The square had emptied of all people and Jack stood alone. His heart went out to Toge. The farmer seemed crushed by the weight of his grief, all the spirit beaten from him by a tragic life.

Yori returned from the farmhouse. ‘Are you coming, Jack? Neko’s got the fire started.’

Jack sighed. ‘Perhaps Hayato’s right. These farmers are a lost cause. They’ve been so trodden down, they can no longer make a stand, even if they want to.’

‘Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day,’ replied Yori. ‘But teach him how to fish, and he’ll never starve.’

‘But they’ll need a lifetime of teaching before they can defend the village,’ argued Jack. ‘We’ve only a few days. This crusade of ours is futile.’

‘If you’ve nothing to lose, then nothing can be lost in the trying,’ countered Yori. He paused, clearly pleased with his new proverb. ‘Akuma will attack whether you help or not. But you’re giving these farmers a fighting chance. That’s more than they’ve ever had before.’

29 Wanted

29

WANTED

‘Jack! You’d best hear this for yourself,’ said Miyuki, waking him the next morning.

She roused the others and led them quietly to the back of Junichi’s farmhouse. Peering through the gap in the wall, they could see a crowd of villagers gathered before Junichi, Toge and Yoshi. A young farmer sat in the middle of the room, all eyes and ears fixed on him.

‘And who told you this?’ asked Junichi.

‘A travelling merchant,’ he replied. ‘A sign’s been posted in Okayama market.’

‘How much is the reward?’

‘Four koban!’ he breathed, his eyes wide.

There was a collective gasp of amazement and the farmers began to whisper excitedly to one another.

‘That’s enough gold coin to feed the entire village for over a year,’ said Junichi, rubbing his stubbled chin thoughtfully.

‘Or we could pay off Akuma,’ suggested one of the farmers. ‘And we wouldn’t need to fight.’

‘It’d certainly be less painful than suffering the torture of any more army training!’ said Toge.

Junichi held up his hand for silence. ‘Are you suggesting we turn Jack Fletcher in?’

‘Without question!’ declared an elderly farmer. ‘He’s a wanted criminal. A traitor to the Shogun.’

‘No!’ cried Sora, pushing his way to the front. ‘Jack’s our saviour.’

‘He’s our downfall!’ shot back the farmer. ‘If we continue to protect him, the Shogun will raze our village to the ground and kill us all!’

The other farmers murmured their agreement.

‘But without Jack, we’re at the mercy of Akuma.’

The elderly farmer snorted. ‘That gaijin doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s just a boy playing at being samurai! Desperation drove us to use him. But now we have a better option.’