Chapter Ten Ethan
Chapter Ten
Ethan
We ride at the back of the battalion at Jihun’s insistence. Although impatience crawls over my skin, my royal adviser made the right call. After hours on horseback, every muscle in my body screams with pain. I would never have been able to keep up at the front of the line.
Yet I am strangely comforted by my limitations.
The gi of Mountains floods me with power. I am invincible. But all this might and magic feel too big for my body. And the normalcy of sore muscles quietens the dissonance within me. No matter how immense my powers—I stretch my back with a groan—I cannot last on this horse much longer.
I am still me.
“Don’t get me wrong,” I murmur to my horse, as though he overheard my inner musings. He’s a beautiful animal, muscular and sleek with a brown coat so rich that it almost looks black. “You’re an impressive warhorse. My body just needs to get accustomed to riding on your back for hours on end.”
The horse neighs in reassurance, and I pat his neck and glance up at the darkening sky. When I hear the gallop of another horse approaching, I straighten in my saddle.
“We made good progress.” Jihun reins in his ride to trot beside me and points at a line of trees ahead of us. “We’ll set up camp for the night in that forest.”
“Got it,” I say casually, holding back a hoot of relief. Even sleeping on the cold ground sounds like heaven at this point.
Jihun covers his almost smirk with a cough. “Your tent should be ready by the time you arrive.”
“My tent?” My brows draw together. “Will the soldiers be sleeping in tents?”
“No.” He shakes his head once. “The rest of us will sleep under the stars. We need to be prepared to mobilize quickly.”
“Then I should too.” I set my jaw, bearing down for an argument. I didn’t ride into battle to be pampered. “I’m not more deserving of comfort than any of these soldiers.”
“While I appreciate the thought”—Jihun crosses his arms—“you will do no such thing.”
“I will do”—I narrow my eyes into dangerous slits—“as I see fit.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.” He sighs and wipes a hand down his face. “I want you in a tent for selfish reasons. If I ward your tent, I won’t have to stay up all night guarding you. I could use some rest. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden this long and hard.”
“Yeah. It’s no joke.” I deflate, my righteous indignation leaking out of me. “Of course you need rest.”
“If it’s any consolation”—my royal adviser scratches the side of his neck—“your tent is not exactly suitable for glamping.”
“What?” I rear back in mock outrage. “Do you mean to tell me there won’t be copious amounts of silk and shearling for me to drape my royal body over?”
Jihun snorts. “Now there’s a mental image I never wanted to have.”
I grin and urge my horse toward the forest. We ride in comfortable silence until we reach our bivouac. Even after a long day’s march, the soldiers laugh and talk among themselves as they gather firewood and prepare to settle down for the night.
I know the exact moment they notice our arrival. They drop everything they’re doing and come to stand at attention. Then they exchange panicked glances, some bowing from their waist and others falling to their knees.
I realize these foot soldiers have never met the king before and have no idea how to greet me. Hell. I don’t know how to greet a king either. I nod and motion for them to rise. They stay put, sneaking glances at each other.
“Where’s my tent?” I whisper to Jihun.
“Your tent is this way, Your Majesty,” my royal adviser says loudly for the benefit of the floundering soldiers, then leads me to the edge of the camp.
The round tent, reminiscent of a Mongolian yurt, with a tall, pointed roof, stands in a clearing in the woods. I step into the spacious shelter and look over my shoulder at Jihun as he follows me inside.
Several light orbs float beneath the high ceiling, lighting the interior in a warm glow. A sleeping mat, complete with a silk comforter, takes up one side of the tent, while a low table with seat cushions occupies the other. There’s even a small washing station tucked behind the sleeping area.
“You don’t consider this glamping?” I gape at Jihun.
“We don’t provide breakfast in bed,” he deadpans.
“Have you been moonlighting as a stand-up comic?” I chuckle. The lively chatter picks back up outside, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “I guess this tent has many uses. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable the soldiers would feel around me.”
