NEFARIOUS

18 / 십팔

 Jung-Hee pushed Hye to the side to the side as another arrow swung into the air.

 It missed, clanking into the ground. But it did not make Jung-Hee feel any less better. The three guards were blinking rapidly at the scene before them, glancing to one another. Then, they drew their spear sword. A few guards who'd watched over coolies darted toward them as well, holding spear sword in their grip.

 Eun Jae paled, he settled his gaze on his bleeding wound, though his eyes gradually became a hazing fog. His breathing became heavy, and Jung-Hee could see his energy was slowly drained due the wound.

 This time, Jung-Hee was sure they were going to die. With over fifteen armed palace guards, and two archers atop of the shattered Sinmunmun gate pointing their bows toward him. Jeoseung Saja would surely meet his doom.

 But Hye ran towards Eun Jae, she circled his other hand around her shoulder, and helped him to stand.

 When he stumbled, Hye kept his hand to make him steady. Jung-Hee thought he was imagining it, but the fear and anger in her eyes flared like burning trees.

 Jung-Hee threw his spear sword far from him, and drew the sword on his hip. Five guards were already ahead them, ready for an attack.

 He glanced at the twins, and found Hye watching him. Eun Jae was fainting over her shoulder, but his wound kept soaking his armor with blood.

 "There's a carriage not far from here," Jung-Hee said. One of the guards was lifting his spear sword to him. "Go."

 Hye hesitated, an uncertainty clouded her gaze.

 "Go!"

 As the twins disappeared, a spear sword swung toward Jung-Hee's shoulder. He dodged it by his sword, When the guard stumbled upon his own steps, Jung-Hee struck his sword into the guard's chest, making him fall onto the ground helplessly.

 Another guard intended to attack him from the back, Jung-Hee darted to the side to avoid it. But he hissed in pain as a spear sword scratched his upper hand. His sleeve was torn open, revealing a line of wound.

 Jung-Hee stepped backward, but the tip of spear sword touched his back neck, threatening him to move further on.

 "Just surrender, assassin," a palace guard snarled at his figure. "You are outnumbered already."

 The other four guards circled around Jung-Hee, their spear sword pointing at him, still far from his reach. While many guards from Sinmumun gate came more for support. The tip point on his neck pressed into his skin, he gritted his teeth to hold the pain.

 Jung-Hee managed a malacious smile. "You want me alive."

 He jerked forward. The guards twisted their spear sword for an attack, but Jung-Hee slashed the wodden part of spear sword behind him and stabbed its owner's neck. Crimson blood sprinting from his mouth, soaking Jung-Hee's hand.

 Jung-Hee pulled his sword for another attack-

 A glimpse of sparking fire by the Sinmumun gate caught his sidevision. It dimmed as Jung-Hee focused his gaze on it.

 "Fire!" a yell came from afar, making the guards turned their attention to the sudden scream.

 The code.

 Jung-Hee ran from the gate and flung himself to the ground, covering his ears tight. A blast exploded throughout the gate, shattering the building contruction into pieces. The sand and debris were blown into the air, falling to the rumbling ground.

 Though his ears were protected, a ringing sound reached his hearing, but it was harmless nonetheless. Jung-Hee blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision between blowing sand and debris. A shadowed figure of balded boy approached him, stepping over the bodies of palace guards as if they were nothing.

 When the sand and debris no longer masked his face, the boy's crooked teeth flashing down at Jung-Hee teasingly, his dark crescent eyes fell upon the assassin's presence.

 The boy was Dong Geun, a firebond Masulsa from Moonbird.

 "Man!" said Dong Geun, he offered a hand to Jung-Hee. But he refused it, standing from the ground by himself. "I thought you were dead already."

 Jung-Hee flicked his darkening gaze to him. "You are nearly half an hour late."

 "Well," Dong Geun curled his lips downward, he shrugged without any guilt at all. "There's some problems on the way here. You should be glad that I saved you at least."

 No longer wanting to hear the boy's talk, Jung-Hee darted toward the open road, closing his distance to the forest.

 "The twins? Are they gone already?" Jung-Hee asked at least.

 "I've put some stones to hold the wheels from moving," replied Dong Geun, slowly led the way. "As you've said, I parked the carriage near the forest. If the twins know me enough, they'll recognize that it's mine."

 They stopped at the stranded carriage. It was parked right near the forest, ready to begin its journey. Dong Geun moved the stone from the wheels and hopped into the driver seat.

 Jung-Hee opened the screen, revealing Eun Jae leaning onto the carriage wall with eyes closed. His wound was still bleeding, but Hye covered it most with her torn white garment. The arrow in his shoulder remained untouch.

 Hye had thrown her armor suit elsewhere, wearing only white garments. Though there was a visible hole in her jaggy white pants. Eun Jae was wearing the armor due the wound.

 "I-" Hye stammered. Panic erupted within her. "I can't find its arrowhead. I have-"

 Jung-Hee hopped inside, the carriage groaned from his weight. He sat on Hye's side carefully. "You're not a healer, Hye. Let Chan Mi do her job at Moonbird."

 Hye still did not look at him, pressing her torn cloth on Eun Jae's wound to stop the bleeding temporarily. "I've spent my most years in the forest. I can handle this."

 "And you want to risk his life for your own pride?"

 She was silent, and still as sculpture. No word slipped out of her tongue anymore. Jung-Hee closed the screen, and tapped the carriage roof loudly.

 The carriage halted forward.