ILLUSTRATED BY RHIAN NEST JAMES SANDY FUSSELL GOLDEN BAT. Text 2011 Sandy Fussell. Illustrations 2011 Rhian Nest James. All rights reserved.

Transcription

1 ILLUSTRATED BY RHIAN NEST JAMES SANDY FUSSELL GOLDEN BAT

2 A white-haired girl with pink eyes, twelve fingers and twelve toes. Her spirit is the Snow Monkey. A one-armed boy. His spirit is the Striped Gecko.

3 The one-legged boy who narrates the story. His spirit is the White Crane. A huge, strong boy who doesn t want to fight. His spirit is the Tiger.

4 A blind boy. His spirit is the Golden Bat. Swordsmanship tutor to the Emperor s son. His spirit is the Long-tailed Rat.

5 CHEN Young Chinese boy from the streets of Beijing. His spirit is the Red Fox. Also known as Ki-Yaga the wizard. He was once a famous samurai warrior.

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7 The Ocean 13 Swan Geese 27 Dreaded Oong 41 Shark 55 Heroes 75 The Healer 93 Belly Feelings 111 Ambush 127 Pirate Kid 153 Rat Alley 175 Lava Cave 197 Storm Warning 217 Wall of Water 235 After the Flood 251

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9 CH PTER ONE THE OCEAN 13

10 If anyone moves, this boy dies. The dagger is pressed hard against Mikko s throat, a drop of blood trickling down the blade. Don t think I wouldn t do it, the pirate snarls. He means nothing to me. But he means everything to us. We only have one possession of value: our swords. My sword, Izuru, sings to my heart and holds my soul, and I wouldn t hesitate to trade it for Mikko s life. The pirate is not a big man, not much taller or broader than Yoshi. But his eyes flash cold and cruel. His arms are pitted with scars. One of his ears is missing. He is a man used to hard fighting, and seven more pirates stand on the beach behind him. What do you want? Yoshi asks. Word along the coast is that a great swordsman from Japan has come to Cheju Island. It is said Sensei Ki-Yaga never fails. The pirate grins, baring a bridge of yellow, gapped teeth. Tell your master that the captain of the Sea Dragon has a job for him to do. We will meet again on the southernmost beach tonight at midmoonrise. Your friend stays with me to make sure your master does as he is told. 14

11 If anyone moves, this boy dies.

12 My mind races. We are outnumbered. They are bigger than us. Our swords are fast, but the dagger at Mikko s throat would do its murderous work before we could rescue him. But at least for as long as the pirates need a hostage, Mikko is safe. Kyoko wants to be sure. How do we know you won t hurt him? she demands. You have my word, says the pirate. It will have to do. We don t have a choice. Sensei says there is honour even among thieves. I hope that also means pirates. Well, what are you waiting for? the pirate growls. You ve got a message to deliver. The other pirates step forward, their hands on the broad wodao swords at their waists. It s hard to leave Mikko behind. I try to send him a message of comfort. Don t worry. Sensei will teach the pirate captain a lesson. Although Mikko can t hear my unspoken words, he knows me well enough to guess. He winks. Ever since Mikko became the Fire Lizard, he isn t afraid of anything. Not even death. I am afraid for him now. 16

13 Come on, Niya. Taji tugs at my sleeve. Yoshi, Chen and Kyoko have already turned to leave. We don t want to fight. Yet. I hand my crutch to Taji and climb on Yoshi s back. We need to run fast and I won t be able to keep up. Sensei is waiting at the door of the stone hut where we have been staying. He looks old, but there is nothing frail about our master. His mind is lightning bright and he can read our faces like an open scroll. Where is Mikko? he asks. Pirates captured him, blurts Taji. We were down at the beach, lying on the grass talking, when they ambushed us. I didn t hear a sound until they dragged Mikko to his feet and held a knife against his throat. Taji s voice shakes and he sneezes. It s my fault. I m supposed to be always listening. Yoshi puts his arm around Taji. No one is to blame. We were all tricked. Mikko was bleeding, says Chen, softly. His face is 17

