She grinned at him, but his expression was sad.
"Do you not believe in love?"
She sighed.
"Of course I do, but just look at me." She pointed to her face. "I tend to scare people off."
He reached over to touch her face. "I don't even notice the scar at all-why don't you realize how unimportant it is?"
"I-" Kira stopped, unsure of what to say. The fever was still bright in his eyes, leaving them glassy. A sheen of sweat dotted his forehead. She felt a rush of affection for him-how very dear he'd become to her.
"I have no right to speak of a future with anyone when my own is so uncertain. I can offer you nothing. And yet, I know that I would do anything for you, if you needed me. I will always be there for you," he said. "Promise me that you will remember this. That you can always rely on me."
He gripped her hand tight within his.
A pain that stabbed at her chest, a tightness she was unfamiliar with. Overwhelmed by the awkwardness of her emotions, Kira nodded jerkily and rose to her feet.
"Try to get some rest now," she said. "I'll check on you in the morning."
As she exited the ger, she placed a hand over her chest, massaging the soreness that lingered there.
She was back in the cavern facing the lava pit. It was empty and yet she could feel a pulsating presence that drew her closer.
"Come to me," it demanded.
She knew who called her and yet she had no choice but to approach. Her feet dragged, but her body moved forward. She was at the edge of the lava pit, her eyes riveted on the growing fiery mass that rose before her. The heat was becoming unbearable. Molten lava poured off gray-black skin as red pupils gleamed at her.
"Come to me."
She tried desperately to fight it, her feet scrambled against the edge of the pit. Kira's whole body shook. She would not let him take her. She would fight him.
"No!" she shouted. She flung her hands up, trying to keep the Demon Lord away, but instead, she found her body being drawn to him. Her hands touched his leathery skin and began to burn. Screams tore from her as she felt herself consumed by the lava.
Someone was shaking her hard.
Sitting up, Kira rubbed her bleary eyes and saw Shin in the dim light.
"I was walking outside when I heard you moaning. I thought you were sick, so I came in to check on you," he said. "Are you all right?"
She folded her arms around herself. "It was just a bad dream."
"Must have been one awful dream," he said. "It was hard waking you."
He leaned forward to brush her hair from her face, his fingers lingering over the long strands.
Uncomfortable, she slapped his hands off.
"Stop it," she said.
"I'm sorry." He straightened up. "Do you want to talk about it?
Kira shook her head.
"Sometimes it helps to talk about your nightmares so you can fall asleep again."
She thought of the last time she had shared her dream with Jaewon. It was odd to realize that had it been Jaewon sitting beside her, she would have gladly talked about her harrowing vision. These two men invoked such different responses from her. She felt comfortable with Jaewon, she could talk to him about anything. But Shin Bo Hyun, who she'd known all her life, filled her with tense discomfort. Sitting in her ger alone with Shin felt strangely disloyal.
"I'm all right," she said. "Thanks for checking up on me."
They were both silent for a long moment. Shin was stiff and unlike himself as he gazed down at his hands. He cleared his throat before speaking again.
"If you would like some company, I can sit with you," he offered. "That way if you have another dream, I can wake you."
Kira shook her head. "I'd rather you didn't."
Disappointed, he stood up and looked around the ger. He seemed reluctant to leave her.
"I know we've had our differences in the past, but now we are starting fresh," he said. "I'm here for you. I want to help you."
"Shin Bo Hyun, if you want to help, then take your army and go fight with my brother to stop the daimyo," she said. "That's the only thing I want."
"Then that's what I'll do," he said. "Because I would do anything for you."
With a gallant bow and one last smile, he left her ger, leaving her in a state of troubled confusion. His words were identical to what Jaewon had spoken earlier. How could two such different men say something so similar? She didn't like the sense of obligation it imposed on her. This was not something she wanted to deal with. Frustrated and annoyed, Kira fell into an uneasy sleep.
20
After several days of rest, Jaewon was finally ready to journey again. Kira tried to keep Shin from escorting them, but he refused.
"I will see you safely wherever you need to go," he said.
