Part 10 (1/2)

She knelt before the plant and gently dug it up, pulling out a long, k.n.o.bby root with tendrils. Cutting off the leafy stems, she placed the ginseng carefully in her bag and rose to her feet.

”Who's that for?” Taejo asked.

”I thought we could give it to Brother Insu as a thank-you.”

They moved deeper into the forest, Jindo padding ahead of them, his ears alert as he sniffed the air. The big dog froze, one paw raised in midstep as he scrutinized a thick bush. Kira readied her bow and signaled for Taejo to keep quiet. Jindo rushed into the shrubs, flus.h.i.+ng out a small white hare. Taejo shot his arrow, missing his target as it zigzagged back into the thick underbrush.

Taejo yelled and charged after the hare. Cursing under her breath, Kira chased after him when she noted the strong odor of a wild animal. A group of boars and piglets fled past her, shrieking in outrage. She hurried forward only to stop short.

Taejo stood petrified before the largest boar Kira had ever seen.

19.

The boar charged at Taejo. Snarling and barking, Jindo came rus.h.i.+ng up from behind Kira and launched himself at the animal's throat, trying to wrestle the fierce creature to the ground. It bucked high, flinging Jindo over its back. Taejo pulled out his hunting spear and tried to stab the boar.

”No, Taejo!”

The boar slammed into Taejo, who fell backward and landed with a heavy thud. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and ran toward Kira, the boar close behind him.

Dropping her bow and satchel, Kira raced to meet him. ”Throw me the spear!”

Catching it out of the air, she raised the spear high past her ear and stepped right into the path of the maddened animal. It made a deep, ugly grunt before attacking. At the last possible moment, she leaped aside, slas.h.i.+ng down with her right arm, aiming for the left flank. The blade pierced through the heavy hide. The boar's high-pitched shrieking turned into a scream as it vaulted away, ripping the spear from Kira's hands.

Grabbing Taejo by his collar, she dragged him all the way over to a large maple tree and rapidly pushed him onto the overhanging branches. ”Climb up and stay there! That's an order!”

”Look out!” Taejo screamed.

The boar was rus.h.i.+ng toward them. Holding the hilt of her sword with two hands, she stabbed at an angle, deep into its neck. Leaving her sword where it was, Kira then grabbed hold of the spear still protruding from the boar's left side. Using all her might, she launched her body onto the spear and she shoved it deep into the animal. Its front legs buckled under her weight, until finally it fell.

She looked up at Taejo.

”You all right?” she asked.

He started and looked around for Jindo. Not far away, the great white dog lay against the trunk of a cypress tree. Taejo jumped down and scrambled over to him.

Kira retrieved her b.l.o.o.d.y sword and spear. Glancing around to make sure there were no other boars or predators in the area, she ran to grab her belongings. They'd made a lot of noise. Even Brother Insu back at the camp had to have heard the battle with the boar. She hurried over to Taejo, who was checking Jindo for injuries. Jindo yawned and rose to his feet. Kira knelt before him and patted his head, receiving a lick from his raspy tongue.

Kira rummaged through her bag for a clean cloth and camellia oil to clean her blade.

”You did it!” Taejo said with pride. ”Can you believe the size of that thing?”

Kira put her sword in its sheath and leaned against the trunk of the cypress tree.

”I think that boar was harder to kill than a demon,” she said.

”Thank you, Noona, for saving me.” He paused. ”Again.” His eyes were teary. Kira knew he was thinking of all they had lost.

”Come on,” she said. ”Let's carve a portion for us.”

She rose to her feet and was immediately overwhelmed by the odor of approaching demons. She yanked Taejo up and pushed him behind her, freeing her sword in one fluid movement.

Jindo growled.

From the depths of the darkened forest, a small contingent of mounted soldiers appeared, surrounding them.

”s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun?” Kira said in disbelief.

Her fiance gazed back at them, a slight smile playing on his lips.

20.

”Your Highness,” s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun said. He dismounted and bowed. His men fanned out behind him, filling the clearing before them.

”Thank the heavens we've found you both!” he said. ”We've been searching these woods for days to no avail. How fortunate we were to hear the ruckus that led us here.”

Kira took a close look at the thirty-odd men in s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun's company. They were Yamato soldiers disguised in Hansong uniforms, with at least four demons in their ranks. She spied the slight s.h.i.+mmer in the air above them, the telltale sign of an otherworldly being in the human world. Jindo was by her side, barking and snarling. With no horses and the soldiers closing in around them, she could see no possible escape. She wondered if the young lord knew of the demons among his men. They held no loyalty to humans, unless called by one, and even then, it was an uneasy truce. s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun was no shaman-he would find it hard to control them. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

Her eyes darted about, taking note of her bow and arrow case a short distance away. Taejo stepped forward to stand by her side.

”What do you want?” he asked, his voice filled with hostility.

”I'm to take you to the queen,” s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun replied. ”She's been so worried about you.”

In the background, loud noises indicated approaching hors.e.m.e.n. s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun signaled to his men, and several moved off to investigate. Not long after, Brother Woojin and a group of temple monks appeared. Brother Insu rode behind them, leading Kira and Taejo's horses.

Catching sight of s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun and his men, the group stopped. Brother Woojin looked unsurprised.

”Greetings, Sunim!” s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun said. ”I'm relieved to see you again. It was my understanding that your party was to head to Stone Temple, but I was unable to find any trace of you there.”

”Good day, my lord,” Brother Woojin replied. ”I'm sure you can understand our state of panic and distress at the time. We feared Stone Temple was too close in proximity to the enemy, and it was our mission to keep the prince as safe as possible.”

He gazed at s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun and then at Kira. ”But how fortuitous to find you here,” the monk continued. ”What news do you have of our kingdom?”

s.h.i.+n Bo Hyun frowned. ”It is sad news. Our king is dead, as is Lady Kira's brave father.”

He hesitated before turning somber eyes to Kira. ”Kira, I'm afraid to tell you that your mother perished in the attack.”

Kira stilled her body even as her mind reeled at his words. She didn't believe him. Couldn't believe him. But, a small voice inside of her said, the court ladies were jumping off the cliff. She shook her head. No, she didn't believe him.

”The kingdom is in disarray. But we were able to evacuate Her Majesty to safety. I have been tasked with finding the prince and my betrothed, and bringing them to her.”

Taejo started forward at the incredible news, but Kira held him back.