Her hand falls on her own sword hilt. Silver strands of light glide over her skin, gather on the back of her palm, and form the shape of a panther. It clenches its jaws in a mute hiss. Eun Hae stops walking.
No longer hearing her steps, the stable boy stops and looks behind him.
He is alone.
A chill fixes him to the spot. “S-seju?”
Something glints in the corner of his eye. The stable boy whips around. He draws his blade just in time for it to clang against Eun Hae’s. He gulps at her playful smile. “You’re a M-magus P-p-p-” He can’t even get out the word.
She does not let him. She vanishes again.
The stable boy blocks another strike from his side. And another. Their blades collide again and again. Her strikes come from everywhere.
Until finally, she knocks his blade from his hand. It skids toward the fountain.
The stable boy starts for it, but Eun Hae stops him with the tip of her sword at his neck. “I don’t think so.”
He trembles. “Don’t kill me.”
Eun Hae chuckles. “With those sword skills, I’m sure you’ll last a long time. Now…” The panther on her palm draws a paw over its ear lazily and retreats back into her skin. “Where did you get that blade?”
“It was a gift, Seju.”
Her eyes narrow. “From who?”
His lips purse.
Her blade presses against his Adam’s Apple. “I have the full right to execute you here and now if I have reason to suspect that you wield that blade wrongfully.”
The stable boy’s eyes go wide. “The l-l-late Crown Prince Jae Hwa.”
Eun Hae’s grip slackens, but only a little. She eyes him warily. “Bring it here.” She lowers her sword and slides it back into its belt sheath. “I want to see for myself.”
The stable boy hesitates, stiff-legged, as if anticipating another strike. Then he walks toward the fountain, picks up the blade, and returns it to her without meeting her eyes.
Eun Hae holds it delicately in both hands, tilting the blade toward her. Her face reflects back in the polished steel. He treats it well. The Wing of Heaven vow repeats at its center, framed by two engraved sprigs of lavender: a personal sigil unique to Jae Hwa.
And her.
It really is his. With an achy swallow, Eun Hae turns the blade in her hands again. “What is your name?”
“Seju, I’m hardly worthy to be called by—”
“Nonsense. If a man can fight like a warrior, then I’ll address him like one.”
The stable boy’s eyes meet hers, but then he drops his gaze again. “Kim, Pung Yeol.”
“Pung Yeol.” The name comes smoothly off her tongue. Then she hands the blade back to him. “Here.”
Pung Yeol blinks. “You will not take it back?”
She smiles at him. “I believe you said that it was a gift. I don’t have the right. And besides, you look comfortable with it already. All I ask is that you continue to take good care of it.”
Pung Yeol ducks his head. “O-of course!”
The pair continue to the wooden stalls where the drakehorses toss their scaled heads in the low lantern light. Pung Yeol swings open the stall gate for her palamino shire, Honey, whose nose feelers touch and flick against Pung Yeol’s face as he leads her to where Eun Hae stands.
“Your mare is—” Pung Yeol leans away from Honey’s outstretched forked tongue. “Very lively.”
Eun Hae laughs. “That’s only because she knows she can tease you and get away with it.” She takes the reins from Pung Yeol. “At least, you are in her good graces. She doesn’t hesitate to kick a man in the face.”
Pung Yeol winces at the words, as if he knew all too well how much a drakehorse’s hooves hurt.
Honey lowers herself to let Eun Hae on. The Hwarang commander glances once more at the stable boy. “Every Hwarang Guard will be accepting new members soon. If you’d like to polish your skills, you ought to consider joining.”
“But I am a servant.”
“I was a kisaeng.”
Pung Yeol’s eyes widen. “A kisaeng?”
“That’s right.” Eun Hae puts a hand on Honey’s neck. “Far much lower than your present position, I’m sure.” She spurs Honey into a slow trot. “But every Sillan becomes equal the moment they set foot in my guard.” Eun Hae looks over her shoulder. “Consider it.” She winks. “Unless you prefer the smell of drakehorse manure.”
Honey snorts. Even she does not.
Two Wing of Heaven male guards dip their heads to Eun Hae at the gates of the Hwarang training grounds. The taller of the two comes forward to take Honey’s reins while Eun Hae climbs down.
