I struggle to swallow. I didn’t have time to think about the ramifications of deploying the troops with the Amheuk in the water.
“That must’ve been a bloodbath,” I whisper.
“Yes.” The queen nods grimly. “And our remaining keeper died to get as many of our soldiers through as possible.”
“None of us can leave,” I murmur, my lips barely moving, “unless the Kingdom of Sky opens the portal from their end.”
I spin away from the Queen of Water and pace the courtyard outside herjimil. How am I going to get into the Kingdom of Sky now?Is there no hope?Then I freeze on the spot. I forgot about the token Keeper Bae gave each of us that night Ethan, Jihun, and I infiltrated the Kingdom of Mountains to overthrow the tyrant.
“I have a ... I have a token to ... to the Kingdom of Sky,” I stutter, hurriedly pulling out the small pouch hanging around my neck underneath my T-shirt.
The queen gasps and reaches for the pouch, but then she shakes her head sadly. “That is indeed a token to the Kingdom of Sky, but only via the Kingdom of Mountains. Did a keeper give that to you as a return passage?”
“Y-yes.” Why does everything have to be so complicated in this fucking realm? “But this has to be better than nothing, right?”
“Perhaps.” The queen does not sound at all convinced.
“Well, I have to try.” I dig my heels in, trying to convince myself at the same time. “We can’t just stand here and wait to die.”
“If you do this, my people will forever be indebted to you, Sunny.” She clutches my hands. “Iwill be indebted to you.”
“No debts. We’re all in this together.” I clear my throat and quip, “Besides, there’s a good chance I’ll get myself killed for nothing.”
“The fact that you are trying despite that risk means everything.” The Queen of Water squeezes my hands, then lets them go. “I ... I have the power to expand the dome to allow you to reach the portal without swimming through the Amheuk-infested water, but ...”
“You need to save yourgifor when you evacuate the entire kingdom,” I finish for her, everything clicking into place. That’s why she couldn’t protect her troops. A trained soldier has better odds of surviving than a civilian, so she had to make an impossible choice. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
“Thank you,” the Queen of Water says in a wavering voice before she regains her regal composure. “I can at least keep you dry. Will you let me do that much for you?”
“Hell yeah.” The water is so freaking cold. “You definitely can.”
“Well, then.” With an elegant wave of her hand, she draws a loose outline of my body in the space between us.
I blink when nothing happens, but then, the air gently tightens around me, like I’m being vacuum sealed.
“Wow.” I stare down at the shimmering bluegicoating my body. “Is this like an invisible wetsuit?”
“A wet what?” The queen squints.
“Never mind.” I take a bracing breath. “I better get going.”
“Let me escort you to the main gates.” The Queen of Water looks as though she is on the verge of grateful tears.
“That’s all right.” I’m tired of saying goodbye. I’m tiredperiod. “It’ll be faster if I go on my own.”
I step back from her and take mygumihoform. When she gasps and claps in delight, I huff—half in amusement, half in relief—and dash out of the courtyard, fast enough to be a white streak.
I’m in a hurry, but I mostly don’t want to be seen. Unlike the Queen of Water, your typical shinbiin fears, or hates, animal spirits. And I don’t have time to deal with a panicked stampede.
When I reach the main gates of the walled city, I hide behind a building and shift back to my human form. If the guards see me in mygumihoform, they’re as likely to spear me as they are to open the gates for me. Plastering a bland smile onto my face, I casually approach them.
“Good evening.” I nod politely at the two guards. They’re not the same ones from this morning. “I need to leave the palace on an errand for the queen.”
They gape at me in wordless shock. I don’t blame them. I, too, think it’s dumbfoundingly foolish of me to venture into the water with the Amheuk slithering around out there. But I don’t have much choice,do I? Besides, doing incomprehensible, bonkers shit is so on brand for me these days.
“Please step aside.” I pray they don’t give me any trouble. I lack the patience to deal with pearl-clutching shinbiins at the moment.
The female guard does as I ask without hesitation, but her male counterpart sputters, holding his ground.
