Part 22 (1/2)

'But why now?' asked Miyuki. 'When we're in harvest?'

'That's exactly why. Our guard is down. We're tired. Akechi's been waiting for this moment.'

A battalion of armoured samurai materialized from the forest to stand upon the ridge in one unbroken line. Raising their swords aloft, the countless blades catching the blazing sun, they gave an almighty battle cry. It echoed through the valley.

This was answered by another.

Jack was almost stopped in his tracks at the sight of a second battalion marching up the valley road, the column stretching into the distance like an immense dragon's tail.

'They certainly haven't come to negotiate a surrender,' said Tenzen. 'This'll be a fight to the death. Gather your weapons. My father will need us all in the village square.'

Splitting from the others, Jack ran to Soke's farmhouse. The first wave of troops had already begun to descend the slopes. But the Ring of Earth was proving an effective defence. The steep valley sides and lack of paths hampered their advance. Some samurai were even falling over themselves, their armour hindering them.

Jack flung open the door to the doma doma. In the hearth room, Soke had raised a section of the floorboards, beneath which Jack could see a whole host of hidden weapons swords, knives, shuriken, shuko shuriken, shuko claws, chains, and even a small bow and quiver of arrows. The entire time Jack had been living in the house, he'd had no idea this compartment existed. The shock on his face must have been apparent. claws, chains, and even a small bow and quiver of arrows. The entire time Jack had been living in the house, he'd had no idea this compartment existed. The shock on his face must have been apparent.

'Although I hope for the best,' said Soke, fis.h.i.+ng out a large katana katana, 'I've always prepared for the worst.'

He offered the weapon to Jack, unsheathing the blade to reveal a jagged, saw-like edge. 'It's a s.h.i.+koro-ken s.h.i.+koro-ken,' he explained. 'A Sword of Destruction.'

Jack tried not to imagine the damage such a weapon could do.

'Thank you,' he replied, handing it back, 'but I'd prefer my own swords.'

Soke nodded. 'Better the devil you know.' He put the s.h.i.+koro-ken s.h.i.+koro-ken together with the other weapons he was collecting. together with the other weapons he was collecting.

Hanzo appeared, a bag in his hand, and began to stuff as many shuriken shuriken as he could into it. He glanced up at Jack with fearful yet determined eyes. as he could into it. He glanced up at Jack with fearful yet determined eyes.

'Are they in the village?' he asked.

'Not yet,' replied Jack, hoping his voice didn't give away the dread he felt.

He squeezed the boy's shoulder rea.s.suringly and hurried past into the bedroom. Grabbing his katana katana and and wakizas.h.i.+ wakizas.h.i.+, Jack slipped them firmly into the obi obi of his farming trousers. Even though he wasn't dressed for combat, with his swords he felt ready to confront the samurai. of his farming trousers. Even though he wasn't dressed for combat, with his swords he felt ready to confront the samurai.

His pack was stashed in the corner. All his possessions and, most importantly, the rutter rutter. He couldn't leave that behind. s.n.a.t.c.hing up the bag, he ran back into the hearth room. Soke and Hanzo were waiting for him at the doma doma entrance. entrance.

'Hurry!' urged the Grandmaster.

As Jack pa.s.sed the hidden compartment, an idea struck him. However important the contents, his pack would compromise his fighting ability. He dropped it into the hole and slammed the floorboards shut. At least the rutter rutter would be safe until he returned ... if he ever did. would be safe until he returned ... if he ever did.

Jack joined Soke and Hanzo in the yard. The first line of samurai had reached the village boundary, weaving along the network of pathways, while some struggled through the flooding paddy fields. A vanguard of ninja rushed to meet them, hoping to give the other villagers time to marshal in the square.

Soke handed Jack a bundle of weapons.

'Let's go,' he ordered, moving with astonis.h.i.+ng agility.

They sprinted along the path and on to the road. Other ninja joined them in their dash to the relative safety of the square. Ahead, Jack saw the second samurai battalion approaching. Only three men wide, due to the deliberately narrow road, the column was having to fight every step of the way as a small party of ninja battled to hold them back. But it would be touch and go whether Hanzo, Soke and Jack made it to the square's gate before the samurai did.

