Prophecy (19 page)

She didn’t respond to anyone. Not to her brother’s questions as he cared for the worst of her wounds. Nor even when Taejo cried to see her so battered and bruised. Fear of what she would say kept her quiet. But on the inside, her emotions were in turmoil. She thought of her mother and the other trapped shadows and her inability to help them. She relived the attack, letting guilt seep into her thoughts, wondering if she should have warned the men of the imp first, wishing she hadn’t pulled out her sword.

Lying alone in her tent, she felt the warm embrace of a tiger curled up by her side, purring gently. It emitted a golden light that surrounded them both. She could feel how its
ki
, its pure tiger energy, transferred into her body. Kira touched its soft fur. Powerful muscles rippled under her fingertips. The energy was giving her strength again.

“My father was right,” she said. “I always thought you were just a dream. But you’re real. You are my tiger spirit.”

The tiger purred in response.

“Thank you,” she said.

It opened its eyes, which were golden in color, just like Kira’s.

Don’t despair, my child. I am always with you
.

She heard its words in her mind, and the hate and anger released itself. It didn’t matter what the world thought of her. She was the girl with the tiger spirit. Finally at peace, she buried herself deeper into the tiger’s embrace and fell asleep.

She didn’t wake until the following evening, when hunger forced her to leave the tent. Outside, she saw her brother, Taejo, Jaewon, and Seung, sitting on furs spread across the ground. They stood up at her approach.

“Noona!” Taejo rushed over to grab her hand and pull her over to sit by his side. “I’ve been so worried about you,” he said.

As she sat, she could see that more than half of the campsite was empty. Kwan caught her look.

“They left this morning. We will leave tomorrow,” he said.

She nodded and thanked Seung for the bowl of rice gruel he’d brought over. It was thick and flavorful, filled with small pieces of chicken and vegetables. She ate slowly, avoiding everyone’s concerned looks. Taejo sat close to her, occasionally patting her knee or arm. She tolerated it, more for his sake than for hers.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, peering up at her.

She could hear the fear and concern in his voice, and it reminded her of how important he was to her.

“I’m fine,” she said, ruffling his hair. “You know I’m a fast healer.”

Except for the bruises on her face and arms, and a lingering stiffness, she was pain-free.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jaewon asked. His face showed his disbelief.

Kira cracked her knuckles. “You want to fight me and see?”

“No way! I believe you.” He laughed.

Kwan leaned over to command her attention. “Kira, I tried one last time to see the monk. He must know by now how badly we need to talk to him. It’s been so frustrating!” He slammed his fist into his hand. “I say we head down to the Diamond Mountains and seek the first of the Dragon King treasures on our own. Maybe the treasures will help.…”

He trailed off, but Kira knew he was thinking about their mother’s spirit. Kira nodded grimly. They needed to get going.

“But we don’t know where to go,” Taejo burst in.

Jaewon nodded. “I must agree with the prince on this. We can’t go blindly into the mountains. They say there are over ten thousand peaks. Without knowing where to look, we’d be hopelessly lost.”

Kwan stood and paced about. He picked up a few pieces of wood from a nearby pile and began to fling them into the fire, shooting up sparks all about them.

“We can’t stay here forever! We must act now!” he said.

Jaewon crossed to Kwan and took away a large branch from him before he could throw it.

“I thought that King Eojin was the Dragon Musado?” he asked.

“He’s not,” Kira said sharply. “Sunim said it was Prince Taejo.”

Jaewon shrugged. “Maybe he was wrong?”

“He wasn’t wrong!” Everyone froze at her outburst. Kira sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t explain it, but I just have a strong feeling it isn’t my uncle.”

Suddenly, they heard the sound of shuffling steps along with an even thud. Brother Boyuk was approaching with the help of a stout walking stick.

“Young mistress is right. My esteemed brother was not wrong,” he said. He placed his hands together and bowed.

“King Eojin is a good man, but he is set in his ways and immovable once his decision is made. When I arrived, I explained to the king the mission you and your friends must embark upon. But he refused to let me speak with any of you, for it is a long and treacherous route back into enemy territory for such youngsters, and not a one among you has yet to see twenty years.”

“That wasn’t his decision to make,” Kira said.

“I agree,” he said. He bowed in thanks as Seung set out a fur rug for the monk to sit on. “But remember the king’s tragic history. He doesn’t want to lose any more of his family.”

Kira shuddered as a cold wind whipped through their campsite. She stared into the fire, thinking of what the monk had said. It explained much, but Kira still couldn’t forgive the king.

“I know, young mistress, that you and your brother have been seeking me,” Brother Boyuk continued. “Forgive me for being unavailable, but I have been waiting for the right moment. If you will follow me, I will show you.”

He grabbed a nearby torch and began to leave the campsite. Mystified, Kira rose to her feet and followed the monk to the edge of the forest. The others were close behind.

As they reached the forest line, Brother Boyuk spoke a few words to the guards, who then let them pass. Within the forest, Kira followed the monk until they reached a clearing, where a lone figure sat quietly meditating before a campfire.

“Sunim!” Taejo shouted.

Brother Woojin rose to his feet, a wide smile creasing his entire face.

“Sunim, you’re all right!” Kira said as she rushed over. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Yes, yes, I’m all right,” Brother Woojin said, laughing at their joy at seeing him. “I am quite durable, you see. I may be old, but I am tough.”

Kira was relieved to see Brother Woojin again. He was someone familiar and comfortable. He brought back a sense of balance she hadn’t even known she was missing.

“Your Highness, now that we are together again, we must discuss our course of action,” Brother Woojin said.

Kira nodded. This was the moment she’d been waiting for.

Brother Woojin sat down again. “It is time for us to seek the first of the treasures. Master Roshi is concerned about how much time has passed already. We must be at the Dragon King’s birth cave before the New Year is upon us. We have twelve days left. Time is running out.”

