Prophecy. Part 6

It was late afternoon when they stopped at a small village in the foothills of the mountains. A steady rain had begun, drenching all of them to their skin.

In the courtyard, Kira dismounted absently, focused on getting her things out of the rain. She realized there was no one to greet them. Kira paused in midstride as she took note of her surroundings.

"Something's wrong," she said.

She scanned the area, but all she could see was a sodden landscape. Kira caught a whiff of the familiar stench of decay and death. Kira swung around to face the building, her eyes widening in horror.

At that moment, Jindo began to bark.

"Captain!" Kira shouted. "Don't enter!"

The captain retreated, calling his men to him. Suddenly, a shower of arrows thudded all around them, taking out four of their men. An animal-like roaring filled the air as the dark forms of Yamato soldiers surged from the inn and surrounding buildings.

Kira grabbed her bow and arrows and shot every one of her thirty arrows, downing any who came near the prince. Exchanging her bow for her sword, she charged forward. Jindo was snarling and attacking any that came near, while the prince's guards formed a close but protective circle around Taejo, each armed with twin swords.

The Hansong royal bodyguards were all masters of sang gum hyung, the double-sword form, and none were more skilled at wielding the twin swords than the captain. Kira admired the brutal efficiency of the two-handed attack. It was not something easily mastered, and yet it wrought triple the damage against a single sword.

Before she could reach the prince, the foul stench of demon rot smothered her senses. Instinct caused her to dive to the left, barely missing the deathblow of a Yamato soldier. Rolling on the muddy ground, she leaped to her feet and looked up into a nightmare. He looked human, until she caught sight of his eyes. They were completely black-no pupils, no irises-with lids that retracted, frog-like. It was an abomination-something that should not exist in her world.

"What are you?" she asked.

The demon creature smiled, exposing sharp, glittering teeth. "I am the first of my kind, but I will not be the last. Half demon and half human. We will be the end of your world."

"You're nothing but a monster," Kira said.

"I am the future."

"Not my future, you hideous half-breed!"

She swung her sword at its head. The creature blocked and parried, forcing Kira away from Taejo and the guards. It was immensely strong, fending off Kira's blows as if they were puffs of air. The creature crashed its sword with harder and harder strikes against Kira's, sending her staggering back, slipping in the wet gra.s.s. It gave her no respite, its sword seeking an opening. Within minutes, Kira was breathing hard as her sword arm trembled against the punishing blows.

"You won't find it easy to kill me, Demon Slayer," the half-breed said with a harsh cackle.

"Personally, I think it's harder to look at you," she said, and grinned.

The half-breed snarled as their swords clashed and beat upon each other in a frenzy. It feinted to the right and then spun around and attacked viciously from the other side. This time Kira did not back down, meeting each blow with an extra burst of strength. She swung her sword in a high arc, forcing the creature to meet it. Pivoting under its arms, Kira kicked the half-breed in the abdomen. The creature somersaulted in midair and landed on its feet.

At that moment, Kira heard Taejo screaming. She could see the Yamato soldiers escaping with the prince. With a harsh yell, she attacked, slashing and thrusting as hard as she could, frantic to save Taejo. She stumbled over a muddy rock, and the creature sliced at her neck, knocking her sword away.

"Foolish girl, did you think you could defeat me? You're nothing but a pathetic mortal, while I'm the best of both worlds! I exist in yours and yet I'm stronger than any of you. Stronger than any demon!"

It raised its sword and lunged down at her with a killing blow. Kira reached into her jacket for her hidden dagger. Whipping around in a full circle, she thrust her dagger up into its chin. The half-breed's sword dropped to the ground as it clawed at her arm, trying to reach her face. Its arms flailed uncontrollably, and then it fell back.

"Too bad you die like a human," Kira said.

She staggered away, unable to contain the shuddering that racked her body. How could such a thing possibly exist? And were there more of them? The very thought of it chilled her. As if demon possessions weren't bad enough, now they had to worry about a new race of creatures out to destroy them. Heavenly Father help them!

She left the dagger impaled where it was and picked up her sword. A quiver full of arrows lay spilled on the muddy ground. Seizing her bow, she raced over to where the others were still fighting. She killed twenty enemy soldiers in a row, uncaring that she was shooting them in the back. When she ran out of arrows, she grabbed her sword again and charged into the fray. She needed to end this now and go after her cousin. Slicing and stabbing with inelegant speed, she slid in by Brother Woojin's side as he fought off three soldiers with his long staff. In less than a minute, she killed all three of them and moved on, never resting, letting her instincts and her training take over until finally there were no more enemy soldiers left.

