Ninja (3 page)

Black Eagle Castle

I speed-run through the forest, moving like the wind between the trees. Cho is ahead of me. She leaps over a log, as light and fast as a young deer.

We carry almost nothing since we need to be fast. I have my
shuriken
stars in my pack. Cho has a grappling hook on her belt and a sword strapped to her back. We are both dressed head-to-toe in the black uniform of the ninja.

We climb high into the mountains and take a short-cut into the next valley. We must catch the samurai before they get to their castle.

Cho helps me across a rocky river-bed and up the other side. I'm panting now and my legs shake with the effort of the climb. As we get to the top of the ridge, Cho suddenly stops.

“We're too late,” she gasps.

I look down into the gorge below where a fast-flowing river runs. Marching up the road, a troop of samurai cross the river's only bridge and enter Black Eagle Castle.

The castle rises out of the rock like the broken tooth of a giant. A high wall surrounds the castle on all sides. Samurai guards armed with spears and swords stand on the battlements.

“What do we do now?” I ask Cho.

“Wait here until sunset,” she says. “Then enter the castle.”

“Do you know where the Scrolls will be?”

“No,” Cho replies. “But if we find Lord Oda, we find the Scrolls.”

I try not to show my alarm at this plan. Back at the temple, I was confident. Now I've seen the castle, with its high walls and armed guards, I'm no longer so bold.

The sun drops behind the mountains and the gorge grows dark. In the night sky a full moon rises.

“Time to go,” says Cho, running along the ridge to where a tall tree has fallen and now spans the gap.

“We'll cross one at a time. You go first,” orders Cho.

I take a look at the tree she wants me to use as a bridge and an ice-cold shiver of fear runs down my spine. The river roars far below and I'm glad I can't see the terrifying drop in the darkness. As I cross, the tree creaks and groans like it's about to break.

“Keep going!” hisses Cho.

Once I get to the other side, Cho follows. She's more bold than me and gets across in a few easy leaps.

We now climb down the mountainside behind the castle. It's very dangerous. The cliff face is steep and it's hard to see where to put my hands and feet. But we can't risk being seen by the samurai.

At last we reach the bottom and I breathe a sigh of relief.

We hide behind a rock as a samurai patrol passes by, then we make a dash for the castle wall. Cho throws her grappling hook high into the air. It catches on the top of the wall and we climb up the rope.

Then we're inside the castle and we must stay alert. Samurai are everywhere. My heart is thumping in my chest as we creep down a flight of stone stairs and into a court-yard. In the center is a water well, on the other side a storehouse and in the far corner a cherry-blossom tree.

As we make our way across the court-yard, we hear the sound of foot-steps. We duck inside the storehouse and watch four guards walk by.

“There are too many patrols,” whispers Cho. “You stay here, while I find out where Lord Oda is.”

I nod and Cho vanishes down a passageway. I want to do more than just hide but I know Cho's acrobatic skills will allow her to move through the castle without being found. She'll find Lord Oda far quicker on her own.

As I wait for her to return, I hear voices coming from the opposite direction. Two men stride into the court-yard, with guards all around them. One is short and round as a ball. He's talking loudly to the other, who is tall and looks like a warrior. This man is dressed in a gold silk robe with a black eagle crest on his back. In the light of a lantern, I spot the red scar on his cheek. It's Lord Oda!

The war-lord Oda leaves the court-yard with his guards and I wonder what to do.
Should I follow? Or should I wait for Cho?

If I wait, we might lose Lord Oda. If I go, I could find the Scrolls.

This is my chance to prove myself as a real ninja.

Chapter 8

A Difficult Choice

I stay hidden in the shadows as I follow Lord Oda to the castle's main tower. A short while later, I see lamps being lit on the third floor.

I tell myself I must remember the Grandmaster's lesson – I must enter the tower from a different direction. I climb the outside wall up to a third floor window. When I look in, I see a painting of a black eagle on the ceiling. This must be Lord Oda's bedroom. His mattress is rolled out on the floor, ready for the night. Beside his pillow is a wooden box. A picture of two hawks is carved on the lid. Two hawks – the emblem of our clan. I've found the Scroll box!

I can hear Lord Oda and the other man talking in the next room. Without a sound I climb in through the open window. It's very narrow, but I'm small enough to slip through. When I climb down, I land on a loose floorboard. It squeaks as my feet touch it.

In the other room the voices stop.

I've a split-second to decide – I can climb back out the window … or hide.

Lifting up the loose floor-board, I clamber into the hole below and lie down. Just as I lower the board back into place, the bedroom door slides open.

“There's no one here, my lord,” says a guard, his sword at the ready. “It must have been a mouse.”

“We can't be too careful now we have the Scrolls,” says Lord Oda. “Double the number of patrols.”

