“Ryun, come with me,” he whispered. When I took a step forward to join them, he snapped, “Seol, do not leave this place.”
“But—”
“Promise me.”
Reluctance gnawed at me, but his waiting stare forced the words out. “I promise, sir.”
And with that, he and Ryun disappeared through the thicket.
I stood still and strained my ears to hear whatever was going on beyond the cluster of trees and leaves.
A bird chirped.
A rabbit scrambled through the leaves.
Then I heard the echo of Inspector Han’s voice. “Stop where you are!”
My promise to him wrapped tightly around my ankle, as though roots had shot out from the earth to keep me from running. But when I heard his threatening voice again, I shook myself free and ran from tree to tree, wanting a better view. Trouble was near. I could feel it brushing against the raised hair on my skin. Pushing past the branches, I saw Inspector Han standing behind a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy, our horses nearby. When I looked closer, I noted the boy was missing an ear.
“You were spying on us. In the temple,” Inspector Han said.
“N-no, not I,” the boy replied. His eyes darted around, as though searching for help.
“Who sent you?”
The boy glanced at the horse to his right, weighing his chances of escape, but Inspector Han was easily close enough to grab him. The boy remained still.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Inspector Han warned, his voice so sharp the boy flinched. “Tell me who sent you.”
“I—I truly do not know wh-what you are talking about, sir.”
A quick and forceful flick of thumb, and sword rushed out from scabbard, its ring so high-pitched that I felt it like a pulse. The boy’s legs buckled and he was on his knees, trembling.
“Ryun, tether the horses.” Inspector Han walked around the boy, then pressed the blade against his quivering chest. “Who sent you here?”
“P-please, do not hurt me.” The boy breathed hard, sucking air in and out, in and out. In a barely audible whisper, he said, “Young Master Ch’oi…”
There, for once, I saw Inspector Han’s visage break, if only for a moment. A flash of anger … and something barely recognizable on his face. Confusion.
“Speak quickly,” he said.
“The young master. He … there were men he sent after you.”
“And he ordered you to take our horses?”
“No … Our l-leader wanted to sell th-them.”
“Fool. The stolen horses led me right to you. And what did the young master want you to find out? Did he say anything that—”
A twig snapped under my feet. Inspector Han heard it too, shooting a glance my way. I was so startled I staggered two steps back to hide, only to trip over a raised root.
“Seol!” The inspector’s voice rumbled with fury, rage vicious enough to gash my heart and leave me trembling. “I told you to stay where you were—!”
The one-eared boy grabbed a fistful of earth and sprayed Inspector Han, blinding him. Then he scrambled for a fallen tree branch splintered by lightning. Grabbing it, he charged as the inspector struggled to clear his eyes. Rather than swing in any direction, the inspector pulled his sword behind him, pointing the tip to the ground, leaving himself defenseless.
Oh gods, what had I done? I pulled the club free from my sash belt and raced forward.
In that moment, a high-pitched whistle pierced the sky and sent a rustling throughout the forest. Men stepped from behind trees, faces obscured by scarves, swinging planks and knives. They were so bony and burnt they looked more like starved farmers than fierce bandits. One man gestured and yelled, “Tie them up!”
The circle of eight rogues swept in upon us like a fierce wave about to suck a vessel under.
Hands grabbed for me, but I dove and slid across the ground, then leapt over squirming bodies. The one-eared boy moved fast. He raised his wooden weapon, ready to split it over the inspector’s head—
Steel flashed white in the sunlight, impossibly fast. Blood splashed out as though the boy’s stomach had burst. Bit by bit he fell; his hand dropped, the plank thudded to the dirt, his knees buckled, head craning until he stared up at Inspector Han. A choke, a gurgle, a single stream of blood slid down the side of his lips.
All fell still. Every man among the bandits flinched as the blade was pulled out. Life sprayed crimson onto the inspector’s robe as Missing Ear folded to the ground.