NEFARIOUS

17 / 십칠

 A row of palace guards approached the fighting soldiers with spear sword in their hands, and a series of panicked screams and yells blasted into the open air.

 The twins darted to the door from the other side, and pushed it open wide. A looming wall of green and crimson greeted her gaze. along huge bookshelves that leaned onto the wall. The noblemen stood abruptly from their chairs, their books scattered on the long rectangular table, staring at the soldiers in bewilderment. They did not seem to notice the twins.

 Hye walked calmly through the rushing noblemen. She distanced herself from the palace guards as they came nearer into the inside, remaining as invisible as she could manage. Though her armor would be seemed foreign between crimson garments and upper-classmen hanbok.

 The palace guards who'd posted on the gatedoor were already striding toward the chaotic scene behind her. Only one guard left, staying on the very edge of the door with widened eyes, scanning the twins from head to toe.

 A hand grabbed her wrist.

 She held the grip and twisted backward. But the man's strenght was too strong, keeping her hand in his. When she looked upward, a pair of glooming onyx eyes meeting her.

 It was Jung-Hee, alive and breathing, still wearing crimson garments of palace guard.

 Hye blinked. She did not know how to react at his sudden appearance. "How-"

 "We must go," said Jung-Hee, almost demanding. She glanced past through him, staring at her twin brother, who only shrugged unknowingly. There were two palace guards stood on either of his side, their eyes hazed.

 They all moved forward. Jung-Hee was leading them, while Hye and Jae acted as their prisoners, cloaking their fraud identity as the ones who rioted inside the hall.

 Jung-Hee nodded at the guard who watched over the gateway, and pushed the door open. A streaming of sunlight pierced Hye's eyes. Slowly, the scenery before her cleared, revealing an endless road built of stone.

 And another fifteen guards waiting for them, pointing their spear sword at the twins. Undeniably suspicion clouded over their face.

 "Is it them?" asked one of them.

 "Yes," replied Jung-Hee. "There's more inside, I will take them to Commander Kwan for further command."

 Most of them darted into the building. When the three of them remained, Jae took over their mind to demand them go into the hall.

 Hye glanced over her shoulder to see the building clearly, and happened to be three in total; a hazing mountain stood proudly behind its curvy roof, and the structure glowered at her figure with its vibrant green and crimson skin. It took her a moment to realize that the buildings were Art and Library Halls.

 Of course, no wonder there were countless books scattered all over within this place.

 On the side of the building, an enormous stone wall clawing into the blue sky. A border between the three buildings and another one behind it. Hye supposed it might be Sinmumun, the broken northern gate that was currently being constructed.

 There was no other way but this shattered gate.

 They continued walking forward. A few palace guards passed by them, giving curious glances on the twins, but did not say anything.

 As the wall ended, they turned right. Eun Jae still kept his power on the two palace guards, making the twins disguise as prisoners.

 She scowled at the scattering gate of Sinmumun, far away from her reach, but she could see tiny workers standing a top of it, probably doing their work. And, well, very huge amount of palace guards watched over their back. Some posted on the ground, others above the rattling stairs. Jung-Hee was right.

 The twins should have thrown away their armor suit first. It was no doubt their current disguise was a visible threat to others. Hye let out a sigh, though it came from her lips as a calm and barely audible breath, her skin tingling with another spark of dread and uncertainty.

 She did not know whether their escape from the palace would be succeded or not. But somehow, with Eun Jae on her side, her bubbling fear eased for awhile.

 Jung-Hee's presence near her did not change anything, but at least his swordplay skill and fraud tricks would be used for their survival. She was sure Jung-Hee cared less about her death anyway.

 The assassin would only remember her as a worthy asset for his mission. Well, perhaps merely an asset, not even a worthy one.

 Sinmumun gate became nearer. The vision of coolies hacking into the sand and palace guards glaring on the workers' back cleared in her gaze. A few guards noticed of their arrival, one of them lifted an eyebrow.

 "What is this?" asked a palace guard.

 Three guards waited until Hye and others approached them. Behind the guards, the coolies kept working as if there was nothing out of ordinary came nearby them. While the other fellows under crimson garments continued their job to watch over the coolies.

 "Commander Kwan demands us to escort those two soldiers to the north," said Jung-Hee. But the three guards were already under Jae's control.

 Hye glanced at the small pathway toward outside. It was placed by the gate, a doorless way for coolies to retrieve the sand and bring it to the other side.

 However, the pathway was too small, perhaps only fit to two persons at once. Hye hoped Eun Jae would release these controlled guards, so that they could go there easily.

 But her twin brother did otherwise. He bring the three guards with him, while the other two from Art and Library Halls had been dismissed already, standing with puzzled expression, not knowing how they'd ended up there.

 They went through the pathway, the three guards came last. The scenery on the other side of Sinmumun gate beyond here was as cracked as the inside; huge and small stones were placed on the very side of the gate, while coolies laid some sack of sand on their shoulders.

 The debris filled the air surrounding by her, making Hye cough. She wiped her nose, and held her breath for a moment, until they reached-

 An arrow pierced through the air. She wanted to scream in alarm at Eun Jae, but it already sent him onto the ground, his body bouncing hopelessly. He grimaced in pain, watching his own wound bleeding uncontrollably with an arrow stuck in his shoulder.

 When she gazed above, a crossbow was pointing at her, with a cloaked figure as its archer.