Then a second wave of samurai appeared: twenty in front and at least that many again behind them.

'We're surrounded!' Yori cried in alarm.

'Time to get out of this death trap,' said Miyuki, checking between each of the buildings as they drove the first wave of samurai back up the street. But every alleyway and path had been blocked off with spiked fences. Behind, the samurai were closing in fast. In moments they'd be overwhelmed.

'Down here!' called Benkei, beckoning them towards an open alley he'd spotted.

Disarming his attacker with an Autumn Leaf strike, Jack raced over to Benkei and the others. The route led to the village pond. They charged along the narrow alley, Benkei leading the way, Miyuki taking up the rear. As they fled out the other side, they passed beneath an overhanging section of roof spanning the alley. Jack didn't think anything of it until it was too late. Without warning, a bamboo grille dropped down and Miyuki was cut off, leaving her to face the samurai alone.

54.

Lamp Oil Sheathing his swords, Jack ran back to help Miyuki raise the grille. Straining every muscle, he cried, 'It won't move.'

Saburo and Yori now joined them. Even with their combined strength, they couldn't shift the bamboo frame.

'The grille's locked in place from above,' observed Akiko.

Miyuki glanced up, seeking another way out. The bamboo bars met flush with the overhanging roof and building walls, leaving no gap to climb through. She was boxed in like a mouse in a trap.

The samurai now entered the other end of the alley, one by one. The ronin in front was a bearded monster with a battle-chipped katana. He took his time, knowing that his quarry had nowhere to run to.

'NANBAN!' shouted Benkei, suddenly realizing the others weren't following. 'We have company. Lots of it!'

Looking over his shoulder, Jack saw that the second wave of samurai had doubled back and was now at the lower end of the village pond near the river. Strewn with clumps of reeds and a couple of willow trees hanging from its banks, the large expanse of muddy water blocked any direct route to the fields beyond. They'd have to run round it. And, with the samurai charging up both sides of the pond, they had no time to lose.

'Get out of here,' said Miyuki. 'Save yourselves while you can.'

'No, I won't leave you behind,' Jack replied, still desperately trying to lift the grille.

'You don't have any other choice.'

Saburo and Akiko prepared to engage the frontline of attackers in a brave, but ultimately futile, attempt to hold off the tide of samurai. In the alley, the first of Miyuki's assailants closed in.

Miyuki looked intently through the bamboo bars at Jack, her midnight eyes resolved to her fate. 'I always knew what sacrifice I might have to make for you, Jack. And I do so with all my heart.'

She tenderly touched Jack's hand, savouring one last moment of goodbye. Then she turned to confront the first ronin.

'NO!' said Jack, shaking the bars as Miyuki clashed blades with the first of her attackers. 'No one should sacrifice themselves for me. We'll find a way to save you.'

'Come on!' urged Benkei, heading along the bank towards a large rice barn and the fields beyond.

Jack felt Yori's hand on his arm, pulling him away. He resisted.

'Don't let her sacrifice be in vain,' said Yori, his voice breaking at having to make such a harsh choice. Like Miyuki, he recognized everyone's chances of survival were rapidly dwindling the longer they delayed. And, with no realistic hope of rescuing her in time, they had to leave her behind.

Yori dragged Jack away, but Jack despised himself for every step he took. He felt he was betraying his ninja friend, abandoning her to her fate. Miyuki was swallowed up by the mouth of the alley, his final glimpse of her a flash of steel as she fought to the death.

'GO! GO!' cried Akiko, running up behind them.

'Where's Saburo?' asked Yori.

'He's holding off the samurai,' she panted.

Jack looked further down the bank to see Saburo swinging his sword in wide defensive arcs. Eight samurai tried to fight their way past him, but he held his ground.

'We can't let him fight alone,' protested Jack.

'He said ... the odds were good,' replied Akiko, but the sorrow in her eyes told another story. 'And as soon as we reach that barn, he's promised to join us.'

They sprinted up the bank, realizing every second counted. On the opposite side of the pond, the other samurai were racing to head them off. Just as Benkei levelled with the rice barn, they heard Saburo cry out. One of the ronin had got through his defence and shoulder-barged him to the ground. They were both locked in combat, Saburo throttling his attacker who was trying to plunge a tant into his heart. Rolling over and over, the two of them tumbled down the bank into the pond, before disappearing beneath the water with a huge splash.

'Saburo!' gasped Yori, stopping in his tracks.

Jack waited a beat for Saburo to come back up but neither he nor the ronin did. Only an ominous pool of blood rose to the surface.

