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Back The Ring of Wind Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. CHRIS BRADFORD
  2. Contents
  3. Map: The Japans – 17th Century
  4. The Letter
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. Notes on the Sources
  69. Ninja Pirate Ship Competition
  70. Japanese Glossary
  71. Acknowledgements

The captain gave Jack a dismissive look. ‘They had a chance to get away. That’s more than the Sea Samurai would ever allow us!’ he snorted. ‘Besides, no one escapes Pirate Island alive.’

He eyed Jack meaningfully. Only now did Jack realize why Tatsumaki had wanted him to witness this atrocity … to convince him how futile any escape attempt would be.

44

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Pirate Town

Unwilling to be deterred by the Pirate Queen’s veiled threat, Jack announced that evening to his friends, ‘I’ve found our boat!’

Miyuki, Saburo and Yori could barely contain their excitement at the news.

‘So we leave tonight!’ insisted Miyuki.

Jack shook his head. He told them about Captain Kujira’s cruel display of target practice. ‘We’d be spotted immediately by the lookouts on the other island – then blown to smithereens.’ His friends’ elation slumped into despondency.

‘But what other option do we have?’

‘None really,’ replied Jack. ‘Our only chance is to escape under cover of the next black moon.’

‘But that’s two weeks away,’ despaired Saburo.

‘I know, but we need that time to figure out how to break free from this room and get down to the jetty without being spotted,’ explained Jack. ‘Besides, I still don’t know where the skiff is moored. And we don’t want to be hunting for it in the dark.’

‘Perhaps Tatsumaki will let us go before then?’ Yori suggested optimistically.

‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ said Miyuki.

‘But Jack said she was pleased with the information he’d given her.’

‘The Pirate Queen is just dangling our freedom as a carrot to keep Jack talking.’

Despite harbouring the hope that Tatsumaki would keep her word, Jack knew Miyuki was probably right. He was proving too valuable to the Pirate Queen for her to ever let him go. And Tatsumaki was astute enough to realize that the rutter was only as good as the pilot who interpreted it. She would need his first-hand experience to achieve the logbook’s full potential. They would never be allowed to leave Pirate Island, blood oath or not.

Another week passed. The daily sessions with the rutter grew more in-depth and Tatsumaki’s interrogation became more searching. Jack continued to skip crucial bits of information, but Captain Hebi seemed to sense when he wasn’t revealing all the facts and had the unsettling knack of getting him to divulge more than he wanted. The longer he spent explaining the secrets of the logbook, the more the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for the pirates. Jack realized that he and his friends had to escape at the next black moon, before the Wind Demons acquired enough knowledge to use the rutter for their own ends, with or without him as pilot.