Young Samurai: The Ring of Wind (33 page)

The Sea Samurai bombarded the boats as they approached. But the targets were too small for accurate cannon fire and the crews were shielded from arrows and musket shot by the straw bales. The pirates rowed ever closer to the samurai fleet, then at the last possible moment they ignited the straw, set their boats on a collision course and leapt over the sides.

Havoc reigned among the Sea Samurai ships as they sought to avoid the floating bombs. The fleet had to break formation, the ships opening themselves up to the lethal cannon attacks of the Wind Demons. Most of the
kobaya
and
seki-bune
vessels proved manoeuvrable enough, but the
atake-bune
were slower and more cumbersome. One found itself too close as the first fire ship exploded. A whole section of its starboard side was set ablaze. Flames fanned out, spreading over oars, up rigging and across sails until the whole ship was an inferno.

The Wind Demons gave a mighty cheer at the initial devastating success of Tatsumaki’s tactic. The next fire ship detonated, taking out a
kobaya
lost in the smoke and confusion. But the three following bombs were too far from their targets to cause any serious damage. The last fire ship, however, was on a direct course for the
Nihon Maru
.

Jack and the Wind Demons watched with bated breath as the burning boat edged ever nearer the
daimyo
’s command ship.

Then, at the last moment, a
kobaya
surged out of nowhere, its crew rowing furiously. They collided with the fire ship, knocking it off course. They continued to propel the blazing explosives away from the
Nihon Maru
. Just as they reached a safe distance, a ball of flame engulfed the
kobaya
and its crew.

This time, no one on-board the
Koketsu
cheered; the Wind Demons honourable enough to recognize the samurai crew’s extraordinary courage and sacrifice to save their lord.

Then the pounding of the cannon resumed. By the time the Sea Samurai had managed to regroup into their attack formations, at least ten of their ships had been crippled or sunk.

But their advance was ultimately unstoppable and the Sea Samurai fleet ploughed into the Wind Demons like a tidal wave.

Smoke Bombs

Jack braced himself as the
Koketsu
rammed an
atake-bune
. The impact was like a charging bull hitting a brick wall. There was a horrendous crunch of wood and the
Koketsu
shuddered to a bone-jarring halt. Jack had barely found his feet, when Tatsumaki gave the order to ‘retreat and turn’. The oarsmen, well versed in hit-and-run assaults, leant upon their oars and wrenched the
Koketsu
’s battering ram free.

Watching the seawater rush into the
atake-bune
’s hull, Jack recalled the terrifying escape he and his friends had been forced to make from Captain Arashi’s bilge prison. He now wondered how they’d ever survived.

As the
Koketsu
withdrew, the Sea Samurai blasted away with muskets, the shot clattering like hail upon the armoured roof, but otherwise doing little damage. As soon as they were in position, the Wind Demon gunners unleashed a broadside volley of cannonballs. The already weakened hull of the
atake-bune
crumbled under the blistering barrage. The ship heeled violently before sinking beneath the waves.

‘Three down!’ declared the head gunner, marking the wooden carriage of his cannon with a knife. The carriage’s surface was covered in such score lines, too many to count. Jack didn’t dare contemplate the number of souls lost according to that gunner’s tally. But, as the sea battle raged on, he had no doubt that the number would be equalled by the end of the day.

All around the
Koketsu
, Sea Samurai and Wind Demons fought for supremacy. The long-distance bombardment had turned to brutal close-quarter fighting. Ships drew alongside one another, exchanging cannon, arrow and musket fire, before grappling hooks were slung across and the decks became floating battlefields. Swords, axes, knives and spears were all put to deadly use.

As samurai and pirates slaughtered one another, it was as if Pirate Island had been plunged into the depths of hell. The Seto Sea ran red with blood. Sharks circled, taking advantage of the bloodbath, so that even survivors found themselves fighting for their lives. Clouds of black smoke from burning ships obscured the blue sky and the morning sun was transformed into a fierce weeping eye.

The
Koketsu
alone weaved in and out of the battling ships. Capable of sudden bursts of speed, and highly manoeuvrable due to its U-shaped hull, it evaded boarding attempts and wreaked havoc upon the samurai fleet. It charged straight over a
kobaya
of samurai troops, splitting the vessel in two. When Captain Hebi’s
Jade Serpent
was trapped in the crossfire of two
atake-bune
, the
Koketsu
rushed to her aid, sinking one and leaving the other crippled and at the mercy of Captain Hebi’s cannon.

As Tatsumaki and her crew sought out their next victim, a
seki-bune
drifted towards them, its crew dead upon the deck.

‘Looks like someone got there before us,’ observed Li Ling.

‘Shall we sink it?’ the head gunner asked Tatsumaki, his knife already primed to add another score mark.

The Pirate Queen shook her head, smiling. ‘Not unless you need more target practice!’

But, as the
Koketsu
passed the dead ship, Jack noticed something odd. The tiller had been tied fast, keeping the ship on course. He was about to point this out, when the
seki-bune
’s oars suddenly sprang to life and the ship surged towards them. Its main mast dropped with an almighty crash on to the roof of the
Koketsu
.

‘IT’S A TRICK!’ shouted Tatsumaki, giving orders to pull away.

But it was too late. The supposedly dead crew leapt to their feet, weapons drawn, and charged over the makeshift gangplank. A round iron projectile flew through one of the
Koketsu
’s open portholes. The hand bomb rolled across the deck, its fuse burning fiercely. On instinct, Jack pushed Li Ling behind a pile of cannonballs, then dived at Tatsumaki, knocking her to the ground. A moment later, the bomb exploded, iron shards flying in all directions to maim gunners and oarsmen alike.

