Prophecy (16 page)

“Thank you, Officer Cho. I have enjoyed our game. Please excuse me,” Jaewon said with a courteous bow.

“I know of only one great baduk player of your caliber in Kaya. Chief Kim Jaeshik of Wagay,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “I recall he had a son. One he bragged about all the time. Claimed his boy would surpass him.”

Jaewon remained impassive, but Kira could see his fist clenching.

“We have been playing for nearly five hours, and I have studied your face as much as I have studied the board. It’s been years since I played Chief Kim Jaeshik, but I have no doubt you are his son,” Officer Cho said.

Kira didn’t like the tension between the two men. Glancing over at Seung, she could see that he was anxious also.

“There have been rumors about you, young master Kim. Disturbing rumors.”

Something about the Jinhan man’s sly eyes and secretive manner bothered Kira. She moved up next to Jaewon, almost touching him. His tension was palpable.

“I have heard all sorts of terrible things. That you are a murderer and a thief. That you are a coward. It is hard to distinguish fact from fiction,” Officer Cho said.

Kira was shaken by his words. She remembered Jaewon’s whispered admission of guilt and loss:
His blood is forever on my hands
.

“But one thing I know to be true,” Officer Cho said. “Your father is still looking for you. And there is a reward for information about you.”

At these words, Kira whipped out her bow and an arrow, pointing it straight at the other man. Surprised, Officer Cho raised his hands in mock surrender.

“No, you have it wrong; you need not fear me,” he said with an amused expression. “I have no desire to turn him in. But it is my hope that one day I will see Chief Kim Jaeshik again. And if that day comes, I will tell him I had the pleasure of playing his son and that his son was indeed a master baduk player.”

Jaewon placed a tense hand on Kira’s arm, forcing her to put away her weapon. He then bowed and walked off, not waiting for Kira or Seung. As he reached the entranceway, Officer Cho spoke again.

“Strange, you don’t strike me as a murderer, but I’ve been wrong before,” he called after him.

Not responding, Jaewon exited the tent. Kira hurried after him, but the baduk player had already disappeared into the crowd.

Kira stopped Seung before he could chase after his master.

“Is it true?” she asked. “Did he kill someone?”

“No!” Seung trembled with anger. “It was an accident, a terrible accident. My master is an honorable man. He never meant to hurt anybody.”

Seung took off after Jaewon.

“I believe you,” she shouted. “Tell him, I trust him.”

Seung turned and waved and disappeared into the woods.

When she and Kwan returned to the palace, it was in an uproar
. Taejo looked relieved as he bounded up to them.

“Where’ve you been? The Oakcho and Tongey diplomats have arrived and are asking Guru for military aid. I spent the entire day pleading with our uncle to save my mother. This should help our cause,” he said in an excited babble. He led them to a separate building from the main palace while senior Guru military officers and advisers raced through the hallways to join the heated discussions.

The rectangular chamber held several long tables and chairs set along the length of the room, parallel with the walls. A raised dais stood at the front of the room with a formal table for King Eojin and his advisers.

Eojin had not yet arrived, but nearly all the spots on the long tables were filled by the military, diplomats, and their staffs.

Several heads turned sharply at her entrance.

“What is she doing here?”

“Since when have women been allowed in military meetings?”

“It’s disgraceful. Get her out of here!”

Kira caught the glare of Lord Yu, the ill-tempered senior diplomat of Tongey.

“Who do you think you are? Away with you, ignorant wench! You have no business here,” Lord Yu shouted, pointing his finger at her.

She heard Kwan cursing, ready to confront the ambassador. Kira stopped him with a shake of her head.

“It’s all right, Oppa,” she said.

Kira fixed Lord Yu with a hard glare. “It seems you believe that you have some authority over me. I fear you are mistaken.”

“How dare you! This is a man’s world and you do not belong here,” Lord Yu shouted. “Guards, remove this creature!”