Taejo started in alarm. “No! We go with my uncle! We need to save my mother!”

“That is not your mission, my prince. The time has come for you to seek the tidal stone.”

“But my mother …,” Taejo pleaded.

Kira put an arm around Taejo’s shoulders and gave him a hug.

“We need to do this,” she said. “It’ll be OK. We’ll be with you. I’ll be with you.”

Taejo leaned his chin into his hands with a heavy sigh. “What does the tidal stone look like? And how are we to seek it?”

“They say it is a ruby larger than a chestnut,” the monk said. “Don’t worry about how to find it. If you are the true Musado, then the tidal stone will present itself to you.”

“But what if I’m not?” Taejo asked.

Brother Woojin was quiet. “Let us just worry about getting to the Diamond Mountains for now.”

Kira bit her bottom lip, considering the foreseeable problems. “We will need a good plan on how to slip away without notice.”

“Yes, and you’ll need to prepare supplies for the trip,” Brother Boyuk said.

“This is insane!” Jaewon interrupted. “The Diamond Mountains are on the eastern shore of Tongey. The whole southern peninsula is now under enemy control. The battle we’re now heading toward lies right between us and the mountains. How by the gods are we to make it through?”

“By having faith,” Brother Woojin answered. He bowed and raised his clasped hands to the heavens.

“And a huge diversion.” Brother Boyuk grinned. “What better diversion than an advancing army of a hundred thousand men!”

The plan was to
sneak away as Eojin and the Iron Army attacked the port city of Wonsan, where Yamato was waging a full siege. With his focus on his battle plan, Eojin ordered Taejo to stay close to camp with his cousins, guarded by Captain Pak and his men. Brother Boyuk would stay close to Eojin and keep him away.

At night, the element of surprise would be strongest for the attack and for their escape also. Kwan would create a distraction while Jaewon and Seung readied their horses for the long journey.

Inside the tent, Kira and her cousin sat fully clothed and armed, waiting for Kwan to signal for them.

“Do you think we’ll see our uncle again?” Taejo asked. “Will he be angry? Will he forgive me? I mean, he won’t think I ran away because I’m afraid, will he?”

“If anything, you are running toward more danger, so it isn’t a lack of courage, and he’ll know that. And yes, we’ll see him again. Besides, you wrote him that long message.”

She’d agreed to let him leave a scroll with Captain Pak, to be delivered in the morning, once they were long gone.

A soft whistle trilled nearby, the slight vibrato indicating Kwan was ready for them. Kira pulled out her knife and slit the back of the tent wall. She slung several bags of provisions and their water sacks over her shoulder and stepped through the slit, Taejo right behind her. They marched quickly along the path, joining up with Kwan.

Once clear of the tents, they headed to the latrines, waiting for the night patrol to pass before ducking into the dense line of trees behind them. Another low whistle alerted them to the others’ presence. They followed the signal to a clearing where Jaewon, Seung, and Brother Woojin stood with their horses. All their weapons had been hidden and loaded earlier. Jindo dashed over, happy to see Taejo.

“Let’s go,” Kwan said.

They rode slowly through the forest by the dim light of the moon and stars, Kira in the lead. They traveled southeast, stopping only to rest their horses when the fog became too dense to ride.

Six days later, they glimpsed the glistening peaks of the Diamond Mountains.

Kwan led them out of the forests and onto a rocky trail along the seashore. He was cautious, stopping often and keeping careful watch up ahead. They’d already been in numerous run-ins with demons and imps and avoided one close call with a Yamato patrol. Each time, Kira’s nose warned them of danger. Since reaching the Diamond Mountains, there’d been no demon sightings at all, as if the mountains themselves were protected.

Kira breathed in the cold, briny air. She gazed at the white-capped sea. Large boulders jutted out of the waters like small islands, stepping stones for the gods. The wind was harsh, buffeting them with a cold spray from the sea.

Taejo rode next to her, hunkered down as close as he could get to his horse, his breath blowing in white clouds before him. She watched as Jindo ran off onto the beach, chasing the receding waves and racing away from oncoming ones.

The rest of the day, they traveled along the sea road as the peaks and spirals rose and fell to their right. By late afternoon, they reached a bay where a large white-sand beach encircled a portion of the turquoise sea gently lapping at the shore. The water was calm here and gave them a brief respite from the harsh winds of the sea. The road suddenly veered away from the shore and turned west into the mountains.

They crossed a wooden bridge over a fast-flowing creek and found themselves not far from a small but picturesque temple with several larger buildings surrounding it. Numerous statues of small animals lined the corners of the temple roof, like tiny guardians. Next to the temple, a small wooden pagoda housed a large bronze bell, while behind it stood a narrow and very pointy seven-story stone pagoda.

The bright-red doors of the temple opened at their approach, and several young monks in gray robes with yellow sashes came to greet them. Brother Woojin dismounted first, placing his hands together and bringing them to his forehead. The younger monks responded in kind and invited the party into the temple. Three small boys with the shaved heads and light-gray robes of young disciples rushed over to care for the horses.

Seeing Jindo, one tiny boy shyly approached Taejo and asked to pet his dog. Smiling, Taejo sent Jindo off with the delighted child, who patted the dog and promised him plenty of treats. Kira waited for Taejo to hug Jindo in farewell one last time before following the others into the warmth of the inner temple.

“Welcome, welcome to Singing Temple!” A wiry old monk stood at the temple sanctuary before a large golden statue of San-Shin, the mountain god. Brother Woojin bowed and greeted the head monk while Kira and the others waited with the young monks.

“I wonder why it’s called Singing Temple,” Kira mused.

One of the monks heard her question and cleared his throat, motioning her closer.