BooksBarbecue
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

A katana rested on the lower shelf. He snatched it up and secured it to his obi just as he heard a girl scream. Disregarding his own safety, Jack flung open the cabin door.

‘LI LING?’ he shouted above the noise of the battle and the groans of the dying.

‘Jack, HELP ME!’

Heading in the direction of her voice, he found her trapped between two cannon. A cruel cut across her arm had forced her to drop her weapon. A samurai twice her size closed in for the kill. He lunged at her with his sword. Li Ling ducked behind a barrel, the steel blade glancing off the iron muzzle. The samurai struck again, but this time Jack intervened. Blocking the thrust with his katana, Jack side-kicked the man over an Earth cannon. The samurai tumbled head over heels and was knocked out cold by a pile of cannonballs.

‘This way!’ said Jack, grabbing Li Ling’s hand and pulling her towards Tatsumaki’s cabin.

But no sooner had they taken two steps than a shrouded face materialized out of the smoke.

Dragon Eye.

54

Image Missing
Spike

The ghostly apparition caused Jack to halt in his tracks. Frozen with shock, his limbs simply refused to respond as the ninja advanced, the blade of Black Cloud dripping red with blood.

Only when he sensed the tug from Li Ling as she dragged him away did the spell break. They fled blindly through the fog, colliding into beams, cannon and bloody brawls. In the confusion of smoke and battle, it was hard to tell who was friend and who was foe. Shadows fought through the swirls, every figure threatening to be Dragon Eye.

Jack stumbled over a dead body and lost his grip on Li Ling. A pirate woman grappling with a samurai bowled into him. The three of them staggered across the deck, Li Ling vanishing into the smoke. A knife flashed past Jack’s eyes before burying itself in the samurai’s throat. The pirate woman, seized by bloodlust, turned on Jack to do the same to him. But a flicker of recognition stayed her hand at the last moment.

Then her eyes bulged and she collapsed to the deck, sliced clean through from shoulder to hip. The glistening blade of Black Cloud preceded the ominous silhouette of a shinobi shozoku.

Jack dived away, hoping to lose Dragon Eye amid the smoke. But, everywhere he turned, the ninja seemed to loom towards him. Ducking and weaving between the cannon, Jack made a sudden switch for the other side of the ship. The smoke cleared briefly and he spotted daylight. Above him, an exploded hatch offered a way out. Scrambling up the steps, he emerged on to the Koketsu’s roof.