Page 51 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

The chambers blur around me as I rush toward the King of Mountains.

I’m stunned at my speed—my human body is moving as fast as my gumiho—but I’ll take it and gladly.

I can think about the why later. I near the king in a heartbeat and drop into a baseball slide, barely avoiding the stream of power.

I pop up between his outstretched arms just as the king’s startled gaze meets mine.

“Freeze.” I stick the needle into his solar plexus, and the king does exactly as he’s told. He freezes with his arms extended in front of him, wearing a look of gaping shock, and his magic shuts off all at once.

I spin around to face Ethan, the king’s immobile arms bracketing my head, and my eyes widen in horror.

Captain Seo was right. I should have thought this through.

Since I paralyzed the king and severed his magic, Ethan’s stream of power has nowhere to go .

.. except straight at me. A scream lodges in my throat as I raise my hands to shield my face.

“Sunny,” Ethan shouts.

I hear a deafening crash, and I’m tackled to the ground from my side and smothered under a large, hard body. I can hardly breathe, which is excellent news, because it means I’m not dead. What about Ethan? I flail under the big oaf, trying to get him off me.

“Are you all right?” Jihun lifts his torso a few inches, allowing me to suck in a heaving breath.

“Get off me,” I wheeze, then flinch when I notice the debris crashing down on us. Jihun grunts, but none of the rubble hits my face, and I realize he has his wings spread over us. My voice softens. “I need to make sure Ethan is okay.”

“He’s safe,” Jihun reassures me through clenched teeth, straining against the falling rubble. “I saw him throw his shield up.”

“I still want you to get off me.” I push against the wall of his chest. “You’re getting hurt, you idiot.”

Only when the dust settles around us does the stubborn ass push himself off me. I slap his hand away when he tries to help me up, and I push to my feet on my own. I immediately spin Jihun around to check his back for injuries.

“Gods damn it. Your fucking wings are invisible,” I growl. “I can’t see if you’re hurt or not.”

“I’m fine.” Jihun gently pushes my hand off his arm and turns back toward me. His face is pale, and I scan his body with worried eyes. “Go check on the prince.”

I gasp and spin around until I find Ethan, sitting inside a dustless circle with the jimil sanggung in his arms. I squeeze Jihun’s hand in thanks and run over to them.

“Ethan.” I kneel next to him, and he reaches out to cradle my cheek in his hand. I lean into his touch, cupping my hand over his. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” But he doesn’t sound too happy about it. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop my magic in time. I could’ve hurt you.”

“Ethan, look at me. You didn’t hurt me.” I glance up at the open sky, then at the wreckage around us. He must’ve thrown his hand up toward the ceiling to avoid hitting me. “But you did a number on the king’s chambers.”

“I apologize for the interruption.” Jihun comes to stand in front of us, twisting his wrist to summon the sword he dropped when he threw himself over me. “But we aren’t quite finished with our mission.”

“Shit,” I mutter as I jump to my feet, unsheathing my hwando from under my skirt.

The royal guards had formed a shield of bodies around their paralyzed king and suffered the brunt of the injuries.

Bleeding from their heads, shoulders, and backs, the guards struggle to regroup, limping toward us with their weapons raised in shaking arms. But they’re shinbiins.

They’ll heal soon, and we’ll be outnumbered, ten to three.

Worse yet, the king might soon free himself from his paralysis and add his might to their numbers.

“My prince,” Jang Sanggung says in a ragged whisper. Ethan and I exchange a surprised glance. She must have overheard his brief exchange with his father. “Please help me stand.”

“You shouldn’t move.” Ethan shakes his head. “We need to find a physician to care for your wound.”

“Please.” The sanggung grips his hand. “I beg of you, Your Highness.”

“Very well.” Ethan helps her up with an arm around her back, concern drawing his eyebrows together. She presses a bloody hand to her stomach and straightens to her full height, leaning heavily on him.

“Royal guards, we no longer need to serve the tyrant king.” Even in pain, Jang Sanggung’s voice rings with conviction. “You see before you the Prince of Mountains. The queen’s son has returned to claim his rightful throne.”

A confused murmur ripples through the royal guards, and a male who stands a head above the others steps forward. “Jang Sanggung, how can you be sure of this?”

“The king himself called him my son .” She laughs softly even as she winces in pain. “And look at him, Captain Ha. He is her spitting image. I should have seen it immediately.”

The captain swallows and pivots slightly to face Ethan with his whole body. After a searching gaze, he rasps, “Are ... are you the son of our queen?”

