“If I remember correctly, there’s another legend somewhere here about Haemosu.” He takes off his glasses and starts rummaging through his pile. “Here it is. It says that Haemosu, a demigod, wanted to become as great as the immortals.” Marc chuckles. “This worried the immortals, so they asked the Guardian of the East, the Blue Dragon, to create a bow that could kill Haemosu. Just having this weapon kept Haemosu in check, because it was a reminder to him of his mortality.”
“Wait a second. I remember you mentioning this the night Good Enough played.”
He nods, his brows pulling together as I dig through my backpack for my phone. I scroll through my pictures until I come to the one with the bow Grandfather had given me. The one that survived the fire.
“You think you own the Blue Dragon’s weapon? That’s a big deal. It’s not like you can just go down the street and pick one up.”
“I think we should take this myth as fact,” I say.
“It’s a stretch. A crazy stretch.”
“When Grandfather gave me the bow, he seemed to think it was special because it didn’t burn in the fire.”
“It does have the Blue Dragon’s image carved in it….”
I skim my fingers over the engraving as an idea forms. “What if my bow really is from the Blue Dragon? What if the next time I see Haemosu, I pierce him with an arrow from that bow and kill him? Without him in power over his land, my ancestors would be free, and so would Komo. And even if this isn’t really the bow of the Blue Dragon, Haemosu doesn’t know that. I could use it as leverage.”
“Now you’re thinking.”
“It’s a long shot.” I grin. “No pun intended.”
Marc studies my bracelet. “Listen, you have only two more chances before the last of the five eyes turns red. What if you fail? It’s a huge risk.”
“You sound like Komo. She wanted me to leave the country. I just need to be ready for him the next time he comes. But I can’t go around carrying a bow all the time.”
I pull up the Sejong Center website on my phone and scroll down to the exhibit items from the Koguryo kingdom. Sure enough, the amulet Grandfather was talking about is displayed, the samjoko resting in the bronze circle, touching the eight ball points around the edge. My pulse races as I show it to Marc.
“The samjoko,” he says. “Considered to be more powerful than the dragon or the phoenix.”
“That’s what the plaque at the museum says.” I stare at the photo for a moment. “Remember when you found me in the forest at the ski trip?” He nods. “That was right after the first time I entered the Spirit World. When I was there, there was a palace filled with—”
My throat tightens, and my eyes fill. Marc slides his hand over mine, his fingers warm compared to the cold memory.
“I think they were the souls of my ancestors. They called after me. ‘Princess,’ they said.”
“So they think you’re his next Princess Yuhwa? That’s creepy.”
“Yeah, I guess it is. The thought of my female relatives throughout the generations locked up in that awful place. I can’t stand it. And now Komo, too. I have to get them out. Grandfather wants to steal the amulet because he believes it’s a key into the Spirit World. He plans to go and kill Haemosu himself. I can’t let him do that. Haemosu will kill him.”
“No.” Marc crosses his arms, shaking his head. “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s a bad idea. You should leave the country like your aunt suggested. Nothing good comes from messing around with the supernatural. Trust me.”
“It’s the only way. There’s something about Haemosu’s world that connects with me, like I’m a part of it in some way. And every time I enter his world, I get stronger.” I shudder, thinking of the real reason. I’m slowly becoming more a part of that world than this one. “I think I can stop him.”
“I don’t like it. My vote is for you to move back to the U.S.”
“Convince my dad of that,” I say. “Besides, it’s probably too late anyway. Haemosu always seems to be one step ahead of me.”
I stare out the window, where a fog has settled, heavy and thick as if it’s about to rain. “And after he took Komo, he threatened to do the same thing to everyone else I love. I have no choice.”
“No one is asking you to be the heroine.” Marc pushes away his coffee mug and leans so close I can see golden specks in his eyes. “You don’t have to be the one to save the day. Besides, we’re all here for you. You don’t have to do anything alone.”
“My aunt believed we make our own destinies. I’ve been making this my destiny my whole life. Which is why I should attack first. He’ll never expect me to come on my own.”
“One problem, Fighter Girl. The museum will never lend you that in a thousand years.”
I smile. “I wasn’t planning on asking.”
CHAPTER 27
“No,” I tell Marc. “You’ve been a huge help, but I need to do the rest of this on my own.”
He crosses his arms. “There’s no way I’m going to let you do this by yourself.”
“And I can’t let you get kicked out of school. Or watch you get hurt like everyone else who gets within ten feet of me. So no.” I start shoving books into my backpack.
“You need to think this through.”
This is the problem with brainiacs. They want to plan, analyze, and speculate. “There isn’t time. I have two hours to do what I need to do.” I sling my backpack over my shoulder and head for the door.
“Jae Hwa!” Marc calls through the coffee shop. He runs, sliding past me as I’m pulling open the door, and blocks the exit.
Unbelievable. He’s going to force me to knock him flat on the ground. “Last chance to move.”
“What if I’ve already got a plan?” He stretches his arm across the doorway so I can’t exit. Cold air rushes into the coffee shop from outside.
“That’d be interesting if there was a plan,” I tell Marc, “but there isn’t.”
“Listen. I’m going to help you, whether you like it or not. I have connections from the times I worked there. And a season pass to the museum.”
“A season pass to jail, you mean.”
“Funny.” He isn’t laughing. “I know where they keep their keys. I know where the back door is. And I know where the power box is.”
Power box? I tap my foot, thinking, and bite my lip as the reality sinks in. I can’t do this theft alone. I’ve got no plan. No experience. I need his help, and I’m desperate to rescue Komo.
What if I could make it so Marc is out of sight, away from me when I take the amulet? Then Haemosu wouldn’t even know Marc was a part of this.
“Fine,” I finally say. “You can come.”
Marc grins, but it quickly turns into a frown as his eyes center on something behind me.
“What?” I follow his gaze.
“Let’s get out of here.” He grabs my arm, practically pushing me out the doorway.
“Wait,” I say. “What about your stuff?”
“I got my backpack. I’ll get the rest later.”
His jaw tightens, which sends my own pulse racing, and then he breaks into a jog down the cobblestone sidewalk. I peer over my shoulder, and that’s when I see him.
The same dokkaebi that met me in the subway station, coming out of the coffee shop, his red, bulging eyes focused on me. He saunters after us, so slowly that it seems he’d never catch us; but as I turn back around, he’s suddenly ahead of us, standing by the bus stop and twirling his club. Both Marc and I jerk to a stop. No one in the bus line notices the troll.
“Don’t look at him,” Marc whispers into my ear. “He’s been stalking you at school all day.”