Young Samurai: The Way of Fire (short story) by Chris Bradford Read Free Book Online Page B

‘We have to hurry. We still have a long ride ahead of us.’
    By the time they reached Koya-san, the sun had set. They hadn’t stopped to rest or eat and even their horses were near exhaustion as they struggled up Mount Koya to the temple valley. The four young samurai led their steeds to a water trough and ran the final stretch.
    At the
shukubo
, Kazuki was the first to greet them. His eyes widened with amazement at the appearance of the four tattered, bleeding and scorched samurai. He said nothing, but there was an urgency to his stride as he accompanied them through the cemetery towards the Hall of Lanterns.
    When they reached the glade, Jack could see the body of Emi laid out before the Buddha. Enshrined in a halo of candlelight, she was surrounded by praying monks, all chanting as one. Bending over her, Sensei Yamada was sombrely putting a flame to a new brass lamp.
    We’re too late!
thought Jack. Despite all their efforts, they had failed to save the
daimyo
’s daughter.
    Sensei Yamada turned to face them. ‘Did you get the flower?’ he asked, ignoring their injuries and ragged appearance.
    Jack nodded.
    ‘Give it to me.’
    Jack numbly passed Sensei Yamada the gourd. His Zen master hurriedly emptied its contents into a brass bowl. The pale vanilla-yellow flower floated on the water’s surface like a precious jewel.
    ‘Can you still save Emi?’ asked Akiko.
    ‘Perhaps,’ replied their sensei. ‘The monks have been using the power of prayer to extend her life. But the poison’s run deep. She’s barely breathing.’
    Working fast, Sensei Yamada pulled the petals from the stem. He immediately lay two over Emi’s eyes. Crushing several others, he rubbed the flakes into her leg wound. Next he mixed broken bits of stem with a red resin, burning the resulting incense under her nose. Finally he boiled the remaining petals and with great care poured the liquid down her throat.
    ‘Will that be enough?’ asked Akiko.
    ‘Only time will tell,’ said Sensei Yamada, putting down the empty cup. ‘But for a plant to survive on a volcano, it has to be completely resistant to poisoning. If anything can revive Emi, this will.’
    The monks continued to chant.
    Without a moment’s hesitation, Jack knelt down and joined in the prayers, asking his own God for Emi’s salvation. While ninja were the enemy of all samurai, Jack knew
he
had been the reason for Dragon Eye’s appearance. His nemesis had been after the
rutter
. But Jack couldn’t reveal where it was. His father had sworn him to secrecy, warning him never to let it fall into the wrong hands. But that didn’t wipe away the guilt Jack now felt.
    Jack was still praying when the first light of dawn filtered through the forest.
    Emi hadn’t moved.
    ‘You must sleep, Jack,’ urged Akiko, bringing him some tea.
    ‘How can I?’ said Jack. ‘I’m responsible for this.’
    ‘No, you’re not. Dragon Eye is the only one to blame. He was the one with the knife.’
    ‘Did the sensei find him?’ he asked, not taking his eyes off Emi.
    ‘No. They followed his trail, but lost it as soon as they entered the Iga mountain range.’
    Trembling with rage, Jack clenched his fists so hard his fingernails dug into his palms. Yet again Dragon Eye had escaped.
    Just then, the two petals on Emi’s eyelids fluttered in a breeze and fell to the floor. Bending down to pick them up, Jack noticed that the flames of the candles surrounding her remained perfectly still. There wasn’t any breeze.
    He stared at Emi. Her eyelids parted and she gazed dreamily back at him.
    ‘Jack?’ she croaked. ‘I feel like I’ve slept for days …’
    ‘You have,’ Jack replied, too overjoyed to tell her any different.
    ‘What happened to your face?’ she asked.
    Jack’s hand absently touched the cut beneath his eye. ‘Oh … nothing. I fell down a mountain, that’s all.’
    Then Sensei Yamada was by Emi’s side and Akiko quietly led Jack away to allow their Zen master to tend