Prophecy. Part 3

"But what if it's true? I can't discount it. I've seen too many unusual things in my lifetime to ignore this prophecy. The most unusual and wondrous thing I've ever seen is my very own daughter." He paced back and forth for a moment as he spoke. "When your mother was carrying you, we all believed that her tiger dream was an omen-a sign that you would be a great warrior. And we were right. But over the years, as I have watched you grow and seen your remarkable talents, I've come to realize that the dream was in fact not an omen but a visitation."

"A visitation?" Kira asked. "What do you mean?"

"In your mother's dream, a large tiger leaped out of the bushes and placed its head gently on her lap. Its golden eyes were the same color as your own. I believe that tiger was the embodiment of your tiger spirit. Your gifts come from it-your great strength and speed, your keen senses, and your ability to hunt demons. There is no one else in the world like you. It is your tiger spirit that makes you who you are."

Kira blinked in surprise at her father's words.

"Kira, I've never shared this story with anyone else, not even your mother. But when you were a very small child, I took you and your brothers on a pilgrimage to Stone Temple. On our way, we stopped for lunch and you wandered off. When I found you, you were lying between the paws of a sleeping tiger, fast asleep. At my approach, the tiger growled at me and I froze. It rose to its feet and stalked away. I should have been frightened, but I wasn't. I knew that the tiger would not harm you."

Her father's words brought to mind a long-ago memory. She had an impression of being lost and then comforted by the warmth of a large but gentle animal. She also knew that when she was very injured or sick, she would dream of a tiger and she would always feel better.

"If I can believe that the heavens have blessed me with a tiger-spirit daughter, then how can I doubt the existence of a Dragon Musado?" he asked.

Kira didn't know how to react to her father's words.

"I believe that one person can change the world. Whether he is the Musado or a girl with a tiger spirit. The monks teach that we mere mortals cannot question fate. But I say that we control destiny by our every action. Our power lies in the choices we make." Her father placed his warm hand on her cheek. "In the choices you make. Remember, stay true to yourself and do what your heart tells you is right, and not what is easy."

She pondered her father's words, profoundly affected by his confidence in her.

"Father," she replied, "I will not disappoint you."

6.

She stood in the dark recesses of an archway on the palace's southern walls. The walls were built over a high-ridged cliff that led to a straight drop over the widest part of the Han River, serving as a natural defense for the city.

From the depths of the river, there rose an unnatural mist, dense and thick. She watched as a lone figure came out onto the walkway. The gold braid that edged his black jacket was a clear mark of his senior officer status. He wore a vest of scale armor with a long sword tied to his waist. His face was obscured by his helmet.

Kira breathed in the chilly air. It coursed through her lungs, heightening her sense of dread as she watched the officer move through the mist. He stopped to speak to a sentry.

Suddenly, the officer stabbed his fingers into the sentry's neck. Other than a small gasp, no sound could be heard as the officer moved on, leaving the guard frozen in place, his face a comical grimace of shock.

Moments later, five guards met the same fate. The traitor moved to the center turret and waved a lantern high above his head three times.

Ten a.s.sa.s.sins, dressed all in black, skimmed over the top of the river. They scaled the wall with their hands and feet, as if they weighed no more than air.

A cry from within a high sentry tower was cut short by a shower of arrows. Out of the thick, rolling mist of the river, hundreds of lights began to flash. They were from the lanterns of a huge fleet of enemy ships.

Kira ran and found herself face-to-face with an a.s.sa.s.sin. Lashless solid black eyes stared at her, unblinking above a dark leathery mask. She flinched as the mask shimmered and peeled away, revealing razor-sharp fangs. A snarling demon launched itself at her face.

The sickening rip of flesh brought her flailing out of her dream.

She rolled off her futon and stumbled from her room. She could smell the stench of the demon.

Heedless of the pain of the stone pavement on her bare feet, she shoved past guards on duty as she flew up the fortress-wall staircase and onto the bricked walkway.

Five sentries gaped at her, first in shock and then in amus.e.m.e.nt. She realized how bizarre she looked, dressed in her white nightclothes, her thick hair billowing around her shoulders.

Ignoring the guards, she peered over the ledge of the southern wall. The waters below were dark and calm. No fog-just the moonlight shimmering across the softly lapping water. Kira gazed long over the expanse of the river, noting the quiet wooded landscape of Kudara across the way.