“We already have, my lord,” answers the guard.

“Then double them again!” Lord Oda orders.

The guard bows and closes the door.

I decide to stay put. Now I know Lord Oda has the Scrolls, I only have to wait for him to go to bed. Then I can steal them as he sleeps. My only worry is Cho. She will think I've been caught.

By the time Lord Oda puts the Scrolls back in their box and settles down to sleep, my body is stiff from lying in the tiny space under the floorboards. I climb softly out of my hiding place and creep across the room towards the sleeping samurai. I match my breathing to his breathing, just as the Grandmaster told me.

By the pale light of the moon, I can see Lord Oda's swords lying next to his bed. It would be justice for this samurai to die by his own sword.

In my head, I hear the Grandmaster say, “Complete the mission and
nothing
else.”

I have to make a choice – the Scrolls or the sword …

As I reach out, my arm blocks the moonlight that shines onto Lord Oda's face.

A small but deadly mistake.

Lord Oda's eyes snap open. For a moment, we stare at each other in shock.

Then he screams, “GUARDS!”

I grab the Scroll box and make a dash for the window. But Lord Oda grabs me before I can get there. I fight to break free, but he's too strong. As Lord Oda reaches for his sword to kill me, I thrust my thumb into the nerve point behind his collarbone.

The Dragon's Gate.

He cries out in pain and drops to the floor.

I stuff the box in my pack and scramble out the window as the guards rush into the room. They're too big to follow me through. I clamber down the tower as fast as I can. When I am back on the ground, I run to the courtyard to find Cho. But she's nowhere to be seen.

All of a sudden samurai guards appear from every direction and block any hope of escape.

Chapter 9

The River

“Kill him!” snarls the head guard.

The samurai draw their swords and attack. I take out my
shuriken
.

The pressure is on. Five throwing stars. Five samurai.

I can imagine Renzo's gloating face waiting for me to fail.

I throw one
shuriken
after the other. I hit the first samurai in the hand. He drops his sword. The second throwing star strikes the next man in the chest. The third catches the head guard in the throat. The fourth samurai is stopped by a
shuriken
star in his arm. The fifth
shuriken
… misses.

It hits the cherry-blossom tree instead. The last guard swings his sword to cut my head off. It's too late for me to avoid the blade.

At the last second, Cho drops from the tree like a black butterfly. She knocks the guard aside with a flying front kick. The tip of his sword just misses my neck.

The guard attacks Cho. As he cuts down with his sword, Cho leaps forwards and grabs his arms. She spins into him, then throws him over her shoulder. He flies through the air and falls down the well. There's a terrified scream then a
splash!

Cho turns to me. “I saw you climbing down the main tower. Did you get the Scrolls?”

I nod.

“Let's get out of here then!” she says, as more samurai pour into the courtyard.

We run up the stairs to the top of the wall. There are samurai everywhere now. A guard sees us and shouts for more men.

“Hold on to me,” says Cho, and she throws her grappling hook around a stone statue sticking out of the battlements.

The samurai close in. Cho leaps from the wall. I hang on for dear life as we swing through the air. The ground comes rushing towards us. Cho lets go at the last second. We land, roll and jump to our feet.

Without stopping, we sprint for the bridge. There's no point climbing the cliff. We'd be shot down with arrows. Our only hope is to out-run the samurai.

But as we reach the river, we see the guards have raised the draw-bridge.

“We'll have to swim,” says Cho. She looks scared as she stares at the fast-flowing waters.

“The Scrolls will be ruined,” I say.

“What other choice do we have?” says Cho, as the gates to Black Eagle Castle open and a mass of samurai pour out.

We look for another point to cross the river. But there's nothing. Only a few trees and a grove of tall bamboo next to the riverbank.

All of a sudden I have an idea.

Chapter 10

Decoy

“Where are we going?” asks Cho as I lead her into the bamboo grove. The samurai are behind us and they are getting closer.

“Up!” I reply.

Cho gives me a puzzled look.

“Trust me,” I say, and I clamber up the tallest bamboo stem.

As we both reach the top, the bamboo bends under our weight. It swings down and across the river, and we fly through the air until we're hanging over the opposite bank. We both let go and drop safely to the ground.

The bamboo straightens up again as the samurai appear on the other river bank. They stare at us in shock.

“How did they get
across
?” shouts one of the samurai.

“They must have flown!” cries another.

“It's ninja magic,” says Lord Oda. We see him walk between them with his gold robe glimmering in the moonlight.

As we vanish into the darkness, he bellows, “Ninja, be warned, I'll have my revenge!”

Everyone from our village is at the temple to see us return the Scrolls.

With Cho at my side, I climb the long flight of stone steps.

“I hear you failed your black belt test …
again
,” says Renzo, as we pass him on the stairs.