Page 23 of King Foretold
Pandemonium broke out at the mention ofdark magic, and everyone is shouting over one another. I’m just here thinking random thoughts, thanks to my Olympic-level avoidance skills. Because, if what Draco said is true, I don’t think I can handle it.
My attention snaps back to the present when the very air around Ethan quakes with the promise of violence.Oh gods.He’s losing his shit and losing control of his powers along with it. This is one of many reasons why General Bak is a shortsighted fool for barring Ethan from using his magic. How can he control his immense power without practice?
I’ll deal with my own panic once I calm Ethan down. Besides, I’m sure Minju has a perfectly sane explanation for why she used dark magic on me. I school my features into a picture of serenity. “Ethan.”
He turns to me with silver-and-green fire churning in his eyes, and my stomach drops as my nervous gaze skips around the courtyard. It’snot just his eyes. The entire area is drenched with the silver-and-green gi pulsing off him in towering waves. On the one hand, even untrained, he might be able to defeat the King of Mountains with power this immense. On the other hand, he might destroy all of us tonight if I can’t help him rein in his magic. So I swallow my fear and face him again.
“I’m okay, Ethan.I am fine.” I cup his face in my hands, holding his fiery gaze. His irises flicker between brown and silver green. “She wasnottrying to hurt me. I promise. And I bet she has a good explanation for what she did. Right, Minju? Now would be a good time to share that explanation.”
When she doesn’t respond, I swivel my head to glare at her, but my jaw drops instead. Jaeseok stands in front of Minju with his arms stretched wide, facing off with a very big, very angry dragon.
“Come on, Draco.” Jaeseok flashes his winningest smile. “You don’t even like Sunny.”
The dragon keens with pure fury, and everyone grabs their head at the piercing sound. I don’t have the balls to hush Draco in their current state ... and size. I glance at Ethan and sigh with relief. He’s reeling back his magic with slow, deep breaths. I let my palms linger on his cheeks for a second longer before I drop my arms to my sides.
“I’mkidding.” Jaeseok’s smile turns laser sharp, and twin balls of fire ignite in his hands, burning as red as his eyes. “But back off, Draco. I won’t let you hurt Minju, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
The threat rings crystal clear in the air. He doesn’t want to hurt them, but hewillto protect Minju.Shit.I don’t pause to think. I leap between the dragon and the dokkaebi on all fours, my nine tails flaring. And Hailey runs to my side, stretching a stream of water between her hands like saltwater taffy.
“Hey.” I speak into Draco’s mind. “We’re all on the same side, kid.”
“Dark magic is more terrible than you can imagine, Sunny. I’ve seen what those runes can do. The Jaenanpa used them to ... They hurt my dad before ...” Draco is a human kid again, tears streamingdown their face. I shift back and pull them into my arms, even though they’re a foot taller than me.
“Shh. It’s okay. I’m okay.” I run my hand down their soft cerulean hair. “No one’s going to hurt me. And I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Minju,” Jihun says in a solemn voice. “Please explain yourself.”
“Sunny has been ... struggling.” Minju comes out from behind Jaeseok, who wraps a protective arm around her shoulders. “I wanted to help her, but nothing seemed to work. She was too afraid ...”
I sigh heavily in protest but don’t interrupt her. With one last pat on their back, I drop my arms from Draco and turn to face the historian. Ethan steps close behind me and cups my shoulders with his big hands. I don’t shrug him off because Ihavebeen afraid—maybe I still am—and I can use his comfort. And although he has his magic under control, he might need to touch me to reassure himself, as much as I need his touch.
“I began researching amplifying spells, but I realized the problem wasn’t her lack of power. It was itsabundance. She did not feel strong enough to wield the might of the Yeoiju. I changed directions with my research to find something that would restore her confidence, something that would make her feel invincible.” Minju begins pacing, and tenderness steals over Jaeseok’s face as he watches. “That’s when I discovered the words of power. The runes were the solution I was looking for, but an imperfect one, because they can cause great harm if used offensively. They are forbidden for a reason.”
“They are forbidden?” Jihun pinches the bridge of his nose. He does that a lot, but I can’t say I blame him.
“Yes of course.” The historian nods earnestly. “How can they not be? They are much too dangerous.”
“Yet you used them on Sunny.” Ethan sounds more perplexed than angry as he steps forward to stand next to me. I miss the weight of his hands on my shoulders, so I shuffle a tiny bit closer to him.
His gi has receded from the courtyard and shimmers around him in a vibrant rush of silver and green—the colors so pure and rich that I want to reach out and touch them. I want to touchhim.
With a choked breath, I force myself to look away. It drains me to hold back my longing—to hide my love—when my very blood flows toward him like the rushing river. But I will swim upstream until I’m beaten and broken if it means I can protect him from more heartache.
For now, I’ll hoard this moment so I can swim a little longer before I shatter. I shift even closer to him and let his warmth skitter across my skin. I breathe in his scent and soak up his strength.
“Ididn’t use them on Sunny. I had them painted on her back soshecould use them.” Minju resumes pacing, gesturing with her hands. “Of course, I cast a spell on the ink to nullify the runes’ offensive powers.”
“Of course.” Hailey laughs in exasperation. “But did it ever occur to you that Sunny and I might’ve wanted to know that we were playing with dark magic?”
“A rune itself isn’t dark magic, per se, until you actuate the word of power by saying it out loud.” Minju’s eyes flit toward me when I gasp, but she finishes her explanation. “I only nullified their offensive powers in an abundance of caution, but the runes should have been perfectly safe for our uses. The pronunciations for those words were destroyed ages ago.”
“Not all of them. Draco witnessed the Jaenanpa actuate the runes, so those magic thieves know how to pronounce them somehow. And ... I recognized one of the symbols on my back.” I step away from Ethan because I need to lock down my emotions to get through the next part. “It was the one Daeseong used to ... to kill my mother. Seeing the rune jarred my memory, and I remembered what the dark mudang said to actuate the word of power. I must’ve repeated it without thinking. He said—”
“Don’t say it, Sunny.” Minju throws out her hand. “The runes ... they’re still on your back.”
Then everything hits me at once—grief, rage, and horror.
I used the word of power that killed my mother. I felt its dark magic flare through me. I want to scream. I feel dirty. I don’t want that cursed symbol on me. I want to peel the skin off my back. But a desperate part of me wants to cling on to the power ...
