"Yes, he is very important," Shaman Won said. "But you are more so. There can be other kings, but no other Musado."
He sent a long pointed glance at Brother Woojin, letting his words sink in before continuing.
"Now then, we must have additional guards for our journey. We cannot rely solely on my magic."
"We lost all our soldiers on the way here. Major Pak, my sister, and I are all we have left," Kwan said.
The shaman and chief shared a troubled look.
"The strongest of our men and I will accompany you," Chief Kim said.
"No, chief," Shaman Won said. "You cannot come with us. We are bonded by my magic. Even though I leave, the village will still be protected through you. But if we both go, our people will be defenseless."
The chief subsided, unhappy with the turn of events.
"I will send our strongest men on the journey," Chief Kim said.
"And we would welcome them," Kwan answered.
The chief rounded up six men, clearly hunters who knew how to wield a bow and arrow and a spear. But they'd never dealt with demons before.
Kira approached the shaman with her concerns.
"Master, these men can be of no help in a demon attack. They'll get slaughtered."
"That is why time is of the essence," he replied. "And if we find ourselves in great need, I have special magic that I can use in case of a dire emergency. But it is dangerous, as it will deplete me of my magic."
"Then that's not helpful," Kira said. "Without your magic, how will you get us to the shadow world?"
"That is my fear," he said. "But I may be able to replenish my magic at the mountain."
"So you're not sure if you can?" Kira asked.
"Young mistress, I am not sure of anything," he replied.
Kira couldn't worry about that. Instead, she prepared for their journey. Their supply bags were packed tight with food, water, and tents. Kira reloaded her arrow case and checked all their weapons.
Jaewon and Seung's departure was very different from the last time they left their families. Instead of disappearing without a trace, they were saying their good-byes to tearful family members.
The chief held Jaewon by the shoulders, his forehead pressed against Jaewon's as he bid his son farewell.
"You are my son, you will always be my son. My pride and joy," the chief said. "Where ever your travels take you, know that you carry my heart with you."
"My mother-" Jaewon started and then stopped, his throat constricting against his own words.
"Look at me, Jaewon," Chief Kim said in a firm, no-nonsense voice. "That person is not your mother anymore. She's an empty shell of a person filled with only hate. When Jaeho died, her mind became too ill to handle the tragedy. It twisted into this new entity that lives only in the past and cannot move forward. I barely recognize her anymore."
"Will she never recover?" Jaewon asked.
Profound grief crossed his father's face. "Sometimes I will get a glimpse of who she used to be, and for a moment, I have hope. But then she disappears and leaves behind this person I don't know. But you must look to your memories. Only there is she still alive."
"Forgive me, father," Jaewon whispered.
"There is nothing left to forgive," the chief said. His tears fell down his weathered cheeks. "Be well, my son, and may fortune cross our paths again soon."
Kira was grateful for the chief's emotions. Already she perceived the healing that had begun in her friend. The dark sadness that always seemed part of his life had lifted. It wasn't completely gone, and she doubted it ever would, but there was a lightening of his soul that even she could see.
Their parting reminded Kira of her last conversation with her own father, when he'd given her the little haetae statue. How proud he had been of her. She could see his face, his smile. Thoughts of her father threatened to overwhelm her. She turned aside to wipe her eyes and saw the serene smile on Brother Woojin's face.
"Our friend's aura has begun to shine a little brighter now," he said with a happy sigh. "And maybe the darkness will fade completely one day with your help."
Kira flushed at his words and went to check their supplies. Her feelings for Jaewon were complicated. A matter she didn't like to think about too deeply or too often. What she wanted from him most was his friendship. She wasn't sure she was ready for anything else, just yet.
The warmer weather had melted a lot of the snow in the surrounding area. Hiking was easier as they traveled the mountain trail during the day. But as night fell and they got closer to the mountain range, the ground was covered with heavy snow again, impeding their progress.
