Page 33 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

The next morning, I’m up early and waiting in the courtyard of the Sunset Pavilion for my private cadet training—private until the bigots at the Suhoshin headquarters calm the fuck down about the “scary” gumiho.

Captain Seo strides into the courtyard and gives me a curt nod in greeting.

I cringe with shame because I’m relieved she showed up instead of Jihun.

Cowardly or not, I’m not ready to face the stubborn male after last night.

I wouldn’t know whether to punch him or tackle hug him.

Who am I kidding? I’m definitely leaning toward punching his pretty face.

Then I’ll hug him and blubber all over him. Shit. I’m a hot mess.

“You need to hone your defensive skills,” the captain says in her uppity British accent. She doesn’t bother asking if I’m feeling better, and I prefer it that way. I don’t need reminders of Jo Danbi and my bout of levitation.

I need to focus on becoming one formidable badass. I used to think I already was one, even without my gumiho, but Captain Seo showed me that I have a long way to go—especially since I can’t rely on my gumiho when I face Daeseong. I need opposable thumbs to wield the sword of light.

The dark mudang is back. We know his exact location.

The only reason we’re still in a holding position—and not taking advantage of Daeseong’s weakened state—is because I’m not ready yet.

I can’t wield the Yeoiju with any amount of control, but I’m not giving up.

I’ll use every day I have left to master its powers.

In the meantime, though, I need to be prepared to vanquish the dark mudang with the sword of light.

Captain Seo is dressed in a gray dobok that distinguishes the suhoshin instructors from the cadets, but she isn’t wearing the long outer vest belted over it.

She obviously sacrificed fashion in favor of mobility.

My stomach dips. She even tied a black headband across her forehead to keep the sweat out of her eyes.

Gulp. The captain isn’t messing around today.

“Ready?” She has her hands clasped behind her back, with her legs about shoulder width apart. It is the most arrogant fighting stance I have ever seen. But instead of annoyance, an odd feeling bubbles up in my chest—admiration.

“I was born ready ...” My lips tug down in a mortified grimace.

Did I really say that out loud? I’ve lived for one hundred and thirty-two years, but the ’80s seem to have made an indelible mark on me.

I raise my fists and angle my body. I can’t unsay what I said, so I lean into it. “Ready to rumble .”

The captain strikes even before she finishes rolling her eyes.

She shoves my right shoulder back, which opens up my torso, and I glance down reflexively in irritation.

No one likes being shoved in the shoulder.

Then I double over when she buries her fist in my stomach—thank gods my injury is completely healed—and I see stars when her knee connects with my face.

“For fuck’s sake,” I groan with a hand on my nose. I wiggle it to make sure it’s not broken.

“What did you do wrong?” She’s not even out of breath.

“I made my upper body vulnerable and took my eyes off my opponent,” I grit out.

“And?”

“And what?” I throw my hands up.

“And you were too slow,” she says evenly. “At the very least, you should’ve been able to avoid being kneed in the face.”

“The blow to my stomach took the wind out of me.” My pride hurts more than anything. “I wasn’t prepared for you to plant your extraordinarily knobby knee in my nose. It’s like having one giant brass knuckle plowed into my face.”

“ That is your biggest problem.” She punctuates her sentence by poking at the air in front of her. “You don’t anticipate your opponent’s next moves.”

“Are you saying I should learn how to read minds ?” I channel Draco’s teenage scorn.

“I’m saying that you have a decent brain.

Use it.” A flush spreads across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

I’ve never seen the captain this close to losing her temper.

It’s actually a refreshing change from her icy aloofness.

“I’ve seen you let your mind recede and have your body take over during sparring matches.

I’m not denying that you’re a skilled fighter.

But if you rely solely on your speed and technique, it makes you reactive, and you’ll end up dancing to your opponent’s tune.

You need to think . Be three steps ahead of your opponent, consider multiple scenarios and outcomes, and never be caught unawares. ”

“Like I said, mind reading.” I understand what she’s saying, but I can’t resist the urge to nudge her over the edge.

“No, not mind reading.” To my disappointment, she takes a calming breath. “Think of it more like choreography. You determine the flow of the fight from your very first move.”

“What if my opponent”—I flick a hand toward her—“makes the first move?”

“The same rules apply. Defend yourself in a way that will let you set up your next attack three moves down. Be patient. Take back control.”

