‘I see you’re making friends already,’ said Captain Spilbergen, striding down the gangplank on to the quay. As tall and sturdy as a mast, the Dutch captain cut a fine figure in his brown leather jacket, black breeches and white linen shirt with its stiff lace ruff. In emulation of Sir Walter Raleigh, he sported a trimmed beard and thin moustache of light auburn hair.

‘Here,’ he said, handing Jack a heavy purse. ‘Your share of the cargo’s profits.’

Jack held up a hand in protest. ‘You’ve done more than enough bringing me home.’

Captain Spilbergen laughed off the suggestion. ‘Nonsense! You and your rutter cut a whole year off our route and saved me a fortune in supplies and wages.’ He thrust the purse into Jack’s hands.

Gratefully accepting the money, Jack put the purse into his pack beside a dark oilskin-bound book. This was the precious rutter that he’d battled to keep safe and in his possession during his long years in Japan. His father’s navigational logbook was one of the few accurate rutters in existence and it had helped Jack guide Captain Spilbergen’s small fleet of ships across the oceans and through the North-East Passage – the fabled shortcut between Europe and the Far East. This knowledge alone made the rutter invaluable. But its value went beyond safe navigation and secret trading routes. For Jack, the rutter was his last link to his father.

‘Are you sure you won’t stay aboard as a permanent member of my crew?’ continued the captain. ‘I could do with a fine pilot like you.’ His keen eyes scanned the ships in dock. ‘In fact, Captain Kroeger could damn well do with you too! Where the hell’s the Salamander got to?’

‘Thank you for the offer, Captain,’ replied Jack, ‘but I have to find my sister. It’s been seven years. Jess must think I’m dead!’ – like our father, he thought with a sudden stab of sadness. While he longed to be reunited with his sister, Jack dreaded having to tell her that their father had been killed by a ninja – the cruel and ruthless assassin Dragon Eye. The only comfort he could offer her was that Dragon Eye was dead too. Justice had been served when Jack’s friend Yamato had sacrificed himself to save Jack and Akiko from the ninjas during the battle of Osaka Castle.

‘Well, it’s been good sailing with you,’ said the captain, laying a callused hand on Jack’s shoulder. ‘I wish you luck in your quest. Remember, you’ve always got a place aboard my ship.’ Then he turned to Akiko and Yori. ‘The same goes for you. I expect you’ll be seeking passage back to the Japans at some point?’

Akiko bowed. ‘That’s very kind of you, Captain, but my fate is bound with Jack’s.’