"We've been known to lose a couple of novices down there every so often," Master Hong chortled.

"He's not serious, is he?" Kwan asked Brother Woojin.

"It's hard to know," Brother Woojin replied. "He has an unusual sense of humor."

Captain Pak hailed them. "I am grateful to see that all of you are safe," he said. "I admit to having quite a few nightmares while you were gone."

"King Eojin was successful?" Kwan asked.

The captain grinned. "The Iron Army easily defeated the Yamatos and has been chasing them back down the peninsula."

"That's excellent news!" Kira said. "Where is he now?"

"How is the king?" Taejo cut in anxiously. "Is he angry at us?"

"Well, King Eojin was not happy with me," the captain replied. "For a moment there, I thought he was going to throw me in prison. But then he decided to send me after all of you with a message instead. He asked that you all rejoin him at our next rendezvous point as the Iron Army is heading to Hansong."

Kira and Kwan looked at each other in relief. This was where they needed to go.

"He's going to save my mother!" Taejo said.

After several more minutes of conversation, the captain left to address his soldiers, leaving the cousins to plan their journey. Brother Woojin intervened.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot afford to go to Hansong at this time. We must press on and find the other two treasures," Brother Woojin said. "It is our first priority."

Kira caught sight of Taejo's crushed face and thought of her own family.

"Sunim, I beg your pardon, but our priority right now is to save what remains of our families."

The monk raised his eyebrows.

"And what good is it if the Dragon Musado is killed or captured before we're able to find the rest of the treasures? You vowed to keep the prince safe!"

"My first and most important priority is to keep Taejo safe. But no less important is my responsibility to save my family. My mother is trapped in the shadow realm. If I don't do all I can to save her, then she will be trapped there forever. She will be a lost soul. I can't let that happen," she said. "My brother and I must return to Hansong. You and the prince can continue without us."

"No!" Taejo shouted. "I'll run away and follow you! I swear it! You know I will!"

"Hush, be quiet," Kira said.

The monk rolled his prayer beads between his palms and stood in deep repose. After several minutes, he nodded at her.

"We can't let that happen," he said.

Kira bowed in thanks.

"But I caution all of you to keep the discovery of the tidal stone secret. Even from King Eojin!" he said.

Ten days later, Kira and the others were reunited with the Guru army. They were camped within the mountains that stretched north of Hansong City. When they arrived, Eojin swept the cousins and Brother Woojin aside, where he took all of them to task for sneaking away and leaving him with only a note.

"I should be very angry with you all. But I find I cannot hold onto my anger when I see you standing safe before me," Eojin said, his eyes lingering on Taejo. He cuffed the prince on the cheek and smiled. "Come and tell me about all your adventures."

Kira could see Taejo's happiness to be reunited with their uncle. It was clear to her that they had developed a close bond. She was relieved to know that she could count on her uncle to protect Taejo.

The next morning, they attended a meeting with Eojin and the Guru commanding generals. Captain Pak was reviewing the plan to recapture Hansong.

"There is an old tunnel entrance into the palace compound, which is now completely submerged underwater," the captain said, pointing at a detailed rendering of Hansong Palace. "It was once a private underground pier for escorting the royal family to safety in case of a siege. The water levels rose years ago, and the entrance is long forgotten. The only way to access it is to swim under the palace wall for a distance of twenty to thirty horse lengths, through the entrance, and up into the underground pier."

"How do we know this is viable and not a death trap for our men?" one of Eojin's generals asked.

"Because my father did it once years ago," Kwan answered. He stepped forward and took his place next to Captain Pak. "He said he was underwater for at least two minutes, possibly three, before he reached the entrance. It's doable, but it is only for the strongest and fastest swimmers."

Captain Pak continued. "The first problem is that there will be no light. Fortunately for us, our young mistress Kang brought back these stones." He placed one of the glowing stones on the table, where it pulsed weakly. The men all looked at Kira in surprise.

"It doesn't emit a strong light, but it's enough to see where you're going," Kira said with a shrug.

"It's excellent. This plan wouldn't work without them," Pak responded. "Once inside the palace, the group will rendezvous with our spymaster, proceed to the northern gates, and wait for the signal."

