The Way Of The Dragon Read Online Free Page A

Jack!’ said Yamato. ‘It could be poisoned.’
    ‘Thanks for the warning,’ replied Jack grimly, sucking the blood from his wound.
    The blade gleamed maliciously in the forest light. A series of
kanji
characters could be seen etched into the steel.
    ‘What does that say?’ asked Jack, whose knowledge of
kanji
was still limited despite Akiko’s daily tuition.
    ‘Kunitome!’ growled the ninja who had come to. He seized Jack by the throat. ‘It’s the name of the maker of the blade.’
    Jack gasped for air, the fierce grip of the ninja crushing his windpipe. Too shocked by the man’s unexpected revival, Jack forgot all his training and futilely tugged at the man’s hand.
    Yamato rushed forward and kicked the ninja in the ribs, but the assassin refused to let go. Jack’s face turned bright red, his eyes bulging. Yamato lifted his
bō
staff and struck the ninja’s broken leg. Writhing in agony, the ninja released Jack and Yamato quickly dragged his friend beyond the assassin’s reach.
    ‘A samurai stealing,’ the ninja spat, in between pained gasps. ‘How dishonourable!’
    ‘We weren’t stealing. We were looking for clues,’ croaked Jack, getting unsteadily to his feet. ‘I needed to know who you were and where Dragon Eye is.’
    The ninja gave a throaty laugh and more blood bubbled from his lips.
    ‘We should turn him in, Jack. Take him to Ueno Castle,’ suggested Yamato, uneasy with interrogating a ninja. It was as dangerous as taunting a wounded lion. ‘They’ll get the truth from him.’
    ‘No,’ Jack countered. ‘But maybe he’d be willing to tell us about Dragon Eye in exchange for his life?’
    ‘No samurai can command my life,’ replied the ninja, removing a dark round bead from the
inro
on his belt.
    Popping it into his mouth, he bit down hard on the poison pill and his lips started to foam.
    ‘You’ll never find Dokugan Ryu, young samurai,’ he croaked with his last breath. ‘But he’ll find you…’

4
THE DEMON BLADE

    ‘ THAT was a stupid idea!’ exclaimed Yamato, ignoring the
sencha
offered to him by Akiko. ‘Once again you almost got yourself killed!’
    ‘But now we know where Dragon Eye’s camp is,’ Jack protested. ‘It’s near Shindo. That’s less than half a day’s journey from here. We can’t give up now.’
    Jack looked to Akiko for support. She finished sipping her tea and was about to speak, but Yamato broke in.
    ‘All you have is the name of a village and a temple. Do you think we’ll simply drop in and find Dokugan Ryu and his ninja clan enjoying afternoon tea? Anyway, Orochi was a thief and probably lying. It’s a miracle we got Akiko’s pearl back.’
    ‘But this lead’s got to be worth chasing,’ insisted Jack. ‘It was fate when we bumped into that tea merchant. We were
meant
to find Orochi. The fact that ninja attacked us and Orochi got killed is proof we’re on the right path.’
    ‘No! We’re already in enough trouble with my father as it is. I can’t risk it again. He would never forgive me. And then we’ll
never
return to the
Niten Ichi Ryū
!’
    Yamato ended the conversation by turning his back on Jack. He stared out across the ravine from their tea house to the rocky heights opposite. Located on a ridge beside the Tokaido Road, the Kameyama tea house commanded a spectacular view and attracted numerous visitors from Kyoto. Following the glorious summer day, the tea house was packed with travellers watching the sun set over the rugged beauty of the mountains.
    Jack moodily toyed with the dead ninja’s
tantō
, its gleaming steel marked only by a patch of dry blood where Jack had cut his thumb the day before. After the ninja had committed suicide with the poison pill, Jack had decided to keep the blade. Besides, it was the only weapon he now possessed since their suspension from the
Niten Ichi Ryū
.
    He didn’t blame Masamoto for his decision. He realized now that he’d been foolish to try and hide the existence of his