Child of Vengeance by David Kirk

Author:David Kirk [Kirk, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-385-53664-6
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2013-03-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

A week later, the grass of Miyamoto rippled around Munisai’s feet. It was long, dry, and ragged, the color of straw, but Munisai didn’t care. It was home, and it was a sensation. Over the past seven days the idea of both had become indescribably exquisite.

He crouched, his heart still pounding from the exertion. That too was wonderful, his blood warm and vital, and he thought that he could feel it flowing even through the skin of his fingertips. Breath came from him, in out, in out, tickling the smallest hairs of his beard.

From the ridgetop he looked down upon Miyamoto. The fields were dry now, the harvest gathered and the husks left in stacks to be burned later. Across the valley, a peasant child hiked her skirts up and leapt into the last remaining water in the irrigation ditch as her friends looked on and cheered. Her furious mother fished her out, scolding her to no avail.

In the sky above, a flock of swallows headed for the ocean, fleeing the coming winter for somewhere warmer. They hung in the air for an instant as they turned, a hundred little bodies swerving as one, as though they had felt Munisai’s eyes upon them.

To his side stood Bennosuke, alive.

They had come up here to spar, the dark wood of the dojo suddenly constraining to Munisai. The boy had stored a fortnight’s worth of energy as he waited for his feet to heal, and now that he could walk once more he had quickly tired Munisai.

“I’ve been thinking, Lord,” Bennosuke said now, barely out of breath.

“Upon what?” said Munisai.

“Of what we will do when the Nakata come for us.”

“Oh,” said Munisai.

He had returned from Okayama only last night. There were a lot of consequences for what he had done. A lot of ends that had had to be tied. He had not had a chance to explain to the boy. Bennosuke’s vigor had trapped the words in his throat.

“What we could do is go to that ridge over there,” said the boy, and waved at a distant outcrop of rock with the wooden sword he had been using. “Do you see how it funnels into one high point? They wouldn’t be able to surround us, nor sneak around the back, so they’d have to come at us a few at a time. That’ll make it a little fairer for us.”

“No,” said Munisai.

“I know you think your wound has crippled you, Lord. But even with one hand you are better than any man Nakata could send against you. I’ll stand on your left and shield your bad arm. That way we can stand together. That way we can do it.”

“No, Bennosuke,” said Munisai. He knew well the thrilling rush of determination that coursed through a man when he had dedicated himself to action, and could see it in his son now. The poor boy, excited for naught. “Nakata won’t be coming for a fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Arrangements have been made.”

“What arrangements?” said the boy.

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