Free Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky by Chris Bradford

alive.

17
  
Caldera
    The sky stretched out like a boundless
     kingdom above their heads, volcanic peaks competing with one another to claim the
     horizon. Graced by fair weather, Jack and Benkei made good progress on their journey
     across the rugged Kuju range. With each passing day Jack felt stronger and fitter, his
     healing sessions seeming to be enhanced by their proximity to the heavens. By the third
     day, his throat was no longer swollen and his eye was turning into a healthy yet
     colourful purple patch. He changed dressings regularly, ensuring that his wound
     didn’t become infected. And, although his finger was still in trauma and throbbed
     painfully, he forced himself to open and close his hand to maintain the flexibility and
     strength he’d need to wield a sword.
    As they hiked along majestic ridges, through
     gullies and across gorges, they encountered no one, apart from the odd startled deer and
     hunting hawk. In the crystal-clear mountain air and the wild barren landscape, Jack
     could almost believe they’d eluded their pursuers. But he knew that would be a
     foolhardy assumption and they both pressed on.
    At such altitude the nights were cold but
     spectacular withtheir starry display of constellations that glittered
     like cut diamonds in the black sky. By contrast, the summer days were hot and stifling,
     the only relief a mouthful of water and the breeze that blew across the grassy ridges.
     With no tree cover, Jack tied a bandanna round his head to combat the sun’s fierce
     rays and stop the sweat streaming into his eyes.
    ‘You could fry noodles in this
     heat!’ remarked Benkei, mopping his brow with a red handkerchief.
    Jack noticed the symbol of a horse and an
     inscription on the silk cloth. ‘You stole a prayer flag!’
    Benkei nodded. ‘There were
     hundreds,’ he replied by way of defence. ‘Who’s going to miss
one
?’
    Jack shook his head in dismay. ‘The
     flags repeat the same pattern of colours over and over. A good tracker will soon spot a
     break in the line.’
    Benkei gave a contrite shrug. ‘Sorry,
nanban
, I … didn’t realize.’
    He guiltily threw away the flag.
    ‘No!’ cried Jack. But it was too
     late.
    The flag caught in an updraught and sailed
     out of reach. Benkei ran after it, but the wind horse twirled high over a sheer
     cliff.
    ‘Now we’ve left another
     marker,’ sighed Jack.
    Benkei offered him an apologetic smile.
     ‘Perhaps if it flies far enough, the flag could send them off course.’
    ‘Let’s hope so,’ replied
     Jack, trying his best to sound optimistic.
    They walked on in silence, leaving their
     fate to the wind.
    ‘I think we’re home free,
nanban
!’ announced Benkei cheerily.
    It was their fifth day of hiking and
     there’d been no sight or sound of a patrol.
    Jack was inclined to agree. If any
dōshin
or samurai from Yufuin were on their trail, they would have seen
     them by now. Reassured, he allowed himself to relax a little.
    ‘Now we’re friends, you can call
     me Jack if you want.’
    An affable smile graced Benkei’s lips.
     ‘It’s
because
we’re friends that I call you
nanban
.
     I wouldn’t dare insult you by using the term
gaijin
. You’re
     certainly not a barbarian, but you must be from the south – that’s where all the
     other foreigners came from.’
    ‘Actually, I was shipwrecked on the
     eastern shore, near Toba.’
    Benkei raised his eyebrows in surprise.
     ‘That may be the case, but
azuma no yaban hito
doesn’t exactly trip
     off the tongue.’ He gave Jack a rueful grin of apology. ‘Anyway, how’s
     the finger,
nanban
?’
    Accepting that his nickname was to remain,
     Jack replied, ‘Healing well.’
    He held up his hand, the bandage neatly
     wrapped and no longer bloodstained.
    ‘Still, that’s a brutal wound.
     How could a sensei do that to one of their own students?’
    ‘You’ve not met Sensei Kyuzo.
     His favourite expression was:
Pain is the best teacher and that’s