41. Iseul
Once all was explained, Iremained standing before the prince, examining him. He was unharmed. My darkest imaginings had been unwarranted.
“Perhaps I am wrong,” I whispered, my head aching as my thoughts entangled again, “but it would still be best to have him arrested.”
“I believe you have grounds for suspicion. As soon as the soldiers arrive, I shall give orders to arrest Yeongho. Though, before his arrest, I would hope that he would succeed in assassinating the deposed king, which would be a favor to us all.”
“He deserves to be decapitated before the entire populace,” I growled. “Why can’t the new king now execute Yeonsan?”
Daehyun shook his head. “A king is divinely appointed by the heavens to rule, and as such, we must prove that this revolt against Yeonsan is seen as a righteous act. And so, to ensure a peaceful and stable transfer of power, our new king must demonstrate that he is the benevolent ruler chosen by the heavens. He has no choice but to extend mercy to Yeonsan and have him exiled, alive.”
Gods. My head ached. “The people would let the king live? After all his crimes?”
“Of course not. The coup leaders will assassinate Yeonsan in due time.”
I breathed out in relief, then glanced at the hazy silhouette of trees. “The soldier mentioned you had found the trail. Nameless Flower will be looking for him…” I frowned. “How do you know King Yeonsan is still here?”
“Deposed king,” he corrected gently. “Do you recall when the rainfall stopped?”
Deposed king.I could hardly believe it—that the rebellion had succeeded. It took a moment for his question to register. “Not too long ago,” I finally answered.
He gestured at the ground, and I saw muddy footprints along the ridge. “The rain would have washed these prints away.” We remained standing close, examining the marks, while the backs of our hands grazed at the slightest of movement.
“The tyrant roams free,” he murmured, “and the killer may be shadowing us. This darkness seems without end, and yet…” He glanced at me, his touch trailing from my wrist to the very tip of my finger, before intertwining his with mine. “The night is brighter with you here, Iseul-ah.” His words settled deep, a warmth that pulsed with both joy and pain. “When this is all over, perhaps I shall take you there.”
“Where?”
“To the sea—”
Branches snapped and leaves rustled.
Daehyun reached for his sword.
My shoulders tensed, praying that it was the approach of soldiers. “They have arrived at last. Or perhaps it is Crow. I lost him earlier in the forest…” My words drifted off as I trained my gaze upon the lone figure pushing past the forest tangle, waving a hand at us in greeting.
A grinning face emerged.
Daehyun moved to stand before me, his hand still hovering by the hilt of his sword. My blood turned to ice as I stared at Yeongho and the longbow in his hand.
“Has the king been found?” Daehyun called out, his voice calm.
“Not yet…” Yeongho’s smile faltered, his stare pinned upon me. “Why is she here? I thought she and the other women were heading to the Red Lantern Inn.”
“There was a change of plan. Iseul wished to assist with the search.”
Scratching his head, Yeongho glanced over his shoulder, then stared at me again. “I saw Wonsik’s son among the men… He was asking them if they had seen me—” If realization had a sound, I heard it then; a sickening click. “You know who I am?”
Daehyun and I remained still. We could play ignorant, yet I feared Yeongho had already seen the truth in my face, in its pallor, in the wideness of my stare. But perhaps we could fool him, feign that I was shocked over something else—
A shadow darted past. My heart leaped; both men grabbed their weapons, and in one swift motion, Daehyun unsheathed his sword as Yeongho nocked an arrow to his bow. It was merely a rabbit, but it was too late now.
“One move,” Yeongho warned, aiming the iron tip at Daehyun, “and I shall shoot you, then I shall shoot Iseul, too.”
Daehyun’s shoulders tensed.
My mind still raced, searching for a way out.
“Do not doubt my ability.” Yeongho drew the bowstring tight. “I come from a generation of soldiers. I served as an apprentice to various armorers and would have excelled in the military examination if the king hadn’t thrown a tantrum, ruining my life. So any sudden movement, and I shall launch this arrow.”
“Lower the weapon,” Daehyun ordered calmly, “or the soldiers will not think twice about slaying you.”
Yeongho smirked. “What soldiers? They are now heading westward. I told them that I had seen the king go that way. No one is coming for either of you.” He jerked his head. “Throw your sword my way.”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding,” I called out from behind Daehyun. “Whoever you are, it is of no concern to us.”
“Indeed? I killed that arrogant Min Hyukjin, the prince’s closest companion, and I am no concern to you?” He let out a single laugh. “Your lies reek of desperation. Now drop your sword, prince.”
Daehyun remained immobile, his grip on the sword white-knuckled, and no matter how hard I searched, I could think of no way out for the both of us.
“Drop it now!”
A whistle, and I startled to the side when something sharp tore past the hem of my skirt. An arrow lodged right by my foot.
Swiftly, Yeongho nocked another arrow on the bow.
“No—!” The cry escaped me as Daehyun cast his sword away, the blade clanging against rock, then twirling to a stop between us and Yeongho.
