Prophecy. Part 17

"They say it is a ruby larger than a chestnut," the monk said. "Don't worry about how to find it. If you are the true Musado, then the tidal stone will present itself to you."

"But what if I'm not?" Taejo asked.

Brother Woojin was quiet. "Let us just worry about getting to the Diamond Mountains for now."

Kira bit her bottom lip, considering the foreseeable problems. "We will need a good plan on how to slip away without notice."

"Yes, and you'll need to prepare supplies for the trip," Brother Boyuk said.

"This is insane!" Jaewon interrupted. "The Diamond Mountains are on the eastern sh.o.r.e of Tongey. The whole southern peninsula is now under enemy control. The battle we're now heading toward lies right between us and the mountains. How by the G.o.ds are we to make it through?"

"By having faith," Brother Woojin answered. He bowed and raised his clasped hands to the heavens.

"And a huge diversion." Brother Boyuk grinned. "What better diversion than an advancing army of a hundred thousand men!"

The plan was to sneak away as Eojin and the Iron Army attacked the port city of Wonsan, where Yamato was waging a full siege. With his focus on his battle plan, Eojin ordered Taejo to stay close to camp with his cousins, guarded by Captain Pak and his men. Brother Boyuk would stay close to Eojin and keep him away.

At night, the element of surprise would be strongest for the attack and for their escape also. Kwan would create a distraction while Jaewon and Seung readied their horses for the long journey.

Inside the tent, Kira and her cousin sat fully clothed and armed, waiting for Kwan to signal for them.

"Do you think we'll see our uncle again?" Taejo asked. "Will he be angry? Will he forgive me? I mean, he won't think I ran away because I'm afraid, will he?"

"If anything, you are running toward more danger, so it isn't a lack of courage, and he'll know that. And yes, we'll see him again. Besides, you wrote him that long message."

She'd agreed to let him leave a scroll with Captain Pak, to be delivered in the morning, once they were long gone.

A soft whistle trilled nearby, the slight vibrato indicating Kwan was ready for them. Kira pulled out her knife and slit the back of the tent wall. She slung several bags of provisions and their water sacks over her shoulder and stepped through the slit, Taejo right behind her. They marched quickly along the path, joining up with Kwan.

Once clear of the tents, they headed to the latrines, waiting for the night patrol to pa.s.s before ducking into the dense line of trees behind them. Another low whistle alerted them to the others' presence. They followed the signal to a clearing where Jaewon, Seung, and Brother Woojin stood with their horses. All their weapons had been hidden and loaded earlier. Jindo dashed over, happy to see Taejo.

"Let's go," Kwan said.

They rode slowly through the forest by the dim light of the moon and stars, Kira in the lead. They traveled southeast, stopping only to rest their horses when the fog became too dense to ride.

Six days later, they glimpsed the glistening peaks of the Diamond Mountains.

Kwan led them out of the forests and onto a rocky trail along the seash.o.r.e. He was cautious, stopping often and keeping careful watch up ahead. They'd already been in numerous run-ins with demons and imps and avoided one close call with a Yamato patrol. Each time, Kira's nose warned them of danger. Since reaching the Diamond Mountains, there'd been no demon sightings at all, as if the mountains themselves were protected.

Kira breathed in the cold, briny air. She gazed at the white-capped sea. Large boulders jutted out of the waters like small islands, stepping stones for the G.o.ds. The wind was harsh, buffeting them with a cold spray from the sea.

Taejo rode next to her, hunkered down as close as he could get to his horse, his breath blowing in white clouds before him. She watched as Jindo ran off onto the beach, chasing the receding waves and racing away from oncoming ones.

The rest of the day, they traveled along the sea road as the peaks and spirals rose and fell to their right. By late afternoon, they reached a bay where a large white-sand beach encircled a portion of the turquoise sea gently lapping at the sh.o.r.e. The water was calm here and gave them a brief respite from the harsh winds of the sea. The road suddenly veered away from the sh.o.r.e and turned west into the mountains.

They crossed a wooden bridge over a fast-flowing creek and found themselves not far from a small but picturesque temple with several larger buildings surrounding it. Numerous statues of small animals lined the corners of the temple roof, like tiny guardians. Next to the temple, a small wooden paG.o.da housed a large bronze bell, while behind it stood a narrow and very pointy seven-story stone paG.o.da.

The bright-red doors of the temple opened at their approach, and several young monks in gray robes with yellow sashes came to greet them. Brother Woojin dismounted first, placing his hands together and bringing them to his forehead. The younger monks responded in kind and invited the party into the temple. Three small boys with the shaved heads and light-gray robes of young disciples rushed over to care for the horses.

