Chapter Six Ethan
Chapter Six
Ethan
I stare at the small bowl in the back corner of the dais, listening with half an ear to the generals and high officials gathered in the audience hall. They’ve been making the same argument on loop for over an hour.
Where are you, Sunny?
The stitches of my sanity are snapping one by one, every minute I’m apart from her. Yesterday, we received word from Captain Seo. Found Minju. Daeseong dead. A longer message would have been scrambled while crossing the realms, but the cryptic note made me want to punch my fist through the wall.
Why aren’t Sunny and Draco with Minju? Why didn’t the three of them come back once they killed the dark mudang?
“Enough,” I growl. The officials standing before me have burned through what little remained of my patience. “I will not sit idly by while the enemy ravages my kingdom.”
General Bak and his army from the Kingdom of Sky are raining down death and destruction everywhere their feet fall.
“Please withdraw your ire, Your Majesty,” General Im intones. “Your humble servants only wish to protect you.”
“We beg of you, Your Majesty,” the generals and officials drone as one. “Please keep yourself safe.”
“Am I to stand back and watch innocent people lose their homes, their farms, their very lives?” The arms of the throne creak under my grip. “Am I to do nothing? Is that what you are telling me? My father might have gladly hidden behind this throne, but I am not him.”
“Forgive your humble servant.” General Im drops to his knees and presses his forehead against the hardwood floor.
Then everyone joins in the fucking fun and falls to the ground. “Forgive your humble servant.”
“Assemble the soldiers guarding the capital. I will ride out with them.” I need to do something before I go mad. “And open the gates to Shinsi for those seeking refuge.”
“But, Your Majesty, we cannot have you come to harm.” General Im raises his head, eyes wide with panic. “We also cannot risk a security breach to Shinsi. The capital and its palace must not fall. They are the symbols of—”
When I slash my hand through the air, the general shuts his mouth so fast that his teeth clack together from the force. I breathe through my nose to get a grip on my anger.
“They will symbolize nothing if I stand by while the Kingdom of Sky annihilates my people.” Frustration roars through me. Why can’t they understand? “There is no Kingdom of Mountains without its people. I will fight to protect them.”
“Your Majesty.” Jihun breaks his silence next to me.
“If you say my place is on the throne,” I snap at him in English, “I will kick your ass.”
He raises his eyebrow by a millimeter, expressing his skepticism at my ability to kick his ass. My surprise elicits a bark of laughter out of me.
“I will ride by your side, Your Majesty.” Jihun bows his head with restored deference.
“You . . . will?” This time, the surprise silences my laughter. “I mean . . . I am glad to hear it.”
“We will not leave Shinsi unprotected, General,” Jihun continues. “His Majesty will lead a battalion to the front lines, but the rest of your division may remain and protect the capital.”
“As you say, Lord Adviser,” General Im says with a resigned sigh.
Lord Adviser? I arch a brow at Jihun. He gives me a nearly imperceptible shrug. I guess we’re rolling with it. It’s no secret he’s my right-hand man. Besides, there is no one else in all the realms I would rather have as my royal adviser.
“Now that we are in agreement”—I hold General Im’s gaze until he fidgets—“shall we discuss strategy?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He bows low.
“Good.” Thank the fucking gods is more like it.
I am drowning in helplessness. There is nothing I can do to keep Sunny safe from here, but I will do everything in my power to protect my people.
“Generals, you may remain, but the rest of you are dismissed. I entrust every one of you with the care of our people.”
“If I may, Your Majesty.” One official—Lord Song, I believe—steps forward. I nod for him to proceed. “It is an honor to serve a king who encourages us to help our people, rather than punish us for it.”
The rest of the high officials murmur and nod in agreement. I swallow thickly. My father might have been a greedy, despicable king, but the core of the Kingdom of Mountains’s government remains just.
“While it is highly irregular for a king to risk his life on the battlefield, we will pray for your safe return.” Lord Song presses his lips into a determined line. “And we will follow your example and do our best to put the needs of our people ahead of our own.”
“It is my honor to lead this kingdom with you,” I say with solemn sincerity. “With every one of you.”
“We are not worthy, Your Majesty,” the officials cry in unison, bowing deeply from their waists.
I didn’t mean to trigger more bowing. I shoot a panicked glance at Jihun. The corners of his mouth curve for a split second.
“Thank you for your service, my lords.” He diplomatically urges the high officials to depart. “The royal guards will be available to assist you with any preparations.”
As they file out of the audience hall, the officials quietly discuss opening up their grain storage to feed the hungry. I could do with a little less bowing and platitudes, but they are good people. I hardly know them, but they have already made me proud. And now it’s my turn to make them proud.
I beckon Jihun, and he leans close. “I gather General Im is the one in charge of defending the capital?”
“Yes, Shinsi and the rest of the southwest quadrant.” His lips barely move.
“Thanks.” After flashing him a sheepish grin, I arrange my expression into stern lines and turn my attention to the three generals in front of me. “General Im, I may not be well versed in warfare, but I do not expect you to throw open every gate to Shinsi all at once.”
The general sags with relief, and I come this close to rolling my eyes. The male must think I’m either hopelessly unintelligent or utterly irrational.
