Chris Bradford - Ring of Fire (Young Samurai)

CHRIS BRADFORD

PUFFIN

PUFFIN BOOKS

YOUNG SAMURAI THE RING OF FIRE

A fantastic adventure that floors the reader on page one and keeps them there until the end. The pace is furious and the martial arts detail authentic Eoin Colfer, author of the bestselling Artemis Fowl series

Fierce fiction captivating for young readers Daily Telegraph

Addictive Evening Standard

More and more absorbing vivid and enjoyable The Times

Bradford comes out swinging in this fast-paced adventure and produces an adventure novel to rank among the genres best. This book earns the literary equivalent of a black belt Publishers Weekly

The most exciting fight sequences imaginable on paper! Booklist

Winner of Northern Ireland Book Award 2011
School Library Associations Riveting Read 2009
Shortlisted for Red House Childrens Book Award 2009

Chris Bradford likes to fly through the air. He has thrown himself over Victoria Falls on a bungee cord, out of an aeroplane in New Zealand and off a French mountain on a paraglider, but he has always managed to land safely something he learnt from his martial arts

Chris joined a judo club aged seven where his love of throwing people over his shoulder, punching the air and bowing lots started. Since those early years, he has trained in karate, kickboxing, samurai swordsmanship and has earned his black belt in , the secret fighting art of the ninja.

Before writing the Young Samurai series, Chris was a professional musician and songwriter. Hes even performed to HRH Queen Elizabeth II (but he suspects she found his band a bit noisy).

Chris lives in a village on the South Downs with his wife, Sarah, his son, Zach, and two cats called Tigger and Rhubarb.

To discover more about Chris go to www.youngsamurai.com

Books by Chris Bradford:

The Young Samurai series (in reading order)

THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

THE WAY OF THE SWORD

THE WAY OF THE DRAGON

THE RING OF EARTH

THE RING OF WATER

THE RING OF FIRE

For the Pocket Money Puffin series

VIRTUAL KOMBAT

For my son, Zach,
the fire in our lives

CONTENTS

THE LETTER

Japan, 1614 My dearest Jess, I hope this letter reaches you one day. You must believe Ive been lost at sea all these years. But youll be glad to know that I am alive and in good health. Father and I reached the Japans in August 1611, but I am sad to tell you he was killed in an attack upon our ship, the Alexandria. I alone survived. For these past three years, Ive been living in the care of a Japanese warrior, Masamoto Takeshi, at his samurai school in Kyoto. He has been very kind to me, but life has not been easy. An assassin, a ninja known as Dragon Eye, was hired to steal our fathers rutter (you no doubt remember how important this navigational logbook was to our father?). The ninja was successful in his mission. However, with the help of my samurai friends, Ive managed to get it back. This same ninja was the one who murdered our father. And, while it may not bring you much comfort, I can assure you the assassin is now dead. Justice has been delivered. But the ninjas death doesnt bring back our father I miss him so much and could do with his guidance and protection at this time. Japan has been split by civil war and foreigners like myself are no longer welcome. I am a fugitive. On the run for my life. I now journey south through this strange and exotic land to the port of Nagasaki in the hope that I may find a ship bound for England. The Tokaido Road upon which I travel, however, is fraught with danger and I have many enemies on my trail. But do not fear for my safety. Masamoto has trained me as a samurai warrior and I will fight to return home to you. One day I do hope I can tell you about my adventures in person Until then, dear sister, may God keep you safe. Your brother, Jack P.S. Since first writing this letter at the end of spring, Ive been kidnapped by ninja. But I discovered that they were not the enemy I thought they were. In fact, they saved my life and taught me about the Five Rings: the five great elements of the universe Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Sky. I now know ninjutsu skills that go beyond anything I learnt as a samurai. But, because of the circumstances of our fathers death, I still struggle to fully embrace the Way of the Ninja

FROZEN

Japan, winter 1614

Jacks limbs were frozen solid. He was so cold he could no longer even shiver. Only sheer willpower kept him putting one foot in front of the other as he battled through the blizzard.

He seriously regretted his decision to take the mountain route. He may have evaded the Shoguns samurai, but hed barely made it over Funasaka Pass alive. During the night the weather had turned harsh, battering him into submission and forcing him down the mountainside.

The icy gusts cut through his silk kimono straight to the bone like knives. Jack clasped his body for warmth, his head down to the wind, his thin straw hat offering poor protection against the stinging snow. Upon his hip rattled the two red-handled samurai swords his best friend, Akiko, had given him. Slung across his back was the pack that contained her black pearl, five stars and, most importantly, his fathers rutter the priceless navigational logbook hed fought tooth and nail to keep safe. Yet, however precious these items were to him, they were now like lead weights round his neck.

Cold, tired and hungry, Jack felt the last of his strength ebbing away.

Glancing up to get his bearings, there was nothing to see. The landscape was shrouded in a thick blanket of white, the sky swallowed up by endless grey clouds. Behind him, his lone track of footprints was already disappearing beneath a new veil of snow.

At least Im off the mountain , he thought, taking in the vast featureless expanse of the Okayama Plain. Perhaps I should rest awhile. Let the snow cover my body. No one would find me, not even Kazuki

Jack shook himself. He couldnt allow such self-defeating thoughts to overwhelm him. Fighting his exhaustion, he focused on the burning hope in his heart: of returning home to his sister Jess.

Since leaving his friends the samurai Ronin and the girl thief Hana hed been making good progress with his escape to Nagasaki, the southern port where he hoped to find a ship bound for England. Miraculously, hed passed unscathed through the outskirts of Osaka. Hed then followed the coastal road, avoiding all the samurai checkpoints, to reach the castle town of Himeji. Here Jack made his first mistake. Having run short of supplies, hed risked buying some rice in a market with the last of his coins. But the Shoguns samurai were everywhere on the lookout for foreigners, in particular a samurai. Although hed tried to keep his face hidden, Jack was spotted and forced to flee. For the next three days, troops of samurai were hard on his trail. He only managed to lose them when, using his ninja stealth skills, he broke from the coastal road and headed deep into the mountains.

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