Prophecy Read Free Page B

a burden to her family, an outcast. But Kira was already an outcast.
    Several tense minutes later, the queen dismissed her, a look of disappointment shadowing her lovely face.
    Kira bowed deeply to both her aunt and mother, suppressing the urge to bolt out of the pavilion. She resented having to think of marriage when demons were overrunning her city. Once again she cursed the king for insisting on complete secrecy. If her aunt knew of the constant threat to her husband and son, would she bother with this betrothal?
    Keeping her head high, Kira walked past the gossiping court ladies, when she heard a loud, complaining voice.
    “How can they marry her off to Lord Shin Bo Hyun? She fights like a man, she’s strong like a bear,” the voice said. “Why, she’s liable to kill him in his sleep!”
    “She’s not that bad,” someone said. “I think she’s kind of pretty.”
    “Pretty like a kumiho,” another voice cut in. “Just look at those creepy eyes!”
    “Don’t be stupid,” the first speaker snapped. “Kumihos are supposed to be so beautiful to look at that they can seduce any man in the world. She would just frighten him to death!”
    Laughter erupted as the ladies whipped their fans into a frenzy. Kira couldn’t tell if it was the throbbing pain of her wounds or the achy tightness of her chest that made her eyes water. But as she left the pavilion, she vowed to break the betrothal, at any cost.

4
    Kira’s stomach dropped when she arrived at her father’s office. The king’s guards were lined up outside the doors. She’d hoped to see her father first before facing the king.
    To say Kira didn’t have a good relationship with her uncle was an understatement. He never hid his disapproval or dislike of her and barely tolerated her position as the prince’s bodyguard. To King Yuri, Kira would always be the demon child, a freak of nature, and a terrible embarrassment to the royal family.
    Better to get it over with , she thought.
    The supreme commander’s office was spacious and drafty. In the center, a long desk was piled with scrolls and heavy parchment; behind it, a padded stool. There were no other seats in the room. The king was dressed in full armor at the front of the desk, next to her father, General Kang, and her two brothers, Kyoung and Kwan. On the other side of the desk stood Brother Woojin, a small bald man wearing the typical gray robes of a monk. He came from the famous Dragon Springs Temple of the Tongey Kingdom and had been the prince’s tutor for seven years.
    At her approach, the general stopped talking. Kira bowed to the king and her father and then clasped her hands behind her back.
    “Daughter, I would take umbrage at your lateness in reporting to us, but I understand that the queen demanded your presence first,” the general said.
    “Yes, sir,” she replied. She kept her head bowed, unwilling to meet the king’s eyes.
    “Furthermore, we have received word that there was a public demon slaying in the marketplace today,” he said. “Is this true?”
    “Yes, sir,” she said.
    “You deliberately violated the king’s decree?” he asked.
    Sweat dripped down her neck as she stole a quick peek at her uncle. The king’s face was as impassive as her father’s.
    “I’m sorry,” she replied. “He persuaded the people to protect him. I had no choice. He was heading for the palace to attack the king.”
    Looking up, she saw her father and the king exchange glances.
    “Your Majesty, this is the third attempt on your life in one month,” her father said. “And there is trouble in the other kingdoms as well. We’ve received word that the Yamatos have invaded Kaya. But of greater concern is the news that King Asin of Tongey, King Mun of Jinhan, and all three of Mun’s sons were murdered. Most likely by demons.”
    He faced the king. “This is no coincidence.”
    Troubled, Kira stared at the back wall, which was covered with an intricately painted map of the Seven Kingdoms that