"Yours will be the next," Kira responded, raising her sword high.
Shin Bo Hyun held up his hand. "Kira, you are my betrothed. Please put down your sword and join me at my side. It is, after all, where you belong."
"I am not your betrothed and I will never join you!"
"I beg to differ. The king and queen agreed to our betrothal. We are, in fact, engaged-and it is binding, unless you plan to dishonor your family," he said.
"Shin Bo Hyun! You"re nothing but a traitor!"
"No, I"m not," Shin Bo Hyun replied in all seriousness. "I am completely loyal to my family, as are you. It is my uncle who is the traitor. I merely do his bidding."
"And by what perverted logic does that make you not a traitor?"
"We cannot choose our families, no more than we can choose what we look like. I may not like my uncle, or what he is doing. But I have no choice but to follow his orders." He pointed at her. "Like you. I know you. Loyalty to clan over loyalty to king, isn"t that right?"
"My king is my clan!" she shouted at him.
Shin Bo Hyun sighed. "Let"s not be obtuse."
Kira fought to keep her composure. "Your hypocrisy disgusts me. And frankly, I don"t understand why in the world you would want to marry a woman who plans on killing you."
"Ah, but it is so much more exciting that way!"
Kira rushed forward, aiming for his neck. Their swords met with a loud clash of steel. Shin Bo Hyun blocked and pushed her sword to the side. She instantly backed off, aware that she was fighting in anger. She"d forgotten how good a swordsman he was-as good as her brothers.
He smiled. "Your eyes glow like the brightest gold when you are angry. I can"t wait to see how they will look in our marriage bed."
Disgust rose like bile in her throat. She charged, striking blow after blow as the young lord blocked and pushed back, but he did not take the offensive. Why wasn"t he attacking? Why was he playing with her?
Rage made her sloppy. She twisted her sword sideways and thrust at his rib cage. He parried her strike to the side and grabbed her sword hilt with his left hand.
"Don"t you realize that you are mine?" he asked. He quickly disarmed her and held her tight in his embrace. "Now, Kira, let"s go home."
21.
Kira stared up at him in shock, noting how his eyes seemed both fierce and tender. She slammed her forehead into his chin. He yelped in surprise and loosened his grip.
A sudden shout erupted from Taejo as he hurled himself at Shin Bo Hyun, his short sword slashing the young lord across his arm. Cursing, Shin Bo Hyun blocked Taejo"s wild blows and then knocked away his sword.
Kira kicked at Shin Bo Hyun"s legs just as Jindo attacked his left arm. The lord fell backward and then flipped himself over, away from Kira and the dog.
From the woods came the sound of an approaching army. Kira was relieved to see Kwan and Captain Pak, leading a force of fifty genuine Hansong soldiers.
Captain Pak flung himself from his horse and with his twin blades drawn, challenged Shin Bo Hyun.
"Ah, the good captain arrives in time to save the day!" Shin Bo Hyun said.
The combatants circled each other and struck, their swords sc.r.a.ping and clanging in a discordant din. Even wounded, Shin Bo Hyun was a formidable adversary.
All around them, the tide of the battle turned as Shin Bo Hyun"s men were overcome by the new soldiers.
"Noona! Help me!" Taejo cried out.
Brother Woojin"s face was gray and his eyes remained closed. Gathering up the loose fabric of his robe, she pressed it around the arrow shaft.
Kira looked up to see that Pak had disarmed Shin Bo Hyun, but the other man got hold of a fallen staff and bashed Pak in the face before retreating.
Shin Bo Hyun whistled for his horse and in seconds he was mounted. He gazed one last time at Kira before riding away. She was stunned by his look of deep unhappiness. Even more troubling was the recognition that a small part of her was glad he was escaping.
The captain threw a frustrated glance at Shin Bo Hyun before rushing to their side.
"I thought you were dead!" Taejo said.
"Here, let me help, Your Highness," the captain said, taking off his leather gloves as he pressed his hands over the monk"s wound.
All color had leached away from Brother Woojin"s face. His eyes fluttered to gaze up at them.
"Sunim! You saved us," Kira said.
"But now, this is your job alone," he replied. "You must protect Taejo always."
"Don"t talk, Sunim. Save your strength," Captain Pak said.
"No, listen to me, there is no time. The temple is no longer safe for the young prince. You cannot return there. He must be kept safe." Brother Woojin gasped, visibly weakened. "Take him to the last of his family, King Eojin of Guru. Ask for my fellow monk, Brother Boyuk. He will help you."
"Sunim!" Taejo cried. "Please don"t die!"
Brother Woojin called Kira"s name. She leaned over so he could see her.
"Young mistress," he whispered. "Protect him with your life, or all will be lost."
"On my honor," she said.
A soldier approached the captain and spoke quietly to him. Captain Pak nodded and rose to his feet.
"Your Highness, the enemy has been routed. But we must leave soon. These woods are not safe for you."
Taejo didn"t move. He held on tight to his tutor"s hand.
"I won"t leave Sunim!"
"You must," Brother Woojin said. He winced in pain.
"The monks will take him back to the temple," Captain Pak said kindly. He signaled to his men. They helped the prince to his feet and guided him away.
Kira was overcome with pain and guilt. They should have stayed in the temple. She should never have taken the prince on a hunt. She gazed at the carnage. The smooth heads and gray robes of the temple monks littered the forest floor. Survivors were praying over their lost brethren.
Some of the dead were monks she had sparred with, eaten meals with. They had laughed, sung, and prayed together. But now they were gone. Tears seeped through her tightly shut eyes. She"d made a grave miscalculation, and many people had died because of it.