14 lotus-flower white. Sometimes it s easy to forget Chen is much younger than us. The pirate captain wants to meet you tonight at midmoonrise on the southernmost beach, Kyoko tells Sensei. He has a task for you. Our master s brow furrows. What dreadful deed will the pirate ask him to complete? Once, Sensei did something so terrible he will not even talk to me about it. Would he do something like that again to save Mikko s life? What do you suggest, Niya? Sensei asks. I stand straight and tall on one leg, like the White Crane. I am proud whenever Sensei seeks my advice. Sometimes too proud. I almost overbalance, but Yoshi puts his arm out to steady me. This pirate captain is no fool. He is well aware of your skills and planned this ambush carefully for a time when you were not there. I do not trust him. Mikko is safe only as long as you are useful. We need to be cautious. The samurai who rushes in is always first to lose his head. The pirate captain needs me, and it seems I need him just as much. I must find a way to tip this balance 18

15 in my favour, and to do that I need to meditate until noon. Without the distraction of my students. Our master turns back into the hut. What do we do now? Chen asks. Let s go back to the beach. Maybe we can learn something. Perhaps the pirates left clues, suggests Yoshi. Maybe the pirates are still there. Taji pauses to sneeze for the tenth time today. They must have hidden a rowboat nearby. If we find them, maybe we can help Mikko escape, says Kyoko. Our mood brightens as we hurry across the grass. The beach is deserted, with no rowboat in sight. Not even a footprint remains on the sand. I gaze at the empty horizon. The sea reaches out towards it, connecting me to the people and places we left behind in Japan. Our ryu in the Tateyama Mountains. Our friend Nezume waiting in Toyozawa Castle. We came to Cheju Island to find a ship to take us to Japan, instead we lost our brother. Our master teaches us it s important to think good thoughts and let them fight their own battles. It s not easy, but I try. 19

16 As soon as Sensei rescues Mikko, we ll be on our way home, I say. Kyoko frowns. Sometimes I think we ll never get there. It s so far. Good thoughts are not winning any battles today. The waves roll on forever. Yoshi sighs. You could walk for a week and never even get to the horizon. If you could walk on water, interrupts Chen. Taji wriggles his toes. I know how the ocean feels. Cool on sweaty feet. I wish I could see it as well. Maybe one day you will. Kyoko pulls a wildflower from her pocket and tickles his cheek. Sensei says anything is possible. I ve been waiting a long time. I m tired of being blind. Taji doesn t look optimistic. I m not convinced either, and I don t want Taji s hopes raised and then smashed into pieces, like shell fragments on the beach. You have to be patient. Just wait and see what happens, I say. I never see anything. Thanks for the reminder, Niya. Taji crumples Kyoko s flower in frustration. I didn t mind not being able to see when it meant I could hear 20

17 better. But now I don t hear the things I should either! What use am I? I didn t hear the pirates, and Mikko is being held hostage. I m a useless samurai. Kyoko glares at me. Overhead, the gulls wheel and turn. Their sharp voices screech even harsher disapproval. Niya s arrows sometimes miss and Yoshi s plans sometimes go astray. Kyoko punches Taji lightly on the arm. No one is perfect all the time. Not even me. Once I lost a wrestling match. More than once. But that argument can wait. Let s go down to the water and swim, I say, changing the subject. The pirates won t harm Mikko because they need him to make Sensei do their bidding. Worrying about it will only cloud our judgement. If we clear our minds with a swim, we will return to Sensei refreshed and ready to help. When Kyoko beams approval, the sun is suddenly twice as warm on my back. Yoshi stares nervously at his sandals. I think we should stay here. The tide might be dangerous. My friend has avoided the ocean ever since the voyage from Japan, when he dived into the ocean dragon s 21