She closed her eyes in relief. Her vision hadn't occurred yet, but she knew that it would happen, like all her past ones.

Ever since her first vision warned her of the demon attack on the prince, Kira had learned to remember and a.n.a.lyze her dreams. The handful of visions she'd had over the years had always come true. Her stomach churned: a traitor was in the senior ranks, and a demon attack was forthcoming. She had to warn her father at once.

Without a word to the curious guards, Kira rushed down the stairs and collided with the person she least wanted to see, Lord Shin Bo Hyun. The young lord wrapped his strong arms around her, drawing her close to him.

"Kira, what an unexpected but welcome surprise," he said as he released her slowly. "What brings you out in such delightful disarray?"

Kira's shock was soon replaced by anger. He was the only person, outside of her family, to speak to her with such familiarity. Stepping away, she tied her hair with a piece of cord she always kept on her wrist and shoved it all under her shirt.

"Your pardon, my lord," she said between gritted teeth. "Please excuse me as I am unfit to be seen."

"I beg to differ," he said. Kira could hear the laughter in his voice. "The vision of your beauty will keep me awake tonight."

Ignoring him, she tried to pa.s.s, desperate to talk to her father.

"Don't leave," Shin Bo Hyun said as he blocked her path. "Come walk with me for a little while. After all, we are to be married." He reached over to pull at her hair.

Kira whipped her hair away and walked backward, stopping only when she felt the cool stone wall behind her. "We are not betrothed yet. My father has not agreed to it," she said, trying to compose herself.

He closed the distance between them, forcing her to look up into his face even as she put up a hand to keep him at bay.

"I doubt even your father can refuse the king and queen on this." He bent down to whisper into her ear. "I must say I was quite surprised by my uncle's request that we marry. You know that he's not your family's biggest supporter. And while I didn't think I'd have to marry this young, I am very pleased with this betrothal."

"That makes one of us, my lord," Kira said.

"We are slaves to our family obligations," he said. "Duty binds us. But I think this duty will not be so onerous. And it will be far less dangerous than chasing demons."

She narrowed her eyes at him, surprised at his words. Kira pushed him away. "I disagree. I think it will be far more dangerous." She paused. "For you."

He laughed; his teeth flashed in the dim light. "I've always really liked you."

"Huh, you had a funny way of showing it," she said.

Shin Bo Hyun shrugged and stepped closer. "I did enjoy torturing you when you were little. You were always so serious and self-righteous."

"And you are an egotistical show-off, who always thinks he's right," she retorted.

"See, that's why I like you," he said. "You've never been a fawning toady like all the other court ladies with their pretty words and empty heads. All they do is simper and giggle and say *yes, my lord,' *of course, my lord,' *whatever you say, my lord.' The thought of being wed to one of them makes me want to cut my ears off. At least you I can tolerate."

This stopped Kira short. She didn't understand him at all. He was unlike any of the other n.o.bles of the court, who usually pretended she didn't exist. That was the problem-he'd never ignored her.

She studied his face. His dark-brown eyes were deep-set and creased with laugh lines, at odds with the severity of his prominent nose and hard jaw. In repose, his face was cruel, like a hawk, making him seem older and more mature than his nineteen years. But tonight, in the dim light of the lanterns, his eyes crinkled in good humor and he looked young and approachable. No, she didn't understand him at all.

"Why?" she asked. "I'm the dreaded Demon Slayer. People think I'm a k.u.miho. Why would you want to have anything to do with me?"

"Because you'll never bore me," he said.

"So if I'm boring, you'll object to the betrothal?" she said hopefully.

He observed her with a curious gaze. "My uncle is the head of the family. I owe him my duty. To do otherwise would dishonor my entire clan. I would marry a bald, cross-eyed idiot if that is what he asked of me."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better!" Kira sneered at him. "There goes my plan to shave off my hair."

"That would be a crime," he said. "I'm afraid I wouldn't allow that."

"You have no right to tell me what to do," she said. "And don't tell me you will when we're married, because that's not going to happen!"

"I don't understand you," he said with a puzzled expression. "You are bound by your duties even more rigidly than I am. You can't disobey the queen."

