‘Be more careful with them this time,’ cautioned the captain. ‘Remember, they’re our esteemed guests.’

Tiger eased his grip and Skullface imitated a formal bow to their captives. ‘This way, if you please.’

With little alternative, Jack and his friends followed. But Yori stopped at the steps and turned back to the captain.

‘I have a question. How did you survive the dragon?’

Captain Kurogumo raised his eyebrows. ‘You really want to know our secret?’

Yori nodded.

The captain leant in close to Yori and, with a conspiratorial whisper, revealed, ‘We feed it little juicy samurai!’

The startled expression on Yori’s face caused Captain Kurogumo to laugh out loud.

They could still hear him laughing when Skullface imprisoned them in the cage on the main deck.

‘I’ll be watching you like a hawk,’ he warned Jack. This time, he left two guards at the gate before stalking off with his gang.

‘Ah! The fish food returns!’ croaked a familiar voice. In the corner, the Korean slave rocked on his haunches, observing Jack and the others with crazed amusement.

Saburo slumped to the deck, his head in his hands. ‘After all we’ve been through, we’re back where we started! I almost wish we had been eaten by that shark.’

‘I don’t,’ said Yori quickly, shuddering at the memory. ‘We should be grateful for small blessings – at least we’re alive!’

Jack looked up at the sun, which hovered over the starboard bow of the Black Spider. ‘And we’re heading in the right direction this time.’

‘How can you be so upbeat?’ said Saburo. ‘Even as we speak, the pirates are likely devising some evil way to torture us.’

‘No, we’re valuable to the Wind Demons now – that means they won’t harm us.’

‘You are,’ corrected Miyuki darkly. ‘I doubt that we’re so privileged.’

With regret, Jack realized she was probably right. ‘Well, we escaped before,’ he said, eyeing the cage’s weakened lock. ‘We just need to find the right moment to do it again. And remember Cheng is on our side.’

‘Is he?’ questioned Miyuki, glancing towards the upper deck where Captain Kurogumo was talking intently with the pirate boy, who appeared to be nodding obediently.

As the evening stretched on, Jack bided his time. Yet not even the slightest opportunity to escape presented itself. The guards remained vigilant and the pirate ship sailed on across the Seto Sea, unopposed. Jack tried to keep his friends’ spirits up, but they were so exhausted that he worried they wouldn’t have the strength to make a run for it, when an opportunity did present itself.

Just before sundown, Cheng appeared with a jug and two large bowls of rice. The guards opened the gate and allowed him in.

‘Food and water by orders of the captain,’ he explained.

‘Is it safe?’ asked Saburo warily.

Cheng nodded. ‘I prepared it myself … since the cook’s dead.’