“I will leave the specifics of protecting the southwest quadrant up to you,” I continue in my most reasonable voice, “but you will accept as many refugees as you can, without unduly risking the capital.”
“And General . . . ?” I cock my head at a wiry young male, who could be anywhere between twenty-four and two hundred forty.
“My family name is Jo, Your Majesty,” he promptly supplies.
“General Jo, I received reports that your troops are overstretched.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He nods grimly. “My division defends the northwest quadrant, but we have deployed more than half of our soldiers to the northeast. The Kingdom of Sky invaded through the portal between the kingdoms, which lies in the easternmost region of that quadrant.”
“Did our portal keepers survive the invasion?” I interrupt.
“They killed the keeper on duty as soon as they crossed over. Our remaining keeper tried to reach the portal to seal it off, but too many enemy soldiers had already come through, and Keeper Yoon couldn’t make it past them.
” General Jo exhales through his nose. “Our soldiers managed to rescue her before the enemy killed her, too, but we do not know whether she will recover from her injuries.”
“Please keep us apprised of Keeper Yoon’s progress, General.
” My brows dip into a frown. “But going back, you deployed more than half of your soldiers to the northeast quadrant, leaving your quadrant vulnerable. Why so many? Is the northeastern division so outnumbered that they cannot hold their ground against the enemy?”
Has my grandfather amassed forces too great for us to defeat?
“Yes . . . and no,” General Jo replies as the other generals exchange uneasy glances. “The northeast quadrant has the biggest military unit in the Kingdom of Mountains, but the division was led by General Shin.”
“Since General Shin has been captured and imprisoned for leading the insurrection”—I pinch the bridge of my nose—“the northeastern division has no direct leadership.”
“Regretfully, no.” General Jo breathes a weary sigh. “The soldiers who aided General Shin in the insurrection are either dead or imprisoned, and those who refused to join him are scattered throughout the kingdom.”
“In other words, our primary military unit—and our first point of defense—is in shambles.” Then I mutter under my breath, “Talk about a perfect shitstorm.”
“The majority of the enemy’s forces are marching straight for Shinsi, cutting across the northeast quadrant toward the southwest quadrant,” General Jo continues. “Our troops are doing their best to slow the enemy’s progress, but we are quickly losing ground.”
“General Hong, Your Majesty.” A tall, broad male steps forward and executes a sharp bow. “I command the southeastern division. I have sent five thousand soldiers to the northeast quadrant, but, unfortunately, I cannot spare any more because . . . May I approach the throne?”
“Your Majesty?” Jihun asks, even as he gives me a minute nod to communicate his assent. He trusts these generals, and if need be, he could take down all three without breaking a sweat.
“Approach, General Hong,” I say with a sardonic glance at my royal adviser.
Coming to stand next to Jihun, General Hong unrolls a map of the Kingdom of Mountains and holds it out for both of us to see.
“We found signs of an enemy brigade approaching the southeast quadrant from the north.” He traces a finger in a half circle from the top right of the kingdom to the bottom right.
Then he repeats the movement on the left half.
“We anticipate additional combat brigades to move around the western outskirts of the Kingdom of Mountains to launch a coordinated attack on the capital.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from General Bak.” My hands fist on the throne. “He would have all grounds covered.”
“With our remaining troops, General Jo and I must defend the northwest and southeast quadrants to prevent Shinsi from being hit from every direction,” General Hong continues. “But the northeast quadrant remains our weakest point.”
My brows furrow into a frown. “Would the enemy forces be able to moon shift past our defenses?”
“It is difficult to moon shift in mass numbers, but dividing their units risks weakening their forces,” the general explains patiently. “Furthermore, it is too dangerous to moon shift into a hostile territory without knowing what awaits them on the other side.”
“That makes sense.” I’m in way over my head. My mortal college education didn’t cover magical warfare. “Thank you, General.”
I resist the urge to drag my hand down my face, and I push aside the wave of uncertainty. I can’t afford to be embarrassed by my inexperience. I have a lot to learn, but I have the generals and Jihun by my side. I am not fighting this war alone.
Unlike Sunny.
The quiet accusation lands on me like an anvil, and my lungs seize up, cutting off my air supply. I promised her we’d face whatever lies ahead together. I promised her she would not be alone. My heart screams at me to run to her. I don’t know how much longer I can resist its plea.
My gaze drifts back to the bowl. Come back to me, Sunny. I close my eyes and exhale a long, slow breath. She will come. We are bound by the threads of fate. I feel it in the depth of my soul. We will be together again.
For now, I must focus on what I can control.
“Generals, where am I needed most?” I shoot my palm out when General Im opens his mouth. “Where can I be of the most use in the battlefield?”
“You are most needed in the northeast quadrant, Your Majesty.” Despite General Im’s death glare, General Jo continues staunchly, “It is where the fighting is the fiercest, and the morale is the lowest. And perhaps, with you there, the soldiers dispersed by General Shin’s revolt will return to fight at your side. ”
“Then that is where I’ll go.” My tone brooks no argument.
I am done watching people die for me. It is long past time I protected my people . . . even if it means taking down my own grandfather.