Journey Into the Knight

Chapter Forty-Three

The sunlight pierced Byul's eyes with so much intensity it hurt to even have them shut. That blast had hurt her head more than she knew. The steady bumps of the carriage ride no longer shook her, so she could only assume they had stopped at some point. The warmth at her feet with a steady rhythm told her Arcadia was there. Byul groaned and tried to sit up, pain shot through her skull like an electric shock and she almost fell back. "I take that as you are awake." TaeOh's voice came from somewhere in front of her. Byul tried to pry her eyes open, the thought alone hurt but she forced them open. She was in a room, walls made of wood. "Where am I?" She croaked. Something dawned on her and she shot up so fast she almost threw up from the pain, she closed her eyes to keep the pain at bay. "Where is YongSun?" Arcadia had moved from her feet and was now sniffing her face, trying to figure out what was wrong.She felt TaeOh's hands on her shoulders. "She is fine, we can go see her in a minute, drink this." She felt him put the rim of something to her mouth, she didn't question it, she just drank. The liquid was warm and bitter but she swallowed it fast. The throb in her head subsided slightly. "We are back at the Knight." He said evenly.Byul whipped her head towards his voice, a bad idea as her head felt like it was about to explode. Byul was still unable to open her eyes. "What?" That couldn't be possible, even if they pushed the horses as fast as they could it would take them the better part of a week to get there. As if knowing exactly what she was thinking, TaeOh explained. "You've been out for six days, the blow to your head caused fractures, normally you should have been kept awake, in case you had a concussion." His voice sounded haunted. "But Blue sent along a doctor, someone with magic." He paused, letting her take in the information. "He gave us the tonic to keep you asleep to speed the healing." That couldn't be possible, after the blast she woke up, she caught YongSun and she walked them out of there. "But I was fine." She could feel the bulk of the pain subsiding a bit more, enough that she felt she could open her eyes a fraction. "Adrenaline." TaeOh was sitting in a chair near her bed. "It was the same thing that kept me going after getting stabbed." Byul could see the bandages still wrapped around him, under his shirt. "As soon as we all got into the wagon we collapsed, WheeIn and Luna saved us, even if we made it out of that blast ourselves, we would have most likely died, well maybe not YongSun." "And Eric?" Byul remembered him being there. TaeOh made some sort of noise in the back of his throat. "I don't fully trust him, he was raised by his father after all, but he proved himself...for now." Which means they won't be sharing a cup of ale any time soon. Byul was able to see Arcadia now. She seemed to have gotten even bigger, she didn't even look like a pup anymore. "How is YongSun?" TaeOh sat back in his chair, he didn't look like he was concerned. "Magical burn out as WheeIn calls it. Basically, whatever happened to her to put her in that state, it took all of her strength." Byul figured she had probably fully harnessed the power of the Solarous, she wasn't sure how but that was the only explanation she could come up with. "She is still sleeping, she is in the next room." Byul moved to get out of bed but TaeOh stopped her. "Give the tonic time to set, or you will only make yourself worse, she is fine, she is in better shape than the rest of us." Byul looked at him, he looked like he was in pain. "Who got hurt?"He took a breath. "HyeJin." Byul swallowed bile, TaeOh caught her look. "She is alive, we all are... somehow." He rubbed his face. "She lost a leg, right above the knee." He motioned on his own leg. "She is awake but she is still in shock about it, obviously, WheeIn is trying to be strong for them both."Byul nodded slowly, they had both known men who had lost a limb or more, it was life-changing, shocking, something you never got over. "She is strong," Byul said. "She will adapt." TaeOh nodded. "I agree, but for now we have to make sure they have everything they need, they have done so much for all of us since we met, it is time to return the favor." Byul agreed. Silence hung in the air around them, the topic neither of them wanted to bring up was the only thing left unanswered, besides the deaths of JongKook and the King.TaeOh and Byul had both killed enough men that sadly it wasn't going to affect them much, but Byul would have to pay special attention to YongSun when she woke up. Byul picked at her blanket, Arcadia had settled at her side, sleeping again. "So..." She drew it out. "You're a powerful magic source," TaeOh said in such a way it had them both laughing slightly. He blew a large breath of air out. "Who knew all this time..."Byul nodded. "Yeah," Silence found them again. "Do you think the reason YongSun and I..."TaeOh held up a hand. "No, I don't think that is the reason you and YongSun are drawn to each other, I think it only means you will be a force to be reckoned with." Byul managed a smile. "I hope you are right." She wasn't completely reassured, they