“You’re hurt.” His expression hardens.
“I’ll be fine in a minute.” I sound breathless. Because of my broken ribs. Not because the warmth of his touch is seeping through my clothes, heating my body. I lift my eyes to meet his, and he holds my gaze as his hands slide down to my hips, his fingers flexing against my skin.
“I wanted to see what you can do, princeling.” Daeseong approaches the shore, his steps making gentle ripples on the surface of the lake.
I jump away from Ethan, mortified that I forgot about the dark shaman. I thought we’d won the battle for a second. All I’m gonna say is that Ethan isverydistracting.
“I must say I’m impressed ... but your father’s worries are exaggerated.” The dark mudang waves his hand in a fussy little circle. “I hardly think you and your pretty axes can overthrow the King of Mountains. Not as long as he’s aligned with the Amheuk.”
Overthrow ... the King of Mountains? Ethan is meant to overthrow his father to become the new King of Mountains? Is that thelong-awaitedplans that Hailey was talking about? The one Daeseong threw a wrench in? It sounds complicated and heartbreaking to fight his own father. But if the king is really backed by the true darkness ... it will be suicide to stand against him.
“You’re lying,” Ethan says evenly, but his body tenses next to mine. I steal a peek at him, but I can’t read the hard lines of his face. “The king is too much of a coward to make a deal with the Amheuk.”
Yes, the mudang has to be lying. No being of the Shingae would be foolish enough to join hands with the Amheuk. The king is a near-immortal shinbiin, and akingto boot. Why would he want to risk everything by siding with an ancient evil? The Amheuk will notstop until every life force is snuffed out in all the realms, including his. Did he play hooky on the day his royal tutor gave the lesson on the Endless War?
“You know your father well then. I was under the impression you two have never met ...” The mudang tilts his head. “Ah, the Queen of Mountains. Of course. Your mother was a powerful shinbiin. It is rumored that she poured every last drop of her gi into the spell that bound your magic and kept you hidden all this time.”
Grief flashes across Ethan’s face, and I reach for his hand. He laces his fingers through mine, even as his expression turns insolent and bored. So his magicwasbound. That means he wasn’t knowingly suppressing it. A small knot of hurt loosens in my chest. Maybe Iwilllet him explain everything to me.Later.
“I see she has also passed her memories on to you.” Daeseong looks positively gleeful. “But I wonder howmuchshe shared. Maybe just enough to manipulate you into dethroning your own father?”
Does Ethan understand any of this? Why did his mother bind his magic and keep him hidden from the Shingae? How did she pass her memories on to him? How much does Ethan know? Is he ... is he okay? His grip tightens around my hand, and I feel a shudder go through him. No, he isnotokay. Far from it.
“How would you know any of this?” I shout, squeezing Ethan’s hand in warning.Don’t fall for it.The dark shaman is baiting him. What game is he playing at? “You’ve been dead for over a hundred years. And what would a human know about the Kingdom of Mountains?”
“Of course ahumanwouldn’t know any of this.” He isn’t riled by my barb—my reminder that he isn’t a being of the Shingae. “But I am a creature of the Amheuk now. I know all about the Realm of Four Kingdoms and its sordid secrets. You can’t begin to comprehend the power of the darkness. Even knowledge of the pastandthe future is not beyond my reach.”
“No one can see what hasn’t been written,” I say with more confidence than I feel. What if it is possible? How can we defeat a foe who knows the future?
“I see your mother has lied to you convincingly.” Daeseong offers a sympathetic smile. The patronizing fucker. “Perhaps she lied to herself too. Lied so well that she believed the prophecy could be avoided. She might have convinced herself that you could outrun your destiny.”
Run, Daughter. You must run.I shake my head to chase away my mother’s voice. She didn’t lie to me. She wouldn’t have lied to me. “The only liar here is you, mudang.”
“Even the mighty Queen of Mountains, the most powerful diviner of our time, couldn’t foresee the triumph of the Amheuk,” he continues, dismissing me and my words. “Maybe it’s better she didn’t know her sacrifice will come to naught. That her beloved son will never become the King Foretold.”
The muscles on Ethan’s neck bulge, and I don’t know if I can stop him from running headlong toward Daeseong. “Ethan, don’t ...”
“You will not speak ill of the queen or the prince,” Jihun says, seething. “You will not speak of them at all.”
It wasn’t Ethan I needed to worry about. Or he wasn’t the only one. I turn around to catch Jihun’s eyes, but the wind whips my hair around my face as his wings flare behind me. Before I can stop him, he launches off the ground and raises his sword high above his head. He brings it down on Daeseong with deadly speed.
“Enough.” The dark mudang slashes his hand across the air and sends Jihun plummeting toward the lake.
“Captain.” Hailey flies out to catch him but staggers under Jihun’s weight, and they both sink underwater.
“Jaeseok, be careful,” I shout as he sprints toward the lake and dives in after his friends. Ethan and I keep a wary eye on Daeseong, ready to stop him from going after the suhoshins.
“Did you know the deepest depth of this lake is darker than outer space?” the mudang says in a conversational tone. He seems to have forgotten all about the guardians as he draws closer to us.
“Oh, fun.” My sarcasm is forced. I don’t know how to win this fight. “We’re exchanging useless factoids now? I didn’t realize this was a cocktail party.”
My gaze flits to where the suhoshins disappeared. Not even a lone air bubble rises to disturb the mirrorlike surface of the lake. The rage inside me churns faster, straining against the confines of my control.
“Come with me willingly, Mihwa, and I will make his death swift.” Daeseong steps onto the shore.
I was wrong. He doesn’t look the same. His eyes are the same black as his monsters—a black hole sucking in all the light, all that is alive and good. Bile rises in my throat.
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Ethan growls, raising his axes.
