"That is fine," Kira interjected. "My men can stay outside. Only the boy and I will join you, if we may."
The younger sisters whined in protest, but the oldest smiled in approval.
"Very well-enter and share with us your troubles."
Kira and Taejo followed the sisters into the pavilion and sat at the very last seats at the long table, which was filled with exotic delicacies from the sea.
"Come and eat with us," the oldest sister invited.
Taejo filled his plate with the food before him and devoured his meal with no concern about what he was eating. Unlike her cousin, Kira was intrigued by the food before her. Chewy noodles made of jellyfish with horseradish, broiled octopus sliced into thin slivers and sautéed in a peppery sauce, steamed whole fish of a species she'd never seen before, and crabs the size of a small dog. Everything was wonderful and yet peculiar. She listened to the sisters chatter as they ate their meal, and wondered at the banality of their conversation. They talked of their hair and complexions and their dresses and jewels. They could not have been more different than the Heavenly Maidens. They were as different as their habitats.
"Now, let us turn our attention to our guests," the oldest said. "What is it you wish from us?"
"We merely seek safe passage to Mount Baekdu," Kira answered.
"That we cannot do." The maiden was adamant. "We do not take humans into our domain unless you plan to stay with us forever."
"Can you show us a route through these caverns that we can take, then?" Kira asked.
The maidens all began to laugh.
"Not unless you are part fish," the youngest and smallest of the maidens said. "Several li from here, the cavern becomes entirely submerged by this river."
She leaned over to pat Kira consolingly on her arm. Quick as a wink, Kira seized hold of the young maiden and wound the maiden's hair around both of her hands. There was a shriek of fury before the maiden began a series of metamorphoses. Kira found herself wrestling with an furious dragon that morphed into a slippery octopus that instantly changed into the largest eel Kira had ever seen. But through each change, Kira kept a tight hold of the maiden's hair that seemed to remain the same no matter what she transformed her body into. The maiden continued to flash in and out of forms until she began to tire. Returning to her natural body, she collapsed into Kira's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You win," she said. "I shall grant you one wish. Anything you want. But in return you must give me something you value!"
"I have your word?"
"Yes, now release me, you fiend!"
Kira let the maiden go. As soon as she was released, the maiden ran to huddle with her sisters.
"How dare they treat me like an animal! I say we kill them both now!"
"No, kill the girl but keep the boy. He'll be a handsome addition to our palace once he grows up," another sister said.
Before Kira could reach for her weapon, Taejo jumped to his feet and held his sword to the throat of the nearest maiden.
"Is this how you keep your promises? Is your word meaningless?" Taejo spoke with a fierceness that belied his age. "Try anything on my cousin and I'll slice your head off!"
"No one will be harmed!" The oldest maiden had risen to her feet, her face a mask of fury. "You have my word on behalf of us all. Now release my sister!"
Taejo glanced at Kira, who nodded. Slowly, he withdrew his sword and sat down. Kira didn't change her expression, but she was so proud of him.
"We cannot take you all the way to Mount Baekdu, but we can take you as far as we can," the oldest maiden stated. "What will you give my sister in return for this boon?"
Kira thought over her possessions. There was so few she truly treasured, but those few she could not part with for anything. She began to worry about the sacrifice when the youngest maiden made her own demand.
"I want her hair!" she screamed. "She ensnared me by my own hair. It is only right that I have hers in return."
The sisters began to nod in agreement.
Kira didn't hesitate. Grabbing a sharp knife from the table, she cut off her long braid and handed it to the youngest. All the maidens crowed in delight.
"Now her hair will match her face," the youngest said with a malicious smile.
Free of the heavy weight of her braid, Kira could feel her hair puffing around her head. She glanced into a long mirror that hung inside the pavilion walls. Her hair had curled up all around her face into loose waves like brown wriggly snakes.
Realizing that the maiden wanted to see her upset by this action, Kira forced herself to show an aggrieved expression. But inside, she was relieved that she would not have to give up something of more value to her. What did she care about her hair? Eventually it would grow again, as hair always did.
The oldest maiden stood up and clapped her hands, gathering her sisters around her. With a languid wave of her hand, she indicated for Kira and Taejo to follow them. They exited the pavilion behind the maidens.
Outside, Kira recognized the bewitched expressions on the faces of the men, even Jaewon's, as the maidens went past them. Jindo growled softly as they passed him, causing the oldest maiden to hiss at him. The large dog jumped in alarm and hid behind Seung, quivering in fear.
The youngest maiden circled their last soldier with a look of intense concentration. His expression was the most besotted of them all. Kira felt the hair on her neck stand up, but before she could issue a warning the oldest maiden began to chant by the riverbank. The water began to froth, then it heaved up a submerged structure, shaped like a gigantic turtle. It was made of a lacquered wood that was intricately carved and decorated with pearl inlays and studded with gems. At the stern of the ship, facing them, the doors split open wide like a clamshell. Inside there was a lavishly decorated room, as plush as anyone would find in the palace at Hansong. The carpeted floor was covered with thick cushions and the walls were decorated with beautiful paintings, hung in between lit lanterns that brightened the room.
"We use this conveyance when our cousins, the Heavenly Maidens, come to visit us at our underwater kingdom," the oldest maiden said. "It should serve your purposes well."
Before they could enter the turtle-shaped boat, the youngest maiden darted around Kira and threw her arms around their last soldier's neck. Quickly morphing into her dragon form, the maiden roared and dragged the frightened man into the water. Jindo raced forward, barking angrily at the turbulent water.
Everyone was too stunned to react. The last of Major Pak's men was now gone. The oldest maiden gave Kira a little smirk.
"Don't worry, he will be fine," she said. "You'd better hurry if you want this ride. It will take you as far as it can and then you are on your own. Good luck."
One by one, the maidens turned into dragons and dived into the water.
"Let's go," Kira said.
They all entered the boat. As soon as everyone was safely onboard, the door closed and they began to drift with the current.
"The maiden said that the cavern is all underwater," Taejo said with a hint of nervousness, "but it won't leak since this is for the Heavenly Maidens, right?"
"We'll soon see," Kira said.
"What will happen to that soldier?" Taejo asked.
Brother Woojin said a quick prayer to the heavens before answering. "I once heard an odd tale of a man who was taken by the daughter of the River God. He lived happily in the underwater palace for what he thought was a couple of years. One day he thought about his elderly mother. He asked to return to the human world to see his mother once again, but when he arrived, he found that no one knew him and his mother had been dead for nearly one hundred years."
"What happened to him?" Taejo asked. "Did he return to the underworld palace?"
"He couldn't," Brother Woojin replied. "He was said to wander the riverbanks calling for his lost love, until he died of a broken heart."
"Well, that was a cheery tale," Jaewon remarked. The boat picked up speed, causing Jaewon to pale.
"How will we know when we are underwater?" he asked.
The turtle boat took a sudden dip that caused them all to fall onto the cushioned floor. After the dip, the boat steadied.
"That must have been it," Kira said. "At least it isn't as rough as our ship ride."
Jaewon still looked uneasy, but he agreed. "My stomach doesn't feel like jumping out of my mouth right now. Perhaps I'll survive."
He sat up and touched Kira's head.
"What happened to your hair?" he asked, staring at her short hair in astonishment.
"Forfeited for this ride," Kira said with a smile. "It was a cheap price to pay."
She touched the poufy hair that curled all about her face. "I guess I look ridiculous."
"You look fine," Kwan said. He glared at everyone as if daring them to contradict him.
There was a rush of words as they all began to compliment Kira's hair. Self-conscious, she leaned against the padded wall and lowered her head, letting her hair swing forward and cover her face.