11.

Kira stood breathing hard, covered in mud, blood, and other parts of the human anatomy that she didn't care to think too hard about.

"Kira!" Kwan shouted as he and Brother Woojin came running up to her. The monk looked exhausted, while Kwan dripped blood both from his sword and a deep wound across his cheek. "They took the prince!"

"I know," she said. "I've got to go after him now!"

She scanned the area. "Where's my horse?"

Not too far away, she saw Captain Pak speaking to his remaining men. Catching Kira's eye, he headed over to her.

"We've lost more than half of our force, and the horses took to the forest. My men are rounding them up," he said.

Kira paced nervously. "They've got Taejo! We don't even know where they're taking him!"

"Hansong," Brother Woojin said. "I overheard the ones who captured the prince. Their orders were to return to Hansong with him alive."

Kira said a silent prayer of thanks that the monk was with them, for he was the only one in their group who understood the Yamato language.

"Then we must go after them," Kira said. "If we're lucky, we'll catch them before they enter the city. If not, then we'll have to go in through the sewers."

Captain Pak nodded and took off, yelling out to his men.

Kira kept her emotions clamped down as tight as possible, worried that she wouldn't be able to control her anger. The rain had dulled her senses and she'd been less vigilant than she should have been. She'd failed her father and Taejo. But mostly, she'd failed herself.

Darkness fell, and they lit torches as they buried their fallen comrades. Kwan reported that everyone inside the inn was dead and the small village was deserted. Kira cursed the Yamatos and the demons even as she knew this was a sign that worse was to come.

Unable to keep her thoughts in check, she paced about the b.l.o.o.d.y courtyard, when a keen whine caught her attention.

"Jindo?" She followed the sound and found the white dog bleeding from its chest, a broken arrow caught under its top leg. "Oh no, please no."

As she worked to remove the arrow, Brother Woojin arrived with cloth and water to help bind the wound.

"He won't be able to travel," Brother Woojin said.

"If we don't take him with us, he'll follow behind, even if it kills him," she replied. "I can't let that happen. I'll take care of him."

"Our sole concern is saving the prince," the monk said.

Kira's lips tightened. "I know."

A loud shout heralded the return of the captain's men with several horses. Kira was relieved to see that they'd found her horse as well as Taejo's, their packs still attached to the saddles. Mounting, she calmed the animal as Kwan carefully lifted the injured dog in front of her.

They set out at a furious pace to Hansong. A soft mist rolled off the muddy roads, lending a feeling of unease to Kira's heightened nerves. The sky had cleared and the stars gleamed in their indigo canvas. The Yamatos had a good head start-at least two hours.

Kira vacillated between anger and guilt, berating herself for not noticing the demon presence earlier, for not paying attention to her initial unease. Reaching into her satchel, she found the little haetae her father had given her. Its ugly face with its fanged grin and bulging eyes comforted her. Looking at it strengthened her resolve. They would find Taejo and they would save him.

The captain's bruising pace brought them to the mountain trail at the outskirts of Hansong City by early morning. As the moon sank lower into the west, she knew the hour of the hare had just begun.

They rode carefully up the steep trail. By the time they reached a clear opening with an aerial view of the city, the sun was rising over the horizon and painting the land a shimmering red-gold. The high ridge provided a view of the southeastern wall of the city and the mountain-cliff paG.o.da, overlooking the Han River. Here the river curved into a horseshoe.

Kira slid off her horse and stumbled to the top of the ridge. Black clouds of billowing smoke rose high above the inner city. Reds, yellows, pinks, and blues fluttered in the wind as hundreds of court ladies fell from the cliff onto the jagged rocks of the river below.

"I don't understand! Why are they doing this?" She collapsed to her knees.

"They are jumping because they fear the enemy more than they fear death," Brother Woojin said. He took off his prayer necklace, wrapping it around his hand. He began to pray.

Clouds of colorful silk floated in the river, like broken flowers twirling in the current. Was it only a few days ago that she'd walked past the court ladies and their fluttering fans? When she'd seen the queen and her mother?

Kwan came up behind her. "We have to go."

"Mother," Kira whispered. Kwan's hand tightened on her shoulder before he walked away.

She followed him in a daze, unable to accept what she'd just seen.

