with heavy sticks on stones. As we passed, I returned my attention to “kindhearted” Ryun.
“Have you worked for your master long?”
He looked over, holding the reins with one hand. “Nine years, since I was a child.”
Inspector Han was near—but not close enough to hear if I asked quietly. “Do you know Officer Ky?n?”
The corner of his lips twitched. “I do.”
“Officer Ky?n is trying to make others suspicious of your master. It is worrisome.”
“And he received a good beating for it last night.” Ryun clucked his tongue. “Who does he think he is, daring to go up against a military official? All because of a horse.”
“A horse?”
“My master’s horse was found roaming alone near the Northern District, days ago. Had deep cuts on his shoulder and stomach, the legs too. An unbalanced rider might make an unbalanced horse, and my master was deep in his cups that night. Officer Ky?n discovered the bloody horse and brought him to my master’s stable boy, who told Ky?n the inspector never made it home. After that, Ky?n went harassing people for answers. He seemed convinced that the blood did not belong entirely to the animal.”
“So the horse had deep cuts … He must have fallen?” I said, “And when the horse fell, Inspector Han had no means to return home. I assume he found shelter at an inn—”
“Not an inn. My master went back to the House of Bright Flowers. In the morning he sent a maid from there to fetch me. He was still in his mourning robe and needed another uniform.”
So this was the “evidence” Ky?n and Scholar Ahn had against Inspector Han? I pressed my lips tight, holding in a laugh.
* * *
We rode across a stone bridge that arched over the Han River, which flowed around the capital, then into the East Sea. According to my brother, it had received its name “Han” because it meant “great and sacred,” and during the ancient times, the Three Kingdoms of Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla had all fought to control it.
Once we reached the other side of the long bridge, the crowd thinned, and we rode like coursing water, rushing through a field of vivid green grass. My spirit had so lightened that I flowed along. Following a dirt road that snaked upward through a large valley, I watched the land rise higher and the wind grow fiercer, whipping my skirt and sleeves, throwing loose strands of my hair into my smiling face.
I looked behind to see how far we’d come and was greeted by a sweeping view of the capital. Its main road ran both ways, east and west, through the sea of black-tiled and thatch rooftops. There was the Defunct Palace to the south, the residence of the executed Prince Sado’s illegitimate male survivors, along with those that had married into the bloodline, like Princess Song and her daughter-in-law, Princess Sin. To the north was the true royal residence, the sprawling Changdeok Palace, with its lotus pond and pavilions, green lawns and various audience halls.
“Seol!” Ryun called out. He and Inspector Han were far ahead of me.
Bending low over Terror’s neck, I urged her forward and rode into what looked like the Fox Mountain Pass. On either side of the narrow path were mountains, shadowy giants rising alone, so far from the merry flowers carpeting the valley around us. “Gosan” meant lonely mountain, a fitting word for this scenery. It was also Inspector Han’s nickname, apparently, for he always kept his distance from everyone. He seemed to prefer silence from those around him if what they had to say was irrelevant to his investigations.
Except with me.
I dared to close the distance to Inspector Han. Sensing my intrusion, he turned his face to me, just barely. Only a crescent of his countenance was visible; his straight nose, his high cheek, the elegant curve of his firm lips. Unbidden memories flickered, glowing images from a decade ago. A boy with amber eyes and a radiant smile. I blinked, and the images vanished.
“Do you know why I’m involving you in this case, Seol?” he asked me.
It took me a moment to collect my thoughts. “No, sir.”
“Who would you say you are?”
“A servant?” I answered. He kept silent, waiting. I bit my lower lip in thought, then frowned up at the sky, a gradation of light to bright azure blue. “They say that between the servant and yangban aristocrat is the distance between heaven and earth. I am the earth, sir.”