The Ring Of Earth Part 2

'You're Sjb, the King of the Tengu Tengu. You taught the legendary warrior Minamoto the Art of the Sword. You showed him magic too! Helped him defeat his enemies and avenge his father's murder. My grandfather says you have the strength of one thousand tengu one thousand tengu! I can't believe I caught you '

'I'm not not ...' Jack interrupted, then had an idea. 'OK, you're right. I'm Sjb.' ...' Jack interrupted, then had an idea. 'OK, you're right. I'm Sjb.'

'I knew it!' the boy said, punching the air once again.

'As you're so clever, we should be friends,' said Jack warmly. 'What's your name?'

'Hanzo,' he replied, bowing smartly.

'Listen, Hanzo, if you let me go, I'll teach you how to fight with a sword. Just like the warrior Minamoto.'

The boy eyed him cautiously. 'My grandfather told me that tengu tengu kidnap little boys. You'll make me eat bugs and animal dung until I go mad!' kidnap little boys. You'll make me eat bugs and animal dung until I go mad!'

'I promise I won't. I'm King of the Tengu Tengu and want to help you become as powerful as Minamoto.' and want to help you become as powerful as Minamoto.'

Hanzo's brow furrowed as he considered the offer. Then, without a backward glance, he walked off.

'Where are you going?' Jack shouted.

'I must tell my grandfather I've caught the famous Sjb. I'll be back in the morning.'

'You can't leave me here all night!' Jack protested.

But Hanzo had already disappeared.

5.

GRANDFATHER S SOKE.

'Here's a fish that could live in a tree if it wanted to,' said a voice as old and worn as the mountains. 'A real survivor.'

Jack slowly came round. His mouth was parched and he felt nauseous. His head had seemingly swollen to twice its size during the night and he could no longer feel his right leg. All his efforts to free himself had failed and he'd been forced to wait for the boy's return.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a wrinkled but kindly face. The old man, small of stature with spindly arms and legs, was bald save for his greying eyebrows, which appeared to be fixed in a permanent expression of surprise.

'See, Grandfather, I caught the King of the Tengu Tengu!' said Hanzo proudly.

'Very impressive,' the old man remarked, patting the boy with affection on the head. 'Now, why don't you give the tengu tengu some water? I'm sure he's thirsty this morning.' some water? I'm sure he's thirsty this morning.'

Hanzo lifted a gourd to Jack's mouth. Jack spluttered as more water went up his nose than down his throat.

'Thank you,' he croaked.

'A tengu tengu with manners. How unusual,' said the grandfather. 'Perhaps all is not as it appears. Hanzo, I think you can release your captive.' with manners. How unusual,' said the grandfather. 'Perhaps all is not as it appears. Hanzo, I think you can release your captive.'

'But what about his magic powers?'

'Do not worry. We've got our own, remember?'

Grinning, the boy ran off into the bushes. A moment later, Jack went cras.h.i.+ng to the ground. Groaning with a combination of relief and pain, Jack's first instinct was to escape. He rolled on to his back and undid the knot round his ankle. Grabbing his pack and swords, he got up to run away and promptly fell over.

'Give your leg a good ma.s.sage. That'll get the blood flowing again,' the old man suggested as he settled himself upon a nearby log. Resting his chin on his battered walking stick, he observed Jack carefully.

Hanzo returned and sat next to his grandfather.

'So, Sjb, King of the Tengu Tengu, are you known by any other name?' the old man asked, giving him a knowing wink.

'Jack Fletcher,' replied Jack, taking another gulp of water from the gourd as he rubbed his numb leg.

'I'm honoured to meet you, Jack Fletcher. I'm Soke Soke. Tell me, where are you from?'

'England.'

Soke's eyebrows raised themselves even higher, seeking further explanation.

'It's on the other side of the world, across two oceans,' Jack added.

'He must be Sjb!' exclaimed Hanzo. 'Only the King of the devil birds could fly around the world.'

'No, I came by trading s.h.i.+p. I'm a sailor.'

'Yet you carry the swords of a samurai,' Soke noted, pointing to the katana katana and and wakizas.h.i.+ wakizas.h.i.+ with his cane. with his cane.

'I was trained as one, at the Niten Ichi Ry Niten Ichi Ry.'

'Ah! The famous One School of Two Heavens.'

'You know Masamoto-sama then?' Jack asked hopefully. The great swordmaster had been banished by the Shogun to a remote Buddhist temple on Mount Iawo and Jack had heard no word of him since.

Soke shook his head slowly. 'Only by reputation supposedly, the greatest swordmaster alive today. Did he teach you the Two Heavens?'

'Yes, he was my guardian.'

Soke blinked in surprise. A foreigner being adopted was unheard of. 'Well, that makes you samurai. Your life has as many twists and turns as a mountain stream. You're far from home, young samurai. Where are all your other tengu tengu friends?' friends?'

'Dead. Killed by ninja who attacked our s.h.i.+p.'

'What about family?'

'My mother died of pneumonia when I was ten. My father was murdered by a ninja called Dragon Eye. The only family I have left is a younger sister in England.'

The old man, his eyes full of pity, gave a long, sorrowful sigh.

Then, looking at Hanzo, he put his arm round the boy. 'Hanzo's like you. He doesn't have a mother or father either.'