“Has Queen Seon Deok arrived in the compound?” she asks.
“Yes, just shortly before you, Commander,” Honey’s handler says. “But she detoured into the King’s Hand Guard quarters when we said you hadn’t arrived yet.”
Well, shit.
“I’ll tell her that you’re here, if you’d like.” the other guard offers.
“Please do,” Eun Hae says.
She watches the pair leave and strides across the grassy Hwarang training grounds to her office. Eun Hae lets out a breath when she finally sinks into her own chair. But she only gets a few minutes of stillness before there is a knock at her door. “Come in.”
Gold imperial robes clothing her, inky black hair coiled, and a thin minnow-smile on her lips, Queen Seon Deok strides into the room with a cluster of King’s Hand soldiers behind her. “Out of all the commanders, you’re always somehow the hardest to find.”
No imperial guards or attendants? Eun Hae wonders if her husband knows that the queen is being escorted by his guard, or if even the imperial guards know that she’s here. But then again, the King’s Hand Guard only consists of Kim Clan warriors. It would probably make no difference if she were surrounded by people or rabid badgers as long as their family name was Kim.
“My apologies. I had a minor delay.” Not in position for a full salute, Eun Hae dips her head from her chair instead. “What did you wish to speak to me about, Your Highness?”
“An important favor.” Queen Seon Deok makes a steeple with her hands. “Am I correct to assume that your Hwarang is the most skilled in all of Silla?”
The King’s Hand Guard warriors behind her glance amongst themselves at the statement.
Eun Hae sits a bit taller, warming at the praise. “You assume correctly, Your Highness. I’d be honored to help.”
“The patrols at the seal-side flank of Silent Bastion reported unusual movement from the Gayan Confederacy this morning. Usually, they migrate southward towards their grounds near Tohen Islands during this time of the year, but for some reason, they’ve been moving northwards towards Silent Bastion. Some of the tribes have even been seen in Stone Bear Pass. Some Gayans even far beyond it.”
Eun Hae tilts her head, considering the queen’s words. “It’s probably because of the Dragon Seal.”
“That may be.” Queen Seon Deok lowers her hands. “But my daughter Sul Li is coming all the way from Silla through the Mirror Gates in Aeternum Ruins. If the Gayans truly are up to something, then I’d rather not risk her running into those brutes.”
Eun Hae nods slowly. “What of her escorts?”
“Min Ah is with her, as is my husband. He did not specify what other company he had, but I’d feel much more at ease if you met them in Aeternum and brought Sul Li back safely.”
Eun Hae puts a hand to her chest. “Very well. I’ll round up the best of my guard, and I’ll leave for Aeternum as soon as I’m—”
“Actually…" The Queen’s smile fades. “I’d prefer it if your guard remained here in Silent Bastion. I know it’s an inconvenience to you, but I wish to take them to the seal to see if anything can be done about the Darkborn.”
Eun Hae feels her jaw tighten at the request. She’s not sure if she’s more appalled by the fact that she can’t take her own guard with her, or the fact that the Queen will command her guard while she’s gone. Does
Queen Seon Deok truly expect her daughter to be safe with only a handful of warriors? Eun Hae forces herself to smile and give a polite dip of her head. “As you wish, Your Highness.” The Queen’s eyes remain on Eun Hae for a few heartbeats too long. And for an instant, Eun Hae wonders if she said something wrong. But if so, Queen Seon Deok says nothing of it, and the guards at her side remain expressionless. “I’ll inform all of my guard right away.”
“Very well.” Queen Seon Deok nods to her escorts, and they move aside to let Eun Hae through. They each bow their heads as she passes.
Yet, an almond-eyed guard at the back of the line watches Eun Hae disappear around the corner of the building. Once she’s gone, he raises his head. “She’s gone, Your Highness.”
Thinning into slits, Queen Seon Deok’s eyes scan around the office. “Search everything.”
