him, their wrists ringed red with rope burns. They appeared to be itching for a fight.

Jack quickly assessed his opponents. They looked tough, but he’d defeated them on-board the
Golden Tiger
. And he could defeat them again. Skullface was another matter. His scar-ridden body was evidence that he was battle-hardened and no doubt a vicious fighter. Jack realized he must overcome Skullface first, while he remained strong enough, before dealing with the other pirates.

‘Let’s get this over with,’ said Jack, slipping off his sandals for a better grip on the wooden deck.

‘Oh, you’re not fighting me … or them,’ said Skullface, with a sly grin. ‘You’re fighting the ship’s champion, Manzo.’

Stooping to clear the cabin doorway, a ninja pirate of Herculean proportions stepped out on to the deck. Three times the size of Jack, he had a bald head solid as a cannonball, a wiry beard and fists like hammers. Muscles rippled across his broad chest and his tree-trunk legs thudded with every step upon the wooden deck. Aside from the black spider tattoo, he had a screaming demon bursting from his brick-like stomach. To complete his terrifying presence, he had
kanji
symbols branded on to the backs of his hands. His right bore the character for ‘thunder’:

His left bore the symbols for ‘lightning’:

Manzo banged them together and, fists raised, thundered towards Jack.

Fist Fight