"Kang Kira, you"re wounded! Let me help you." Jaewon put out a hand to help her, but she ignored it.
"It"s all my fault," she said. Unable to bear his sympathy, she walked away.
She stopped short when she came upon a still figure propped up against an ancient tree stump. It was Brother Insu, his open eyes fixed in death. A sharp pain shot through her chest.
She knelt at his side. "I"m so sorry," she whispered. She placed a trembling hand over his eyes, closing them forever.
22.
The savory smell of roasting meat filled the air. They had ridden for hours before making camp by the banks of an unfamiliar river. Kira sat under heavy furs, trying to warm up. Her left arm had been tightly bandaged but still throbbed in pain. Taejo was rolled up in his blankets, Jindo panting softly by his side. Kwan and Jaewon were also nearby, enjoying the fire. Kira sensed Jaewon gazing at her, but she avoided him.
Taejo sat up. "Where are we?"
"We are some one hundred and fifty li east of the temple, still in Tongey territory," Jaewon replied. "You were fast asleep, easy to transport. In fact, easier than the enormous boar you hunted."
"How did you carry it?" Taejo asked.
"Ah, the efficiency of the Hansong soldier!" Captain Pak said, coming up from behind to pat his shoulder. "We don"t leave meat behind, if we can help it. We butchered the carca.s.s, then wrapped the meat in maple leaves and cloth. We kept the skin intact for you. Perhaps when we get to the northern kingdom, we"ll find a tanner."
Taejo shrugged at the captain"s words. He squeezed between Kira and Kwan in front of the fire as Seung pa.s.sed wooden bowls of food to everyone. The meat was rich, the juices soaking into the rice and barley below it, but it could have been bark for all the pleasure it gave Kira. She ate to fill her stomach, uncaring of what she placed in her mouth.
When she was done, she looked at her companions. Her brother sat hunched over, staring into the fire, while Jaewon and Seung ate quietly nearby. The captain sat across from her, eating ravenously.
"Thank you for coming to our aid today. How did you escape from the Yamatos?" she asked.
"These soldiers here were part of the Hansong garrison deployed to the Jinhan Kingdom," Pak said. "When Jinhan fell, their commanding officer charged them to return home and protect our capital. But it was too late-Hansong had already fallen. Fortunately for me, they came to my rescue during the Yamato attack where we parted."
"My oldest brother, Kyoung," Kira said. "He was deployed to Jinhan. Have you seen him?"
Pak shook his head. "I haven"t seen him, but don"t worry, young mistress. Word is that he made it safe out of Jinhan and is traveling north."
Kira was relieved to hear Kyoung was alive.
"We were very fortunate today," she said. "How were you able to find us?"
"You must thank your brother, for he is the one who led us to you," the captain said.
Kwan was studying his bowl, his face grim. It was unusual for him to be so quiet. He"d not spoken a word to Kira since his return. Something was wrong, but Kira was afraid to find out what it could be.
Jaewon cleared his throat and spoke up. "The G.o.ds are definitely watching over you both," he said. "We met up with the captain and all his new men not too far from the river crossing."
"Fortunate indeed! We had no way of finding the temple without you!" Captain Pak interjected.
Jaewon nodded and continued his tale. "When we reached the mountains, the monks were already on a search mission because of a troubling vision Master Roshi had. He sent us after the others. That"s how we found you."
"Do you have any news about Hansong? About my mother?" Taejo cut in.
Jaewon hesitated and glanced at the captain.
Captain Pak leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We were able to gather some news from locals and fleeing refugees. Your mother, the queen, is a prisoner of Lord Shin, who has proclaimed himself the king of Hansong. She is being kept in the dungeons until she agrees to marry him."
"She will never marry that murderous traitor!" Taejo shouted.
"She may not have a choice," Captain Pak said. "They have threatened to kill you if she does not. The only reason she hasn"t agreed is because she knows they haven"t captured you yet."
Taejo jumped to his feet and began to pace. "We have to rescue her," he said. "We must go back!"
"You know that"s impossible," Kira said.
"No, it"s not! I command you to take me!" Taejo raised his voice. "My father"s dead; I won"t let them kill my mother, too!"
Kira and the captain both rose, trying to calm him down, but Taejo was hysterical.
"If you will not take me, I"ll go myself! I don"t need any of you!"
"No!" Kwan shouted. He slammed his bowl down on the ground, the remaining food splattering everywhere. "Don"t be stupid! If you went home and were captured, the queen would wed Lord Shin just to save you. He would become rightful king of Hansong. And then he would kill you anyway, just as he has killed everyone else."
His anguish made Kira freeze in place, remembering what Shin Bo Hyun had said. She had not believed him.
"No. Not Mother," she whispered. She approached her brother. "Where"s Mother? What happened?"
"She"s dead," he said. Kira could see her brother blinking back his tears. "They killed her, and I wasn"t there to help her."
It was so much worse to know the truth. Something was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She gripped her brother"s arm. "Oppa, it"s not true," she said. "Please tell me it"s not true."
Kwan lifted his eyes, revealing his grief. "It"s all my fault, Kira. I should have left the prince with you and gone back for Mother. But I didn"t. And now she"s dead. It"s all my fault."
He pushed her away and bolted from camp.
"Oppa!" Kira ran after him, but he disappeared into the woods. She wandered along the perimeter of camp until she reached the river and sat on a log half buried in the bank, wishing all of this were just a nightmare she would wake from. Her mother was not a soldier. She should have been safe. Kira saw again the procession of colorful hanboks falling from the cliffs into the Han River.