“They aren’t so much uncomfortable as they are awestruck,” Jihun explains. “They are honored to have you ride with them.”
I rub the back of my head. “All this will take some getting used to.”
“I hope you don’t have to get used to the battlefield aspect of your reign.” He sighs. “Your grandfather—”
“No.” I slash my hand through the air. “The moment General Bak invaded the Kingdom of Mountains, he stopped being my grandfather.”
“Do you really believe that?” Jihun asks quietly. “He has always been a tough son of a bitch, but he’s . . . family. I still can’t believe he would do this.”
“He is doing this.” My lip curls back. “He wants revenge, no matter the cost.”
Even if the cost is killing his only grandson. I clench my fists at my sides. I didn’t choose to have the tyrant’s blood running through me. And I am as much his beloved daughter’s son as I am my father’s. Why can’t my grandfather see that?
“He plans to lay waste to the Kingdom of Mountains because the tyrant killed my mother.” I shake my head. “But my people already suffered so much when they lost their queen. I can’t watch them suffer more because of my father’s sins. I have to stop General Bak.”
“We will stop him, my king.” He presses his fist to his chest.
I clap him on the shoulder, then blow out a long breath. “But tonight, I could use a stiff drink.”
I remember the makgeolli Sunny and I shared at her childhood home. But the fleeting warmth of memories is not enough. I want her in my arms. I shift my eyes toward the tent flap, wondering if it is dark enough for the moon to have risen.
“Captain Seo might have sent word,” Jihun murmurs, following my gaze and train of thought.
I don’t know if I want another short, cryptic message. Who am I kidding? Any news will be like a sip of air to a drowning man. It just can’t be bad news. It won’t be. Hanging on to hope, I fill a small bowl with water and step outside the tent.
I quickly make my way around to the back so the soldiers can go about their business.
Jihun stays close behind me. The full moon shines brightly in the night, and I crouch to the ground and pour a fist of soil into the bowl.
When the water calms and the moon’s reflection stares up at me, I murmur a chant, and silvery-green fire sparks above the bowl.
I hold my breath as the flame splits into strands and swirls in the air. Then my eyes widen when they converge into letters. With my heart pounding against my ribs, I trace my fingers above the precious message, careful not to touch.
Found Sunny. Coming back.
My relief doesn’t have a chance to solidify because a fire-tipped arrow flies by my head and embeds itself next to the bowl, scattering the letters into the air.
“No,” I rasp, my hand reaching heedlessly for the words now gone.
I swipe my hand over my head, pitching a protective dome over Jihun and me, and a barrage of fiery arrows falls impotently to the ground. When I glance over my shoulder, I can make out enemy soldiers in the distance, hiding in the trees.
I take my time rising to my feet, fury roaring in my ears, then I turn to face the archers. My voice is a low growl, but my magic carries the words to my enemies. “You picked the wrong time to interrupt my evening.”
These assholes took something priceless from me. I’ve been waiting days for that message. I don’t care if the words would have dispersed in a few seconds. They were my few seconds to see Sunny’s name lit up in the silver-and-green flames of my magic. It was mine.
But Sunny is okay. Thank the fucking gods. I knew she would be. I knew and yet . . .
I want her here. I need to bury myself inside her. She is mine, but I want to hear her say the words and sip them from her lips. I want to claim her and be claimed by her. We belong together.
Just a while longer.
I blow out a measured breath. Sunny will be here soon, and I hope to never endure the torture of being apart from her again. But first, I have to teach these enemy soldiers a lesson.
“Shall we?” I raise my brows at Jihun, gripping an axe in each fist.
He nods, silver fire glinting in his eyes. “We should beat some manners into these assholes.”
I head toward them with a deadly smile, my axes hanging deceptively loose at my sides. Subduing these archers shouldn’t take long, but I don’t plan on stopping there. I will keep going until I have General Bak on his knees, even if I have to fight every soldier from the Kingdom of Sky myself.
I won’t have Sunny come back to a war-ravaged kingdom. Not if I can help it.