Chris Bradford - Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword

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First published 2009

Text copyright Chris Bradford, 2009
All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

ISBN: 978-0-14-193148-7

Disclaimer: Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword is a work of fiction, and while based on real historical figures, events and locations, the book does not profess to be accurate in this regard. Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword is more an echo of the times than a re-enaction of history.

Warning: Do not attempt any of the techniques described within this book without the supervision of a qualified martial arts instructor. These can be highly dangerous moves and result in fatal injuries. The author and publisher take no responsibility for any injuries resulting from attempting these techniques.

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Praise for Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior:

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

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

I promise you will hold your breath until the end this is a super novel First News

The story brims with energy, suspense and thrilling, if violent, action Books for Keeps

This is a very fast-paced book, with tons of action the book keeps things moving right along with no dull moments School Library Journal

A cutting-edge James Bond thriller, Oriental style Japan Times

Chris Bradford likes to fly through the air. He has thrown himself over Victoria Falls on a bungee cord, out of an airplane 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 swordmanship and has earned his black belt in taijutsu, the secret fighting art of the ninja.

Before writing the Young Samurai series, Chris was a professional musician and songwriter. Hes even performed for 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, and two cats called Tigger and Rhubarb.

To discover more about Chris go to youngsamurai.com

Books by Chris Bradford

The Young Samurai series:
THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR
THE WAY OF THE SWORD

For my mother

Japan, August 1612

The Deathstalker is the most poisonous scorpion known to man, explained the ninja, taking a large black specimen from a wooden box and placing it into his students trembling hand. Armed, silent and deadly, its the ultimate assassin.

The student tried in vain to control her shaking as the eight-legged creature crawled over her skin, its stinger glistening in the half-light.

She knelt before the ninja in a small candlelit room crammed full of ceramic jars, wooden boxes and little cages. Inside these containers were an array of poisonous potions, powders, plants and creatures. The ninja had already shown her blood-red berries, bulbous blowfish, brightly coloured frogs, long-legged spiders and coils of black-hooded snakes each specimen lethal to humans.

One sting from a Deathstalker and the victim suffers unbearable pain, the ninja went on, observing the fear flare in his students eyes. Convulsions are followed by paralysis, loss of consciousness and finally death.

At this, the student became still as stone, her eyes fixed on the scorpion crawling up her arm and towards her neck. Paying no attention to the imminent danger his student was in, the ninja continued with his instruction.

As part of your ninjutsu training, you must learn dokujutsu, the Art of Poison. When youre sent on missions, youll discover that stabbing your victim with a knife is messy and theres a high chance of failure. But poisoning is silent, hard to detect and, when administered properly, guaranteed to work.

The scorpion had now reached her neck, having crept into the inviting dark of her long black hair. She turned her head away, trying to distance herself from the creatures approach, her breathing shallow and rapid with panic. The ninja ignored her plight.

I will teach you how to extract the poison from different plants and animals, and which ones you should apply to your weapons, mix in food and lace your victims drink with, the ninja said, running his fingers over a cage and making the snake inside strike at the bars. You must also build a tolerance to these poisons, since theres nothing to be gained from dying by your own hand.

He turned to see his student raising her arm to brush away the scorpion nestled in the crook of her neck. He gently shook his head.

Many toxins have an antidote. I will show you how to mix these. Others can be overcome by taking small amounts of the poison over time until your body has built a natural defence against it. There are others, though, for which no antidote exists.

He pointed to a tiny blue-ringed octopus, no bigger than a babys fist, in a trough of water. Beautiful as it is, this animals venom is so powerful it will kill a man in minutes. I recommend using this one in drinks like sak and sencha, since it is tasteless.