Part 17 (2/2)

30.

They left early the next morning for Nine Dragons Waterfall. Master Hong shook his head in concern as he described the hours of hiking it would take them to reach their destination. The series of directions he gave Brother Woojin were incomprehensible to Kira, but Brother Woojin just nodded. The monks provided them with tents, extra blankets, heavy coats, boots, and food needed to sustain their hike. Faced with snow-covered terrain, Kira was sorry to leave the warmth and security of the temple.

The trail followed the course of a river, but the river itself was only at a fraction of its normal flow. Jindo jumped off the dirt trail and down the rocky side to drink from the trickling water.

It snowed heavily for several hours. The drifts came up to their knees, making the hike slow going. They traveled single file. Kwan led the way, followed by Brother Woojin and Taejo. Kira walked behind Taejo, with Jaewon and Seung taking up the rear.

She watched as Taejo struggled to lift his feet and trudge through the high snow. Even Kira found it hard to resist the inertia creeping over her, making her eyes heavy. Shaking it off, she pushed on, keeping a sharp eye on Taejo.

They'd been walking for another hour when she saw her cousin fall onto his hands and knees. Jindo whined, nudging him.

Kira grabbed Taejo by his elbow as Jaewon came over to help him on the other side. Taejo's head lolled forward.

”Just a little farther and there is a clearing where we can set up camp for the night,” Kwan said.

Kira nodded and gripped Taejo about his waist, overlapping arms with Jaewon as they carried him. At the clearing, Kira held him upright on a rock as the others quickly prepared their campsite. Once a tent was up, Taejo crawled in and buried himself with blankets, Jindo pressing next to him. He fell asleep immediately.

”He'll be all right,” Jaewon said to Kira.

Kwan and Jaewon built a large campfire as Seung and Brother Woojin prepared a meal. Kira paced around the perimeter, to check for any dangers, before returning to the fire. She sat next to Jaewon, noting the shadow of grief that pa.s.sed over his face as he studied the fire.

”You said you lost someone you loved,” she said. ”What happened?”

Jaewon didn't respond. Kira watched his frosty breath fill the air between them. She had nearly given up when his voice came to her ear in a soft whisper.

”I was thirteen when it happened. We were visiting the mountain G.o.d shrine in preparation for the coming harvest. My brother was seven years old, given to running wild, as young boys will do.” He gave a soft chuckle. ”I still remember how he loved to wrestle with anyone or anything he could get his hands on, even a neighbor's pig!”

He held his face up to the skies. His breath caught as he spoke. ”The steps to the temple were steep and treacherous. I had brought my new bow with me, the one my father commissioned for my birthday. I shouldn't have brought it, but I was proud and unaccustomed to being refused. My brother was anxious to see my bow. He kept asking to hold it, and I kept saying no. We were halfway up when he grabbed it from my hands, breaking it in the process. I was so mad! I wasn't thinking when I ...” He stopped and ran a shaky hand over his face. He stared blindly into the fire before him. Kira noticed suddenly that Seung and Kwan sat nearby, listening to his every word.

”I hit him, forgetting that we were on those steep steps. He fell all the way down. I tried to catch him, but it was too late. When I reached the bottom, his head was bleeding and his eyes were still open. I knew he was dead.”

A bleak smile creased his lips. ”It was my mother who called me a murderer. Sometimes at night, I can still hear her crying.”

”It was an accident,” Kira said. Her heart hurt and her eyes burned with tears.

”It was my fault,” he replied. ”And I must live with it.” Rising, he walked away into the woods. Kira looked at the others, who'd sat listening quietly as Jaewon spoke. Seung continued to prepare their meal, his usual cheer replaced by melancholy.

Kwan sighed. ”Poor fellow.”

”He carries a heavy burden,” Brother Woojin said. ”I hope one day he will be able to forgive himself or else-”

”Or else what?” Kira asked.

”Or else it will destroy him.”

31.

She woke in the middle of the night. Darkness blanketed the Diamond Mountains all around them. Within the tent, she lay next to Taejo, with Kwan on his other side. They were rolled tightly within their furs and lying as close together as possible. Jindo lay at their feet, providing them with some additional warmth. Kira could see the flickering flames through the tightly closed canvas of their tent. She watched the silhouette of a stocky figure throwing more sticks into the large fire.

That must be Seung standing guard, she thought.

She heard the wind shaking the bare limbs of the trees as if searching for the leaves it once rustled through. She dozed again.

It was the sound of singing and lighthearted laughter that woke her. At first, she thought she was dreaming. Then she saw Taejo sit up and look around in bewilderment. Kwan jumped to his feet and rushed out of the tent. The singing grew louder.

Putting on their heavy coats, she and Taejo joined Kwan, Seung, and Brother Woojin; all of them stood staring at a golden, s.h.i.+mmering light that lit up the forest, exuding warmth and invitation. Taejo began to move toward it when Kwan called to him.

”Stop! I don't want you going near it until I know what it is,” Kwan said.

”No, Lord Kang!” Brother Woojin waved him back. ”This is the sign we've been waiting for. We must follow the prince.”

Jaewon appeared behind them.

”What is it?” he asked.

Taejo shook his head and shrugged. ”I don't know, but I think it wants us to follow it.”

Jindo trotted toward the light, stopped, and looked at them. He barked once and ran down the trail. Taejo followed, with Kira and Brother Woojin right behind him. From a distance, she heard Seung announce that he would stay behind and guard their campsite. She even heard Kwan shout after them to wait, but neither she nor Taejo stopped. She found the pull of the light too alluring to fight.

Within the forest, the light changed night into day. No longer did her boots crunch on newly fallen snow. Instead, she wondered at the green gra.s.s beneath her feet and the warmth of a beautiful spring morning. This was powerful magic.

Glancing back, she saw that her brother and Jaewon still stood in the knee-deep snow, their breath frosty in the air before them. Just ahead of her, Brother Woojin and Taejo were taking off their coats, leaving them on a large boulder as they lifted their faces to the warm sun. Kira took off her heavy coat and placed it on a nearby boulder also.

”What are you doing?” Kwan asked sharply. ”You'll freeze to death!”

”Don't you feel the sun?” Taejo asked in surprise. ”It's springtime here.”

Kwan looked alarmed. He stepped forward and stopped. Putting his hand in front of his face, he pounded at the air, as if there was an invisible wall.

”We can't go through,” he shouted as Jaewon, too, began to push on the barrier.

”I don't think you are supposed to come with us,” Brother Woojin said. ”It is why you cannot see the change in the weather here. But don't worry. We will be safe.”

”No, I can't let you go without me!” Kwan was furious.

”Oppa,” Kira said. ”It's all right. I'm here.”

Kwan calmed down and put down his fists. He nodded and crossed his arms. ”Be smart, Kira.”

<script>