'No! NO!' sobbed Yori, struggling in Jack's arms.

'It's too late ... to save him,' said Jack. With the samurai hot on their heels, it was Jack that now pulled the distraught Yori along with him. But he was no less distressed. The cruel loss of another loyal friend was like an iron punch to the gut one that Jack didn't think he would ever recover from.

They skirted the edge of the pond towards the fields. But the samurai on the opposite bank got there first.

'Which way now?' Benkei cried as the two groups of samurai converged on them, closing off all escape routes.

'Through the rice barn,' said Jack. 'There has to be a back door.'

They dived inside. The barn was surprisingly empty of rice, yet full of straw.

'There!' shouted Akiko, pointing to a stable door in the rear wall.

Hurrying over, Jack grabbed the handle to slide it open. But the door had been nailed shut. Jack furiously yanked on the handle. The door wouldn't budge.

'Why aren't they following us inside?' Yori asked, noticing the samurai had formed a semi-circle outside the main barn doors.

Letting go of the handle, Jack's palm came away slick and greasy.

Lamp oil.

Looking around, Jack now saw the whole barn was doused in it the walls, the straw, the floor all glistening with splashes of oil. Before he could warn his friends, a burning torch was tossed inside the barn. There was a ferocious whoosh as a straw pile caught alight. The blaze spread through the barn as if it was alive, tendrils of orange-red fire shooting in all directions across the floor and tongues of flame licking up the walls. More bundles of straw exploded like blinding fireworks. Jack and his friends shielded their faces from the sudden and intense heat.

'We're going to fry!' exclaimed Benkei, making for the main door.

Akiko grabbed hold of him. 'They'll cut you down as you run out.'

'Better than burning alive.'

But Benkei stayed with them as Jack began to furiously kick at the rear door. His whole leg jarred on every impact, the wooden panels solid and unyielding. He kicked again and again, favouring a side-kick for power. Akiko joined in the attack, coordinating back-heel strikes with his side-kicks.

The fire now roared all around them, smoke billowing in the air and choking their lungs. Jack could smell his hair singeing and feel his skin blistering. The barn was going up like a tinderbox.

Jack clenched his teeth, driving his foot like a battering ram into the wood. But the door wouldn't give. Akiko kicked with all her might. Nothing moved. Still, they kept up the relentless pounding as the roof turned into a swirling sky of flame.

Benkei and Yori huddled in the middle of the barn, keeping as far as possible from the burning walls.

Jack was about to give up hope when one of the door panels splintered. Akiko struck out and it cracked. Then, with a final side-kick, the panel burst apart.

'OUT!' shouted Jack above the roar of the flames.

He pushed Akiko through the narrow opening first. Benkei made a mad dash for it and dived through. Jack urgently beckoned Yori to go next, his friend almost lost from view amid the choking smoke and red-hot sparks. A horrendous crack made them both look up. Flaming chunks of wood and burning thatch rained down, forcing Yori to jump out of the way. As whole sections of the roof fell at Jack's feet, he had no choice but to dive through the door for his own life.

Landing on the hard-baked earth, coughing and spluttering, he immediately looked back inside for any sign of Yori. He spotted a small shimmering figure in the centre of the inferno. His friend stood motionless, eyes closed, his hands clasped in prayer.

55.

Snatched Jack was in a state of total shock. He'd lost three of his closest friends in as many minutes. He knelt in the dirt, head bowed, black smoke and sparks swirling around him.

The barn continued to burn with Yori inside. And there was nothing he, Akiko or Benkei could do about it. The gap in the door was now blocked with flaming debris, the fire too fierce for them to enter. And on the other side, waiting like vultures, stood the band of murderous samurai.

'I really liked Yori,' croaked Benkei, his bloodshot eyes brimming as he stared glumly at the blaze.

Jack's grief was beyond tears. His hurt ran so deep that it was his heart, not his eyes, that wept for Yori. His friend had always been the still small voice of reason, the rock he'd counted on in the storms of life. And, now Yori was gone, Jack felt as lost and drifting as a rudderless ship. Miyuki, Saburo and Yori all dead it was too much for him to cope with. He understood that the Way of the Warrior was to fight and die in the name of Honour and Loyalty. But his life wasn't worth such sacrifice. He was no samurai lord. He was simply trying to get home. And where would this slaughter end? In the death of Benkei? His beloved Akiko? No sense of loyalty was worth that high a price.

'We have to leave,' said Akiko, equally traumatized by the tragic turn of events, yet somehow managing to hold her nerve.