“Have you ever wondered how our lives would have turned out if not for the king?” Yeongho called, closing in on the blade. “I would have become a soldier—a general! That was my fate. When I was a child, during my dol, I had reached out and grabbed the hilt of my father’s sword. I will take my rightful place in this new kingdom, and I will not allow you to hinder me.”
Daehyun’s head shifted the slightest bit, and I followed his gaze. The thick, smokelike mist was rolling in toward us, obscuring everything in its path. Soon it would choke Yeongho’s line of sight; he would lose his aim. And the sword was not too far away to sprint for.
“You are a court jester,” I said, sliding a note of confusion into my voice. “What place could there be for you in the new kingdom?”
He barked out another laugh. “I degraded myself so utterly to carry out my plan. One must always keep one’s enemy close, and what better way to keep the king close than to become his fool? So, you see, I will go to great lengths to take what is rightfully mine. I will kill Yeonsan and become a king killer. Everyone will know of me; I will be exalted by the people!”
The fog crept toward us with tormenting slowness.
We needed only a little more time.
“Come now, do not look so terrified,” Yeongho said. “When you die, you will become a flower. My mother became one.”
“Did you kill her? Your mother?” Daehyun called out.
“My father killed her, beat her to death when she wouldn’t let him pawn the hairpin. I was the one who buried her,” Yeongho said, his voice devoid of feeling. “And then Mother became a flower.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. The veil was moments away now. Faster, I begged of the thick haze. Move faster.
“Have you ever seen baek-du-ong flowers around burial mounds. They would always grow over the little graves I had created from my target practices. They grew over Mother’s grave as well.”
I frowned, his words finally sinking in, along with a memory. Creepy grandfather flowers grow around burial mounds, Suyeon had once explained, the know-it-all that she was, because limestone powder is used to build those mounds.
“You sprinkled limestone powder on the dead,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “It is a Confucian ritual, did you know? I read somewhere that the powder allows for mummification. I fancied the thought of a garden filled with my relics, little animals I had struck dead in the heart. A childhood pastime.” He sighed. “This is growing tedious. There is a king to be killed, you know.”
“And you may go kill the king,” Daehyun said. “You ought to hurry before Yeonsan escapes.”
“I shall, once I carry out my first task. I always knew I’d have to kill you in the end.”
Yeongho aimed the arrow once more, drawing the bowstring to his ear. His line of sight was still in view. It was me; I was his target. “I cannot have my future ruined by those determined to capture me.”
“No. No, please. Do not shoot,” I whispered, and my whisper turned into a scream as Yeongho released the arrow. “Do not shoot—!”
It came too fast. The whistling sound. The glinting arrowhead, and suddenly, Daehyun stepped before me with lightning-like quickness. There came a terrible thud as he jolted, his back colliding into me. In that moment, he stood motionless, his tall height folding in on itself. Horror expanded in my chest as I stared at his hands, now stretched out before him, drenched in blood. So glisteningly red. My mind blanked. I shook my head. This was only a nightmare—
Yeongho heaved out another sigh, nocking a third arrow. “I had hoped to kill Iseul first.” He rolled his shoulder again, then drew the bowstring tight. “I wanted to see your face, prince, when you stared down at your lifeless beloved. I wanted you to feel out of control and utterly helpless. To know what it feels like to be on the other side of the palace wall—to be one of us, the people, our lives falling into ruins because of your brother.” Yeongho grinned as he lined his next shot at Daehyun, who was beginning to sway. “May no mercy be extended to the king’s entire family. May his concubines and sons be poisoned, may all the princes who closed their eyes to the king’s many sins be slain. Every royal and official will be punished for their inaction—”
A white curtain closed around us.
Grabbing Daehyun, I thrust him aside as a loud whistling shrieked by. I raced into the void, and a breeze blew the obscurity away—Daehyun was bleeding on the ground, choking my name. Yeongho was searching for the sword, and I stood raising its cold hilt in both hands.
Yeongho stilled, and just as he turned his head, I rammed the blade forward, pushing deeper into his back, scraping past bone and sinew. There was a loud silence. The sword in my grip shook, caught in his rib cage as Yeongho rocked forward. His scream ruptured my ears, and the hilt slipped from my hands as he rose to his feet. He pulled the blade out and turned to me. Cold sweat drenched my face as I staggered back. The metal flashed, swiping for me, and I stumbled to the side. My shoulder collided with a tree. I turned the other way, the forest a blur of panic, and I tripped over a root.
I tried to crawl as the blade rose over me—
An arm locked around Yeongho’s throat. Both he and the sword disappeared, sucked into the fog.
I remained on the ground, my body petrified as I stared at the wrestling shadows. Choking, struggling, feet dragging across the earth. And then silence. I waded through the sea of white, as though through a nightmare, my hands stretched out in the hopes of feeling the warmth of him.
“Daehyun?” I cried out, and all that answered me was the rushing river.
The strength drained from my knees, and then I was on the ground, crawling over to the cliff, following the trail of blood that disappeared over the edge. My mind collapsed as I stared at the black waters below.
The prince had stood before me moments ago. I had held his hand. He had whispered my name.
And now he was gone.