Page 2 of The Last Tiger

The Dragon Army marches into the square, forming a circle around the truck with the mysterious covered box. The truck slows, and the soldiers separate the wooden platform from the truck, then wheel the box into the center of the square. A low growl emanates from inside the box.

One of the soldiers tears the green tarp away.

The crowd gasps.

It wasn’t a box—it’s a huge cage. In the middle sits an enormous, bristling animal.

A tiger.

A majestic coat of deep-orange-and-black fur ripples in waves over the tiger’s body.

Its haunches and shoulders are taut and muscular; it looks powerful enough to rip a man easily to shreds.

Each of its legs is chained to the floor of the cage.

The tiger shakes itself uncomfortably, attempting to turn its head, but it’s held fast by a heavy steel collar.

I lean forward, mesmerized.

For decades, the Dragon Empire has been hunting tigers all over the colonies.

Because they were once the national symbol of the Tiger Kingdom, the Dragon Empire has been doing everything in its power to wipe the wild tigers off the face of the earth.

The symbolism isn’t lost on us. Every time they catch one in the wild, they hold a Slaying Ceremony and force the locals to watch.

Over time, as tigers grew more and more rare, the Slayings gradually became few and far between. The last time I can remember seeing a Slaying here in Kidoh, I wasn’t too much older than Hoyoung is now.

No one likes to watch a Slaying Ceremony. No Tiger person can stand to watch them. But we don’t have any choice. That’s the whole point.

The soldiers move a few levers on the cage, and the walls disconnect and fall to the ground. One of them steps forward, a long, ceremonial katana held by a scabbard at his waist. The others fall into formation behind him.

“A message from the governor-general!” the soldier with the katana declares, unfurling a scroll. “?‘You are subjects of the benevolent Dragon Empire—may you serve your emperor with united hearts. Give thanks to the great Dragon Emperor for bringing peace and civilization to these Tiger Colonies!’?”

Behind him, the other Dragon soldiers stand at attention. Watching them in their dazzling uniforms, I can’t help but feel yet another twisted pang of jealousy.

Each one of those Dragon soldiers has ki powers.

Ki is the reason every one of them has the strength of ten normal men. It’s ki powers that make it utterly impossible for us to fight back.

It’s ki powers that remind us we will never be their equals, not in a thousand years.

It may be a pipe dream, but if I were to admit it to myself, the only thing I’ve ever really wanted in life is to pass the Exam and go to Adachi Training Academy. Even though I don’t have a chance, because my family will never be able to afford the tutors.

But everything about my life would change if I, too, had ki—just like those soldiers.

The policemen whistle shrilly, and the last murmurs of the crowd fall silent.

“Look at this monster!” the soldier with the katana continues. “In the old, backward times before the empire, these beasts killed and ate people. But today, we have brought them to their knees. Give thanks, for the Tiger Colonies are now safe.”

Across the square, I see men and women bristling in the crowd. The anger and hostility in their faces is unmistakable.

I can’t help but shiver. The hairs rise on my neck.

Behind the officer, the tiger’s lips pull back from its teeth, revealing a series of fangs the length of a man’s hand.

Its tail sweeps back and forth anxiously on the wooden platform.

The creature’s eyes gleam with a strange intensity; they seem to glow almost from within.

The air around it seems deathly still, as if the earth were holding its breath.

It’s beautiful, I think, strangely.

The soldier unsheathes his sword and points it straight at the tiger. He raises his blade, his face twisted in an expression of hate—

Then turns and charges straight toward the platform.

“Close your eyes, Hoyoung,” I whisper suddenly. “Now.” Beside me, my brother squeezes my hand tight.

The soldier slashes once at the chain tying the tiger’s head to the post, breaking the links. The tiger’s collar opens and falls at his feet. His second slash comes down right at the base of the tiger’s neck.

And I close my eyes, too—I can’t bear to watch. I hear a dull thud, then a series of gasps from the crowd.

When I finally open my eyes, the tiger’s body is slumped on the wooden platform. Its head has rolled forward, onto the dirt. The soldier holds his bloody katana high above his head, teeth bared in victory.

I feel dizzy.

I’m about to turn away when someone in front of me gasps, pointing.

And then I have to look twice—because I don’t quite believe my own eyes.

Right there in front of us, the tiger’s head is rolling around in the dirt—all on its own, possessed, like an egg in boiling water. Its eyes are crazed and bloodshot, its jaws snapping angrily at the air. A hushed silence falls heavily over the crowd.

No one dares move a muscle. Everyone is spellbound in disbelief.

The possessed head of the tiger looks obscene, demonic; it’s furiously, blindly trying to bite anything and everything around it.

The Dragon soldiers raise their swords, spreading out.

For the strangest moment, time seems to slow. From somewhere far away, I’m dimly aware of Hoyoung holding my arm tight.

And then one of the soldiers stumbles—someone in the crowd, it’s impossible to see who, has put out a leg to trip him—and he falls to the ground. His sword slips from his grasp and bounces, seeming to take forever to fall.

Immediately the severed head of the tiger turns, hurls forward, and locks its jaws around the fallen soldier’s ankle. It growls menacingly and shakes itself, digging its teeth deep into his leg.

The soldier howls in pain and writhes on the ground. Behind him, the next officer quickly scrambles to pick up the fallen sword.

Chaos erupts. Suddenly, everywhere around us, the crowd is frantic with fear; villagers scream in terror and scatter like a swarm of fish, desperately trying to flee to safety as the policemen who were guarding the exits move into the square, whistles blaring—

But I’m rooted to the spot. I couldn’t move even if I tried.

The tiger’s head snarls and shakes and clenches its jaws. The soldier on the ground screams in pain while the others attempt uselessly to free him.

Then someone in the crowd shoves past me, and I lose my grip on Hoyoung’s hand.

“Hoyoung!”

The crowd tramples past us. I whip around, snapped back into the moment, looking for my little brother, but he’s been swallowed up by the crowd.

“Hoyoung! Hoyoung! ” I shout, turning left and right madly.

I move through the swarming villagers, looking everywhere for my brother—

Bam! Something hits me and I’m down, on the ground.

What was that? I wonder, in a daze.

As I’m getting up, I see someone else lying in front of me. The other person has a hood over their shoulders, obscuring their face. As they sit up, the hood slips back, revealing a girl’s face.

This girl, I recognize instantly. I would know her anywhere.

“…Eunji?” I gasp.

The two of us sit, staring at each other, for an impossibly long interval.

Then Eunji turns bright red and sweeps her hood back over her head. She gets up and flees.

Leaving me staring off into space after her.

A small hand latches onto my arm and yanks, hard.

“Come on , Seung!”

Thank the spirits. It’s Hoyoung.

I leap to my feet, trying to glance behind us to see what has become of the tiger and the officer, but I can’t see a thing through the swarming crowd. Dazed, I finally tear my gaze away. Then I sweep Hoyoung onto my back—and run to safety.