Chapter Thirty Ethan
Chapter Thirty
Ethan
As far as I’m concerned, the Queen of Sky is done sleeping. I will make her wake up and end this fucking war, even if it kills me.
I stalk down the halls to where she rests, clenching and unclenching my hands. I feel strength returning to my body as the Mountains restore my gi. Or it might be adrenaline raging through my veins at how the Amheuk dared to touch Sunny.
Whatever the case, I am waking up the queen, ending this war, and going to the Kingdom of Sky. The blood-soaked screams of the Shinbiin soldiers ring in my ears. I will stop the senseless massacre, then I will hold Sunny in my arms again. Nothing will stand in my way.
When he sees me marching down the hallway, Captain Ha comes to attention in front of my study, where they settled the Queen of Sky. “Your Majesty, the queen is not—”
“Are the uinyeos finished with the acupuncture?” I ask, my voice sharp with impatience.
As soon as the last word leaves my mouth, the study door slides open from the inside. An uinyeo jumps, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Your M-Majesty. We are f-finished administering acupuncture on the queen.” She wrings her hands. “Her gi is much improved, b-but she has not regained consciousness.”
“I must see her.” I step toward the door, and the uinyeo scrambles away to let me through.
My reckless anger falters when I see the Queen of Sky lying on the sleeping mat, pale and still. I’ve seen my mother’s face reflected on the mirror of her memories, and my aunt looks so much like her that yearning twists in my chest.
“Your Majesty.” I sit down next to her. “My name is Ethan. I . . . I am your sister’s son. She didn’t leave me many memories of you, but I know she loved you very much.”
I stare expectantly at her, hoping for a reaction—even a twitch of her finger—but she remains absolutely still. What if she doesn’t wake up?
No, she has to.
“General Bak waged war against her people, and he refuses to surrender, even though the Kingdom of Water and the Kingdom of Underworld fight at our side.” I keep talking.
“He would rather see all his soldiers die, and die himself, than admit defeat to the Kingdom of Mountains. And he plans on taking as many people as possible with them.”
Please wake up.
“More than anything, he . . .” My voice breaks, and I cover my eyes with my hand. “He wants to see me dead. And I can’t watch more people die because of me. You’re the only one who can stop this war. Please.”
“Is it truly you?” a reedy voice rasps.
“Your Majesty.” I drop my hand from my face and scramble closer to her. “Are you awake?”
Her eyes remain closed, and I hold my breath. Did I imagine it?
“Hyeok.” She calls me by the name my mother gave me—a name I only learned of when I broke the stone of tears. No one has ever called me that before, and it warms my heart.
“Y-yes, Imo.” My eyes round at my own slip, but calling her aunt feels so natural.
She opens her eyes, and I suck in a sharp breath. Wordlessly, we stare at each other for a long moment. Then she shifts onto her side, and I rush to help her sit up.
“Hello, Nephew.” She offers me a soft smile. “I am so happy to finally meet you.”
“Me too,” I say with an answering smile, but it fades abruptly. “I-I need your help. You have to order the arrest of General Bak and stop this war. We have to stop this bloodshed. Too many have died already.”
“War?” She looks around my study in confusion. “Where are we?”
“We’re at the Shinsi Palace. Jihun and I found you on the battlegrounds, being held prisoner under General Gim’s watch,” I belatedly explain. “Grandfather poisoned you, then launched an attack on the Kingdom of Mountains. Then he brought you with him to hide what he’d done.”
“So it has come to that,” she sighs, her shoulders falling.
General Bak betrayed and hurt her too. “I’m sorry.”
“There will be time for that later. Help me up, Hyeok.” The queen holds on to my arm and rises to her feet. She sways and leans heavily against me, but her voice is implacable. “Take me to my father. There is no time to waste.”
By the time we reach the courtyard, her breath is already labored. She’s in no condition to make the trek to the wall. She was poisoned and unconscious for days. It’s a miracle she is standing on her own two feet. She needs more rest, but so much is at stake.
I glance over my shoulder at Captain Ha, who followed us from the study. “Please assist the queen.”
“Yes, my king.” He rushes to the queen’s side, then pauses. “With your leave, Your Majesty.”
The queen nods, and he takes her arm. The captain towers over her, but her regal posture lends her a more imposing presence. The knot in my stomach loosens slightly. She is more formidable than she appears.
“I must go ahead of you to the fortress wall,” I tell my aunt. “I will prepare a bowl of water for you to moon shift there.”
