Prophecy Read Free Page A

at you now. The first female warrior of the saulabi.”
    Kira suppressed a sigh. The queen loved to tell this story. But her version didn’t quite match up with Kira’s own recollections. Her aunt conveniently ignored how much the king despised Kira for being different.
    “I take full responsibility for your warrior status, since it was at my urging that your father trained you to be the prince’s bodyguard,” the queen said. “That’s why it is up to me to see to your future.”
    Kira glanced uneasily at her mother.
    “It is time to consider a betrothal for you,” the queen said.
    There was a moment of shocked silence.
    “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, my queen,” Kira replied.
    “Kira needs time to consider the idea of marriage first,” Lady Kang said.
    “She doesn’t want to get married, that’s the problem,” the queen retorted. “She runs around the entire kingdom, fighting like a man!”
    “Isn’t that what you wanted of me?” Kira burst out. “To protect my cousin from harm?”
    “Yes, but Hansong has been safe for so many years. There’s been no demon presence since that terrible incident ten years ago.”
    Kira pressed her lips tight, swallowing the words of denial. This was what happened when you hid the truth—a false sense of security. She wanted to show her aunt the wounds on her body.
    “Until now,” her aunt continued in a gentler voice, “all of us have believed it would be impossible to find you a husband, especially given your … differences.”
    “Until now?” Kira asked sharply.
    Her mother released Kira’s hand and turned to face her. “Lord Shin Bo Hyun has asked for your hand in marriage.”
    Kira couldn’t believe her ears. Shin Bo Hyun was a young noble, an officer of the Hansong army, and a nephew to the highest-ranking cabinet member. She pictured him in her mind. Handsome, but not in the soft and pasty court way. His rugged face was sun-browned, and his hooded eyes always looked as if he was laughing at a private joke. He was a particular favorite of the court ladies, who loved to moon over him and try to catch his attention in the most ridiculous ways. But not Kira.
    As children, Shin Bo Hyun had made it his mission to tease Kira. He would play nasty little tricks on her, like pushing her into the carp pond, sneaking pepper into her sweet rice punch, or putting honey in her shoes. As they got older, the tricks stopped but his attention remained the same; he was always teasing her about her strange-colored eyes or unnatural behavior.
    A hot surge of anger pulsed through her veins. Was this another one of his jests? Since that first fateful encounter with the demon, she’d been trained like her brothers as a saulabi. Her life was so different from that of the other court women. They were raised to expect marriage and children as their due. Kira was an outcast. How could a warrior become a bride?
    “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I will never marry.”
    “Kira, this is not a request,” the queen said. Her voice was cold and quiet.
    “How can I marry anyone?”
    “You’ll do it because it is your duty.”
    Kira shook her head. “No! Ask me for anything else but this!”
    “Please, Kira! You must calm down,” Lady Kang interjected. “My dear sister, let my daughter get used to this idea. After all, you said so yourself. She’s thought of herself as more boy than girl for all these years. Give her time to consider what it means to become a woman.”
    Lady Kang threw Kira a pleading glance.
    “Your mother is right,” the queen said. “Kira, you are my only niece and I wanted to see your future settled. But I forgot how shocking this must be to you. Once you’ve given it some thought, you’ll realize that this is a great honor.”
    Silence followed. Kira knew they were both waiting for her to apologize, but it was as if a demon had a hold of her tongue. She knew arranged marriages were a way of life for all citizens of Hansong. An unmarried woman was