Page 40 of The Last Tiger

Seung

We finally break out of the woods and arrive at the top of a long mountain valley.

The starlight overhead washes the mountaintops in a soft, purple haze.

Winding into the distance at the far end is a glowing maze of brilliant city lights.

They gleam and twinkle, faintly orange under the midnight shadows.

Hannam City.

Beside me, the tiger’s tail swishes back and forth, and her whiskers twitch as she watches out over the scene, her face impassive.

Thanks to the remote path the Tiger spirit has charted out for us, the last day and a half of our travels passed by without another encounter with the empire.

Avoiding soldiers has certainly been a relief.

But it’s also meant hours with little rest, hiking up mountainous terrain, and descending steep downhills.

Judging from the distance, we’re less than a day’s journey away from the city now. And Mount Tangun with it.

But this is going to be the hardest stretch yet. Hannam City is the hub of the Dragon Empire’s operations in the Tiger Colonies, the administrative capital. We’re walking right into the mouth of the Dragon.

“Should we camp for the rest of the night?” I ask, my hands suddenly clammy at the thought of the journey ahead.

Jin shakes her head. “We’re too exposed here. Let’s go into the valley and find shelter.”

As we make our way along the mountain slope, I feel a low burning in my chest. The feeling crackles, sending anxious tongues of flame licking out into the air.

Stars wink down from overhead as we make it to the bottom of the mountain. I spot a trail leading through the pass; presumably it goes all the way to Hannam City.

The only problem?

It’s crawling with Dragon soldiers. From the immense city gates to the mountain peak: an endless stream of them, passing back and forth. Patrolling.

Searching for a tiger. Searching for us.

I scan the path, then turn to Jin. “There’s no way through—”

But Jin is nowhere to be seen.

Where did she go? Beside me, the tiger suddenly growls and yelps. I whip around, searching for my companion, when—

WHAM.

I’m down on the ground.

I look up dizzily as a dozen boots emerge around me.

“Mmmm!” Jin squirms on the grass beside me, a huge bag thrown over her body. A low rumble shakes the ground as the tiger wrestles with several soldiers who have encased her in a giant net.

They’ve appeared seemingly out of nowhere. These soldiers weren’t here a minute ago. One of them steps forward: a tall woman with a fierce expression wearing a brilliant crimson uniform. Her right leg ends in a hard metal foot, which clinks against the ground when she walks.

The woman with the metal foot whistles twice, then gestures to the soldiers behind her. She barks out orders to them in Dragon language.

“All right, Slayers! Round ’em up!”

I try to scramble to my feet as the soldiers pour over us, but I’m too weak. The Tiger Slayers advance impossibly fast, surrounding us quickly. I distantly hear the tiger roaring again, somewhere behind me.

Then someone pulls a heavy bag over my body, and everything goes dark.

Let’s just say this isn’t my finest hour.

For one, I can’t see a thing. The Tiger Slayers have stuffed me into some kind of sack and pulled the drawstrings tight.

The black cloth shuts out most of the light, and I can hardly get enough oxygen in here.

From the shift in what little light I can catch through the bag, it seems morning has come.

Not to mention that they’ve bound my wrists and ankles so that I can’t move.

Through the night, the Slayers have been dragging us on a sled…who knows where. Maybe they’re taking us right back to Kidoh to be executed. Which means this whole journey might have been for nothing.

We were so close. So close.

“Seung,” a voice calls to me from outside.

“I’m here.” I jolt, suddenly alert. “Are you okay?”

“Seung. We need to escape, now.”

“Jin…they can hear us.”

I hear her scoff even through the layers of our bags. “These Dragon worshippers don’t speak a word of Tiger language.”

Sure enough, the Slayer dragging our sled doesn’t seem to pause or acknowledge our conversation. But maybe they just figure there isn’t much we can do to get out at this point.

“Have you figured it out yet?” asks Jin.

“Figured out what?”

“Where we’re going.” She pauses. “We’re not heading back up the valley. We’re on a paved road . They must be dragging us toward the capital. These idiots are pulling us directly into Hannam City.”

She’s right. As we go, the sound of birds and the rustling of wind through the valley begins to fade away. Replacing it are the snorting of mules and the trundling noises of wheels bumping along the road. I even think I hear the honking of a car off in the distance.

“Seung,” Jin says. “It’s time . Do your thing.”

I don’t have to ask her to clarify what she means. The message is clear: Use your ki powers.

I groan to myself, feeling dread. The dying Officer Hiyoshi’s face flashes before me.

“Jin, I can’t.”

“You can ,” she insists.

I grimace as the sled goes over a bump in the road, roughly banging my head against the wood.

Around us, a wall of noise is picking up.

We must be entering the city proper. Now I can hear the rattling of wheeled carts everywhere, the bustle of businessmen crying out to pedestrians.

At first, the voices are scattered and few and far between.

But as the minutes pass, soon they’re everywhere.

A pungent smell fills my nose: a mix of mule manure, sawdust, sweat from a thousand feet. I squint through the bag, but it’s hopeless—I can’t see a thing.

I can feel them around us, though: the crowds of people. A swirl of emotions in the air, richer and more complex than anything I’ve experienced in my life. Dozens of people, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands , worrying, busy along their way, feeling anxious, excited, upset, cheerful, alive .

What a way to be introduced to the capital city. Blind and kidnapped, bagged up and dragged through the streets like a parcel of vegetables.

“Seung,” Jin says.

My mind races as I assess the situation.

Fact #1: We are in serious trouble.

Fact #2: If we want to get out of here alive, we’re going to have to escape. And do it quickly. Because wherever they’re taking us…it can’t be far from here.

I’ve summoned my ki really only a few times now. I’m scared of these powers. I don’t know what will happen if I try to draw on them.

The bag jolts again as we’re dragged over a bump in the road, and I see stars as my head bangs roughly against the wood. Spirits.

I hear cries as people notice us passing by. I imagine them pointing fingers, collecting on the streets, gawking at the tiger.

The bag rattles again, and I feel the sharp pain in my lower back this time.

Aiya. That’s it.

I take a deep breath—and reach down into myself, into that place I’ve been before.

I reach down into my memories…

Don’t doubt your anger, Seung, I hear Jin’s voice say to me. It’s the most important fuel you’ll ever have.

A spark grows inside me, catching flame—

I close my eyes, bidding it to grow. I have a lot to draw on. A lifetime’s worth. I feel the flame growing, turning red, to a dark cloud, the emotion building, crackling now with resentment and unrest—

Red flashes before me as a whirlwind builds in my chest. Then I open my eyes and shout—sending that rust-red whirlwind flying out from my body, directly into the street around us—