Jack looked at Akiko. ‘I think we fight first, ask questions later?’

‘Agreed,’ said Akiko, stringing an arrow.

Weapons raised, they entered the gallery. Two against one, Jack thought they could swiftly dispatch this ninja. But he hadn’t reckoned on walking into a trap. As they passed through the doorway, another ninja ambushed them from above. Dropping down from the wooden lintel, the assassin landed on Akiko’s back like a black panther.

‘You left this behind!’ hissed the ninja in Japanese.

A gleam of gold flashed through the air. Akiko shrieked in pain as the sharpened hairpin was driven into her shoulder blade. Her whole body arched and she dropped to her knees. Jack elbowed her attacker hard in the face, knocking the ninja off Akiko’s back. In so doing, he dislodged the ninja’s mask, revealing … a female face. A kunoichi. While this didn’t shock Jack, he still hesitated in his follow-up attack, giving the kunoichi a chance to retreat to a safe distance.

Squirming in agony, Akiko desperately reached for the kanzashi protruding from her shoulder. The hairpin, thanks to her quiver, had missed the paralysing ryumon ki point by a fraction, yet it still sent shockwaves of pain through her body. Jack went to help her, but was kicked aside by the other ninja and he slid across the polished floorboards. Winded heavily by the brutal attack, Jack lay sprawled on the floor, and it was a few seconds before he could get back to his feet. The ninja strode towards Jack, katana raised. A succession of lethal slices from the sword forced Jack to retreat along the gallery, separating him further and further from Akiko.

Meanwhile, the kunoichi had by now taken a broadsword from the weapons rack and was bearing down on Akiko to finish her off. With the kanzashi lodged in her back, Akiko could only feebly raise her yumi in defence. The bamboo bow shattered under the force of the kunoichi’s strike but was still enough to deflect the blade’s heavy blow. Scrambling away, Akiko snatched a rapier off the wall and retreated down the hallway. The kunoichi went after her, slow and certain as a hunter stalking a wounded prey.

‘Akiko!’ cried Jack, desperate to follow and save her. But the ninja with the katana blocked his path, leaving Jack no option but to battle his way through. Taking up a fighting guard, he demanded, ‘Who are you? Why are you trying to kill us?’

The ninja didn’t reply. But his sword did.