“Are you feeling mighty, young king?” He sneers. “I would have thought taking out foot soldiers with your high magic would be beneath you. Or has your common upbringing failed to teach you what it means to fight with honor?”
“Was it honor that made you hide behind your soldiers while they fell by the hundreds?” I cock my head to the side. “Or has your noble upbringing failed to teach you how to value the lives of others?”
“I challenge you to single combat,” the general says abruptly, his fragile ego faltering in the face of my condescension. He jerks his chin toward a soldier, who promptly draws a large circle in the dirt with his sword. “The first one to step out of the circle loses.”
“And what would that loss signify?” I keep my tone nonchalant while I struggle to keep up the wall of gi.
“The loser will surrender this battle.” The general rubs his hands together, hardly able to contain his vile glee.
The blood drains from my face. He intends to kill my soldiers—every last one of them. I see it in the sadistic glint of his eyes.
“You are down to less than two hundred men, General,” I drawl, hiding my revulsion. “I can easily end this right now, rather than wasting my breath on you.”
“I will not allow my soldiers to yield while they have life in them.” A sinister smile lifts the corners of his mouth. “Do you really want the blood of a thousand beings on your hands? More, if you count your own soldiers, who will inevitably fall.”
The bastard is threatening me with the lives of my soldiers, as well as his own. I can see why General Bak entrusted the queen’s imprisonment to this male. He is as savage as he is ruthless. A dangerous combination for a person in a position of power.
My fists clench around the axe handles before I lower them with a grunt. My magic cuts off, and the unconscious soldiers tumble to the ground in an avalanche. I leap back from the bodies, and my legs nearly give out as they hit the ground. But before I stumble, a firm shoulder props me up.
“The queen is safe, Your Majesty,” Jihun says close to my ear. “We will moon shift her to the Shinsi Palace tonight for the royal physician to tend to her.”
“Thank you.” I lean against him.
“Please allow me to be your champion,” he whispers. “I know General Gim. The sick bastard will employ every known dirty trick to take you down. He craves glory more than anything.”
“More reason why I can’t risk having you fight him on my behalf,” I argue, even as I struggle to catch my breath. My limbs jiggle like fucking Jell-O. The only times I enjoy feeling boneless are when Sunny is involved.
“With all due respect”—Jihun blows out a beleaguered sigh—“please stop being a stubborn ass. I can anticipate his moves ten steps ahead of him. There’s no need for you to waste any more time or energy on him.”
“Fine,” I concede less than graciously. “But will he agree to fight you instead?”
“You need to accept his challenge, then assign me as your champion,” Jihun explains. “Per the Code of the Realm, the general cannot back out once you accept his challenge. And the fighter has the right to select a champion.”
“General Gim.” I project my voice, hoping I sound stronger than I feel. “I will accept your challenge under one condition. If you win, swear to spare the lives of my soldiers.”
“I swear it,” he says much too swiftly for him to mean it. “Do you accept my challenge, Your Majesty?”
“I do.” But before the general can gloat, I add, “And Captain Song Jihun will fight as my champion.”
“That pup doesn’t stand a chance against me.” General Gim’s face turns splotchy with anger. “Isn’t that right, Captain Song?”
“You can console yourself any way you wish.” Jihun sounds almost bored, the cocky son of a bitch.
I chuckle when the general sputters, and I turn to Jihun with a sardonic grin. “You got this, right?”
“Right.” A corner of his mouth curls up. “Now kindly remove yourself to the spectator zone.”
“Asshole,” I say with gruff affection, then do as I’m asked. Two of my soldiers flank me as soon as I step into the woods.
“Since your soldiers have collapsed over your ring, why don’t I draw us a new one?” Jihun suggests.
Without waiting for the general’s response, my royal adviser extends two of his fingers and spins in a slow circle, using his power of wind to clear out a ring in the ground, about fifteen feet wide. Then he stands to one side, clasping his hands loosely behind his back.
“Per code, I presume?” Jihun asks casually. When the general responds with a curt nod, Jihun inclines his head in a mocking bow. “Whenever you’re ready, General.”
General Gim leaps lightly into the circle in front of Jihun and draws his sword, his movements almost too fast to follow. My eyes narrow in accusation at my sneaky adviser. The general is much more formidable than I was led to believe.
He attacks without delay, and Jihun evades his blade at the last minute with a nerve-rackingly slow shift of his torso, his hands still clasped behind him.