"Who is leading this group?" General Kim asked.

"I am," Kwan said. "I'll take my sister and four additional men."

Taejo started in surprise. Kira avoided his gaze, guilty that she'd hidden their plans from him.

King Eojin placed a new map on the table. "We will attack at dawn. Our armies will approach from three directions. The main charge will proceed southwesterly, down the line of fire. General Kim will command the special units and approach from the west. They will lay siege upon the city walls."

"How will special units bring their equipment through the mountains?" a heavily armored general asked, frowning down at the map.

"Piecemeal," Eojin replied. "They are carrying parts of the catapults over the mountains. Most are already on their way. The shaman went first and killed all the imp spies in the area. Our spymaster tells us that Lord Shin has become complacent. He doesn't believe an army can come over the mountains, so he mans a single guard tower over the northern pa.s.ses."

General Kim snorted. "Shin is a fool." The officers muttered their agreement.

"During the initial battle, Captain Pak will lead his men to the northern gates from the mountains for a surprise attack. When Kwan and his men hear the captain's war cry, they will open the gates."

What would happen if they were not there to open the gates was left unsaid.

Taejo approached Kwan. "I am going with you," he said.

"Absolutely not!" Kwan retorted, pushing Taejo away. "It's too dangerous for you."

"My mother is in there!" Taejo shouted. "You can't keep me from helping her!"

Kira stepped between them before her brother said something he would regret.

"This is a dangerous mission. Only the strongest and fastest swimmers have a chance of making it through," she said.

"I can do it," Taejo said. "I may not be as strong as you, but I'm fast."

"It's not safe for you; you can't go," she said.

His face turned mulish. "You promised to take care of me! You're supposed to always be by my side! You swore an oath to my father!"

Kira's lips tightened. "Fine, then I won't go," she said.

"No, we are all going and we are going to save my mother!"

Kwan heaved a frustrated sigh. "Listen, this is not a rescue mission for your mother. This is a mission solely to open up the gates for the army. You are too young to-"

"I am not too young, and I am still your prince. I order you to take me!" Taejo said.

Kwan threw up his hands and sought King Eojin, who had stayed quiet throughout the argument. "Your Majesty, I defer to you on this matter," Kwan said with a bow.

Eojin studied Taejo. If she hadn't been so angry, Kira would have enjoyed watching her young cousin thrust out his chin and glare at the king.

"I will not stop him," Eojin said with a weary smile. "I tried before, and all of you sneaked away. I won't risk that again. Go with the G.o.ds, young prince."

They left early the next morning. Their group consisted of Kwan, Kira, Taejo, and three soldiers who Captain Pak personally selected. Jaewon and Seung would ride with Captain Pak, although Jaewon had tried to convince Kwan to take him. Her brother, already fed up with Taejo's stubbornness, refused to respond to Jaewon's request.

Kira once again entrusted her bow and arrows to Jaewon. She also left him with her travel bag, which contained all that remained of her home and family. Lastly, she handed over her favorite nambawi. She didn't want to risk ruining it in the underwater swim. He accepted her bow and bag with gravity, but his hands gripped hers hard over her nambawi.

"Why can't I go with you?" he asked.

"It's not your responsibility," she said. "It's ours."

"But I want to help."

Kira shook her head. "It would be better for you to help the king."

"I'm not here for the king, I'm here for you," he said.

Kira pulled her hands away. "You know I've never had a friend before," she said. "And now I think, so this is what it feels like-to have someone care for you and want to help you. It's a good feeling." She smiled. "Thank you for being my friend."

She gave a small bow and went to Taejo's side. Her cousin was having a difficult time leaving Jindo behind with Seung. Kira almost believed he'd change his mind, so wrenching was the parting. But Taejo collected himself and left without a backward glance. The big dog's yelps of distress followed their departure.

They rode west of Hansong before crossing over and riding back upriver for nearly half a day to get to the mountainous border of the kingdom. Full of cliffs and dense woods, there was no entranceway into the city from this approach.