Since they needed the extra protection of his guards, Kira could not object. But Jaewon made his unhappiness and distrust of Shin painfully clear. Jaewon did not like when Shin would approach Kira and would find reasons to interrupt them or hover nearby. The only person more annoyed than Jaewon was her brother Kwan, who forcibly placed himself between his sister and Shin at every chance. It was all too much for Kira. She was already so confused by all of the emotions that were raging through her. But the hostility between the three men gave her a headache.
The only relief Kira had was knowing that Chansu would not be coming with them. The young soldier pleaded with Shin to let him come but was turned down. Chansu made no attempt to hide his anger. It was clear that he blamed her for taking away his beloved leader.
"If anything happens to Chief Shin, I will come after you," he vowed.
Kira smirked at him. "You can try."
He shot her a nasty glare before storming off. Kira wondered what she'd done to garner such dislike from him. This was not just the normal prejudice she had endured over the years. His hatred was personal and she didn't know why.
"How long will it take to reach Mount Baekdu?" she heard Taejo ask.
"If we are lucky and the storms hold off, it will take us another five days," Shin replied.
Five more days! Kira didn't think she could stand them for five more minutes. Her emotions were confusing her. Never before had she been in the position of being the center of attention of two such different men. She still didn't completely trust Shin, but Jaewon's blatant animosity toward him was irritating. It was easier to avoid them both.
On the third day of travel, Kira sensed something different. A niggling feeling in her gut told her danger was near.
She opened all her senses and noted the hint of demon that was getting stronger.
"Demons are on our trail," she told the others.
"From what direction?" Shin asked.
Kira pointed to the west, in the direction they had come from.
"We need a decoy," Shin said. He looked over their group. "We'll send two of my men with the packhorses north while we head south and then return to our original route."
Kwan and Kira conferred for a moment and agreed.
They quickly split up the groups and followed through with their plans. Kira's group, led by Shin and six of his soldiers, left first, riding south along the Yalu River before heading back onto their chosen route. The other group would wait as long as it could, messing up the trail, before heading north.
Another day passed and Kira knew the decoy hadn't worked. That sick sense of impending doom still followed, along with the foul stench.
A sudden movement caused Kira to let loose her arrow. An imp shrieked and fell into a black pool of its blood. More rustling in the trees followed as Kira shot several more arrows, killing three more imps.
"We've got to pick up the pace," she said.
They were riding alongside the Yalu River, weaving in and out of the forest line. The urgency with which she pushed the others was hampered by the wet, muddy terrain of the riverbank. It was no use. She sensed how close their pursuers were and she knew they were not demon-possessed humans but something worse. She knew she was right when she noticed how odd Jindo was acting. The big dog would often growl and then whimper.
"Taejo, I need to put Jindo up with you," Kira said.
Her young cousin stopped, and Kira quickly lifted the heavy dog onto his horse. Jindo was shivering with fear and kept his head turned, staring at something they couldn't see.
One moment there was no one behind them, and in the next, large creatures were charging after them at incredible speeds.
"What are those things?" Shin asked.
"Half-breeds! Half human, half demon. They're stronger and faster than demon-possessed humans and a lot harder to kill," she said. "Move! Move now!"
She launched herself onto her horse and urged it forward.
With a howl, a half-breed leaped at the rear guard, pulling him down in a haze of blood mist. Their supply horses broke free and raced off in terror. They were too close.
"Get in the river!" Kira yelled.
"That's crazy! We won't make it!" Shin pointed at the roaring rapids where huge ice boulders, rocks covered with ice, flew by.
The horses reared in terror, one flinging off its rider before running into the woods, only to be sliced to shreds by a half-breed.
As if sensing that the worse danger came from behind, the rest of the horses allowed themselves to be led into the dangerously flowing river. Their horses tried in desperation to swim with the rapids, but they were all being swept downstream. One of their soldiers was swept into the current and pulled into the middle of the river where he was instantaneously crushed by a massive ice boulder. Kira guided her horse after them. Grabbing the bag with the tidal stone, she asked it for calm waters. Immediately, the flow of the water in which she stood slowed. The others gathered around her.