Kira turned to Brother Woojin, who nodded unhappily.
"I have no choice," she said.
"Then we must prepare to go to the foot of Baekdu Mountain, and we will need protection," the shaman replied. He looked old and exhausted. "I must rest in order to prepare for what I must do. May the heavens help us."
All the villagers who had sat in spellbound silence were now released by the shaman's words. They chattered loudly as they gathered their things and returned home. Only Kira and her group remained unmoving. She recognized the fear and worry on their faces, but it was Taejo she was most concerned for.
"If we are late, then we will die," Taejo whispered.
A shiver ran down her spine at his words.
That night the men were placed in an empty hut at the edge of the village. The chief went to stay in the hut with the others, not wanting to be parted from his son. Kira had no choice but to sleep in the chief's cottage, in the spare room.
The room was as warm as the shaman's house, but sleep wouldn't come. There were too many troubling thoughts that kept her mind in a stressful whirl. Since she'd been in North Wagay Village, she'd not heard the Demon Lord's voice at all. While she was grateful for the reprieve, she had to wonder why. He must know where she was going. Therefore, she would be walking right into a trap. How was she to protect herself? How was she to protect Taejo?
Tired and yet wide awake, she lay staring at the slivers of moonlight that peaked through the shuttered window, when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. She could hear the heavy snores of the female caretaker, who was to watch over Lady Kim, and was the only other person in the house. Kira rose to her feet and crept over to the long bamboo curtain that hung over the opening to her room. Through the slats, she saw Jaewon's mother open the front door and walk out. Kira quickly pulled on her boots and her heavy coat and followed the chief's wife. She was already halfway across the square and moving fast. In the moonlight, Kira spied something shiny glinting against the woman's full skirt.
Dread coursed through her body. This would not end well. She'd been told Lady Kim had been given a second dose of the herbal medicine to ensure that she would not awake through the night. But somehow she had fooled them all. And she had been listening to their conversation because she moved with absolute certainty toward the last hut.
Kira began to run as fast as she could after her.
"Lady Kim-" Kira began, trying to catch her attention, as she reached a hand to grab her arm.
The woman whipped around with an outraged scream and stabbed Kira in the shoulder.
"Get away from me, demon! You won't stop me from my vengeance!"
Searing pain momentarily blinded Kira as she pressed her hand to the wound. Then rage pushed aside the pain. Kira bellowed for her brother as she tackled the older woman from behind and disarmed her.
Doors flew open all over the square as people exited from their homes. They found Kira sitting on top of a screaming, spit-spewing woman.
The door to the last hut opened as Kwan and Jaewon dashed past the chief's form. Only Kwan came to Kira's side, Jaewon froze as soon as he saw his mother, an expression of grief-stricken horror on his face before he returned to the hut, gently leading Taejo inside. His father gave him a consoling pat on his shoulder before he closed the door and came to Kira's side.
"You are hurt," he said. "Quickly, Shaman Won, you must take care of her wound."
Kwan and the shaman helped Kira up. Lady Kim staggered up to her feet and attacked the chief.
"How dare you help the demon witch and ignore me, your wife! How dare you keep me from my vengeance!" She screamed as she pounded on his chest.
The chief became enraged and shook her. "Be silent, woman! Must you destroy the last of our sons?"
She was instantly silent and unmoving. She remained in that position for a long moment before spitting in the chief's face.
"I have no sons," she said. "And you are not my husband."
Profound grief warped the chief's craggy old face.
"Because of you, I must say good-bye to my only son, for he cannot stay here," he said. Without another word he dragged her protesting form through the crowd.
Kira continued to glare at Lady Kim's struggling form. Kira did not feel pity for the crazed woman. What she felt was a deep anger. Lady Kim's grief had turned into hatred so warped that she no longer recognized the son she still had left. She could not understand a parent who could favor one child over another. As difficult as her life had been growing up, Kira had never doubted the love of her parents and had never felt that their love for her was less than that of their love for her brothers. She couldn't imagine how a parent could close their heart off to their own child. Her heart ached in sympathy for Jaewon and his father. Because of his mother, Jaewon was not safe in his own village, and his father would lose his son once again.
