“Yes, but it would be worse for him to think we have a future and then have that taken away,” Kira said. “That would be far worse.”
The kumiho looked at her with a strange expression. “I’m not sure about that,” she said. “I think the greatest tragedy is to never know you were truly loved. I am immortal, and I would give up my immortality to know what it is like to be in love. Even knowing how fleeting a human’s life is.”
Her words made Kira pause. How would she feel not knowing Jaewon’s feelings for her? Her chest ached at the thought. But then she considered the unending pain she’d felt at the loss of her parents. She shook her head. “No, I can’t hurt him like that. I’ll tell him after all of this is done. If I’m still alive.”
The kumiho turned her elegant shoulder and closed her eyes. “I hope you don’t regret it.”
15
The next day the Dragon Fighters joined in the march to Muju. Shin came up to ride next to Kira, to the great dissatisfaction of both Kwan and Jaewon. Major Pak was polite but distant, and Seung kept away out of loyalty to Jaewon. Even Taejo, who agreed that Shin had saved them at the Yalu River, avoided the young lord. Only Kira, Brother Woojin, and Nara would talk with him.
Unsurprisingly, none of this seemed to bother Shin Bo Hyun.
“I don’t blame the prince for not speaking to me,” he said. “He has lost everything because of my uncle.”
“That would be true for all of us,” she said in an even tone.
Shin gazed at her as he answered. “But you still have your brothers. The prince lost his family and his throne.”
“Yes, you are right: he should hate you forever,” she said.
Shin shot her a reproachful look. “You needn’t be so cruel about it. It’s not easy knowing your future king might want to exile or kill you.”
Kira relented. “But that’s not true. He is grateful for your help, Shin Bo Hyun,” she said. “He just needs time to heal.”
“And what of you?” he asked. “How much time do you need to heal?”
“What do you mean?”
He reached over from his horse and touched her face, tracing the scar along her eyebrow and down her cheek. Kira felt a fluttering sensation in her chest that she crushed down ruthlessly. She had no intention of having her feelings confused by Shin Bo Hyun again.
“Will you ever forgive me?” he asked.
Kira looked at him. “My lord, I forgave you when you sacrificed yourself at the Yalu River to save the prince.”
Shin turned his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but an alarmed shout from the front guard interrupted him.
“Ambush!” a soldier cried, as a split second later an arrow shot into his throat. Right before their eyes, the soldier turned black and hard, and became frozen as a statue, falling off his horse. It was a cursed arrow, just like the ones that had killed King Eojin.
Some of Shin’s soldiers raced forward from the back.
“Demon soldiers have ambushed us, sir!” a woman soldier said. “They’ve cut us off from the rest of the Dragon Fighters!”
“They’re trying to surround us,” Kira said. “We must protect the prince!”
She raced over to Taejo’s side, pulling out her bow and arrow. The soldiers surrounded the prince, while Dragon Fighters took the outer circles. Taejo pulled out his sword, his face determined.
“I’m ready for them,” he said.
Kira sternly shook her head. “I know you are, but they are shooting cursed arrows. There is no defense from them.”
Then another arrow took out a man to Taejo’s right. They watched in horror as he turned into a statue, causing his horse to bolt. The other soldiers closed their circle tighter, but it wasn’t enough. Kira couldn’t watch as the enemy picked off all their men. She had to do something.
Major Pak, Jaewon, Seung, and Brother Woojin were now surrounding the prince along with several of Shin’s Dragon Fighters. Kira could see the panic in Taejo’s eyes. He was trying to be brave, but it had to be terrifying. This was how their uncle, King Eojin, had died. Taejo had seen exactly how agonizing their uncle’s last moments were. She would not let anything happen to Taejo.
“You must protect the prince,” she yelled.
Jaewon made a move to come with her, but Kira stopped him. “No, I beg you! You need to guard the prince no matter what happens to me. Please!”
For a moment, an expression of pure torture passed over his face. He nodded grimly.
Kira leaped off her horse and raced toward the lines of battling soldiers. Looking down, she saw Gom running by her side.
“No, Gom, you must stay with the prince and protect him!” Kira told the dokkaebi. “Don’t leave him until I order you to do so!”
Kira tried to pinpoint where the arrows were coming from and charge toward it. Several half-breeds tried to intercept her, but she cut them down with brutal efficiency. Her entire focus was on stopping the archer, now hidden by the thick foliage of the trees and brush.
Shin Bo Hyun leaped off his horse and raced to her side.
“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” he shouted.