The Guru guards stationed in the room did not move from their positions.

“As I said, you have no authority over me.” Kira inclined her head briefly and walked away.

She returned to Taejo’s side and stood behind the prince’s chair at the end of the long table. Her cousin looked ill at ease—a boy among men. But he was there to represent Hansong. Kira gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as King Eojin entered with his entourage. Within seconds of Eojin’s greeting, the ambassadors went on the offensive.

“Your Majesty, I insist that you order that insolent female from the meeting!” Lord Yu demanded.

Eojin raised an eyebrow. “By ‘insolent female,’ do you mean my one and only niece, daughter of my beloved older sister and the great General Kang? A member of the distinguished saulabi army and personal bodyguard to the crown prince of Hansong?”

He kept his eyes on Lord Yu, causing the diplomat to squirm.

“No, the insolent female stays,” Eojin said. “Now let us focus our attention on the matter at hand.”

Kira displayed no emotion but she felt a warm glow of pride.

“We were saddened to hear of King Sinwon’s death. He is a great loss.” Eojin addressed the Oakcho diplomats who bowed in acknowledgment.

“Our king has been murdered also,” Lord Yu cut in.

Eojin regarded the diplomat with a grave expression. “Yes, it is a terrible tragedy,” he said.

Lord Yu jumped to his feet and pounded the table. “The Yamatos are more than halfway up the peninsula! What is Guru going to do about it?”

“Kaya, Jinhan, and Hansong have all fallen. Who knows what has happened to Kudara,” another Tongey ambassador said.

“Kudara is in league with the Yamatos.” Kira spoke in a loud voice. A shocked silence filled the room, and she noticed the surprise on the faces of everyone but the Guru faction. “We saw this with our own eyes.”

“Your eyes?” Lord Yu made a derogatory sound. “And who would take your word?”

“I would,” King Eojin said. “I would take her word over yours, Lord Yu. She is, after all, my clansman.”

There was complete quiet in the room as everyone’s attention focused on Eojin and the Tongey ambassador.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Lord Yu said, and bowed.

“If Kudara has gone over to the enemy, then it is clear what we must do.” This came from Lord Rah, an Oakcho ambassador who’d remained quiet until now. “We must stop the Yamato advance immediately. The Guru army is the only army large enough to challenge them.” His words riled up the crowded room.

“If we had our entire army at our disposal, then yes, it would be feasible. But we will not leave our northern boundaries unprotected,” said General Kim, the commanding general of Guru. He was a large, stout man with a powerful baritone.

“What use are your northern boundaries if you cannot stop the Yamatos?” Lord Yu sneered.

The debate raged on for nearly an hour as diplomats from the kingdoms of Oakcho and Tongey argued and pleaded for immediate assistance from the king.

Finally, King Eojin spoke up. “The Iron Army is strong, but we cannot fight alone and we cannot fight without unity. Four kings have been murdered—Hansong, Jinhan, Tongey, and Oakcho. Hansong and Jinhan have fallen and Tongey and Oakcho have no kings. Two leaderless kingdoms will be no match for the advancing enemy. Now is the time to unite. Pledge yourselves to me, and we will fight together.”

The angry voices of the ambassadors echoed through the room. The Tongey diplomats were arguing vociferously. They did not want to give up their sovereignty. But they were becoming desperate. Their southernmost fortresses were under siege. It would not be long before they were breached.

Kira eyed her uncle with dawning respect and alarm. He’d sat and listened to the diplomats without saying a word, raising their anxiety to a fever pitch before making his demands. Eojin was smart, powerful, and ambitious. This also made her uncle a dangerous and ruthless leader. Now she understood why she’d always felt a vague distrust of him.

In his own way, he was no different from the Kudara king or the daimyo. He sought to control the entire peninsula. Her admiration for him was muted by her concern for what this all meant to Taejo.

As the arguments intensified, a new voice broke through the commotion.