Suddenly the column surged forward as the ninja fell beneath the blades of the samurai. It was now an all-out race to reach the wooden gate. Putting on a burst of speed, Jack sprinted up the rise with Soke and Hanzo. Behind them, the pounding of feet and shouts of the samurai pursued them. Risking a glance back, Jack saw a warrior, his sword raised in one hand, about to cut him down.

Then a flash of silver shot past Jack and struck the samurai in the throat. He let out a guttural cry, stumbled and fell, blood gus.h.i.+ng from his mouth. Tenzen, standing by the gate, launched another shuriken shuriken to take out the next samurai in line. Jack shot through the entrance, one of the last before the gate was slammed shut and barred. to take out the next samurai in line. Jack shot through the entrance, one of the last before the gate was slammed shut and barred.

The samurai troops began to hammer against the barrier. For the time being it held, but Jack knew they were on borrowed time.

'Thanks for saving me back there,' he gasped as Tenzen helped bolster the gate with wooden staves.

'You'd have done the same for me,' Tenzen replied, then in jest added, 'If you could hit a moving target, that is!'

'Distribute the weapons, Jack,' instructed Soke, before going to report to Shonin.

Handing out the few weapons he had, Jack was disheartened to see that barely half the villagers had made it. But he was glad to see Miyuki among the survivors.

'Here,' said Jack, offering her the s.h.i.+koro-ken s.h.i.+koro-ken. 'It's the ideal weapon for you.'

Miyuki took it, smiling grimly when she drew the blade. 'Thanks, but we'll need more than a Sword of Destruction to get out of this alive.'

'I've been in worse situations,' said Jack, thinking of the Battle of Osaka and his encounter with the Red Devils.

'Are you so sure?' she replied, looking out across the paddy fields not with despair, but resignation.

The fields swarmed with samurai, the rice crops the villagers had been working so hard to harvest now trampled underfoot. Any pockets of resistance were being swiftly crushed. From all directions, daimyo daimyo Akechi's forces closed in upon the central square. At a guess, the ninja were outnumbered ten to one. With such a force, Jack realized Akechi's forces closed in upon the central square. At a guess, the ninja were outnumbered ten to one. With such a force, Jack realized daimyo daimyo Akechi intended to wipe out the entire village, just as he'd vowed to. Akechi intended to wipe out the entire village, just as he'd vowed to.

Jack never imagined he'd find himself on the side of the ninja, fighting against samurai. Perhaps this is one battle I won't survive Perhaps this is one battle I won't survive, he thought.

As the samurai gathered for their main a.s.sault on the square, Jack spotted the daimyo daimyo Akechi on his horse. Dressed in full ceremonial armour, he looked like the warrior in his painting except he was safely at the rear, letting his troops take the fight to the ninja. Akechi on his horse. Dressed in full ceremonial armour, he looked like the warrior in his painting except he was safely at the rear, letting his troops take the fight to the ninja.

Inside the square, Shonin was rallying everyone together. The heads of family were taking up their stations to defend the four corners. Mothers with their children were being shepherded inside the farmhouse by Momochi.

Jack looked down at Hanzo, who stood by his side, silent yet resolute. 'You should go too,' he said, hoping against hope that the women and children might be spared.

Hanzo shook his head. 'I'm not scared,' he said, drawing a short sword from his hip. 'This is what I've trained for.' is what I've trained for.'

Jack couldn't help but smile. The boy had the heart of a ninja and the samurai courage to match.

But as Jack prepared to face their enemy, he was terrified the so-called tuition he'd given Hanzo wouldn't be enough to repel the attack of a fully armed warrior. He could only pray he was wrong.

44.

THE V VILLAGE S SQUARE.

To Jack's surprise and relief, the samurai's initial offensive was repelled. The village square, built as it was upon a bank and with one side buffered by the pond, was proving to be an effective stronghold. Ninja armed with bows shot arrows into the samurai horde, picking off those who attempted to scale the steep bank. Any warrior managing to do so was confronted by the impenetrable thorn hedge, while samurai reaching the inner fence found themselves skewered by spears and naginata naginata.

The supreme confidence of Akechi's troops was then dealt another blow.

Jack was helping defend the eastern corner, when Hanzo called out, 'Look! They're fighting among themselves.'

Jack was stunned to see he was right. A company of samurai was in utter disarray, blood flowing as they slaughtered one another for no apparent reason.