“Yes,” Ethan says solemnly, then he catches my eyes and raises his brows at me. Understanding his unspoken request, I rush to take the sanggung from his arms and support her weight with my body.

“Do not be alarmed.” Ethan stretches a placating hand toward the captain and the royal guards. “I will not raise these against you.”

Then with the barest flex of his wrists, Ethan summons the golden axe and the silver axe in his hands. With a collective gasp, the royal guards stumble back, eyes wide with fear and reverence. But after a shocked second, they fall to their knees and press their foreheads against the floor.

“Your Majesty,” they intone as one.

“I am not your king yet.” It is Ethan’s turn to rear back in shock.

“I summoned the axes to show you that I am who Jang Sanggung says I am. I have come to ... reason with the King of Mountains. I am here to convince him to abdicate without resorting to bloodshed. The people of this kingdom have suffered enough.”

The royal guards remain silent on the floor, and Jang Sanggung smiles at Ethan. “You must give them permission to rise, Your Majesty.”

“I’m not ... Never mind for now.” He shoots her a flustered glance, then says, “Guards, you may rise.”

“I thought you were our prince, but you have shown us that you are our king.” The sanggung’s lips tremble as tears well in her eyes. “You possess the golden axe and the silver axe. It matters not who sits on the throne. The Kingdom of Mountains has chosen you as its king.”

“Your Majesty,” the royal guards chorus once more, with their fists over their hearts, bowing their heads low.

“Jesus Christ,” Ethan mutters under his breath.

“Relax, dingus. They’re only swearing their undying fealty to you,” I say with a teasing smile. Relief runs through me when he chuckles incredulously. “What’s the big deal?”

He’s understandably overwhelmed. Even though this has been his end goal since he broke the stone of tears, it’s a whole other story to have it actually happen.

Ethan is the King of Mountains. A shaky exhale flutters past my lips.

Holy fuck. He is the ruler of this kingdom.

I need a moment to process it. I can’t begin to imagine what’s going through his head right now.

It feels hopelessly inadequate, but I squeeze his hand to lend him my strength. I’m gratified when he squeezes back.

“We should secure your father before he breaks free of the paralysis,” Jihun reminds Ethan in a low voice.

“Yes, of course.” Ethan draws his shoulders back and faces the captain of the royal guards. “Captain Ha, secure the tyrant. The paralysis will not hold for much longer.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” After a bow, he turns to the guards. “What are you waiting for? Restrain him with the net.”

The royal guards launch a shimmering silver net—similar to the one thrown at me when I first arrived at the Kingdom of Sky—over the paralyzed king. I breathe a sigh of relief. Even my gumiho couldn’t break free of that net.

“Is there a prison capable of holding my father?” Ethan asks the captain of the royal guards.

“He built a dungeon to imprison powerful shinbiins who refused to submit to his will.” A look of distaste crosses Captain Ha’s face. “The deepest cell in there should be strong enough to secure him.”

“May I offer you my assistance, Captain?” Jihun sheathes his sword at his back.

“I might consider it if I knew who you were.” The captain takes a measuring look.

“My name is Song Jihun, captain of the Order of the Suhoshin.” Jihun tilts his head in a wry bow.

Recognition flares in Captain Ha’s eyes. “Your reputation precedes you, Captain Song. I would be honored to have your assistance.”

“It would be my —” Jihun’s response is cut short when Jang Sanggung moans as her legs give out.

With a grunt, I stop her from falling and gingerly lower her to the ground. I look imploringly at the captain of the royal guards. “We need a physician. The bleeding won’t stop. Please, we need to help her.”

Captain Ha meets and holds the sanggung’s eyes, then gives her a slow nod before turning to me. “My lady, no physician can help her now. The former king’s knife was forged with the sacred tombstone of Dangun. No ordinary shinbiin can recover from it.”

“Why?” Ethan kneels next to Jang Sanggung. “If you knew this, why did you put yourself in harm’s way?”

“We all loved your mother. She was good and kind. But in the end, we could do nothing to save her from the tyrant.” Her hand flutters at her side, and Ethan cradles it between his own. “I could not stand by and watch her son die too. Not when I could save you.”

Ethan looks away, his throat working.

“Please do not be sad, Your Majesty. I am honored to exchange my life for yours. You are needed here.” Blood sputters from her mouth as a cough racks her body. “The queen sent you to the Kingdom of Mountains because we desperately need a good and kind ruler.”