If Minju goes back to the Realm of Four Kingdoms to fight the Amheuk, she might not live to see the next Hangawi.Hell.None of us might.
“The Kingdom of Sky has waged war against the Kingdom of Mountains.” Minju starts with the less horrifying part ofall this, but her parents’ eyes widen with horror regardless.
“To stop the tyrant?” her mother whispers.
“No, a new king has taken the throne.” Minju smiles faintly. “The true heir to the Kingdom of Mountains.”
“The Queen of Mountains’s son?” Her father gasps. “The King Foretold?”
Captain Seo, Minju, and I gasp in return.
“How do you know about the King Foretold?” the captain demands, then remembers her manners. “That is ... could you tell me how you know about the King Foretold, Mr. Ha?”
“The same way we found out about a secret group sworn to serve him.” Mrs. Ha clicks her tongue when Captain Seo chokes on her saliva. She sits next to the captain and pats her back until she stops coughing. “Gossip, child.”
“Gossip?” A vein pulses on the captain’s forehead, her patience waning. “What gossip? Please explain, Mrs. Ha.”
“Don’t fret.” Minju pats Captain Seo’s white-knuckled fist, lying on top of the table. “They’ll explain everything. Just give them time to get there.”
“Your parents give convoluted answers that jump all over the place?” I snort. “I didn’t know that was a family trait.”
“Oh hush.” Minju crinkles her nose at me.
“We only recently found out about the prophecy of the King Foretold.” Mr. Ha pulls up a chair for himself at the short end of the table and takes a seat. “The Queen of Mountains was a legendary diviner, but there are diviners here in the Mortal Realm as well.”
“All of them have been bombarded with the same prophecies these last few months.” Mrs. Ha seamlessly picks up where her husband left off. “The beings of the Shingae in the Mortal Realm are a tightly knit group. We watch each other’s backs and share information.”
But my mother and I were always alone ...It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.Why do I keep forgetting that?
“Ah yes.” Captain Seo huffs a tired laugh. “Gossip.”
“Exactly.” Minju’s mother punctuates her word with her index finger in the air. “The best source of intel.”
Wait.My face scrunches up in confusion.Did she sayprophecies? There’s more than one prophecy?I shake my head to dislodge the pesky question. I. Don’t. Care.
“Well?” Mr. Ha glances between the three of us.
“Well, what?” I blink at the distinguished seonnam, the whole not-caring thing taking a toll on me.
“Is the Queen of Mountains’s son truly the King Foretold?” Mrs. Ha answers for her husband. It’s like the two of them share a hive mind.
“Yes,” I say simply. When Captain Seo and Minju look at me with twin expressions of affront, I shrug. “What’s the point of keeping it a secret? The diviners in the Realm of Four Kingdoms must have seen the prophecy as well. Everyone will find out soon enough, if they don’t already know.”
“The point is we must keep the king safe at all costs. The realm needs him for the fight against the Amheuk—” The captain catches herself and claps a hand over her mouth. So much for delivering the horrifying news gently.
I halt the direction of my thoughts.What horrifying news? I do not know of what you speak.
“The Amheuk?” Mr. Ha bolts to his feet, his chair screeching against the floor, and plants his palms on the table with a loud thwack.
“Oh yes,” Minju murmurs sheepishly. “That’s the other part ofall this. The Amheuk has breached the Realm of Four Kingdoms.”
La la la la la,I shout in my head,I can’t hear you.
Her mother makes a choked sound as her hand flies to her throat. “You are definitely staying with us. A fragile, fleeting life is better than certain death.”
“Mother.” Minju puffs a small sigh. “I will come live with youafterall this is over. For now, my place is in the Realm of Four Kingdoms.”
“Your place is—” Mrs. Ha’s words come to an abrupt stop when her husband places his hand on her shoulder.