Seeing Jindo, one tiny boy shyly approached Taejo and asked to pet his dog. Smiling, Taejo sent Jindo off with the delighted child, who patted the dog and promised him plenty of treats. Kira waited for Taejo to hug Jindo in farewell one last time before following the others into the warmth of the inner temple.

"Welcome, welcome to Singing Temple!" A wiry old monk stood at the temple sanctuary before a large golden statue of San-s.h.i.+n, the mountain G.o.d. Brother Woojin bowed and greeted the head monk while Kira and the others waited with the young monks.

"I wonder why it's called Singing Temple," Kira mused.

One of the monks heard her question and cleared his throat, motioning her closer.

"We are called the Singing Temple because at certain times of the year, the voices of singing angels surround us from the mountains," he said.

"Angels?" she asked.

"Yes, angels singing glorious music such as you have never heard before."

"Have you actually heard the voices yourself?" she asked.

The monk nodded, a dreamy expression on his face. "It's hard to explain what it sounds like, but now that you are here, perhaps you will experience it for yourselves."

Kwan interrupted abruptly. "What I want to know is why the Yamatos didn't come here."

The monk gazed at Kwan with a puzzled expression. "But these are holy grounds," he said. "No evil can enter the sacred mountains."

"How could they be stopped?" Kwan asked.

"By the angels," the monk replied. "They would not allow an enemy army into their mountains. War does not enter our realm."

Before Kwan could question him further, Brother Woojin arrived and introduced the temple's head monk, Master Hong, to the group. The old monk peered closely at them, his wrinkled face alive with curiosity.

"Greetings, my children! We welcome you to stay the night at our monastery," he said in a high-pitched, wavering voice. "I am aware of your task, and you will need your energy, for we do not know how long you will hike through our sacred mountains to find what you're looking for. After all, there are ten thousand miracles here, and Brother Woojin tells me you have no idea where to start!"

Master Hong chuckled as if this was the most hilarious thing he had ever heard. Kira gazed at the others in alarm. They'd all taken for granted that Brother Woojin knew where they were to go. Did he expect them to wander the mountain cliffs in the dead of winter, blindly seeking something that had been hidden for centuries?

"Do not fear, young ones," Brother Woojin said. "The path will find us if we keep our eyes open."

Kira was troubled by the monk's words. How could they plan what to do without knowing where to go?

"Sunim, are you trying to tell us that you have no idea where to start?" Kira asked.

"That's not entirely true," Brother Woojin corrected. "I believe we are to head to Nine Dragons Waterfall and the Eight Jade Fairy Pools. It is the beginning."

"The beginning of what?" Kira asked.

But the monk didn't answer.

30.

They left early the next morning for Nine Dragons Waterfall. Master Hong shook his head in concern as he described the hours of hiking it would take them to reach their destination. The series of directions he gave Brother Woojin were incomprehensible to Kira, but Brother Woojin just nodded. The monks provided them with tents, extra blankets, heavy coats, boots, and food needed to sustain their hike. Faced with snow-covered terrain, Kira was sorry to leave the warmth and security of the temple.

The trail followed the course of a river, but the river itself was only at a fraction of its normal flow. Jindo jumped off the dirt trail and down the rocky side to drink from the trickling water.

It snowed heavily for several hours. The drifts came up to their knees, making the hike slow going. They traveled single file. Kwan led the way, followed by Brother Woojin and Taejo. Kira walked behind Taejo, with Jaewon and Seung taking up the rear.

She watched as Taejo struggled to lift his feet and trudge through the high snow. Even Kira found it hard to resist the inertia creeping over her, making her eyes heavy. Shaking it off, she pushed on, keeping a sharp eye on Taejo.

They'd been walking for another hour when she saw her cousin fall onto his hands and knees. Jindo whined, nudging him.

Kira grabbed Taejo by his elbow as Jaewon came over to help him on the other side. Taejo's head lolled forward.

"Just a little farther and there is a clearing where we can set up camp for the night," Kwan said.

Kira nodded and gripped Taejo about his waist, overlapping arms with Jaewon as they carried him. At the clearing, Kira held him upright on a rock as the others quickly prepared their campsite. Once a tent was up, Taejo crawled in and buried himself with blankets, Jindo pressing next to him. He fell asleep immediately.

"He'll be all right," Jaewon said to Kira.

Kwan and Jaewon built a large campfire as Seung and Brother Woojin prepared a meal. Kira paced around the perimeter, to check for any dangers, before returning to the fire. She sat next to Jaewon, noting the shadow of grief that pa.s.sed over his face as he studied the fire.

"You said you lost someone you loved," she said. "What happened?"

