A Crane Among Wolves

12. Daehyun

Premonition closed in around himlike the mist that veiled the hills, ghostlike swirls in the wind. But he refused to believe that danger had befallen Hyukjin—his comrade, his confidant.

“The letter summoned Hyukjin to Mount Acha—but why there?” Daehyun shouted over the loud rustling of trees as they rode into the forest.

“He often travels across Mount Acha to visit his grandmother,” Wonsik yelled back. “Perhaps he believed his sister was running back home!”

“But how could Nameless Flower know of this detail?”

“What I wish to know, daegam, is why lead Hyukjin there? And why today—?” Wonsik’s thick brows knotted. “When does the king plan to go hunting?”

“Tomorrow. He will be going to Gwangneung Mountain, near Namyangju—” Ice trickled through his veins. “His Majesty and his hunting party would pass through Mount Acha.”

“The killer has displayed only three patterns thus far. The bloody message, the flower… and leaving the bodies where the king could find—”

A silhouette moved beyond the thicket. Turning, Daehyun reached for an arrow as Wonsik raised a torch higher.

“Who goes there?” Wonsik called out.

A rider trotted forward, and the torchlight illuminated a delicate face, the high cheekbones littered with cuts from riding through the woods, a pair of distrustful eyes, and windswept hair. She sat straight, her chin raised, bearing the aura of an empress riding into war.

“The girl from the inn?” Disbelief punctured Daehyun’s voice. “She followed us—did you know of this?”

“If I knew, I would have sent her back!” Wonsik called out over the whistling wind. “No matter. We ought to keep riding. A storm is on its way!”

When the girl rode forward, Daehyun steered his horse to block her. “Why are you here?”

“Wonsik promised to investigate with me. We are partners.”

Daehyun shot Wonsik a glance. “Partners?”

Wonsik shifted on his saddle. “I offered to help her find the killer.”

“Did you, indeed?” he said, voice brusque with irritation.

“We only wish to find Nameless Flower,” Wonsik explained. “Let the girl deliver him to the king and claim the reward.”

“What reward—” Daehyun paused. He turned to her. “You intend to ask the king for your sister, don’t you?” He rode closer, to ensure that she heard his every word. “Look at me,” he ordered. “You intend to bargain with the king himself?”

A muscle worked in her jaw. “I do.”

He was truly amazed by the simplicity of her thoughts. “You believe you can save your sister? With a bargain?” He shook his head. “Do you think a king who steals girls will listen to one, let alone honor a bargain with her?”

A flinch of doubt crossed her face. “If you can think of a better method, then please do—!”

“Wonsik, escort her to the nearest village.” Daehyun gripped the reins tight, steering the creature around. “She will not be accompanying us. I forbid it—”

They all stilled at the sight of a lone horse roaming ahead. A posy of wilted flowers hung from the saddlebag, petals shuddering in the wind.

“That is Hyukjin’s horse,” Wonsik whispered.

“Split up,” Daehyun said, lighting a torch for himself. “He may still be here.”

He forgot about the girl as she rode off with Wonsik. He was on his own now, ducking away from thrashing branches. Leaves whirled, erasing all traces of hoofprints, all traces of his friend.

“Hyukjin-ah!” he called out, over and over, until his voice grew raw.

He rode as far as the low mountain peak, covered in large beds of rocks that he carefully navigated across. The night had grown so dark he could barely see the sparkle of the Han River and the lights of the capital. He continued along the mountain ridge until he caught sight of a piece of white fabric fluttering on a branch. Abruptly steering his horse, he followed the rocky trail downward until he reached a little clearing above a low cliff.

“Hyukjin!” he called out. “Hyukjin-ah—!”

A droplet of rain fell onto his cheek, then more fell in a steady drip, drip, drip. The droplets felt peculiar, and so he touched his cheek. Dark red liquid glistened on his fingertips. His chest tightened as he raised the torch and looked up.

Bare feet dangled. Limbs swayed. Loosened hair drifted across the face.

Breathe, he told himself. Breathe, Daehyun-ah.

He inhaled, and the darkness rose until he was chest deep in a memory. The palace courtyard surrounded him, blood gleaming on the ground. His foster brothers were bludgeoning two women, anonymous women with sacks over their faces.

Kill!the king ordered. Or be killed!

Breathe.

Deeper, he sank into cold night. Clubs fell to the ground as his brothers staggered back, screaming. The women tied to the chairs were motionless. The sacks had been pulled off their heads. His mother’s dead eyes stared at her sons, unblinking.

Breathe.

He couldn’t. Death crept up his spine, over his shoulder, whispering in his ear: You can never save those you love. The whispering continued, drowning him as he stared at the corpse hanging from a tree.

The bare feet twitched in the air.

A bolt of cold shot through him. “Hyukjin-ah! I am coming!” He scrambled up the slope, toward the tree that stood at the cliff’s edge with its sprawling roots. A rope was tied around the trunk. He still had time to save his friend. He was not too late. Not this time.

Racing forward, he grabbed the rope with one hand, and with the other hand he reached as far as he could. He reached until his hand skimmed Hyukjin’s collar. Grabbed hold of it. He hauled his friend onto the cliff, and grabbing his dagger, he cut the noose free—

A deep, cheerful yell exploded, echoing in the shadows.

Daehyun snapped a glance over his shoulder. Had he imagined the sound? Wind whistled through leaves; trees were dancing all too merrily. Shadows merged and parted and swayed. There was no time to spare, though, and so Daehyun proceeded to cut the noose free even as the back of his neck prickled.

“You ruined my display,” a voice slid up behind him.

Pain exploded behind Daehyun’s eyes. Soil smashed into his face. He struggled to rise, his hand reaching across the earth toward his friend. But a shadow dug its foot under Hyukjin, and with one firm shove, kicked him off the precipice. Then it turned and swung a club.

Darkness overtook him.