were born to work together, it was more than a coincidence they ended up together.He crossed his arms in a big brother kind of way that made her want to hug him and slap him at the same time. "I am." Byul rolled her eyes, she slid to the edge of the bed and TaeOh helped her stand. Her head was still smashing, vision throbbing with the pain but she could move, it was a really good tonic. As soon as she stood she wrapped her arms around TaeOh and pulled him close, her forehead resting against his chest. She felt something deep in her body settle, some form of relief, like it, was all over, they were together and everything was fine... for now. "I am glad you're okay." She said barely above a whisper. TaeOh pressed his face into her hair. "We all are." And with those words Byul started to cry, she couldn't help it, all those months of being on edge, just waiting for one of them to die. It was like she was back in the war, waiting for another message about a fallen comrade, but the battle was over and they were all alive. They must have used up all of their luck in the process.She felt TaeOh squeeze her tighter and felt his tears slide down her head. They stayed there for a long moment, just being comforted by each other.They pulled back and laughed, mostly as relief but also at each other. "Can I go see YongSun now?" She asked, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. TaeOh wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him. "Let's go see your girl." YongSun was indeed still asleep. TaeOh leaned against the doorframe, that was his way of giving them space while making sure Byul didn't hurt herself. Byul sat down in the chair next to the bed, the one whoever was taking care of her sat in. She leaned in and moved a long strand of her hair off of her face. She looked peaceful which was comforting. Byul couldn't help but flashback to the waves of what looked like pure light covering her whole body, her eyes of light as they burned the King from the inside out, it was terrifying yet empowering. Byul would have to make sure she was there for YongSun when she woke up, there was a specific trauma when you took another life, deserved or not. Byul just looked at her for a long time, drinking in the fact that she was there, relatively unharmed. They were both safe again. "How long do they think she will be asleep for?" She cast the question to TaeOh without looking away from YongSun.She heard him shift. "Ernesto said it could be a few more days, no one really knows how deep her well of power is, it is different for every Solarous." Byul stroked YongSun's cheek. "Wake up soon." She whispered in her ear. "I'm waiting for you." She kissed her temple, then turned to TaeOh. "I want to go see HyeJin and WheeIn." TaeOh helped her up, Arcadia flanked her side, seemingly determined to not leave her alone. She didn't want to leave YongSun so soon but if she was going to be out for a while then Byul needed to check on the others. To Byul's relief, WheeIn was at HyeJin's house instead of the other way around. Byul had a lot of questions for SoMin but she wasn't ready to ask them yet. WheeIn answered the door on the first knock, her face was annoyed until she saw who it was, then a small smile broke through. "It is good to see you're alive."She stepped aside and they walked into the house, TaeOh was still helping Byul walk. "Glad to see you are still alive too," Byul said as TaeOh led her to a seat. "Thank you for coming back for us." She said as she sat. WheeIn took the chair across from her. "That is what family does." She shrugged. "Besides I hate standing around doing nothing, and the nurses tending to HyeJin were very close to kicking me out of the camp." Byul smiled at that. "How is HyeJin?" "Ask her yourself," WheeIn said loud enough for her voice to carry to the next room.A rhythmic clank sounded with a footstep. HyeJin appeared in the mouth of the doorframe, looking exhausted. Where her leg used to be was a bruised stump, still red from where they must have burned it shut. There was a metal cup around it that extended into a thick pole, where the lower leg used to be, it came to an end at a square where it touched the floor, and another three-inch pole extended forward, almost like metal bones. She was using a cane. It was the noise that sounded when she walked. Byul saw WheeIn curl her fingers in as if she was physically trying to stop herself from helping. HyeJin smiled at them. "I never thought I was going to see either of you again." She plopped herself down on top of WheeIn, propping her new leg on the arm of the chair, she caught them looking at it. "It is in the early stage of development, Ernesto and I are trying to make something that my ice can coat." She smiled like a cat. "I've always wanted an ice limb."WheeIn wrapped her arms around HyeJin's middle. "It will be kind of hot." HyeJin rolled her eyes and gave WheeIn a quick kiss. "If I get any more hot then you will combust just looking at me."WheeIn bit her lip. "Who says I already don't." She made her finger ignite.Byul held her head in a joking way. "Should we leave you alone?" They both laughed. "Nah, we'll behave... for now." HyeJin turned her attention back to