The Way Of The Dragon Read Online Free PDF Page B

towards a thatched hut on their right.
    Hidden in darkness, a small dirty face with wide fearful eyes peeked out at them, then disappeared. Akiko headed over to the shack, looking back over her shoulder when Jack and Yamato failed to follow.
    ‘Come on, you two. I think you can handle a little girl, can’t you?’
    Shamed by their lack of nerve, they both hurried after her.
    Akiko peered into the darkness beyond the doorway, then called, ‘Hello? Excuse me?’
    Inside, they could hear a rattling wheeze of breath like a dying dog’s. Suddenly a man’s hollow-cheeked face appeared at the door.
    ‘Leave us be,’ he snapped. ‘We’ve nothing to give you.’
    The little girl they’d seen earlier was now hiding behind the man’s legs, her eyes fixated on Jack’s blond hair. Jack smiled at her.
    ‘We’re sorry to disturb you, but we don’t want anything,’ explained Akiko.
    ‘Where is everyone?’ Yamato asked.
    ‘They left. You should too.’
    The man began to push the flimsy door of his hut closed.
    ‘But we’ve come to find Kunitome-san,’ Jack insisted.
    The man stared at Jack as if noticing his presence for the first time. His face remained blank, the strange sight of a foreigner clearly nothing compared to the horrors he’d already witnessed.
    The man snorted.
    ‘That devil! He’s dead!’
    ‘What? When did that happen?’ Jack asked. ‘Who killed him?’
    The man sighed, the burden of conversation seeming to drain him.
    ‘He committed suicide. By his own sword,’ spat the man. ‘He’s the reason this village is dead. That swordmaker was a blessing and a curse for Shindo. His skill drew people here from far and wide and we villagers welcomed the money they brought. But his art in devilry, forging evil blades, attracted the worst sort. Now he’s gone, no one comes. But his spirit remains. It casts a dark shadow over Shindo. You should leave. This place is bad karma.’
    ‘So why haven’t you left?’ Yamato enquired, putting his hand against the door as the man tried to close it.
    ‘We would, but do you hear that?’ said the man, referring to the rattling wheeze. ‘That’s my sick mother. She refuses to die. And until she passes away, we’re stuck in this death trap. Now goodbye.’
    With that, he shut the door in their faces.
    They looked at one another, astounded at the man’s story.
    ‘Seems we’ve come to the end of the trail,’ said Yamato, the relief in his voice apparent. ‘No point in hanging around, we’d better head back before Kuma-san notices we’re gone.’
    ‘No,’ said Jack, walking in the opposite direction to Yamato. ‘We’ve still got to find the Dragon Temple that Orochi talked about. Look, that must be it.’
    The village road ended in a large, eerie temple that sat upon an earthen mound, its red and green paint faded and peeling. Tiles were missing from the roof and two carved dragon finials had fallen from its corners to lie rotting on the ground. The main door to the temple was open and about as tempting as a tomb.
    ‘You’re not going in there, are you?’ said Yamato, appealing to Akiko for support. ‘It looks as if it’s going to fall down at any moment!’
    Akiko smiled apologetically, then followed Jack up the worn stone steps.

    Inside, as if all light had been sucked out, the temple appeared an ominous cave of darkness and shadows. Where the smell of incense should have been, only the stink of decay hung in the air.
    Jack stepped across the threshold and peered into the gloom.
    He almost cried out at the sight of two gargantuan warriors on either side of him, their muscles rippling, their faces contorted. One, who was baring his teeth, wielded a huge thunderbolt club. The other, his mouth tightly shut, swung an immense sword.
    Jack stumbled into Akiko.
    ‘They’re just
Niō
,’ she laughed. ‘Temple guardians.’
    ‘They’re terrifying!’ exclaimed Jack, gathering his wits at the sight of the gigantic wooden statues.
    He followed Akiko