25
In the morning, Chief Kim called a meeting with the shaman.
"Due to the unstable nature of Lady Kim's mind, it would be best if you were to leave as soon as possible. I understand that this is a dangerous task that you must undertake," the chief said. "I wish you did not have to do this, but Shaman Won tells me there is no other way."
The shaman nodded gravely. "Where we are going, we cannot take horses," he said. "The trails are too narrow and the terrain too rough as we maneuver through the mountain valleys. It will take us many days to hike to the foot of Whitehead Mountain."
"Why do you call it Whitehead?" Taejo asked.
"It is to constantly appease the mountain gods," the shaman explained. "We praise the mountain for being covered with snow in the hopes that it will stay that way. As long as we can call it Whitehead, we are safe in its shadow."
"Are you saying that you think it might erupt?" Taejo said, his face apprehensive.
"Don't worry, Your Highness," the shaman said. "Whitehead has been inactive for several hundred years, and I sense that it will remain dormant for several centuries more."
"How can you know that?"
"My magic is tied to that of the mountains. As long as my magic stays strong, I know that we are safe," the shaman said. "But I am concerned about your safety, Your Highness," the shaman said. "Perhaps it would be safer for you to stay here in the village."
Before Taejo could even begin to protest, Brother Woojin cut in. "He is part of the Dragon King prophecy, our future king, and so he must go. We do not know what would happen if he were not with us."
"Ah yes, the prophecy. Seven will become three, three will become one, one will save us all. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me. Who is the one? Prince Taejo?"
"He is the future king, and Kang Kira is the Dragon Musado," Brother Woojin said.
"Then Kang Kira is the one," Shaman Won said.
"No, they are both part of the prophecy," Brother Woojin countered.
The shaman shook his head. "Can't be. The prophecy says one, not two."
"Yes, but our first head monk, Master Ahn, is the one who foretold of the savior. That the ‘one' of the prophecy refers to a royal descendant of the Dragon King-the Dragon Musado, a warrior who will unite the kingdoms and save us from the Demon Lord."
"So then she is the one," the shaman said.
"But the heavenly maiden told Kang Kira that she must protect the prince, as he is the heir to the Dragon King's throne. He is the future king," Brother Woojin protested.
The shaman looked at Kira, who nodded.
"That is true," she said.
Shaman Won glared at the monk and made a rude sound. "Is it so hard for you to accept that a girl is our savior? Do you not recognize her worth? Can you not give her the true respect she is due?"
Brother Woojin was taken aback. "I do respect young mistress very much."
"No, you are blinded," Shaman Won cut in. "Even recognizing that the girl is the Dragon Musado, your mind seeks a more acceptable interpretation. That she is only part of the prophecy instead of the only one. She is only relevant to you as his protector. But what you fail to recognize is that everything is irrelevant without her. The only person who truly sees her worth is young Kim Jaewon."
Everyone was quiet, stunned by his words. Only Jaewon looked unsurprised.
"Young Musado, I speak the truth, for I have told you what I have seen. You must believe in your own worth. They would sacrifice you to save the prince, but what they don't realize is that there is no future without you. You are our savior."
Kira didn't know what to think of his words. They seemed harsh and condemning of Brother Woojin and she didn't believe he deserved it. Before she could object, her brother stepped forward.
"Master Won, I must disagree with you on one thing," Kwan said. "I would never sacrifice my sister, and I do believe in her with all my heart."
"Me too!" Taejo said. "I do believe in Noona! And I know she is more important than me!"
Kira shook her head. "That's not true! Don't say that." She rounded on the shaman. "Tell him it's not true. He is very important! He is our future king!"