Kira grew fl.u.s.tered. Her entire life had been geared toward serving the royal family. She didn't want to disobey the queen. But this was the one thing in her life that she wanted to control.

"I don't want to marry! Especially not you," she said. The images of her nightmare flitted through her mind again. "I don't have time for it."

"Perhaps I can change your mind," he said.

"No," Kira bit off the word, wishing she could bite his head off.

"I'll take that as a maybe," he said.

Kira struggled to breathe normally, hoping he couldn't hear the erratic beat of her heart. There was something so mesmerizing about him-the sleek lines of his masculine body, the broadness of his shoulders. Disgust at herself triggered a fresh wave of anger.

"Leave me alone!" She shoved him hard.

Shin Bo Hyun put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture.

"There's that legendary temper." He grinned. "I was wondering when it would show up. I've always loved making you mad. Your eyes turn a deep golden color."

Crushing the urge to punch him, Kira shouldered past him and stomped away. As she rounded the castle wall, she glanced back to see if he was following her. Shin Bo Hyun remained where he was, staring after her with a thoughtful expression.

Wiping him from her mind, Kira ran to her family quarters. She knew one thing with absolute certainty.

Trouble was coming.

7.

Several days later, the palace was bustling with news. A diplomatic envoy had arrived during the night from Jinhan, demanding an immediate audience with the king. Since then, the hallways had been filled with senior advisers, military generals, and diplomats, as messengers raced all about the palace grounds.

Kira watched her young cousin pace the entire length of the courtyard. His large white dog came bounding over.

"Hey, Jindo," she said. She bent down slowly to caress the dog's thick, soft fur.

Jindo lapped at her face and b.u.t.ted her shoulder playfully. His fluffy tail curled up to nearly touch his back, at odds with the proud tilt and carriage of his large, triangular head. Her cousin was lucky to have such a loyal companion.

It would be another hour before the sun rose. But everyone was ready, and the hunting dogs strained eagerly against their leashes.

There was no sign of the king.

"Where could he be?" Taejo asked.

Kira shook her head in commiseration and leaned against a column. She knew her cousin was anxious about his first real boar hunt. But the truth was that this trip was merely a ruse to take the prince to safety. When she'd told her father of her dream, he'd consulted with the king and they'd agreed to this course of action.

Just then, a loud salute heralded the arrival of the king, General Kang, and several court advisers. The king was dressed in an armored tunic instead of his hunting outfit.

"Father, are you not coming?" Taejo asked in alarm.

"Forgive me, my son, but troubling news has reached us from Jinhan and the south. It appears that the Yamatos have captured Kaya and are now pressing on Jinhan's southern borders. We have sent troops to them, but we must prepare for war to reach Hansong."

"Then we should cancel the hunt and I should stay home with you," Taejo said. "What if something happens while I'm gone?"

The king laughed as he cuffed his son on the cheek. "Do not fear! Our walls are unbreachable."

Kira shivered at her uncle's words, her nightmare flashing before her eyes.

"You will have your first boar hunt and stay at Stone Temple until I can join you," the king said.

"But Father-"

"That is an order," the king said with mock sternness.

Someone tapped Kira on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw her brother Kwan motioning her over to where the general stood waiting for them. She followed Kwan into a large garden pavilion, out of earshot of the hunting party. Kira and Kwan were dressed alike, both in their saulabi uniforms underneath black leather hunting armor. Kira's dark hair was tied neatly in a long plait and covered with her nambawi, as usual. She carried her bow and arrows and her sword strapped onto her back.

There was a frown on General Kang's rugged face.

"Kyoung left yesterday for Jinhan," he said. "Today, I send my two youngest off with the prince. My heart is heavy."

He rubbed his forehead. "I admit to having misgivings about this trip, but Kira's dreams have never been wrong, and the king wants to keep Taejo safe from harm. The boar hunt is a perfect diversion for sending Taejo away. The traitor will not know we are suspicious, and we can find him while the prince is hidden."

General Kang turned to Kira. The flickering flames of the lanterns surrounding them lent shadows to his face.

"What is it, Father?" Kira asked.

He shook his head as if to ward off his worries. "The king insists that Lord Shin escort your group. He will send a message to Lord Shin when it is safe for the prince to return."