"You've made a friend," Jaewon said with a laugh.
"Guess I don't scare him off," she replied.
Jaewon reached over and patted her arm, just as the dokkaebi had. "You don't scare me off either."
A reluctant smile crossed her face. "I'm glad," she said.
Whatever strain Kira had felt toward Jaewon since the kiss had dissipated. Once again she felt comfortable in their friendship. It also helped that the dokkaebi was always around keeping Jaewon from being alone with her. Kira developed a great affection for the dokkaebi. He returned that night and slept curled up at her feet. Despite his appearance, he had all the mannerisms of an animal, but could understand human speech.
She didn't know why, but when the little dokkaebi was near her, she couldn't hear the voice of the Demon Lord.
The next night, the wind had died down and the snow lay peacefully around them. Kira warmed herself by the campfire. The little dokkaebi lay at her feet, eating a raw squirrel.
"What's your name?" she asked.
The dokkaebi gave her a questioning look.
"I don't think they have names," Brother Woojin answered. "But you can name him yourself."
Kira leaned her chin on her hand, gazing at her dokkaebi friend. He was rolling on the ground in front of her, chewing on the end of his cudgel while taking playful swipes at Kwan, who growled at him.
"He acts more like your pet than a guard dog," Kwan observed.
"He's no dog." Kira laughed. "More like a bear cub."
The dokkaebi rolled over and leaned on Kira's legs. She scratched his head as he made small sounds of contentment.
"I'll just call him Gom 'cause he reminds me of a bear."
Jaewon nodded. "He sure has the claws of one."
Gom yawned wide, exposing the cavernous depths of his mouth.
"And the mouth of one, too!"
As they laughed, Gom smiled in perfect harmony.
Taejo winced at the reminder of his missing dog. Kira put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him tight. "Don't worry. Seung is the best. He'll take good care of Jindo."
Taejo nodded, but the worry was still deep in his eyes.
* * *
They trekked through the dense, snow-covered forest before reaching an open field. Mount Baekdu rose over the heavy mist. They were almost there, when a hideous screeching sound reverberated against the mountains. Kira stopped in her tracks as her nose picked up the scent of demon.
"Gom," Kira said urgently, "call the dokkaebis!"
The little dokkaebi pounded his cudgel on the ground. The dokkaebi army rushed from their hiding places and surrounded Kira and the others in tight circles, seven layers deep. Demon half-breeds appeared and swarmed them. Kira had never seen so many in one place. There were at least a hundred half-breeds. The daimyo had been very busy.
The dokkaebis surrounding them stood with their backs to her and their clubs held high. Within minutes the battle ensued. The dokkaebis in the outer ring of their circle smashed in the heads of the half-breeds, killing them with one blow. Several half-breeds retaliated by grabbing hold of a dokkaebi and tearing him apart, until he transformed into broken pieces of wood. Even his cudgel vanished.
Kira was horrified. Seeing her dokkaebis destroyed felt personal to her. They'd been made from her blood. She made a move to leave the protective circle, but the dokkaebis pushed her back.
"Have you gone mad? Where are you going?" Jaewon asked in shocked incredulity.
"They're being slaughtered! I need to help them!"
"It's their job to protect you! Let them!"
Within their circle, they were all safe. Kira hoped little Gom was safe. The first two outer layers of nearly sixty dokkaebis had fallen to the half-breeds, but the half-breeds had been reduced by more than half their number.
Whenever Kira saw a dokkaebi in trouble, she used her bow to take down their enemy. Finally, the dokkaebis killed the last of the half-breeds. They howled in victory and rapidly dispersed. Only Gom remained. Kira watched as the little dokkaebi collected arrows, which he brought over to her side with a lopsided grin.
"Thank you, Gom," she said.
He scooted off, continuing to collect arrows for her.
Shaman Won urged them on.
"We are almost there," the shaman said. "Let's go quickly."
The last leg of their trip was uneventful. She couldn't sense the presence of any demons or half-breeds. It should have felt safe after so many weeks of being followed, but it didn't.