18 mouth to try and save Captain Oong. The monster storm swallowed the captain and Yoshi returned to the boat empty-handed and sad-hearted. We ve been on this island for three days and haven t gone in the water once. I want to go swimming too. Chen is my student and always agrees with me. I bet that s why Sensei chose me to teach him. Chen and I think in the same direction. Still Yoshi hesitates, his lips drawn tight. I would really like to feel how blue the sea is today. There is nothing to be afraid of. This ocean is our friend. Taji pauses to sneeze. It doesn t roar and bellow. All right, concedes Yoshi, helping me up and passing my crutch. Being brave isn t just about wielding a weapon in combat. It s also about facing the fears inside your heart. What about our swords? asks Kyoko. We can t leave them unattended. They won t be out of sight. We will be able to see them here, I say. Just a quick swim, adds Chen. We look to Yoshi to make a decision, but he shrugs. 22

19 He doesn t want to go down to the water anyway. Raise your hand if you think it is okay to leave our swords unattended for a short time, says Chen. My student is smart and full of clever ideas, like his spirit, the Red Fox. He doesn t have a real sword yet, but even his wooden practice bokken is important to him. One by one we put up our hands. Taji drops his sword at his feet. I m going in now. We add ours in a pile. Reluctantly, Kyoko places hers on top. Race you, challenges Taji, running down the slope and across the sand. Not being able to see where he is going doesn t stop Taji from getting there. Wait for me, I yell. I can t run as fast on one leg. He doesn t wait and neither do the others. Chen slaps me on the back as he tears away. In our school there are no allowances for having one leg or one arm. Or being blind. We all have different skills. Just because you cannot see a strength, does not mean it is not there. Just because you cannot see a sword swipe does not mean it won t whack you in the nose. Three times Taji has 23

20 broken my nose with his training bokken. I never once saw it coming. It s not easy walking across sand with a bamboo crutch, so I throw it back up on the grass and hop the rest of the way. It s hard work, but I m an excellent hopper. I ve had a lot of practice. The ocean is worth the effort. My toes sink in the sludgy sand and the sea dribbles around my ankle. Cheju Island is at the far end of the Kingdom of Joseon, as close to Japan as possible. When we dip our feet in the current, the ripples wash all the way back to Nezume. In you go. Yoshi pushes me from behind. I reach out to grab him and catch Chen instead. Off balance, he tumbles into the waves with a wet splat. He emerges coughing and spitting sea water. Kyoko flops in the water beside Chen, kicking clumps of wet sand at me. I glance back at our weapons gleaming in the sunlight. The afternoon is filling with good thoughts, after all. Sensei will find a way to rescue Mikko and then we can go home. I m heading out further, says Taji. He wades until the waves are wrapped around his stomach. 24

21 Me too. With strong, confident strokes, Yoshi swims past Taji into the deeper water. He s not afraid of the sea now. Watch out for sharks, Taji yells. The local fishermen have been telling us shark tales ever since we arrived. Sharks are worse than the monsters of the night forest and the trickster ghosts of Hell Valley. They have more teeth than a tiger. A shark wouldn t even flinch if Yoshi growled at it. But the fishermen said it was safe to swim here. Sharks prefer the beaches where the fishing fleet comes in and unwanted scraps from the day s catch are thrown back to the sea. No one has seen a shark at this beach. But there s always a first time for everything Yoshi must have seen something out there. He is swimming back as fast as he can. I jump up to meet him. What s wrong? Kyoko calls as Yoshi rises in the waist-deep water. Everyone out. Something grabbed me. We scramble after him. What was it? Taji asks. I didn t wait to have a look. Yoshi s breath rasps in struggling bursts. 25

22 Kyoko scans the horizon. I can t see anything. The White Crane can see for miles. But our teacher always says the most important things are under our nose. When I glance down, I see a trail of seaweed on the sand behind Yoshi. His attacker has released its green-fingered grasp. I chuckle. The others follow my gaze. We re all laughing, except Yoshi. You were chased by a strand of seaweed, I say. There might be something else out there, protests Yoshi. Lucky Mikko isn t here to see this. Kyoko giggles. He would never let you forget it. The sun has reached the middle of the sky. It s time to go. Yoshi takes my arm and we hurry along behind, wet clothes slapping sand and salt against our skin. It stings but we don t care. We re ready to face the pirate captain. There s just one problem and it s a huge one. Our swords are gone. How are we going to rescue Mikko now? 26