Protected behind the carriage of a Heaven cannon, Jack and Tatsumaki escaped the worst of it.

‘I guess that makes us even,’ Tatsumaki admitted to Jack, before pulling herself to her feet.

Jack nodded, glad to no longer owe the Pirate Queen a life debt. But they were far from safe as more hand bombs landed on the gun deck. This time the explosives were soft-cased, their contents wrapped in wicker cartons. Jack instantly recognized them as
endan
– ninja smoke bombs. Having been shown how to make one by Kajiya, the ninja blacksmith, he knew they could also contain lethal fragments of iron or broken pottery.

‘TAKE COVER!’ he warned Li Ling, who’d thought the danger was over. Jack ducked back behind the cannon with Tatsumaki.

A moment later, the
endan
detonated and clouds of smoke billowed out. So did shards of pottery – they whizzed through the air, embedding themselves in the ship’s wooden beams as well as Wind Demons unable to find cover. Within seconds, the gun deck was plunged into an eye-watering fog. An explosion mid-ship was rapidly followed by a fierce battle cry. The
Koketsu
had been breached.

‘REPEL BOARDERS!’ cried Tatsumaki, rallying her crew.

Jack heard the pirates draw their weapons and rush to meet the invading Sea Samurai.

‘Stay here!’ Tatsumaki ordered Jack, unsheathing her sword and disappearing into the smoke.

Jack listened as steel clashed against steel and the cries of wounded men and women filled the air. Although this wasn’t his battle, his survival depended on Tatsumaki and her crew prevailing. But there was no guarantee of victory, and in order to protect himself he needed a weapon.

Leaving the cover of the gun carriage, Jack headed for the Pirate Queen’s cabin. He crouched low, where the smoke was thinner, but it was still disorientating and he had to use all his ninja skill to keep his bearings. Suddenly two men burst out of the fog, hands at each other’s throats. Jack dodged aside as they fought tooth-and-claw to kill one another. Then the smoke enveloped them again, the outcome of their struggle unknown.

Hurrying on, Jack kept his hands out before him, ready to fend off any attackers. His fingers touched a wooden panel and he fumbled along until he found a door. A man screamed close by and Jack caught a glimpse of a bloody
katana
. Sliding the door open, he dived inside and shut it before anyone could follow.

He was pounced upon from behind, hands clawing at his face.

‘It’s me, Saru!’ reassured Jack, having almost jumped out of his skin.

The terrified monkey stopped screeching and leapt back on to her cage, her fingers anxiously pawing the key round her neck, while her eyes remained fixed on the door for more intruders.

She’s one effective guard!
thought Jack as he made his way over to the weapons rack.

A
katana
rested on the lower shelf. He snatched it up and secured it to his
obi
just as he heard a girl scream. Disregarding his own safety, Jack flung open the cabin door.

‘LI LING?’ he shouted above the noise of the battle and the groans of the dying.

‘Jack, HELP ME!’

Heading in the direction of her voice, he found her trapped between two cannon. A cruel cut across her arm had forced her to drop her weapon. A samurai twice her size closed in for the kill. He lunged at her with his sword. Li Ling ducked behind a barrel, the steel blade glancing off the iron muzzle. The samurai struck again, but this time Jack intervened. Blocking the thrust with his
katana
, Jack side-kicked the man over an Earth cannon. The samurai tumbled head over heels and was knocked out cold by a pile of cannonballs.

‘This way!’ said Jack, grabbing Li Ling’s hand and pulling her towards Tatsumaki’s cabin.

But no sooner had they taken two steps than a shrouded face materialized out of the smoke.

Dragon Eye.

Spike

The ghostly apparition caused Jack to halt in his tracks. Frozen with shock, his limbs simply refused to respond as the ninja advanced, the blade of Black Cloud dripping red with blood.

Only when he sensed the tug from Li Ling as she dragged him away did the spell break. They fled blindly through the fog, colliding into beams, cannon and bloody brawls. In the confusion of smoke and battle, it was hard to tell who was friend and who was foe. Shadows fought through the swirls, every figure threatening to be Dragon Eye.

Jack stumbled over a dead body and lost his grip on Li Ling. A pirate woman grappling with a samurai bowled into him. The three of them staggered across the deck, Li Ling vanishing into the smoke. A knife flashed past Jack’s eyes before burying itself in the samurai’s throat. The pirate woman, seized by bloodlust, turned on Jack to do the same to him. But a flicker of recognition stayed her hand at the last moment.

Then her eyes bulged and she collapsed to the deck, sliced clean through from shoulder to hip. The glistening blade of Black Cloud preceded the ominous silhouette of a
shinobi shozoku
.

Jack dived away, hoping to lose Dragon Eye amid the smoke. But, everywhere he turned, the ninja seemed to loom towards him. Ducking and weaving between the cannon, Jack made a sudden switch for the other side of the ship. The smoke cleared briefly and he spotted daylight. Above him, an exploded hatch offered a way out. Scrambling up the steps, he emerged on to the
Koketsu
’s roof.

Coughing and eyes watering, Jack barely had time to register the mayhem of the sea battle before a samurai rushed at him with a sword. The blade cut down to his left. Jack blocked the attack with his
katana
. The samurai struck again. This time, Jack executed an Autumn Leaf strike. The technique was rushed, but it was enough to disarm his attacker and the sword clattered to the iron deck.