Warrior(The Dragon King Chronicles)(23)

"Can you calm the entire river so we can cross?" Kwan asked.

Kira shook her head. "The problem is those things."

In the middle of the wide river, large and small ice formations were crashing into each other within the rapids. Some were jagged and pointed ice blocks, while others were frozen clusters of debris.

"I can control the water but not the rocks. Where we are now, I can direct them away from us, but in the middle of the rapids-" She shook her head. "There's far too many. I don't think I can divert them all. We can't dodge them. They would crash right into us. It's too dangerous."

"You must at least try," Kwan urged.

Kira focused on the river and tried to calm a path through to the other side. The water stilled, but the churning rapids upriver still sent the ice debris crashing into the calm water. Kira diverted the flow of the rapids toward the other side of the riverbank, but this sent a series of ice debris crashing into the trees and ricocheting into the river. Waves crashed over their heads before Kira could calm the water again.

They were now floating as a group in the one calm section of the river. Their legs were ice-cold from the freezing water. She could see the fear on everyone's faces. Brother Woojin rubbed his prayer beads between his fingers and chanted, while Taejo and Seung hunched down in their saddles. Poor Seung was shaking. It touched her to see how Taejo was trying to comfort the older boy.

As their horses swam, the half-breeds kept pace with them along the riverbank. Approximately thirty of them lined the river. Their long flowing black hair and pale faces looked almost human, but their eyes gave them away. They were large and completely black, lidless and unblinking. In her mind, she was in her nightmare again, watching the daimyo create a half-breed. She could still hear the agonizing scream of the young man who'd been sucked into the demon. Looking at the half-breeds now, she perceived no sign of any humanity left.

"What are they doing?" Jaewon asked, his voice beginning to sound weak.

She flashed him a look of concern. He was still not fully recovered from his wounds.

"Don't you remember your lessons with Sunim? They're half demon so they can't survive in bodies of water," she said. "They can get wet, although I'm sure they don't like it. But a moving body of water will send their demon soul straight back into the underworld."

Two leaped into the river, trying to jump on them. But they fell short, floundering in the water, and steam rose in clouds from their bodies before they disappeared from sight.

Kira gave a derisive laugh. "And they're not too bright, either."

"It's no use. We have to return to shore," her brother said. "We'll all freeze to death if we stay in here."

A half-breed took a running leap and landed on one of Shin's men who had floated too close to shore.

Kira waved her arm over the water, sending a huge tidal wave at the half-breeds. The wave swept several of them into the river, but not enough. Within minutes, they were regrouping again, wet and furious.

"Don't do that, Kira!" Kwan said coughing up water. "You'll drown us all in the process."

She saw that her actions had soaked everyone and nearly sent Brother Woojin into the pathway of the ice boulders. Only Kwan's quick thinking had saved the monk. Infuriated, Kira grabbed her bow and arrow and began to shoot as many half-breeds as she could, downing seven of the creatures. The remaining half-breeds screamed and raged in protest. But still, there were too many of them.

Shin turned to Kira.

"Our horses are tiring. They won't last much longer," he said.

She knew he was right. They couldn't stay in the water anymore. She reached for another arrow, when Shin stayed her hand.

"You don't have many left-you need to make each one count. My men and I will charge them; you give us covering fire and then get out of here," he said.

Kira's lips tightened as she recognized the sacrifice he was proposing. She reached for his hand and pressed it tight between hers before releasing him.

"I told you I would do anything for you." He ran a cold finger against her cheek and gave her his sideways smile. "It was good to see you again, Kira."

Moments later, he and his men charged into the middle of the half-breed horde. Kira and Kwan felled as many creatures as they could with their remaining arrows as Major Pak led the others out of the river.                       
       
           



       

Kira watched as Shin fought like a possessed man in the thick of battle. His horse was cut down from under him, and he rose up with two swords, moving so quickly that he dispatched several half-breeds before they could blink. She'd never seen anyone so magnificent. Two half-breeds turned toward them. Shin charged after them, gutting one and catching the other by its long hair before slicing its throat. For a brief moment, Kira caught Shin's eyes and saw him nod, before he continued to battle the half-breeds.