She couldn't help but wonder-where were the demons? Did they know where her group were headed? Would they be ambushed? The sudden quiet was uneasy.
They finally reached the foot of Mount Baekdu by early afternoon. The shaman used the remnants of his powers to set up a protective barrier.
"Without my earth's milk, this barrier is weak, but it will warn us of nearby intruders. We must rely on the dokkaebis to protect us while we are here," the shaman said.
"Will you be able to speak to the spirits without the earth's milk?" Brother Woojin asked.
The shaman nodded. "The barrier between the realms is in Whitehead. I can call them easily here."
Starting a great fire, the shaman performed a ritual of the dead. Within minutes, three shades entered the body of the shaman. It was alarming to hear the different voices emanating from his mouth, his facial expressions changing with each. One was that of a frightened old man, the second of a madwoman, and the last of someone filled with great evil.
"Do not seek this land." The old man's voice quavered and was weak. "Save yourselves! Go back!"
"Shut up, stupid!" The madwoman shouted. "Let them come, let them come!"
"Is it safe to continue our journey?" Kira asked.
The madwoman cackled. "Depends upon your definition of safe."
The old man cut in. "It is not safe!"
"Be specific-what's not safe? Are there demons around us now?" Kwan asked.
"There are no more demons! They are all gone! All gone!" The madwoman began to mumble and laugh.
"Is that true?" Kira asked.
The shaman's face shifted between several expressions until the sad face of the old man settled in. "She is correct," he said. "That is why you must stay here!"
"Interesting," Brother Woojin mused. "I wonder what is going on?"
The shaman's body rocked with raucous laughter. This was the evil one. The sound of his voice made Kira grit her teeth, the hairs on her arms standing on end.
"Fool! The Demon Lord does not have to attack you any longer when he knows where you are headed. You enter the land of shades. It is his domain. He will ambush you there!"
Gom growled and tried to hit Shaman Won with his club. Kira tackled Gom and held the little dokkaebi as the evil laugh echoed all around them. As the shaman collapsed. Jaewon caught him before he could fall into the fire.
"What did he mean by that?" Kwan demanded. He turned to Brother Woojin. "They are walking into a trap? They shouldn't go!"
Taejo was trembling. "Do we have to do this? Isn't there any other way?"
Brother Woojin looked helpless. "All we know is the jeweled dagger is in the shadow world." He sent Shaman Won a pleading look. "Is there any other way?"
"There is only one entrance to the land of shadows and it is guarded by fire-breathing haetae who are the protectors of the gates. Their duty is to ensure that no shades enter the land of the living and no living enter the land of the dead. They take their duties very seriously."
Kira thought of her own haetae figurine, which she kept close by her always. They were the keepers of justice.
"Young mistress Kang, the tidal stone can't help you there. It won't be with you-it will be with your body. You will need to rely on your wits, and the ability to trust correctly," Brother Woojin said.
The thought of danger without any adequate defense frightened Kira. She didn't know if she could trust herself, let alone any who she might encounter in the land of shadows. She'd only ever learned to rely on her fighting abilities.
"But if I'm a shade, how can I bring back the jeweled dagger? And how am I to fight the dragon?" she asked.
"You are the Dragon Musado," Brother Woojin said. "The dagger belongs to you. Once you claim it, it will be yours."
"But the dragon-"
"Perhaps you are not meant to fight the dragon with weapons," he said.
Kira couldn't believe what he was saying. "Well, then what am I supposed to do? Fight him with words?"
"Maybe." The monk shrugged his shoulders. "No one knows what will happen, but you are meant to do this. The only thing we can do is pray to the heavens."
"No, I can't just rely on prayers, Sunim. I think it would be best if I go alone," Kira said. "I can't protect the prince if I have no physical form."
Brother Woojin looked upset. He was rolling his prayer beads between his hands and seemed to be praying.
"Sunim," she called him again. "Please let me leave the prince behind."
Several long minutes later, the monk opened his eyes and sighed. "As much as I wish to keep him safe, this journey is one he must take with you if he is to become our future king."