Suddenly, her hands gripped onto a minuscule ledge, her body lurching to an abrupt halt as she clung to the face of the mountain. Kira let out a hysterical sob as she pressed her face against the cool stone, her heart pounding like a raging tiger within her chest. She swallowed down the bile that rose up her throat. It tasted of fear and rising panic. She didn’t look down. She didn’t want to see how close to death she’d been. Her hands were wet with sweat and blood and her arms shook uncontrollably. The whole front of her body had been scraped by the sharp edges of the obsidian surface. She could feel waves of pain rushing over her. She tried not to think of Nara and Jaewon below and how terrifying it must have been to watch her fall.
Kira didn’t know how long she remained frozen against the mountain. Long minutes ticked by as she tried to get ahold of herself. Slowly she began to assess her situation. Spying a series of crevices to her left, she carefully repositioned herself into a safer spot. She dried her hands one by one on her jacket. The tip of her middle finger had been badly sliced by the face of the rock, but she couldn’t stop to wrap it. She knew time was of the essence. She had to finish the climb before all her energy dried up. She lifted her body and jammed her fists into crevices left over right, toes wedging themselves into cracks. Her arms shook, her muscles were at their breaking point, but she kept climbing. Now her legs began to weaken, her thighs quivering with effort. But she wouldn’t let herself fall again. Just the thought of it flooded her brain with sheer terror.
Then she saw a large crevice ahead, not quite in arms’ reach, right below the base of the temple. This was it. She told herself that if she reached the crevice, she’d be safe. But there were no cracks, no holes for her hands or feet to slip into, only the smallest of bumps and ridges over the smooth surface. With one final effort, she crimped her fingers around any little surface she could and quickly scaled the wall with her feet until she grabbed hold of the ledge.
She clung to the ledge with both hands, just as her feet slipped with the mighty gust of an errant wind. She was flailing wildly, trying desperately to pull her body up with her weakened muscles. Against her will, she glanced down and felt her head spin. A fall from this height would be instant death.
Just let go.
She didn’t recognize the voice that whispered in her brain.
Free yourself from the burdens of this life. Let go.
For a moment, Kira waivered under the temptation of release. No more pain. No more stress. No more being weighed down by responsibilities and self-sacrifice. She could be free of it all.
“Kang Kira!”
The sound of someone yelling her name jolted her out of her dangerous thoughts. It couldn’t have been Jaewon. He was too far away. And yet she’d heard a man’s voice just then. A voice that was vaguely familiar and yet unknown. It was a mystery she couldn’t focus on. Instead, she concentrated on survival. Inch by inch, she raised herself until finally her head cleared the ledge. Swinging her leg up, she hooked a heel into the side of the crevice and pulled herself in.
As she crawled into the small cave, she thought she heard a distant shout.
“Kim Jaewon”—she laughed tiredly—“I made it.”
The cave sat between the base of the temple floor and the mountain itself. It was only large enough for her to sit up in, but long enough for her to lie down fully. Every inch of her body hurt and her muscles were spasming uncontrollably.
She had no idea how much time had passed, but judging by the position of the setting sun, she guessed it had taken her over five hours to climb the mountain. She took off her sword and the water bag that hung over her side. The water was still cold and refreshing. Drinking deeply, Kira leaned against the cool rock and thanked the heavens for seeing her safely up the mountain.
“Taejo, I’m here. I’m coming for you,” she said.
She poured the water over her hands, trying to get the worst of the grime off. They throbbed in excruciating pain. Lying down on the hard rock, she tucked her swollen hands under her cheek and fell into a deep sleep.
9
Blinking her eyes open, Kira was disoriented. She was in a dark cave. Slowly, she remembered where she was. Looking out of the crevice, she saw the evening sky as the last of the sun’s rays disappeared over the horizon. She must have slept for an hour. She inspected her hands, unsurprised to find that they were completely healed. The fingertip she had nearly lost was now whole again. Her muscles no longer ached and she felt refreshed. Grateful to her tiger spirit, she prepared to enter the temple.
Pulling herself out of the crevice, she climbed sideways until she reached the end of the temple building. She scaled the rock alongside the temple wall until she came across an open terrace. Hoisting herself over the terrace wall, she dropped onto a marble floor and entered the temple.
It was empty. She wondered where the monks were. How was she to find Taejo and Gom? How did Fulang fly into the temple? Unless there was an open area at the top of the temple, Kira reasoned. Yes, she thought. She would head for the roof.