The Way Of The Dragon Read Online Free PDF

she’d awoken from her poisoning. Jack just hoped Akiko would still be on his side, despite the obvious danger of such a venture.
    ‘I think we should go,’ agreed Akiko. ‘Masamoto-sama made clear to us that we
have
to tell him any information we know about Dokugan Ryu. That includes anything we find out about him too. Imagine if we could give Masamoto-sama the location of the ninja’s headquarters. We may even get back Jack’s
rutter
.’
    ‘Why are you suddenly so keen on pursuing this ninja, Akiko?’ Yamato demanded, turning on his cousin. ‘You almost died the last time we agreed to help Jack.’
    ‘More reason for me to want to find the ninja. Besides, weren’t
you
the one who suggested we should try and trap him in the first place? It was your golden opportunity to get revenge on Dragon Eye for your brother’s murder, a chance to restore the family honour.’
    ‘Yes…’ spluttered Yamato, ‘but… that was before my father found out and dismissed us. He would never forgive me if we tried to capture Dragon Eye ourselves.’
    ‘We’re not attempting to capture him,’ appeased Akiko. ‘We simply need to locate his camp and tell your father.’
    ‘I still think it’s a bad idea. What about the mysterious black ninja who saved Jack? That makes no sense.’ Yamato stared gravely at the two of them. ‘Have either of you thought that the reason we’re discovering these clues is that Dragon Eye wants us to find him? That he’s leading us into a trap?’
    There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the possible truth sank in. Then Akiko dismissed the idea.
    ‘Ninja don’t just fight samurai. They fight one another too. The black ninja was probably from a rival clan and the green ninja out of their territory. Yamato, you probably turned up just in time to save Jack’s life.’
    Yamato looked unconvinced.
    ‘If we don’t go, what else are we going to do?’ implored Jack. ‘With his dislocated shoulder, Kuma-san said he won’t be fit to travel to Toba for at least another day or so.’
    ‘He’s right,’ agreed Akiko. ‘If we take the horses, we could get to Shindo and back in a day. Jack can ride with me. Kumasan wouldn’t question us about visiting a nearby temple.’
    Yamato remained tight-lipped, turning his attention to the glorious sunset instead. A stillness settled over the tea house as the sun clipped the top of a mountain peak. Golden rays of light fingered into an indigo-blue sky that hung like a silken kimono above the hazy range of mountain ridges and darkening valleys.
    As the light began to fade, Jack made one last plea.
    ‘This is our one and only opportunity to find Dragon Eye before he finds us again.’
    ‘But he has no reason to return. He’s got your
rutter
,’ countered Yamato.
    ‘The logbook is encrypted. Only I know how to decipher it,’ Jack revealed. ‘Once Dragon Eye realizes this, he
will
be back.’
    Jack knew the ninja was enlisting the help of a Chinese cryptologist, but he doubted the man could easily break a code written in such an unfamiliar language. It would take time. The question was: how long?
    Dragon Eye might lose patience and decide to break Jack instead.

5
MOTHER LOVE

    ‘I’ve a very bad feeling about this place,’ muttered Yamato, his right hand anxiously clasping the shaft of his
bō
staff.
    Shindo’s only road was deserted. Dust swirled in lonely eddies and disappeared between a row of rundown shacks that appeared as if they’d been dumped from the sky then forgotten. Though the day was warm and sunny, heat and light seemed to shun the village and the interiors of every abode remained dark and uninviting.
    ‘It’s a ghost town,’ said Jack, a chill running down his spine as they tethered their two horses and entered the lifeless village.
    ‘Not quite,’ whispered Akiko. ‘We’re being watched.’
    Jack and Yamato exchanged nervous glances.
    ‘By whom?’ Yamato asked.
    ‘That little girl for one,’ replied Akiko, nodding