They move like one body. One moment as men, the next as beasts. Huge wolves with thick forelegs and massive forepaws like a bear’s. Tribal designs of animals tattoo their fur. Roosters, oxen, monkeys, dragons, horses, tigers that pace across their owner’s skin and turn their heads about as if they can aid the search, too. The guards thrust their muzzles into every corner, every shelf, every nook and cranny that seems like it could hold a secret. Eun Hae’s office furniture trembles at their movements. And the air is livid and wild with the sounds of the King’s Hand’s growls, their determined sniffing, tails slapping shelves in disregard, paws thumping the floor. The lantern light shrinks back as a wolf-guard prowls past, like a child frozen in fetal position at the face of their own nightmare turned to true flesh.
Before long, all six of them turn back to their queen, heads low. A wolf with an ox across his back says, “Nothing about the Hand of Time, Dae Wong, or of any Magus Panthers.”
Queen Seon Deok presses her lips together. “Hmph. I was so certain there would be something here.”
“Perhaps this is not the place, Your Highness,” barks the wolf with the tiger tattoo.
Beside him, a brown-furred guard with the dragon tattoo flattens his ears. The dragon on his back spits tattooed flames across his fur in shared frustration. “An office like this is too public. All of the Hwarang share it. Why not order a search of her room or the compound for the Wings of Heaven?”
Queen Seon Deok scoffs, regarding him with a hard stare. “You just answered your own question, Ha Jong. All the Hwarang share it. Any of the Hwarang leaders could be the Hand of Time.”
“But all of them aren’t in the office all of the time,” Ha Jong says. “The only people I’ve ever smelled in here are Eun Hae, Bo Jong, the leaders of Dragon Fury, Star Flight, and Phoenix Cry. And Bo Jong wouldn’t hide being a Hand of Time from us. He wouldn’t hide it if his wife was one either.”
The gray wolf with the tiger tattoo curls his lip. His tiger bristles on his back. “Would he?”
Ha Jong gazes at his companion in bewilderment. “Wol Chun! You think he’s a traitor?”
Wol Chun snorts. “Have you not seen the way he’s been tailing Eun Hae’s skirt every chance he gets? I’ve never seen a beau more desperate. It is shameful.”
Ha Jong’s hackles rise. “He just wants an heir so he can be king. That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
“And where is that heir?”
“Hush, you two,” Queen Seon Deok says with a warning stare at them both. “We are not here to discuss why Eun Hae isn’t pregnant yet.”
“We need something more direct,” Ha Jong barks. “Like arresting and interrogating all of the leaders.”
Wol Chun’s gaze flicks toward the ceiling. “That is a terrible idea.”
“Better than all this sneaking around! Even if we’re wrong, at least we’ll know for sure.”
“Think, sheep-brain,” Wol Chun growls. “If we are wrong, we’ll irritate all four leaders and their whole guard. And need I remind you that all of those four were in the coup that ousted King Jinji? Their alliance hasn’t ended, you know.”
Queen Seon Deok nods. “If we arrest one and find ourselves in the wrong, it will give the four of them cause to do the same to us.”
Ha Jong’s ear twitches. “But their guards are much smaller than ours, even together. Surely the Kim Clan outnumbers them all? If we include all of the army…”
Wol Chun shakes his head. “Folly. The Paks are watching our family’s every move. If we give them an excuse to seek a fight, they’ll even the score.”
“Wol Chun is right,” Queen Seon Deok says. “We can’t afford to fight the Paks, the Hwarang, the Gayans, Baekche, and the Darkborn all at once. That will tear Silla apart.” Then her hand balls into a fist. “Not to mention that there are Magus Panthers in those Hwarang guards.”
Ha Jong cants his head. “Magus Panthers? But Eun Hae is the only registered one from those guards.”
“Yes, she is the only registered one. I wouldn’t put it past them to be hiding a few illegal ones under our noses.”
“Then what do we do?” Ha Jong asks.
“We have the Second Hand, and the shamans at the manor are working on opening it. If they open it, the Hand of Time could easily eliminate our enemies and ease the people’s worries about Bo Jong’s kingship. In the meantime, we keep watching until we can be certain which of them is the Hand of Time,” Queen Seon Deok says. “But as for Dae Wong…” She curls a finger at her mouth. “We should see if any of those rumors at the Favor House hold any weight. Ha Jong.”
Ha Jong pricks his ears. He shifts back to human form and stands straight. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“I’ve been hearing that Dae Wong still lives beyond our borders, possibly with rogues. You are young and your face is new, I’d like for you to go investigate if there’s any merit to that claim. Make sure that you visit the soap fitter to hide your scent,” Queen Seon Deok says. “Wol Chun.”