Dusk had fallen when they arrived at the rocky cliffs of the western wall. They took off all their outerwear and left it with their horses before climbing down the rocky cliff to the river below. Now that they were right outside the palace, they had to avoid detection by the sentries that patrolled the top of the wall.

"Remember, before we go under, take a big, steady breath. Do not breathe rapidly or you will black out!" Kwan said.

Kwan pa.s.sed a glowing rock to each of the team members. Following his lead, they entered the water one after the other. Kira braced herself against the frigid water, trying to ignore the numbness of her extremities. She could see the city walls soaring above her through the overhanging branches of the trees, which shielded their group from the sentries above. Kwan kept them close to the wall, submerged up to their eyes and lifting their heads occasionally for a breath of air. Taejo's teeth chattered. Kira wished she could move about and warm herself, but fear of the enemy kept her motionless. She watched as Kwan dived under for a long moment before reappearing. Her brother pointed in the direction they were to take. Using his fingers, he counted off from three to one.

She took a deep breath and submerged into the murky water. Ahead, she saw her brother and the other soldiers kicking powerfully toward a large opening. Another form pa.s.sed her. Thinking it was Taejo, she followed after him. She swam quickly through an underwater entranceway. It was completely dark, but it took only a moment for her vision to adjust. She couldn't see where the others had gone. Right above her was hard rock. She pushed against the rock, propelling herself forward.

Her lungs constricted as she kicked forward, trying to swim faster. Suddenly, another light cut through the murkiness. She broke into the dank air of the underground chamber, next to an ancient pier. She saw Kwan and the soldiers, but no Taejo.

Kira dived back under. She saw a figure struggling in the distance. She swam as fast as she could and grabbed Taejo's arm. But he continued to flail, fighting her so that she couldn't get ahold of him. Kira knew they were in danger of both drowning. Instinct drove her to reach into her leather pouch and grab the tidal stone. As she focused all her attention on the ruby, it turned red hot in her hand. A huge pulse of water propelled them through and up out of the river.

Several hands pulled the prince to safety before helping her. On the cold stone floor, Taejo lay gasping.

"Are you all right?" Kira asked, kneeling by his side.

Taejo looked dazed and woozy but he was able to nod at her.

"What happened?" Kwan asked.

"I ... I panicked," he said. "I forgot to use my glowing rock."

Kwan ruffled his hair.

"I'm just glad you made it," he said. "Come on, we need to get moving."

Kira took in her surroundings. It was quite dark, except for the glowing rocks that they carried. Kwan headed toward two diverging tunnels.

"This way," he said, pointing to the right.

The tunnel led them farther into the depths of the palace underground. A streak of bright light shone down upon a wall from between the cracks of a locked door. Kwan inspected the wood, slowly running his fingers over the surface while pressing against portions of the door. Pushing against a spot on the lower right-hand corner, he worked a long dagger slowly into the wood. The dagger sank in.

"Rotted wood," he said triumphantly.

Standing up, he lashed out with a strong front kick against the dagger handle, making an opening for them to pa.s.s through. Once clear, the group found themselves in another tunnel, lit with weak lamps. They pa.s.sed storage rooms filled with crates containing cured meats and root vegetables, and earthen ceramic jars, large enough to hide a man, used for storing rice, beans, and millet.

They heard a man's singing voice.

Kwan and the other soldiers raised their swords and waited on either side of the entranceway.

36.

A white-garbed servant trudged in carrying a basket on his shoulder. He froze at the sight of them, his broad face changing from horror to delight.

"Your Highness, is that really you?" he asked. Dropping the basket, he fell to his knees and bowed several times. "It is you! Thank the G.o.ds!"

Kwan pointed his dagger at the man and placed a finger to his mouth.

"Be quiet," he whispered. "Is there anyone else with you?"

The servant shook his head but lowered his voice in response. "There is no one in this area but me. The Yamatos don't come down this way because they can't stand the smell of the soy bean paste. I came to bring some up for the cooks."

Kira peered down at the man now smiling up at them. He had drooping eyelids and a flattened nose that looked vaguely familiar.

"I know you," Taejo said. "You're Chang. You used to bring me my morning meals."