She felt herself being carried and saw Shin’s hard jaw at eye level. Over his shoulder, she took in Jaewon’s anguished face. Behind him, Nara’s fox form lay on the ground, her amber eyes blinking in pain.
“Nara,” Kira whispered. She couldn’t leave her friend behind. She tried to twist out of Shin’s arms when she began to convulse in agony. The curse had seeped into her brain, spreading the blackness inside her. She could hear the Demon Lord’s evil laughter reverberating even as the screaming grew louder.
And then she remembered no more.
16
She was back in the tunnel in front of the iron door, watching as it was smashed apart. This time, she didn’t even have the chance to try and stop it. The fury of the creatures sent the iron door flying open as dark things poured screaming out. Black, furry creatures with yellow fangs and red eyes engulfed her, shrieking and moaning, desperate for a taste of her. They covered every inch of her skin, biting her, ripping off chunks of her flesh. There was no time to scream. She was being eaten alive.
She woke in a feverish state. Her body was burning. She tore at her clothes, desperate to escape the heat. Hands held her firmly, giving her water to drink. She was in a moving cart, and the swaying motion made her sleepy. Closing her eyes, she slipped away again.
The monstrous form was smothering her, sucking the air out of her lungs. She couldn’t see it but it surrounded her. It felt like a hundred bodies pressed upon her. Kira’s rib cage fractured and her lungs were collapsing. Despair such as she’d never known crushed her soul. And as she was dying, she saw the land all around her was a barren—a wasteland of death and destruction.
She dreamed all the time. Nightmares and visions. Unlike the last time she had encountered the cursed blades with her uncle Eojin, Kira didn’t hear the voice of the Demon Lord. But her nightmares were far worse. She would wake up screaming every hour. At one point, she imagined her wound turning black again, spiders crawling out of her skin and into her mouth.
Cold sweat covered her as she tried desperately to rip off the dressing on her arm. Gentle hands stopped her. She saw Seung’s round face looking down at her with concern and Jaewon holding her firmly in his arms. She collapsed against him, weeping until she passed out again.
The nightmares were horrendous, spiraling out of control and sending Kira into madness. In between her nightmares, she recalled seeing and hearing people by her side.
She was in a bright room that she didn’t recognize. The thick papered walls and sliding door indicated that she was in a house of a well-to-do family. She felt the warmth emanating from the heated floor. And yet she still shivered uncontrollably.
Kwan and Taejo were there, Gom sniffling at his side.
“Why isn’t he staying with her? I thought he was supposed to stay by her side.”
“She told him that he had to stay with me until she ordered him otherwise. You can see how badly he wants to stay with her,” Taejo said. “But don’t worry, I spend most of my time here.”
“You need sleep too, and no one can get any rest around her,” Kwan said grimly.
“Sunim and I can hear her even from the other wing of the house,” Taejo said. “She screams all day and night.”
“Her dreams must be terrifying,” Kwan said. “I’ve never seen her so badly affected.”
“I don’t understand, why isn’t she healing already?”
“It was a cursed arrow.”
Kira suddenly knew why her tiger spirit wasn’t visiting her. If they were constantly with her, then the spirit would not come. But she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t tell them. All she could do was sleep.
The next time she opened her eyes, she was gasping for breath. Something heavy was on her chest. There was an intense aroma of ginger and mint. She tried to push it off, but it wouldn’t budge. Panicking, she forced herself up.
Seung’s face swam into view.
“You must lie down, young mistress. We have to keep the hot compress on you. It will help you.”
She shook her head, trying to tell Seung that she couldn’t breathe. Jaewon was there, gently forcing her down.
“It’s OK, we’re right here,” Jaewon said. “You have to get some rest.”
He held her hand as Seung reapplied the heavy heated compress to her upper chest. Kira gripped Jaewon tightly and closed her eyes.
She woke up screaming. Faceless monsters covered her flesh and feasted on her eyes. They crawled into her ears, nose, and mouth. Kira clawed at her face, trying to free herself of them. They wriggled their way into her cavities and down her throat.