them, she was in brighter spirits than Byul expected but she could see the haunting pain behind her eyes she was trying to hide, like a warrior, fighting. "How are you feeling?" "Like I got my head smashed against a wall, you?" The dull throb in the back of her head remained despite the tonic.A shrug. "Like I got my leg cut off." WheeIn flinched at that but said nothing. Byul was used to this, turning pain into humor, the people at the Knight might not be used to it, they saw action but nothing like what they had just been through. "What about the whole Lunarous thing?" She said slightly more seriously. A look passed between WheeIn, HyeJin, and TaeOh, telling Byul that their little gang knew.It was Byul's turn to shrug. "It doesn't feel real, I still feel like me."HyeJin sat up a bit more. "Because your powers are bound, like YongSun when she first arrived here." There was a spark behind HyeJin's eyes like she was eager to dive into the history behind the Lunarous. She remembered the dream she had when she got knocked out, her mother binding her powers. "But even still she was showing some of her powers even before that, I don't have any powers." HyeJin looked at WheeIn, some silent conversation. "Just say it," TaeOh said, slightly impatient. WheeIn started running her fingers over HyeJin's good leg. HyeJin looked Byul in the eyes. "The Solarous and Lunarous have different powers, you could have shown powers and just not noticed." Byul looked at her, waiting. "And clearly you have an idea of what those are." Another small shrug. "I have theories, the Uju are about healing, restoring balance. YongSun's powers are based on love, with the knowledge of the past and future, she is meant to connect those and heal the path for the future." Byul was trying very hard not to get mad, but her head was hurting and this was making no sense. "From what we know of the Lunarous magic, it is based in...""Hate?" TaeOh asked, they all looked at him. "They are opposite, so if YongSun is love, then Byul is hate." He was speculating. HyeJin tilted her head. "That is one theory, yes." She moved so she was sitting up more. "The Lunarous power is based in nature, the healing of the earth." Byul rubbed her head. "But I haven't shown any nature magic."Another look between HyeJin and WheeIn, it was getting annoying. "You were a tracker, one of the best, you have a pet wolf, and you successfully lived in the woods with TaeOh as children for years, those could be indicators of the Lunarous powers, and fully unlocked, you will be capable of so much more." Or maybe, she just had a special skill set, she wasn't convinced. "If I unlock them." She muttered, but it got everyone's attention. "I am not sure if I want to." She looked at her hands. "My family, our entire village was killed because of this power, because Henry wanted this power. And look what happened just because he wanted YongSun's power." She looked at her lap. "There is already one-half of the Uju awake, so many more people could die over this." She felt tears rise, she blinked them back. "Not many people know about me, so if I don't unlock my powers then..." She shrugged.HyeJin cleared her throat. "Well it is ultimately up to you, but I think you should talk to SoMin, and really think about it before you make your decision." Byul nodded. "I'd never make this decision lightly." They went quiet for a long moment before WheeIn clapped her hands together. "Why don't we all have lunch and not talk about any of this." HyeJin lifted herself from WheeIn's lap. "TaeOh why don't you go collect Luna and we can all get caught up... well except for YongSun but she won't be awake for a while, Ernesto should be checking on her about now." That made Byul look at her. "Don't worry he will come over and give us an update, we've all been kicked out for hovering so I wouldn't even try." "Right," Byul said as she stood. "Lunch it is." Even though she was not hungry. The sun was starting to set before Byul got up the courage to go to SoMin. Over lunch, Luna was more pleasant than usual, probably because they had just saved her sister's life. Byul was surprised to hear that Jin had followed them to the Knight, though he was under supervision, helping out the blacksmith, she would have to go see him later. Into the afternoon her headache came back with vengeance. TaeOh acquired some more tonic for her head, so the pain was merely a dull throb. WheeIn was still staying with HyeJin and apparently, Joon was planning some sort of victory dinner and party for when YongSun woke up, so that meant SoMin was home alone. TaeOh offered to go with her, for moral support, but this is something she wanted to do on her own, and she needed someone to watch YongSun. Byul knocked lightly on the door, trying to take even breaths as she waited for SoMin to answer. The thumping of Arcadia's tail told Byul her anxiety was rubbing off on the wolf, she reached out and patted her head. SoMin answered moments later, smiling brightly as if Byul was her daughter coming home from a long journey. "Byul," She opened the door wider. "I am glad to see you are okay." There was something about her tone, she figured HyeJin and WheeIn had already tried to speak