Page 67 of King Foretold
“General Bak won’t stay convinced for long.” Ethan crosses his arms, matching Jihun’s frown. “But I played the obedient grandson long enough for him not to immediately suspect that I am going againsthis wishes. Hopefully, by the time my grandfather figures out our true objective, it’ll be too late for him to stop us.”
“Once we have the king in our custody, even General Bak will have no grounds to start his war.” Jihun holds his gaze, and Ethan nods solemnly. “We will not fail, my prince.”
“Great pep talk, guys. I’m really fired up to go save the Kingdom of Mountains. For real.” I clap my hands not entirely facetiously. I’m going into this mission with the two males I trust most in the worlds. If anyone can succeed, it’s the three of us. “But can I talk to you for a second, Jihun?”
“Now?” He side-eyes me suspiciously, then glances at Ethan, who is speaking quietly with Draco.
“Come on.” I motion to the other side of the pagoda and walk over with him. “Ethan is still unsure of his powers, and I can’t blame him. We don’t know what’s going to happen when he uses his powers in battle for the first time. A battle against his own father.”
“I have a feeling you’re bringing up this obvious but unavoidable issue for a reason.” Jihun arches an arrogant brow at me.
“We can help stack the odds against the king.” I match his arrogant brow and raise him a cocky grin. “As luck would have it, I’m the daughter of a talented healer, so I’m actually qualified for my cover as a physician’s assistant. Since the tyrant’s skin is as pierceable as the rest of us, thanks to his ‘illness,’ I can administer acupuncture to temporarily paralyze both his body and his magic. The paralysis will only hold for a few minutes tops, but it’ll give Ethan enough time to confine him under a dome.”
Jihun’s eyes widen. “That might actually work. If we work fast, we might be able to transport the king to a secure prison without even alerting his royal guards.”
“Captain Song, the token is ready,” Keeper Bae calls out.
“We’ll discuss the details tonight.” Jihun squeezes my arm and turns back toward the pagoda.
“The travelers may approach the portal.” The grumpy keeper glowers at the rest of the Sentinels. “No one else sets foot on the pagoda.”
“That’s one salty dude,” Draco observes with a hint of admiration. “He reminds me of my favorite science teacher from middle school.”
“I thought you were homeschooled.” Hailey purses her lips.
“I’ve had a few stints at different schools in the US.” They kick a small divot in the ground with their toes. “I even stayed at a boarding school in the UK for a couple of months.”
“Did you name yourself Draco at the boarding school because those Brits couldn’t pronounce Boknam?” Jaeseok deadpans.
Draco’s growl sounds unnervinglydragon. The crotchety keeper might perish with outrage if they shift into their dragon form without official papers.
“Whoa.” I put a hand on their shoulder. “He’s just messing with you, kid.”
“Sorry, Draco.” Jaeseok’s shoulders droop when Minju gives him a disapproving look. “I joke around when things get intense.”
Hailey snorts. “You always joke around.”
“Because things arealwaysintense with you lot.” Jaeseok pouts. “A dokkaebi has to cope, doesn’t he?”
“It’s calm.” Draco runs their fingers through their cerulean hair. “I’m just touchy because I don’t like Ethan and Sunny leaving without their armor and sword of light, especially when I can’t be there to protect them.”
“It’s not your job to protect us,” I say softly, patting their back. “It’s our job to protect you. You better get used to it. Because once this is all over, you’re going to finish enjoying your childhood.”
“I’m not a child,” they grumble.
“Fine. Your teenage-hood then.” I laugh wistfully. “Maybe we’ll go back to the States for you to finish high school, then we can send you off to college.”
Draco crinkles their nose but doesn’t immediately balk at the idea. Maybe I’ll join them and try my hand at college, or go for a job a littlemore rewarding than selling cigars at a crappy casino. But for now, I’ll settle for not dying.
“Ready?” Ethan leans close, and a shiver runs through me. My visceral reaction to him is a damn nuisance. “Or you can stay here and find out what Daeseong is planning on his end.”
“Nice try.” I shake my head at him. “But you have another think coming if you seriously believe I’ll ever let you out of my sight again.”
Ethan sucks in a sharp breath as his eyes bore into mine, and I freeze.Shit.Am I found out? Did I reveal too much of my heart? I try to turn my head, but he catches my chin between his fingers. My pulse flutters in my throat.
“Say that again,” he rasps.
“S ... say what? We agreed to stick together. Re ... remember?” I stutter before the words I can’t voice spill out of me.I love you, I love you, I love you.“Until w ... we stop Daeseong.”