That night, they set up camp near the snowy bank of a narrow creek. Shaman Won used his earth's milk around their campsite, warning everyone to stay within the protected area. Where the earth's milk touched the ground, it left a faint glistening in the snow. They huddled around the campfire as they ate their dinner. When Jaewon moved to sit next to Kira, Kwan cut him off with a glare. Ever since the first night at North Wagay Village Kwan had gone out of his way to keep Jaewon from being alone with his sister. Normally, Kira would be annoyed by his high-handedness, but not this time. She was confused by her emotions. Just thinking about their kiss would bring a high flush to her cheeks. The comfortable friendship she'd had with him was now marred by a tension caused by her awareness of him as a man. She didn't like it. She wanted to go back to the way things were.
Kira's nerves had been strained ever since leaving the village. Once again the unnerving sense of impending doom overwhelmed her so much that her dinner lodged in her throat. And the voice of the Demon Lord had returned. While she was in North Wagay Village, she'd not heard the voice at all. Now she realized that it was probably due to Shaman Won's protective spells that she'd had such a reprieve. Since leaving the village, the voice had returned in full force. It mocked her, threatened her-promising the most horrible death. It was so clamorous, she could not hear her own thoughts.
She stood up, unable to eat and began pacing. Her nose sensed the danger first. She whipped her head around and saw a Wagay clansman approaching with a dagger in his hands. She saw the shimmer of demon magic as the man's face revealed what was hidden underneath. Kira grasped her sword and sliced off his head in one move. In the next moment, there was an explosion of movement as a dozen half-breed demon soldiers appeared through the trees.
The clansmen were easy targets. Two were down before Kira could take her first shot. She retaliated by shooting five demons in a row.
The campsite was in chaos. Everyone was fighting a half-breed. In one-on-one combat, they were extremely hard to kill. Kira did what she could, shooting her quiver empty. Her last arrow pierced the face of an oncoming half-breed, and was left protruding from its jaw. Using her sword, Kira aimed straight for its neck. But it was quick, dodging her blow and kicking her in the chest, sending her crashing into a tree. The half-breed seized her by her hair and laughed. Kira jerked the arrow out of its face and shoved it deep into its throat.
She heard a scream and her heart stopped. Taejo and Brother Woojin were facing a monstrous half-breed, when Jindo flung himself at the creature. Kira saw the slash of the creature's claws as it raked Jindo's side. The big dog fell bleeding to the ground. Racing up behind the half-breed, Kira pierced it through its neck, killing it.
With a wild sob, Taejo knelt by Jindo's side who was badly injured. But he was not the only one. Major Pak had severe chest and leg wounds. Kwan and Seung were by his side, trying to stanch the bleeding.
Of the six clansmen, only two had survived. Jaewon was dragging the dead out of their campsite, a dazed expression on his face.
Why had their protective ward failed? She looked for the shaman and found him standing within a circle of three dead half-breeds, steam rising from their charred faces.
"What happened to them?" Kira asked.
Shaman Won shook the gourd that held the earth's milk. "I wasted half its content on them," he said.
"How did they break through your barrier?" she asked.
"It had to have been one of the men, the one you killed first. He must have left the safety of the circle and become possessed," he replied. "Since he'd been allowed within the ward in the first place, he was able to break the barrier when he returned."
The shaman gazed at the destroyed campsite, a bleak look on his face. "Are there anymore of them?"
"Not nearby," Kira answered. "But that was just a scouting group. I'm sure there's a larger faction after us."
"Now more than ever, we will need strong magic to protect us."
"It hasn't done such a good job yet."
"Then I have no choice but to use my strongest magic," he responded. "Without it, we won't make it to Whitehead."
"But you said that magic would deplete you. How will we get to the shadow world then?"
Shaman Won faced her. "If we die before we get there, we'll never know, will we?" he countered.
"Good point," Kira said. "What can I do to help?"
"Let me think what I need to do as I reinforce our barrier," Shaman Won said.