‘Isn’t it obvious?’ said Rose. ‘They’re after you.’

‘But why?’ said Jack.

Rose shrugged. ‘You’ll have to ask them, won’t you.’

‘Judging by their actions so far, they’re not here to talk,’ said Akiko.

Jack grimaced. ‘Perhaps we should’ve faced them down rather than run like cowards.’

‘A gazelle runs from the lion, not through fear but for love of life,’ said Yori sagely.

‘Yori’s right,’ said Akiko. ‘We’re not here to fight; we’re here to find your sister.’

‘But who would send ninja on an assassination mission halfway round the world?’ asked Jack.

‘Dokugan Ryu?’ suggested Yori, swallowing hard at the mere thought of Dragon Eye.

‘Impossible. He’s dead,’ said Jack bluntly. Although, after the nightmarish vision in London, he wasn’t so sure. The ninja’s spirit clearly continued to haunt him.

‘But his clan isn’t,’ reminded Akiko. ‘His successor might consider that Dragon Eye’s death still needs to be avenged, just like the kagemusha before him.’

‘Or maybe it was Shogun Kamakura?’ said Yori. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if that man’s dying wish was to have you killed at any cost!’

Jack nodded thoughtfully, recalling the late samurai lord’s determination to wipe out all foreigners from Japan, in particular the ‘gaijin samurai’, whom he considered an abomination. ‘That might at least explain why the plague doctor was carrying a katana,’ he said.

Yori frowned. ‘Did you get a close look at the blade?’

‘Too close!’ replied Jack. ‘But to be honest, I wasn’t studying its craftsmanship at the time.’

‘That’s a pity,’ said Yori. ‘If its design contained a kamon, we might be able to identify the owner from their family crest.’

Akiko shook her head. ‘Not necessarily. Ninjas sometimes take the weapons of their victims. They believe the spirit of those they have vanquished in battle transfers to the weapon and adds to its power. So that katana could be wielded by anyone.’

‘Well, whoever they are, and whatever they want, let’s not find out in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night!’ said Rose, glancing behind at the dark and forbidding road. ‘If those ninjas have tracked you all the way from Japan, then a river – even in flood – isn’t going to stop them.’

‘I agree with Rose,’ said Jack, quickening his pace. ‘We need to stay one step ahead of them.’

27: Harvest Festival