Page 83 of King Foretold
I spin around to face Ethan, the king’s immobile arms bracketing my head, and my eyes widen in horror. Captain Seo was right. I should have thought this through. Since I paralyzed the king and severed his magic, Ethan’s stream of power has nowhere to go ... except straight at me. A scream lodges in my throat as I raise my hands to shield my face.
“Sunny,” Ethan shouts.
I hear a deafening crash, and I’m tackled to the ground from my side and smothered under a large, hard body. I can hardly breathe, which is excellent news, because it means I’m not dead.What about Ethan?I flail under the big oaf, trying to get him off me.
“Are you all right?” Jihun lifts his torso a few inches, allowing me to suck in a heaving breath.
“Get off me,” I wheeze, then flinch when I notice the debris crashing down on us. Jihun grunts, but none of the rubble hits my face, and I realize he has his wings spread over us. My voice softens. “I need to make sure Ethan is okay.”
“He’s safe,” Jihun reassures me through clenched teeth, straining against the falling rubble. “I saw him throw his shield up.”
“I still want you to get off me.” I push against the wall of his chest. “You’re getting hurt, you idiot.”
Only when the dust settles around us does the stubborn ass push himself off me. I slap his hand away when he tries to help me up, and I push to my feet on my own. I immediately spin Jihun around to check his back for injuries.
“Gods damn it. Your fucking wings are invisible,” I growl. “I can’t see if you’re hurt or not.”
“I’m fine.” Jihun gently pushes my hand off his arm and turns back toward me. His face is pale, and I scan his body with worried eyes. “Go check on the prince.”
I gasp and spin around until I find Ethan, sitting inside a dustless circle with the jimil sanggung in his arms. I squeeze Jihun’s hand in thanks and run over to them.
“Ethan.” I kneel next to him, and he reaches out to cradle my cheek in his hand. I lean into his touch, cupping my hand over his. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” But he doesn’t sound too happy about it. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop my magic in time. I could’ve hurt you.”
“Ethan, look at me. Youdidn’thurt me.” I glance up at the open sky, then at the wreckage around us. He must’ve thrown his hand up toward the ceiling to avoid hitting me. “But you did a number on the king’s chambers.”
“I apologize for the interruption.” Jihun comes to stand in front of us, twisting his wrist to summon the sword he dropped when he threw himself over me. “But we aren’t quite finished with our mission.”
“Shit,” I mutter as I jump to my feet, unsheathing my hwando from under my skirt.
The royal guards had formed a shield of bodies around their paralyzed king and suffered the brunt of the injuries. Bleeding from their heads, shoulders, and backs, the guards struggle to regroup, limping toward us with their weapons raised in shaking arms. But they’re shinbiins. They’ll heal soon, and we’ll be outnumbered, ten to three. Worse yet, the king might soon free himself from his paralysis and add his might to their numbers.
“My prince,” Jang Sanggung says in a ragged whisper. Ethan and I exchange a surprised glance. She must have overheard his brief exchange with his father. “Please help me stand.”
“You shouldn’t move.” Ethan shakes his head. “We need to find a physician to care for your wound.”
“Please.” The sanggung grips his hand. “I beg of you, Your Highness.”
“Very well.” Ethan helps her up with an arm around her back, concern drawing his eyebrows together. She presses a bloody hand to her stomach and straightens to her full height, leaning heavily on him.
“Royal guards, we no longer need to serve the tyrant king.” Even in pain, Jang Sanggung’s voice rings with conviction. “You see before you the Prince of Mountains. The queen’s son has returned to claim his rightful throne.”
A confused murmur ripples through the royal guards, and a male who stands a head above the others steps forward. “Jang Sanggung, how can you be sure of this?”
“The king himself called himmy son.” She laughs softly even as she winces in pain. “And look at him, Captain Ha. He is her spitting image. I should have seen it immediately.”
The captain swallows and pivots slightly to face Ethan with his whole body. After a searching gaze, he rasps, “Are ... are you the son of our queen?”
“Yes,” Ethan says solemnly, then he catches my eyes and raises his brows at me. Understanding his unspoken request, I rush to take the sanggung from his arms and support her weight with my body.
“Do not be alarmed.” Ethan stretches a placating hand toward the captain and the royal guards. “I will not raise these against you.”
Then with the barest flex of his wrists, Ethan summons the golden axe and the silver axe in his hands. With a collective gasp, the royal guards stumble back, eyes wide with fear and reverence. But after a shocked second, they fall to their knees and press their foreheads against the floor.
“Your Majesty,” they intone as one.
“I am not your king yet.” It is Ethan’s turn to rear back in shock. “I summoned the axes to show you that I am who Jang Sanggung says I am. I have come to ...reasonwith the King of Mountains. I am here to convince him to abdicate without resorting to bloodshed. The people of this kingdom have suffered enough.”