"Kang Kira! Sweep them into the river now!" Major Pak shouted.

"I can't! It'll take Shin Bo Hyun and his men too!"

"They might have a better chance in the river!"

Just then she saw that the half-breeds had killed most of Shin's men and were heading toward them. Shin was surrounded but still fighting valiantly.

"I'm sorry Shin Bo Hyun," Kira whispered.

With a flick of her wrist, Kira sent a tremendous wave of river water gushing between her and the attackers. Ice boulders slammed into the half-breeds and the entire riverbank was flooded. There was no sign of Shin or his men.

As they rode away, she could hear the echo of Shin Bo Hyun's battle cries ringing in her ears and her heart ached with a surprising grief.





21





Since leaving Shin Bo Hyun behind, Kira was very quiet. Once again she was responsible for trying to drown him. He'd survived the flood before; could he do it again?

Why would he sacrifice himself? She kept praying to the heavens that he survived. This time, the idea of Shin dead was actually upsetting her. She didn't want to think of him or his sacrifice at all. Why did he do it? Why did his men unquestioningly follow him into certain death? It was difficult for her to reconcile the actions of Shin with her memories of the man. And yet, whoever he had been was no longer who he was. The idea that this new man could be gone tormented her.

The ache in her heart made it hard to breathe. Confused by her thoughts and the ever growing pain, Kira kept to herself.

All of Shin's guards were gone and only one remained from their original contingent of fifteen soldiers. They'd lost their supply horses and no longer had their tents to protect them from the weather. The snowstorms had stopped but the wind that whipped through them was bone chilling. One night they slept in a cave, another night in an abandoned farmhouse. But the last two nights were spent sleeping in the cold, huddled close together near their campfire.

Their supplies were dangerously low when they spotted a small village. Kira took the lead with Kwan right behind her. There was no sign of demons, but something seemed wrong. She detected a whiff of an unusual scent that was hard for her to identify. It wasn't human, but it wasn't demon. And yet it had a demon-like feel to it. Sort of how shaman magic always smelled slightly of demon.

The only sign of life came from a large tavern at the center of the village. It glowed with a hospitable light and they could smell the inviting aroma of roasting meats and spicy stews.

Kira was wary.

"What is it? A demon?" Kwan asked.

"I'm not quite sure what it is," said Kira.

"Then it isn't a demon," Major Pak cut in.

She was about to disagree, but she paused. It wasn't something she could put her finger on. She didn't know what it was. "I just don't know," she said.

"Then we will enter, but cautiously."

Kira spotted the flash of bright reddish-orange tails in the periphery of her vision.

Foxes. If foxes were living here, then it meant that it was a good food source for them. She hoped that whatever they were feeding on wasn't human.

When they reached the tavern, Kwan fell off his horse in his haste to enter the establishment.

"Oppa!" Kira shouted. "Don't go in!"

Without acknowledging her, Kwan ran into the building. Major Pak and his soldier had dismounted and were headed toward the doors. Even Jaewon and Seung seemed entranced as they slid down from their horses. Only Taejo and Brother Woojin seemed unaffected by the pull of the strange magic.

As she dismounted, Kira could hear Jindo's fierce growls. Looking down at the white dog, she was unsurprised to see his hackles raised, his fierce gaze glued to the tavern doorway.

Kira turned to Taejo and Brother Woojin. "Stay here. Whatever you do, do not enter the building. Understand?"

They both agreed, Taejo looking on with wide-eyed concern.

"Keep Jindo close by your side but let him go if you hear me calling for him," she said.

Kira grabbed Jaewon and Seung by their coats and slapped them hard on the back of their heads. Turning them around, she pushed them over to Taejo.

"Guard the prince!"

She ran past the other men, reaching the doors before anyone else could enter the premises. Drawing her sword, she stood before them, blocking the door.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go in," she said.