“I hope you don’t have to get used to the battlefield aspect of your reign.” He sighs. “Your grandfather—”
“No.” I slash my hand through the air. “The moment General Bak invaded the Kingdom of Mountains, he stopped being my grandfather.”
“Do you really believe that?” Jihun asks quietly. “He has always been a tough son of a bitch, but he’s ... family. I still can’t believe he would do this.”
“Heisdoing this.” My lip curls back. “He wants revenge, no matter the cost.”
Even if the cost is killing his only grandson. I clench my fists at my sides. I didn’t choose to have the tyrant’s blood running through me. And I am as much his beloved daughter’s son as I am my father’s. Why can’t my grandfather see that?
“He plans to lay waste to the Kingdom of Mountains because the tyrant killed my mother.” I shake my head. “But my people already suffered so much when they lost their queen. I can’t watch them suffer more because of my father’s sins. I have to stop General Bak.”
“Wewill stop him, my king.” He presses his fist to his chest.
I clap him on the shoulder, then blow out a long breath. “But tonight, I could use a stiff drink.”
I remember themakgeolliSunny and I shared at her childhood home. But the fleeting warmth of memories is not enough. I want her in my arms. I shift my eyes toward the tent flap, wondering if it is dark enough for the moon to have risen.
“Captain Seo might have sent word,” Jihun murmurs, following my gaze and train of thought.
I don’t know if I want another short, cryptic message.Who am I kidding?Any news will be like a sip of air to a drowning man. It just can’t be bad news.It won’t be.Hanging on to hope, I fill a small bowl with water and step outside the tent.
I quickly make my way around to the back so the soldiers can go about their business. Jihun stays close behind me. The full moon shines brightly in the night, and I crouch to the ground and pour a fist of soil into the bowl. When the water calms and the moon’s reflection stares up at me, I murmur a chant, and silvery-green fire sparks above the bowl.
I hold my breath as the flame splits into strands and swirls in the air. Then my eyes widen when they converge into letters. With my heart pounding against my ribs, I trace my fingers above the precious message, careful not to touch.
Found Sunny. Coming back.
My relief doesn’t have a chance to solidify because a fire-tipped arrow flies by my head and embeds itself next to the bowl, scattering the letters into the air.
“No,” I rasp, my hand reaching heedlessly for the words now gone.
I swipe my hand over my head, pitching a protective dome over Jihun and me, and a barrage of fiery arrows falls impotently to the ground. When I glance over my shoulder, I can make out enemy soldiers in the distance, hiding in the trees.
I take my time rising to my feet, fury roaring in my ears, then I turn to face the archers. My voice is a low growl, but my magic carries the words to my enemies. “You picked the wrong time to interrupt my evening.”
These assholes took something priceless from me. I’ve been waiting days for that message. I don’t care if the words would have dispersed in a few seconds. They weremyfew seconds to see Sunny’s name lit up in the silver-and-green flames ofmymagic. It was mine.
But Sunny is okay.Thank the fucking gods.I knew she would be. I knew and yet ...
I want her here. I need to bury myself inside her. She is mine, but I want to hear her say the words and sip them from her lips. I want to claim her and be claimed by her. We belong together.
Just a while longer.
I blow out a measured breath. Sunny will be here soon, and I hope to never endure the torture of being apart from her again. But first, I have to teach these enemy soldiers a lesson.
“Shall we?” I raise my brows at Jihun, gripping an axe in each fist.
He nods, silver fire glinting in his eyes. “We should beat some manners into these assholes.”
I head toward them with a deadly smile, my axes hanging deceptively loose at my sides. Subduing these archers shouldn’t take long, but I don’t plan on stopping there. I will keep going until I have General Bak on his knees, even if I have to fight every soldier from the Kingdom of Sky myself.
I won’t have Sunny come back to a war-ravaged kingdom. Not if I can help it.
Chapter Eleven
Sunny
“We better say goodbye here,” Mrs. Ha says, with a tremulous smile at her daughter. “If I go to the beach with you, I won’t be able to stop myself from bodily dragging you away from the moonglade. I can’t ... watch.”
