‘You go,’ replied Miyuki, urgently striking a flint and steel over a small black tube. She cursed and struck again. ‘I hoped we wouldn’t have to use this.’

‘What are you talking about?’

More sparks flew until a bright light flared in Miyuki’s hands.

‘The Ring of Fire!’ cried Miyuki, standing up with the tube’s fuse burning fiercely. ‘Our last line of defence.’

With a snap of her arm, she hurled the container of gunpowder into the air. It flew over the rice store and towards the southern moat. Jack and Miyuki watched it tumble towards its target … and land short.

‘I’ll get it,’ said Jack, scrambling for the ladder.

But Miyuki grabbed him. ‘There isn’t time,’ she explained, furious with her failed throw. ‘It’ll detonate before you get there.’

Jack’s eyes flicked to the still-burning charge and knew she was right.

‘NO!’ he cried, suddenly spotting Neko dart from the square towards it.

But Neko couldn’t hear him. She ran like the wind, snatched up the tube and flung it into the ditch. By now the bandits were storming the moat from all directions. A second later, the detonator exploded and a wall of fire rocketed into the sky.

Neko was blown off her feet and engulfed in flames. Explosions shook the ground as each gunpowder charge Miyuki had laid was triggered. The fire raced along the moat, following the trails of lamp oil she’d carefully poured over the thorn bushes the night before the black moon.

Farmers and bandits alike stared in abject terror as a blazing ring of fire encircled the village. The unfortunate bandits caught up in the inferno screamed as they were incinerated in a matter of seconds.

Jack gazed upon the scene in shock and awe. ‘I never imagined the Five Rings could be so powerful,’ he breathed.

‘Too powerful … sometimes,’ replied Miyuki, a tear running down her cheek. ‘Neko’s gone.’

Jack looked down at the spot where Neko had stood. There wasn’t a trace of her left. He felt his heart crack with grief. They may have dealt a devastating blow to Akuma, but the price had been high. Neko had been the reason Jack had agreed to save the village in the first place … and now she was dead.

Miyuki started to sob. ‘It’s … my … fault.’

‘No, the blame lies with Akuma – and always will,’ said Jack firmly. ‘Neko may have been silent as a mouse, but she had the courage of a lion. Without her sacrifice, Akuma’s men would be slaughtering everyone in the village by now.’

Jack’s thoughts turned to Hayato and Yuudai, praying they’d somehow survived. He couldn’t see Hayato from the watchtower, but Yuudai was propped up against a hay bale, a small group of farmers gathered by his side.