Wol Chun shifts to human form, clasping a hand over his breastplate. “What would you have me do?”
“My trip to the seal may go on for some time. If Hong Do doesn’t arrive and I’m not back, inform my sister Tae Yeon that she has full command over the Imperial Troops in Silent Bastion until he arrives. As for the rest of you, tell Bo Jong to keep an eye out for any of Dae Wong’s sons. The Three Kingdoms’ Council is soon, so one is bound to turn up with a claim. I don’t care what you must do, so long as you kill them quickly and out of the public eye. We can’t have Silla ruined again.”
Like ghosts, the visitors slip out of the office and into the moonless night.
Around the corner, form half-melded with the shadows and the hedges, ears angled toward the Kims, a black panther sits still.
Everyone is gone.
Its long tail curls into the bow-shape of a smile. Then its body winks away.
“I don’t like it.”
“My sea, she will be fine.” General Hong Do puts both hands on Seon Deok’s shoulders, his thickly-bearded face softening into a smile. “Min Ah stayed in this very room when she was an unweaned pup, remember?”
Seon Deok’s frown does not thaw in the slightest. She only stares at the small white wolf pup bundled in her blue crib that has yet to take human form. Min Ah wasn’t born when Magus Panthers were a problem.
General Hong Do suppresses a sigh. “The nursing attendants are right across the hall. We are down the hall. The imperial guards and the King’s Hand patrol once an hour.” He takes her hands and makes her face him. “Sul Li is safe.”
Her nails drum on the crib’s railing. There had been plenty of guards and patrols outside of her sister’s room. And a Magus Panther still murdered her. Seon Deok inhales deeply. “I just don’t know.”
“Then I will double the amount of patrols here for you, and have the attendants check on her every ten minutes. Will that suffice?” He leans in.
Seon Deok turns away from his kiss. “We should move her to another room. And have the shamans put enchantments on the doors and windows.”
General Hong Do’s eyes close. “Very well. If it would please you, I will tell t
he servants, but it will still take some time for the servants to prepare another room.”
Finally, Seon Deok’s posture relaxes. She rests her head on his shoulders. “Has His Majesty said anything about what he would do about the Magus Panthers yet?”
General Hong Do runs his fingers through her long hair. “Only that he doesn’t want to offend them.”
Seon Deok pulls back from her husband, skin flaming hot. Doesn’t want to offend them? Has Dae Wong lost his mind? What do murderers care for courtesy? But before she can speak, the door opens.
Powerfully-built in frame and tan wolfish face seemingly stuck in a state of perpetual displeasure, King Dae Wong enters the room. Behind him, his son Jae Hwa couldn’t be farther from his father’s image: expressive eyes like two dark half moons on his pale face and a warm smile. Both don the red tunics of the Wings of Heaven Guard and their swords at their belts.
General Hong Do blinks. “Your Majesty? Is there something wrong? Is it the Magus Panthers?”
King Dae Wong’s gaze meets Seon Deok’s—who quickly looks away and studies her daughter with a sudden great interest. The King’s jaws clench, then his attention slides to the General. He beckons for General Hong Do come closer, and the pair move off toward the corner, speaking in hushed tones.
Jae Hwa edges closer to the crib, peering at the tiny pup inside. “She’s so tiny.”
Seon Deok starts at his voice, a hand flying to her chest. “Father Wolf, you scared me, Your Majesty.”
“Sorry,” Jae Hwa says. “I don’t get to see very many pups in the palace.”
Seon Deok gives a small smile. “Once you and Min Ah are wed, I’m sure you’ll be able to see as many as you like.”
“Ah—erm.” Jae Hwa’s face goes red. “Oh, yes. I’m—” Jae Hwa’s gaze shifts to the corner.
Seon Deok’s gaze follows his. It’s empty. “What’s wrong?”
Jae Hwa shakes his head quickly, but his gaze flicks to the corner again. “I thought I saw something, but it was nothing.”
At that moment, Hong Do and Dae Wong rejoin them. Hong Do clears his throat. “We are going to investigate the Shaman Academy.”
Vicissitude Yang Side Page 57