“I understand.” She squeezes my hand. “How long do you need to reach the wall?”
“Minutes.” With my gi partially restored, I should be able to get there in ten minutes, but I can’t risk stranding the Queen of Sky in the abyss. “Captain, wait thirty minutes, then fill a bowl with water for the queen.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He bows with his head, holding my aunt steady.
“You must not try to cross until after thirty minutes, Imo,” I warn sternly.
“Do not worry, child,” she says with a gentle smile, not at all intimidated. “Everything will be all right.”
“I know.” My lips wobble at the corners. It has been a long time since someone told me that. “I’ll see you soon.”
I cloak myself in invisibility and run. But I stagger to a sickened halt when I reach the wall.
The Kingdom of Sky has taken to the sky in a last-ditch effort to storm Shinsi. The archers at the wall volley flaming arrow after arrow at them, while the soldiers with fire magic hurl fiery balls, fed by the wind of other elemental soldiers.
The night sky glows red, orange, and yellow from the countless seraphim writhing in flames, and their dead plummet to the ground like shooting stars. But as quickly as they fall, more winged soldiers rise to fill the violent skies.
Those who make it out of the fire and over the wall strike out, their eyes wild, felling as many of our soldiers as they can, until their charred bodies give out. The ground on this side of the wall is black with the fallen seraphim.
They are General Bak’s sacrifices—good soldiers giving their lives for their kingdom. But they have been lied to. They are dying for one male’s perverse vengeance. My rage rises like a tidal wave.
No more.
“Your Majesty.” Jihun flies down from the top of the wall and grabs me by the arm. “It is not safe here.”
“Jihun.” I dig my heels in. “The queen is awake. We need a bowl of water for her to moon shift here from the palace.”
“Is she well enough?” My royal adviser glances at the burning sky with a grim frown. “I guess she has to be. This madness has gone on for long enough. While a bowl is easy enough to procure, water is another matter.”
An arrow whooshes past Jihun’s ear and over my shoulder before either of us can react. Then I hear the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground behind me.
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Hailey bounds up to me, nocking another arrow to her crossbow.
“Yes, thanks to you,” I say through the pounding of my heart. I meet Jihun’s eyes just as they widen with realization.
“Hailey.” He spins his wrist and summons a small, earthenware bowl to his hand. “We need water.”
His lieutenant fills the bowl without question, her trust in Jihun implicit.
I nod my thanks at them and take the bowl of water. We place the bowl on the ground, close to the wall, so the Queen of Sky will be less exposed. Then we stand on the other side of the bowl, leaving just enough room for the queen to step through.
“We might have a few—” I begin, but I’m interrupted by the queen’s arrival.
“I asked you to wait thirty minutes,” I protest.
“I knew you were underestimating yourself.” She smiles serenely. She has more color on her face and stands strong and steady in front of us. The speed of her recovery astounds me.
The Queen of Sky is truly a powerful shinbiin, as I assume all the kings and queens of this realm are. Will they truly bend the knee to me? I shake away the intrusive uncertainty. We have a long way to go before we get to that part.
“Your Majesty, I am glad to see you awake,” Jihun says, with Hailey standing quietly by his side.
“It’s good to see you, Captain.” The queen looks to the sky, then shudders. “Though I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“We have to go. I will shield the wall so you may speak to your army.” I guide her up the steps with a gentle hold on her elbow. “General Bak has lost his mind. He is using the soldiers as cannon fodder.”
“Yes, I can see that.” She steps to the edge of the wall, anger and hurt bracketing the corners of her mouth. “Whenever you are ready, Hyeok.”
Jihun and Hailey flank me as I spread my arms wide, calling to my magic. I have never covered an expanse this large before, but there is no room for doubt. The gi of Mountains rushes into me—fluid, vibrant, and powerful.
Thank you, Mountains.
When my body practically vibrates with power, I thrust my hands up to the sky and unleash my magic across the wall.
I grunt as the shield snaps into place. I close my eyes and reach out my senses, pushing gingerly at the boundaries.
It holds strong. With a relieved exhale, I nod at the Queen of Sky.
“Hear me, my people.” Her voice carries far into the night. “I am the Queen of Sky. And I command you to stop fighting.”
Eerie silence falls over the army of the Kingdom of Sky.
“This is not your fight, but my father’s,” she continues. “General Bak waged war on the Kingdom of Mountains against my opposition. He silenced me by poisoning me and keeping me prisoner. The King of Mountains, my nephew, rescued me and saved my life.”