Despite the monk’s encouraging words, Kira was uneasy. She was not going to be the reason for the dragon apocalypse. But what could she do to protect herself from the Demon Lord?
She wandered the temple grounds and came upon a small hidden shrine for Gwaneum, the goddess of mercy. The golden statue depicted the beautiful, serene face of the goddess sitting next to a white tiger. All around the shrine’s walls, there were multicolored murals of tigers. Here, Kira felt a great presence of peace. She gazed at Gwaneum’s calm face and began to pray. She prayed for her parents’ spirits and the hope that they would continue to watch over her and her brothers. She prayed for her aunt and uncle and asked them to protect Taejo. She prayed for her uncle Eojin to be released from the underworld and once again reunited with his family. As she prayed, a calm entered her soul. She knew that the prayers for all of her family members were being heard. Looking up at the statue, she suddenly felt the presence of her parents’ spirits.
“Father? Mother?” Kira gasped. She closed her eyes and felt their presence with her.
“Little tiger, you will be fine,” her mother whispered.
“My warrior girl! I am so proud of you, my child!” Her father’s voice was so strong and deep.
She was so grateful to hear their voices again.
“I miss you so much,” she said. “I need you. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to fail.”
“We are always with you,” her mother said. “You are not alone.”
“Kira.” Her father spoke in his calm assured manner. “Don’t doubt yourself. You are my daughter and I believe in you. From the day you were born, you were always meant to do great things, to rise above even your own potential. You are our greatest hope. Remember the things I have taught you and you will not fail.”
The voices faded away and she knew that they had returned to heaven, but the warmth stayed with her.
“Thank you, Goddess of Mercy,” she said as she prostrated herself in front of the statue. “If only I knew what to do about the jade belt.”
After a long moment, she pushed herself up. As she did, she noticed a shift in the surface under her fingertips. The stone right under the white tiger’s front paw was loose. She carefully lifted it up and found a hidden compartment inside. The space was small and completely tiled. Though it was empty, it had clearly been meant as a hiding place. A strong impulse overtook her.
She pulled the leather bag containing the belt out of her bust wrap and opened it. The jade belt gleamed in the late-afternoon sun. Kira looked at the silver dragon that was the dragon of the east. It was on the longest chain of the belt. Without pausing to think, Kira loosened the top link and pulled off the silver dragon on its chain. She looped it over her neck, hooked the open link onto the last link in the chain, and closed it, straining to get it as tight as possible. The silver dragon rested against her chest, sitting above the tidal stone. The belt now contained only thirteen dragons. She placed a hand on her chest and felt good about her decision. Wrapping the belt in its leather satchel, she placed it in the far corner of the compartment and then replaced the tile.
She heaved a sigh of relief. If she was captured, at least the belt would be safe. The world would be safe. No one would know that the dragon of the east rested against her chest. Why she took it, she didn’t know. There was something comforting about the little figure. Maybe by having it with her, the wisdom of King Dang would impart itself to her.
She could only hope.
13
On the fifth day, a party of soldiers arrived from the Iron Army. It was Major Pak who summoned Kira from the guesthouse to come meet with the messenger. When she was brought to the temple, Kira was elated to see that the messenger was her brother Kwan.
“Oppa!” Kira shouted, her smile so big it actually hurt. It was so good to see him again.
His arms were wide open as she ran to him. He hugged her hard.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m perfectly fine!” Kira said. “But what about you? Are you completely healed from where Fulang clawed you?”
He patted his side gingerly. “It still hurts and I’m going to have an interesting scar, but I’m fine.”
Just then, Taejo arrived with Brother Woojin, Jaewon, and Seung. The prince raced over to Kwan’s side and gave him a big hug.
“It’s good to see you again, my prince,” Kwan said. “Especially because you are on the ground and not flying in the air, in the claws of a gigantic blue dragon!”
“I’m glad Noona rescued me,” Taejo said, shooting Kira a grateful look. “I’ve never been so hungry in my life.”
“Hungry? Not scared?” Kwan asked.
Taejo shook his head. “I knew Noona would come for me,” he said simply. “I just had to be patient.”