“Okay,” I concede with a shit-eating grin. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

A vein pulses in her forehead before she kicks out at me. And I’m ready. I block her kick with my forearms and crouch to sweep her other leg out from under her before she gets both feet back on the ground.

Captain Seo breaks her fall by rolling into it, then lightly jumps to her feet. I think she’ll be pissed, but a corner of her lips curls into a smirk. “Not bad, Cadet Cho. That head of yours is more than a decoration, after all.”

My middle finger twitches, but I don’t push my luck. She’s the head instructor of the suhoshin cadets, and whether I like it or not, I am a cadet. And like it or not, the captain deserves my respect.

“The whole thinking thing ...” I trail off, then try again. “I used to plan, strategize, and re plan every minuscule aspect of my life. I couldn’t let anything take me by surprise and risk being found by the Shingae. But when everything blew up in my face, I ... stopped thinking.

“The last few months, all I’ve done is react to one thing after another. I forgot to think because I was too busy panicking. I flailed around, trying to deal with everything, but it only got harder and harder to stay afloat.

“Just because I’m done running doesn’t mean I can’t choose how I face my problems,” I say quietly. “It’s time I stop to think again. Plan, strategize, and replan. I need to take back control of my own fucking life.”

“I didn’t think this lesson would be this easy,” Captain Seo murmurs.

“All I needed was a refresher.” I grin at her, feeling lighter than I have in months. Nothing has changed—except me. My problems are still there, but I won’t be taking wild swings in the dark anymore. “So what’s next?”

“I’m not sure.” The captain purses her lips in a bemused expression. “I didn’t plan any other lessons for today.”

“What do you say we work on sword fighting? As you know, the last sword practice was cut short due to ... unfortunate circumstances. I don’t want my technique to get rusty in case I need to wield the sword of light—as a backup plan if the Yeoiju decides not to cooperate.

” I tap a finger to my temple. “Thinking ahead, you see.”

“Thinking ahead? Or chickening out?” She arches an eyebrow. “Still intimidated by the Yeoiju, are you?”

“Fuck you.” Respect only goes so far. I won’t let her call me a chicken, whether or not it’s true.

Her only reaction is to raise her eyebrow a millimeter higher. “Do you know how long the sword of light is? How heavy it is?”

“No,” I grumble. “Have you forgotten? There is no sword of light. Jaeseok and Draco are close, but they haven’t forged it yet.”

“You raise a good point.” Captain Seo nods slowly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Yes, I do.” I nod as well. “But just to make sure I know you’re thinking what I’m thinking, maybe you should tell me what that point is.”

The captain’s reserve falters as laughter spurts out of her. “Like you said, the sword of light hasn’t been forged yet, which means you can still ask them to make it to the same specifications as your hwando.”

“You’re right .” Wielding my short sword is second nature to me. If they can forge the sword of light to match my hwando, then that will be a game changer. I have very few advantages against Daeseong. I’m grabbing this one with both hands. “I did raise a good point.”

“Very well then.” Captain Seo summons her twin swords with a flick of her wrists. “Shall we rumble ?”

“You’re hilarious.” Without giving myself a chance to hesitate, I summon my hwando from my room and sigh in relief when the hilt pushes against my palm. And this time, I launch the first attack.

I don’t win every spar, but I win enough to satisfy us both.

“Let’s take a break,” Captain Seo pants, untying the band around her head and wiping her face with it.

“Oh thank gods,” I say in a heartfelt groan, not bothering to act tough. We spent the last two hours proving to each other that we are both scary tough.

It feels great to stretch out in the shade of Sunset Pavilion’s main hall, my feet dangling off the side of the raised floor.

Captain Seo is decidedly less starchy than before, but not enough to splay out next to me.

Instead, she sits with her back against one wall, with her legs stretched out in front of her.

We both sigh after gulping down ice-cold sikhae , a sweet fermented rice punch, that Miok brought out for us. I’m ridiculously happy when the empty bowl immediately fills again. I have the bowl halfway to my mouth when Jaeseok rushes into the courtyard and heads straight toward us.

“Just the dokkaebi I was looking for.” I smile, remembering I need to tell him about forging the sword of light to match my hwando. “Do you—”

He cuts me off in a strained voice. “There has been another assassination attempt.”