'But I have you, Grandfather!' reminded Hanzo, beaming up at him.

'Of course you do,' said Soke, smiling. He turned back to Jack and asked, 'Who are you running from?'

'No one,' replied Jack. While the old man seemed harmless enough, he didn't wish him to know the Shogun's samurai were after him.

'But the broken stems and hurried footprints along the trail suggest otherwise. Don't they teach you the Art of Stealth at the Niten Ichi Ry Niten Ichi Ry?'

Jack, avoiding eye contact, s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably under the man's gaze. The grandfather may be old, but he wasn't stupid. And he was clearly observant.

'You're easy to track if you know what to look for,' Soke continued. 'The samurai patrol is bound to find your trail sooner or later.'

Jack's eyes widened in panic.

Soke smiled shrewdly. 'So a samurai has become the enemy enemy of the samurai. Intriguing.' of the samurai. Intriguing.'

Jack, gathering his belongings, grabbed his swords and hobbled towards a path leading south out of the clearing.

'I wouldn't go that way,' advised Soke.

Jack stopped. 'Why not?'

'Samurai.'

Turning round, Jack headed for a track going east towards the rising sun.

'Nor that way. The Iga mountains are impa.s.sable without a guide.'

Frustrated, Jack went over to a third path.

Soke solemnly shook his head. 'Bandits and and samurai.' samurai.'

Jack began to wonder if the grandfather was playing games with him. 'I'll have to take that risk.'

Stumbling down the sloping path, he tried to shake some life into his legs. Jack knew he'd been lucky the trap hadn't belonged to a bandit or a ninja, but the boy's meddling had delayed him and could have been his end. Now Jack had to hope he could elude the samurai patrol looking for him. But he hadn't got very far before he heard voices.

'Tracker! Which way now?'

'It looks like he went up slope.'

Below, Jack could see movement in the bushes. The grandfather had had been telling the truth. As swiftly and silently as he could, Jack retraced his steps. been telling the truth. As swiftly and silently as he could, Jack retraced his steps.

'Back so soon,' observed Soke, still upon the log, clearly expecting his return.

'Which way should should I go?' Jack pleaded, the voices drawing ever closer. I go?' Jack pleaded, the voices drawing ever closer.

Soke pointed a bony finger upwards. Hanzo was high in the branches, retrieving his rope. Though his leg was still numb, Jack realized the skills he'd acquired as a rigging monkey on-board the Alexandria Alexandria would allow him to climb the tree. would allow him to climb the tree.

'Why don't you just fly up?' whispered Hanzo as Jack began his ascent.

'Shh!' said Soke, putting a finger to his lips.

Jack had only just reached Hanzo when six samurai strode into the clearing.

'Old man!' demanded the lead one. 'Have you seen a gaijin gaijin in these woods?' in these woods?'

Jack immediately recognized the warrior by his rat-like moustache and lack of topknot as the one he'd buried beneath the bamboo ceiling. The soldiers accompanying him appeared to be mean, battle-hardened warriors. Two carried trident-shaped spears and another a lethal-bladed naginata naginata. The samurai was clearly taking no chances this time.

One of them the tracker, Jack presumed was examining the ground carefully. Jack was only metres above him. If he were to glance up, it would all be over.

Soke cupped a hand to his ear. The samurai rolled his eyes in irritation. 'HAVE YOU SEEN A GAIJIN GAIJIN?' he repeated, loud and slow.

'With these eyes?' Soke laughed. 'You must be joking.'

'This is hopeless,' said the leader, angrily kicking Soke's cane away.

Then he decided to push the old man off the log for good measure. But somehow the samurai missed as Soke bent to retrieve his cane with unexpected speed. The leader lost his balance and toppled over the log himself. The troop of samurai tried to stifle their amus.e.m.e.nt.

'Are you all right down there?' asked Soke, his face crinkling in bemused concern.

Jumping to his feet, the samurai angrily brushed the dirt off his uniform. Shamed by his apparent clumsiness, he ignored Soke and waved his soldiers on.

'I'll get this gaijin gaijin samurai if it's the last thing I do!' samurai if it's the last thing I do!'

Once the troop had left the clearing, Soke beckoned Jack and Hanzo down.

'They'll be back if that tracker knows what he's doing,' said Soke. 'And there are three more patrols out looking for you.'

Though surprised at the man's knowledge, Jack was more than willing to believe him.

'Are you saying I've got no chance of escape?'

'Every path has its puddle. You just have to learn how to avoid them.'

'But how can I, when I don't know where they are?'

'Thankfully, someone else does. Come, we'll guide you through the mountains.'

'But, Grandfather,' interrupted Hanzo, 'what will Shonin say?'

'You forget, Hanzo, I'm Soke.'

Judging by Hanzo's respectful tone, this Shonin was clearly important and Jack wondered who he was.

'Besides,' continued Soke, 'our village is the only place your tengu tengu will be safe. And if we look after him, perhaps he'll teach you the Art of the Sword in return.' will be safe. And if we look after him, perhaps he'll teach you the Art of the Sword in return.'

Realizing the old man and the boy were his best chance of escape, Jack nodded his agreement. Hanzo grinned, barely able to contain his excitement.