"She wouldn't jump," she said to herself. "She wouldn't jump."

As they mounted their horses, Kira took one last look. There was nothing but black clouds.

12.

It wasn't until the hour of the snake was well advanced that they reached the Hansong fortress wall. The midmorning sun brightened the main road, forcing them deep into the recesses of the forest to avoid detection. Here they would rest and care for their spent horses.

Captain Pak's scouts spotted unfamiliar armed soldiers patrolling the top of the fortress walls and Kudara ships lining the banks of the Han River. But the city was quiet; there was no movement on the roads leading to the locked gates.

Kira cursed under her breath. Her father had been right. Kudara was in league with the Yamatos. The daimyo, who must have orchestrated the murders of the kings, had been from Kudara. And Brother Woojin believed that Taejo was the link to the prophecy. She had to rescue Taejo.

"The only way in is through the sewer tunnel," she said, addressing Captain Pak, Kwan, and Brother Woojin. "I know these tunnels better than anyone in Hansong."

She knelt on the ground, sketching a rough map in the dirt. "There's no way you and your men are going to pa.s.s through the marketplace unseen. It would be better for me to go alone, find out where they took the prince, and then report to you."

Kwan shook his head. "No, not by yourself."

The captain agreed. "You'll need at least one backup with you."

"I'll do it," Kwan said.

"OK, but we need disguises," Kira said.

"Leave that to me," the captain said. He walked away, calling for his scouts.

As Kira stood up, Jindo lurched to his feet, trying to follow. Kira pushed him gently down with a firm no.

"Don't worry, boy," she said. "We'll find him for you. We'll bring him out safely. I promise."

Not much later, the soldiers returned with two battered conical straw hats worn normally by farmers and monks, and two long coats so covered in dirt and mud that it was hard to tell that they'd once been white.

As she put on the coat, Kira noted the bloodstained tears on the interior and the stench of rotted flesh. Saying a quick prayer for the souls of the departed, she gritted her teeth and handed Brother Woojin her bow and arrows but kept her sword. Taking off her nambawi, she shoved it inside her uniform and put on the straw hat.

As she and her brother prepared to leave, the captain handed Kira a small dagger to replace the one she'd left in the half-breed monster.

"You must find the prince," Captain Pak said. "We cannot leave without him. If you are not back within the hour, we're coming in after you."

Kira nodded. They headed down the riverbank on foot, keeping to the woods, away from the road.

Soon after, she smelled the entrance to the sewage tunnel, a recess built below the city wall and hidden by the forest that spread out from the riverbank. Kira held her breath as she pushed her way through the opening and down a short set of stairs, Kwan right behind her. Hansong was the only city in the entire peninsula that had sewage tunnels whose real function was a secret escape route for the royals.

It was dark except for the sunlight filtering through the drainage grates above them. They rushed through the tunnel and exited into an alley behind a public bathhouse. On the main thoroughfare, Kira noticed the shops were closed and very few people walked the city streets. Those who were kept their heads down, carefully avoiding eye contact. It was such a change from how life had been just a few days ago.

At the marketplace, the normally crowded stalls were only half full with vendors, and few customers. Enemy soldiers patrolled the perimeter. The red uniforms of Kudara soldiers were mixed in with Yamato soldiers, who wore coa.r.s.e white uniforms under simple black armor vests.

"Where is the tunnel?" Kwan asked.

Kira pointed down an alleyway on the left side of the marketplace, across the main promenade. Suddenly, a crowd began to form at the other end of the street. People came running out of buildings, pointing in horror, while others wept and wailed. Angry shouts forced the crowd to the sides as a dozen enemy soldiers beat back those who didn't move quickly enough. Her nose confirmed what her eyes could also see: these soldiers were possessed. Their skins undulated with the movements of the demons within.

She hunched down, her hat obscuring her face, to avoid the restless eyes of the demon soldiers. She heard Kwan curse under his breath.

Kira looked up and froze, horrified. It was King Yuri, in heavy chains that wrapped around his neck, hands, and feet-his robes filthy and torn as he faltered under the weight of his shackles. Behind him walked Taejo, holding up his exhausted mother.

But it was the sight of her father, tied up like a common criminal, that sent Kira into a mindless fury. Reaching for her sword, she started to shove past the spectators when a hard jolt on the head sent her crashing to the ground.

13.

Kwan pulled her up and shook her. "What are you doing? Get ahold of yourself and don't do anything stupid!"