Page 39

The Prophecy

“No?” I read, the parchment crumpling in my fists, fresh black ink dribbling onto the ground. “No?”

Haneul will not make the trade, will not exchange Song Iseul for Kim Chan. I can hardly believe it.

Fury radiates off me, and in response, I feel a glimmer of smug satisfaction down the bond. Gritting my teeth, I stalk over to where the muscular Dokkaebi rests, bound and gagged, against a tree. With disdainful fingers, I peel the drugged gag from his mouth and brandish the crumpled slip of parchment in front of his bleary eyes. “Your emperor will not save you,” I hiss to him, finding only a semblance of satisfaction in the way hatred blooms in that hazy gaze. Hatred for me—or for Haneul? “He does not deem you worth it.” As the general glares defiantly up at me, I stuff the gag back into his mouth and grind the paper to a pulp underneath my heel.

“Fine,” I hiss. Let’s see how smug Haneul is when the Beast Wall is razed to the ground, and Sanyeongto is mine.

…

Night falls, and the battle begins.

Serpents rise from the sea, seaweed clinging to their scales, water sluicing off their giant bodies as they take the wall. Sonagi and I ride to that edge, waiting some miles away for the opening to be created as inhuman roars fill the night. The smell of blood carries on the wind, and with my sharp hearing, it is no small matter to make out the fireforged arrows—created, like the fireswords, in dokkaebibul—screaming through the air. I do not know how many hit their mark.

The siege on the Beast Wall is a vicious, violent thing. I do so enjoy it. The Dokkaebi are nothing but frantic specks on the wall, fighting off the horde of Imugi as they destroy the wall. As, after what must be two hours, the granite crumbles. Cascades downward, in dust and stone.

“THE WALL HAS FALLEN!” I hear the soldiers shout. “THE WALL HAS FALLEN! REINFORCEMENTS TO THE WESTERN EDGE! REINFORCEMENTS TO THE WESTERN EDGE!”

Poor, foolish things.

After I discovered Haneul knew of my plan—fed it by the little spy in my head—a different strategy had to be put in place. And so far, it is working oh so perfectly. They now expect us to enter through the western edge of the Beast Wall, where the granite has crumbled and arrows are aimed downward, archers kneeling, fingers taut around their bows.

But I do so loathe being predictable. As the western edge is filled with reinforcements, Sonagi and I wait before the eastern edge, accompanied by Uloe and an unconscious Kim Chan.

On the western edge, atop Beongae, I have made a reluctant Bomin resemble me: hiding his features beneath a heavy cloak and shadow, placing him at the forefront of my Imugi phalanx. We have a similar build: slender, small, and the same skin tone. They will try to shoot him dead, I think, but it is of no matter to me. I suspect the intelligence will continue to come, even if the halji dealer is dead, as this useful Wyusan general will likely not learn of Bomin’s death in the chaos. And I filched his supply from his satchel and dropped it into mine.

Truthfully, Bang Bomin’s ridiculous top hat was the fuel behind this decision. I cannot bear the sight of it any longer.

I have kept Kim Chan alive for now, only out of convenience. Perhaps I can still torture intelligence concerning Bonseyo out of him , as well. But most importantly, I feel that there will be some future opportunity to torture Haneul with him.

Uloe will keep him alive and contained as I take Sanyeongto. As I slip off Sonagi, she smiles at me, golden eyes glittering in the nighttime. This specific spot of the wall is lacking guards, most of them having relocated to the western edge.

“I will ssseee you on the other ssside, Daughter,” she murmurs. She will wait here until the western edge is safe to pass through. I cannot risk losing her.

I nod in farewell and turn to the Beast Wall. Extending my scaleblades, I dig them into the crevices I can find in the granite and begin to haul myself up the length, climbing until my muscles begin to shake. This part will take me at least a few hours. The Beast Wall is hundreds of feet tall, and I must be careful not to lose my grip. Wind whips at my face as I climb higher, pressing myself as close to the granite as possible.

My Imugi are in Sanyeongto now. I can hear the screams, and I pause my climb to laugh. One step closer to Fulfillment. An age of dragons. They will occupy the Wyusan-Gyeulcheon armies until I arrive.

Higher and higher I go. It is a painstaking process, but one that is necessary. I wish to avoid those fireforged arrows as much as possible, and since we lack the element of surprise, many are now trained on that western edge.

When I finally reach the top of the Beast Wall, I am panting, muscles burning and my left leg threatening to buckle. Spikes are spaced three feet apart each on the top’s edge, and I must be careful to avoid them as I drop onto the wall’s passage. No soldiers are here. It worked—they mistook Bomin as myself; they think I am already inside the capital.

I only need to amble a little further down the wall to find a Dokkaebi soldier, far apart from the others. It doesn’t take long to disarm her, drag her to the edge, hold her by the waist, and jump off the edge, the ground hurtling toward us.

And it doesn’t take long for her to panic and open up that corridor of shadow. I grin as I enter it with her, and as it spits us back out onto the ground, in the middle of Sanyeongto.

Sanyeongto. Wyusan’s treasured capital.

The Dokkaebi attempts to rush me; I dispose of her quickly.

For all this fuss about Sanyeongto, the alleyway I have emerged in has little to note. The giwajips of the capital are made of thick wood, and the roads are paved with brown stones. Trees still grow heavily in this city, towering pines sprouting up through the pavements in the most random areas. I move through the sector quickly—little fighting is happening here.

It is the western part of Sanyeongto that demands my attention. There, my Imugi fight the Wyusan-Gyeulcheon alliance. The western sector is a pit of carnage, a pit of frenzied fighting. I am all too eager to join in, to hear the frightened shouts of—

“IT’S HER! SHE’S HERE —”

Music to my ears, truly.

And the Battle of Sanyeongto thus begins in earnest.