Jaewon didn't respond. Kira watched his frosty breath fill the air between them. She had nearly given up when his voice came to her ear in a soft whisper.

"I was thirteen when it happened. We were visiting the mountain G.o.d shrine in preparation for the coming harvest. My brother was seven years old, given to running wild, as young boys will do." He gave a soft chuckle. "I still remember how he loved to wrestle with anyone or anything he could get his hands on, even a neighbor's pig!"

He held his face up to the skies. His breath caught as he spoke. "The steps to the temple were steep and treacherous. I had brought my new bow with me, the one my father commissioned for my birthday. I shouldn't have brought it, but I was proud and unaccustomed to being refused. My brother was anxious to see my bow. He kept asking to hold it, and I kept saying no. We were halfway up when he grabbed it from my hands, breaking it in the process. I was so mad! I wasn't thinking when I ..." He stopped and ran a shaky hand over his face. He stared blindly into the fire before him. Kira noticed suddenly that Seung and Kwan sat nearby, listening to his every word.

"I hit him, forgetting that we were on those steep steps. He fell all the way down. I tried to catch him, but it was too late. When I reached the bottom, his head was bleeding and his eyes were still open. I knew he was dead."

A bleak smile creased his lips. "It was my mother who called me a murderer. Sometimes at night, I can still hear her crying."

"It was an accident," Kira said. Her heart hurt and her eyes burned with tears.

"It was my fault," he replied. "And I must live with it." Rising, he walked away into the woods. Kira looked at the others, who'd sat listening quietly as Jaewon spoke. Seung continued to prepare their meal, his usual cheer replaced by melancholy.

Kwan sighed. "Poor fellow."

"He carries a heavy burden," Brother Woojin said. "I hope one day he will be able to forgive himself or else-"

"Or else what?" Kira asked.

"Or else it will destroy him."

31.

She woke in the middle of the night. Darkness blanketed the Diamond Mountains all around them. Within the tent, she lay next to Taejo, with Kwan on his other side. They were rolled tightly within their furs and lying as close together as possible. Jindo lay at their feet, providing them with some additional warmth. Kira could see the flickering flames through the tightly closed canvas of their tent. She watched the silhouette of a stocky figure throwing more sticks into the large fire.

That must be Seung standing guard, she thought.

She heard the wind shaking the bare limbs of the trees as if searching for the leaves it once rustled through. She dozed again.

It was the sound of singing and lighthearted laughter that woke her. At first, she thought she was dreaming. Then she saw Taejo sit up and look around in bewilderment. Kwan jumped to his feet and rushed out of the tent. The singing grew louder.

Putting on their heavy coats, she and Taejo joined Kwan, Seung, and Brother Woojin; all of them stood staring at a golden, s.h.i.+mmering light that lit up the forest, exuding warmth and invitation. Taejo began to move toward it when Kwan called to him.

"Stop! I don't want you going near it until I know what it is," Kwan said.

"No, Lord Kang!" Brother Woojin waved him back. "This is the sign we've been waiting for. We must follow the prince."

Jaewon appeared behind them.

"What is it?" he asked.

Taejo shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know, but I think it wants us to follow it."

Jindo trotted toward the light, stopped, and looked at them. He barked once and ran down the trail. Taejo followed, with Kira and Brother Woojin right behind him. From a distance, she heard Seung announce that he would stay behind and guard their campsite. She even heard Kwan shout after them to wait, but neither she nor Taejo stopped. She found the pull of the light too alluring to fight.

Within the forest, the light changed night into day. No longer did her boots crunch on newly fallen snow. Instead, she wondered at the green gra.s.s beneath her feet and the warmth of a beautiful spring morning. This was powerful magic.

Glancing back, she saw that her brother and Jaewon still stood in the knee-deep snow, their breath frosty in the air before them. Just ahead of her, Brother Woojin and Taejo were taking off their coats, leaving them on a large boulder as they lifted their faces to the warm sun. Kira took off her heavy coat and placed it on a nearby boulder also.

"What are you doing?" Kwan asked sharply. "You'll freeze to death!"

"Don't you feel the sun?" Taejo asked in surprise. "It's springtime here."

Kwan looked alarmed. He stepped forward and stopped. Putting his hand in front of his face, he pounded at the air, as if there was an invisible wall.

"We can't go through," he shouted as Jaewon, too, began to push on the barrier.

"I don't think you are supposed to come with us," Brother Woojin said. "It is why you cannot see the change in the weather here. But don't worry. We will be safe."

"No, I can't let you go without me!" Kwan was furious.

"Oppa," Kira said. "It's all right. I'm here."

Kwan calmed down and put down his fists. He nodded and crossed his arms. "Be smart, Kira."