“Gentlemen, the Dragon King’s prophecy is coming true. In order to save our world, drastic actions must be taken.”

A tall, stately monk clad in the gray robes of the Dragon Springs Temple stood at the entranceway.

“Welcome back, Brother Boyuk!” Eojin rose to greet the new arrival. The monk bowed deeply before taking his place near the king at the front of the room.

“What nonsense is this?” Lord Yu complained. “Everyone knows the prophecy is meaningless.”

Eojin ignored the diplomat as he addressed the monk. “What do you mean? Please enlighten us.”

Brother Boyuk did not answer right away; instead, he gazed about the room until he caught sight of Kira, Kwan, and Taejo. He gave them a nearly imperceptible nod, as if he recognized them, before responding to Eojin.

“I have just arrived from my temple, where I met with Master Roshi. The first part of the prophecy has now come true. Seven have become three. Of our Seven Kingdoms, four have now fallen. Oakcho, Tongey, and Guru are the only remaining kingdoms. We believe that Tongey and Oakcho must become one with Guru in order for all of us to survive.”

“I thought the One was to be our savior,” Lord Rah said.

“The prophecy has a dual meaning. The Seven Kingdoms must become one, and our savior, the Dragon Musado, will defeat the Demon Lord,” Brother Boyuk said.

“Dragon Musado?” Lord Yu scoffed. “That’s just a legend you monks made up in your temple. It is a child’s story! And now you’re asking us to give up our sovereignty on the basis of a fairy tale?”

The monk ignored the diplomat and continued, “If the prophecy is correct, then the downfall of another kingdom may signal the downfall of all.”

There was more murmuring debate among the diplomats before Lord Rah stood and addressed the king. “The prophecy has long spoken of a savior. Perhaps that savior is you, King Eojin. Perhaps you are the warrior of the prophecy. You, with your great army, may be the one to lead us into battle and save our lands. I say it is only right that we fulfill the rest of the prophecy.”

Kira looked sharply at Eojin, noting his pleased expression at being named the Dragon Musado.

“This is easy for you to say. Oakcho is a tributary of Guru. But we Tongey are a free people and we answer to no other king but our own,” Lord Yu cut in.

“You have no king,” Lord Rah said.

“We have several contenders.”

Kira snorted in disgust. “You’ll answer to only the Yamatos if you do not stop this foolishness,” she said sharply.

Lord Yu jumped to his feet. “Silence, kumiho! I will not listen to this nonsense any longer.”

He faced Eojin with a bitter scowl. “It seems this prophecy goes two ways. Either you help us, or you doom us all!”

He charged out of the room, a deliberate insult to Eojin. Lord Rah stood in shock.

“I deeply regret Lord Yu’s actions, Your Majesty,” he said with a bow.

Eojin shrugged. “It is not for you to apologize for him,” he said. He let out a deep breath. “We all have much to think about.”

He rose and left with his advisers.

“What’s there to think about?” Kwan groused. “The entire peninsula is overrun by these cretins, while we sit here doing nothing! How long must we wait before we fight?”

Although Kira agreed with her brother, she knew they had no other choice. There was nothing they could do but wait for the king’s decision.

“Oppa, now that Brother Boyuk is here, we must talk to him,” she said.

Kwan agreed, his face brightening. “You stay with the prince. I’ll go meet with the monk right away.”

Kira breathed deeply. Maybe now they could move forward.

Kira stood within the hallways of an unfamiliar, deserted building
. No servants, no soldiers. The wind blew loud and cold, whipping up piles of debris. A terrible wailing echoed down the corridors, fading in and out to a soft weeping.

The shadows along the walls formed into distinctive shapes that came alive. Demons and imps capered around a pulsing object that uncoiled into a great sea serpent. Kira stood transfixed by the spectacle playing out before her; the frenzy of the dancing figures as they were devoured by the serpent. Larger and larger it grew, a massive sea of black, until it engulfed the entire corridor in darkness.