Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire Read Online Free

and Kunio to wait outside.
    ‘What do you think?’ asked Kunio, gesturing with pride at his village.
    ‘Very … peaceful,’ replied Jack. Though in truth, the depressing silence unnerved him.
    Compared to the ninja village, Tamagashi was clearly a lot poorer and far less organized. The farmers’ homes were dotted haphazardly around, most needed re-thatching and some even looked to be on the verge of collapse. Although the head farmer’s house was the grandest in the village, it was still no palace. The wooden decking was rough and warped, its walls uneven and gapped.
    ‘My family’s house is that one by the pond,’ said Kunio, pointing to a small lopsided building.
    As he went on explaining who lived in each of the houses, Jack was more drawn to what was occurring within the farmhouse.
    ‘You’ve been gone three weeks and come back with just one samurai!’ exclaimed a man’s voice in outrage.
    ‘No other samurai agreed to our request,’ replied Toge.
    ‘So where’s all the rice we gave you?’
    ‘Any ronin we did attract simply ate our food and left,’ he explained bitterly. ‘As soon as we told them about the job and what it paid, they scorned us for wasting their time. Or else were too scared.’
    ‘But you took enough rice to feed a small army!’
    ‘Okayama isn’t a safe place,’ a grieved Sora admitted. ‘Much of our rice was stolen. That deaf Neko makes a useless guard.’
    ‘You idiots! What are we going to do now?’
    The rasping voice of an old man cut in. ‘We have one. That is a start.’
    ‘Yoshi, with all due respect, what use is one samurai?’
    ‘Let’s meet the man and we shall find out.’
    The door creaked open and Sora’s hangdog face appeared.
    ‘Come in!’ he said with forced cheerfulness. ‘Our village head and elder are pleased you’re here.’
    Wondering what he’d got himself into, Jack stepped through the doorway. The room was dim, the tang of woodsmoke heavy in the air. There was no furniture, just a few clay pots for storage and a water butt in one corner. Hanging from a chain, a pot of rice boiled over an open-hearth fire in the centre of the room. Although the place was austere, the warmth of the hearth was welcoming, and Jack was invited to take prime position next to it.
    Toge sat opposite him beside two men. In the gloom, Jack’s face was heavily in shadow beneath his hat, so he risked a glance up. One of the men was middle-aged, with a permanent frown and stubble like a harvested field left untended. The other was ancient, a wizened old man with spidery white hair and eyes screwed up so tight they were barely visible. The faces of all three farmers appeared gaunt and haunted in the flickering light of the fire.
    ‘I’m Junichi, the head of this village,’ announced the middle-aged man, with a bow of his head. ‘This is Yoshi, the elder.’
    The old man grunted, but being stiff with age he couldn’t bow.
    Jack returned Junichi’s greeting with his own bow. As he rose, he caught sight of Neko peering through a gap in the rear wall, her eyes avidly following the proceedings.
    ‘We thank you for coming to our rescue in our time of plight,’ continued Junichi. ‘The village is in need of a brave samurai such as yourself. I can only apologize the reward is so little, but the glory and honour will be great – and worthy of a samurai.’
    The farmer’s grave tone gave Jack an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. ‘Surely, it’s just a matter of guarding your rice store from a thief or two …’
    The old man, Yoshi, cleared his throat. ‘You’re aware of Black Moon?’
    Jack nodded, familiar with the Japanese term for a new moon. He was willing to stay the month, as agreed.
    ‘Yet he doesn’t scare you?’
    ‘ He? ’
    Yoshi squinted at Jack, then turned on Toge. ‘You didn’t tell him?’
    ‘I … I was going to,’ stammered Toge. ‘But the moment never arose.’
    The knot in Jack’s stomach tightened.
    Sucking on his gums, Yoshi