Free Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky by Chris Bradford Page B

ensured that maximum oxygen reached the lungs.
Inhale – exhale – exhale – inhale – exhale – inhale – inhale – exhale
. The
     rhythm focused the mind, while the increased breaths improved efficiency, allowing the
     body to sustain its pace over long distances. Propelled by this extra energy, the two of
     them raced across the plateau.
    But however fast they ran the samurai had
     one distinct advantage – they were on horseback.
    Jack had spotted the mounted patrol crest
     the caldera at the same time as he and Benkei reached the crater basin. Still too far
     away to make out any details, he did glimpse a flash of golden armour. With a heavy
     heart, he realized this was no ordinary patrol. It could only be the Shogun’s
     elite samurai.
    ‘We should hide,’ said Benkei,
     panic seizing his voice.
    ‘
Where
exactly?’ replied
     Jack, indicating the wide-open terrain before them.
    Beyond the forested slopes, there was
     minimal cover to conceal their escape. The plateau was just rice field after rice field,
     with a few villages and farmhouses dotted here and there.
    The handful of workers tending the fields
     watched wide-eyed as the two fugitives shot past.
    ‘They’re bound to catch
     us … if we just keep running,’ said Benkei.
    Jack realized he was right. Even Dragon
     Breathing was no match for a galloping horse.
    ‘Maybe we can lose them among
     Aso-san’s peaks,’ he suggested, pointing to the five smouldering mountains
     that divided the caldera basin.
    ‘But they’re active
     volcanoes!’ exclaimed Benkei.
    ‘Exactly,’ replied Jack.
     ‘The horses won’t want to go anywhere near.’
    ‘Nor do I!’
    But Jack headed towards them nonetheless.
     ‘Just think of them as a bigger version of the Nine Hells of Beppu.’
    ‘That’s reassuring!’ cried
     Benkei, reluctantly following. ‘You almost broiled me alive there.’
    With their heads down, they sprinted for the
     slopes of Mount Taka, the highest of Aso-san’s five summits. Their plan was to
     cross from here to Naka-dake, the volcanic offshoot of this peak, lose the samurai amid
     the sulphurous vents and escape west.
    As they ran the last stretch, the
     Shogun’s samurai emerged from the forest. Paying little regard to the farmers or
     their crops, the patrol thundered in a direct line across the paddyfields. Their horses trampled rice under their hooves, breaking apart bunds and
     scattering the workers in their wake.
    Jack and Benkei scrambled up the
     mountainside through the treeline to the craggy heights. But the steep slope slowed
     their pace and the patrol rapidly gained ground.
    ‘Faster!’ urged Jack, almost
     pushing Benkei up the volcano.
    They were barely halfway when the
     Shogun’s samurai began their ascent. The horses struggled on the rough terrain,
     but their riders spurred them on.
    As Jack and Benkei passed the last traces of
     vegetation, they were confronted by a forbidding sight. Swirls of black and grey lava
     stone scarred a desolate landscape. Craters the size of islands pockmarked the surface
     and the volcanic ash under foot was dangerously unstable. Clouds of sulphurous gas
     pumped out of gaping vents, creating a billowing blinding fog.
    ‘Now this
is
Hell!’
     wheezed Benkei, coughing and spluttering from the acrid air.
    Jack pulled his bandanna over his mouth and
     nose, then offered a spare bandage for Benkei to do the same.
    ‘Stay close,’ warned Jack as a
     steam cloud enveloped them. ‘We only want to lose the samurai, not each
     other!’
    The going was arduous and disorientating,
     and Jack wondered if he’d made a fatal mistake heading into the heart of a
     volcano. But as they neared the summit he heard the samurai’s horses whinnying in
     protest. Through a brief gap in the sulphurous clouds, he spotted the patrol dismounting
     lower down the slope and continuing their chase on foot. Jack’s strategy was
     paying off.
    All of a sudden Benkei stopped.
    The ground ahead