with her after the news of Byul being the Lunarous got around to them. She let Byul in the door, there were two cups of tea sitting in the living room, almost like she knew Byul was coming, knowing WheeIn, she did. "It is good to see you SoMin, I can only guess that you know why I am here."SoMin led her into the living room. "I know it is for more than just getting your necklace back." She sat down and motioned for Byul to do the same. "I want to start by saying I didn't know you were the Lunarous, but I did know you possessed some sort of magic."Byul picked up her tea and tried to take a small sip, she decided to just get to the point. "I remember seeing you with my mother one night when I was sick, she brought me a tonic, it wasn't like the one I usually had to take."SoMin nodded like she already knew what Byul guessed about it. "It was a binding potion, a more permanent one." She pulled Byul's necklace out of her pocket. "Strong binding spells require something to hold it," The moonstone gleaned in the candlelight. "Perhaps it would be better if I started from the beginning." She said placing the stone between them. It dawned on her that they needed Ernesto's sunstone to unlock YongSun's powers... This was for her, the moonstone. "Please tell me everything you know." Byul let the tea roll around in her mouth before she swallowed it, trying to find something to do so she didn't interrupt SoMin.SoMin took a drink of her tea and set it down, hands placed flat on her legs. "Song JiHye and Moon DaeJin arrived at our village one-day nearing starvation. Your mother was pregnant with you, not very far along but you could see it. We took them in and gave them a place to stay. Your father offered to work with the animals, he was good with them, in exchange for a place for them to stay." She smiled slightly. "I was assigned to be your mother's nurse, I was the midwife of the village." She explained. "Your mother was beautiful and so wonderful," Byul remembered as much. "But there was something different about her, we never judge anyone for their past, we don't even ask for it, but your parents never spoke of where they came from." She shifted. "We had few people who had magic, it was outlawed by the previous king after the South's connection to magic was severed and was punishable by death." Her expression was grim. "Your mother had a way of knowing things, like the right type of village to take her in, that little bit of magic would have been enough to get her killed anywhere else, so we never asked about her past." "We became fast friends, I checked in on her every day, and being one of the most recent residents who had a child, I was giving her advice from a first-time mother." Tears rimmed her eyes. "She adored you, even before you were born, but she always spoke about your birth as the best day of her life, but that is also when she started to worry.""She became our... Ernesto of sorts, she knew how to make medicine we had never heard of, she knew what people needed even before they knew it, like a prophet, so I wasn't surprised when she came to me about binding your powers. She always used to tell us you caught the spring fever every year."Byul nodded to that. "I remember being sick a lot, drinking the tonic." "Yes, but it wasn't until that last time that I knew the truth. She came to me in confidence, she told me that you had magic, that it was dangerous, and that people would be coming for you, for her." Tears were running down her face silently. "She said she had no choice but to bind them until you were old enough to handle them, she taught me how to undo it, in case... in case she wasn't around to do it, and she was right." She wiped her eyes. Byul wondered if her mother knew she was going to die, she didn't want to think that was true. "I didn't know what magic you had but I knew she was afraid for you like any mother would be, that someone wanted to hurt you and she had to do this to protect you." Byul could feel tears of her own falling. "Thank you SoMin, for protecting her secret this whole time."SoMin nodded. "I was heartbroken when I thought you died, that I failed your mother, but then you were alive." She gave a slight laugh of joy. "But I thought your powers were lost forever when you didn't have the stone, and telling you about it seemed pointless. When you asked me to hold onto it, I almost told you then but you had this big journey to go on, so much was happening at once it just seemed like too much. I regret not telling you sooner, I am sorry."Byul didn't know what to say. She picked up the moonstone and held it in her palm, it felt warm against her skin. "I don't blame you for anything, I think you kept your word as my mother's best friend." She smiled at her. "TaeOh and WheeIn are lucky to have you."SoMin reached over and grabbed her hand. "You have me too." Arcadia stood abruptly and turned towards the door, Byul joined her, putting herself between SoMin and the door, hand on her blade. WheeIn threw the door open and gave her a glare when she saw Byul's hand was on a weapon. She shook her head. "YongSun is waking up, come quick." Byul shot a thank you over her shoulder and ran out the door, Arcadia at her heels.