“I wish you wouldn’t have to hurt at all.” I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest. I wish I had more time so I could make him happy, but ... I don’t. The best I can do is give him time to find his own happiness.
“Go now.” He leads me toward the cave opening. “Ethan is waiting.”
I don’t want to leave. I’ve only just found him. What if this was my one and only chance to be with my father?
“Just five more min—” I begin, turning toward him.
But he’s gone.
“Father.” My throat clogs with emotion. He left first so I wouldn’t have to walk away from him. He knew how hard that would be for me. “Thank you. I will make you proud.”
I run out of the empty cave without looking back. I won’t cry—I bite my lip until I taste salt and iron on my tongue—it would break my father’s heart.
Ethan pushes away from the tree he was leaning against and watches me approach with a hooded gaze. But the moment he sees my face, he rushes toward me and gathers me in his arms, his anger forgotten.
“It’s okay, Sunny.” His warm breath ruffles my hair. “You’ll see him again. I promise.”
I cling to him for a heartbeat, then step back with a bracing breath.
Every minute counts.
“Our friends are waiting.” I hold out my hand. “Are you ready?”
“Defineready.” He offers me a crooked grin before linking his fingers through mine. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Ethan
I don’t know what I expected to find when we returned to the Kingdom of Sky, but it certainly wasn’t this. We weren’t gone for much longer than an hour.
I guess it doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose.
Jihun, General Jo, Haesan, and Jaeseok stand shoulder to shoulder, summoning their magic to hold off a writhing tentacle. Not too far from them, Minju, Yeomla, Bora, and Captain Ha attack the base of a long black arm until they tear it off, leaving behind a useless stump.
“This way.” Sunny tugs my hand and runs headlong into the war zone.
The dark tentacles are attached to the body of the Amheuk, still concealed beyond the boundaries of the Kingdom of Sky.Thank gods.The bulk of the ancient darkness hasn’t penetrated the kingdom, yet.
More clusters of four shinbiins fight off thick strands of dark terror, and I belatedly understand that beings from each of the four kingdoms have been united to form units. It is their combined magic—the power of all four life sources—that has been keeping the Amheuk at bay. Unfortunately, they are slowly losing ground.
Sunny roars at my side, and before I can react, she leaps into the sky with the Shin’gwangdo raised above her head and slashes down on the tentacle inching closer to Jihun’s unit. The dark arm disintegrates into black dust before her feet touch the ground again.
Jihun and his unit barely have time to thank Sunny as another arm of the Amheuk attacks them, but they manage to subdue the flapping tentacle quickly.
“Is everyone okay?” I ask, running to their side.
“Those of us in the capital have only endured a few casualties,” General Jo from the Kingdom of Mountains answers. “But I’m afraid not every region has been as fortunate.”
“Haesan, thank gods you’re okay.” Sunny hugs thein’eo, then shoves the boulder-sized male out of the way. “Watch out.”
A tentacle three times the size of the earlier ones whips toward us, knocking General Jo off his feet and sending him skidding across the field. There is no time for Sunny to draw the sword of light, so she grapples the darkness with her bare hands.
“Sunny.” I hack at the black arm with my axes.
“I’m okay,” she grits out.
I glance over at the general, who pushes his torso off the ground, and I release a sigh of relief. But when Sunny’s feet skid back, I renew my attack on the tentacle.