Jack nodded numbly, but still didn't move.

'Seven times down, eight times up,' she whispered, a tear running down her soot-stained cheek as she laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

The remembrance of Yori's wise words from the Taryu-Jiai three years before his lesson in never giving up finally spurred Jack into action. He forced himself to his feet and stood beside Akiko. He noticed her kimono sleeve clinging to her left arm, its green silk now stained an ominous red. 'Are you all right?' he asked.

'I'll live,' she said wearily. 'The arrow wound's just opened up again.'

Concerned for her deteriorating health, Jack snapped back to the harsh reality of their situation. They had to survive, if only for the memory of their fallen friends. He looked around. No samurai had yet discovered their escape. The back of the barn met with one of the high thorn boundary hedges, preventing access to the fields. They could either head to the pond and risk being spotted, or work their way through the village and flee via the main road towards Nagasaki. Peering round the corner of the barn, Jack saw that the samurai were still engrossed in the fire, celebrating their victory.

There was a patch of open ground to reach the nearest alley, but Jack decided this was still the best option. They waited until a pall of smoke came their way, then Jack, Akiko and Benkei darted across. They raced up the alley, Benkei taking the lead. It switched left, passing a stack of empty sake barrels, and ran behind the village inn.

'There may be more samurai ahead,' warned Akiko, pausing to rest. 'So stay alert.'

Nodding, Benkei slowed his pace. Jack looked over his shoulder to check if any ronin were following. The alley remained clear. He heard a scuffle and a door slam. When he turned back, Akiko had disappeared and Benkei was lying on the floor, clasping his bleeding nose.

'Deh dook her!' he said, pointing to a studded door in the wall of the inn.

Jack could barely believe they'd snatched Akiko so easily. He shoulder-barged the door, grunting in pain as he bounced off. In a fit of fury, he kicked at the hinges, but the door had been barred shut from the other side.

'Akiko!' he cried, but there was no reply.

Dragging over an empty sake barrel, he clambered on top and reached for the tiled lip of the wall. Pulling himself on to the tiles, he then stretched out his hand for Benkei. 'Quickly!' he urged.

Scrambling over, they landed in a courtyard garden.

The unexpected peace and tranquillity was in stark contrast to the chaos of battle and burning buildings. Wooden walkways weaved between manicured bushes and artfully placed rocks. A large hollowed-out stone rippled with water, the constant trickle from a bamboo pipe sounding like evening birdsong. At the centre, surrounded by a thick cushion of green moss, was a cypress tree, its upper foliage bent over providing welcome shade from the beating sun. And set upon a flat bed of rock was a washi-walled tea house, located in prime position to enjoy meditative views of the serene garden.

Jack cautiously trod the walkway leading to the inn's main building. He kept his eyes peeled for any clue to Akiko's whereabouts. Benkei followed the path that circled the cypress tree towards the tea house.

Jack was the first to spot a fresh drop of blood on a rock; then another on the boards at his feet.

'This way,' he said, increasing his pace.

Suddenly there was a whump and a crash of branches, as if a bird had been startled. Jack looked round for Benkei, but he was gone.

Shading his eyes against the sun, he glanced up. His friend swung helplessly, upside down, from the top of the cypress tree, its branches no longer bent now that the snare had been triggered. Benkei dangled unconscious high above the garden.

'Alone at last!' declared a figure, silhouetted within the tea house.

56.

A Hand for a Hand Jack spun towards the tea house, his katana unsheathing in the blink of an eye. 'Where's Akiko?' he demanded.

The washi screen drew back to reveal his rival. 'All in good time, gaijin,' said Kazuki.

'No, this ends here and now,' said Jack, advancing on him.

Kazuki held up his black-gloved hand in warning and Nobu appeared at his side, cracking his knuckles threateningly. 'If you want to see your precious Akiko alive, don't dare take another step!'

Jack froze where he was, hating the control his rival wielded over him.

'I intend to relish this moment to the full,' announced Kazuki, taking a sip from a steaming cup of green tea. 'Everything has gone according to plan. I really don't know why I didn't think of this before. It would have saved all that pointless chasing.'

Jack's eyes scanned the inn's garden. If Kazuki and Nobu were here, then the other members of the Scorpion Gang had to be too.

'I realized you'd have to pass through this village on your way to Nagasaki,' explained Kazuki, revelling in his own cleverness. 'There's no other route from Shimabara. All I had to do was hire a bunch of ronin, set a few traps and wait patiently, like a tiger for its prey. In fact, I'm surprised you made it this far.'