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Back The Ring of Wind
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 ensuing days had been a blur of preparation. Weapons were sharpened; cannon were inspected and cleaned; iron shot and daejon fire arrows loaded aboard; horoku hand bombs assembled and primed; extra casks of gunpowder stowed below decks; defensive brocade curtains hung along the gunwales; and every ship made ready to sail at a moment’s notice.

A bell tolled three times.

‘TO YOUR SHIPS!’ cried Tatsumaki, knowing the Sea Samurai had been sighted.

The Wind Demons thundered along gangplanks, raised sails and took up oars.

Li Ling turned to Jack. ‘Being a pirate certainly isn’t dull,’ she said, forcing a smile.

‘A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for,’ replied Jack, recalling the words of his father. ‘I suppose it’s the same for pirates. If you want to be one, you have to go out and fight.’

‘For riches or for worse!’ she said, patting her sword and clambering aboard the Koketsu to take up her post. Jack, however, had other plans now that all the Wind Demons were distracted. He turned to head the other way back to the citadel. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

‘Stay with me, Jack,’ said Tatsumaki pointedly. ‘The safest place for you is in the belly of the dragon.’

Fifty pirate ships in all left the lagoon and entered the straits. The Koketsu was at the head of the fleet. No longer a secret weapon, it was now the flagship of the Wind Demons in a battle that would ultimately decide who ruled the Seto Sea.

Jack looked out of the front porthole with Tatsumaki and Li Ling. He gasped at what he saw. It seemed as if the pirates’ fate was already sealed. Stretching from east to west was a formidable armada of over a hundred warships. A deadly combination of swift kobaya, warrior-bearing seki-bune and heavily gunned atake-bune were closing in on Pirate Island. The Wind Demons’ ships were outnumbered two to one. But if the Pirate Queen was unnerved by the samurai’s display of force, then she didn’t show it.

‘We know these waters,’ she said. ‘We have the advantage.’

‘I must be seeing things,’ said Li Ling, pointing to a structure in the middle of the Sea Samurai fleet. ‘That looks like a … castle?’

‘That’s the Nihon Maru,’ replied Tatsumaki darkly. ‘Daimyo Mori’s command ship.’