Tanya was pretending to listen to Myungjin's ramblings about the influx of new White Peak Mountain's Hearts followers when she overheard the news.
"Are the rumors true?" a street vendor whispered. "About you-know-what."
Tanya stopped in her tracks. There it was, her source of wisdom; she could always count on the merchants to never miss out on gossip while it was fresh.
"They are, I heard it straight from the source!" a patron said.
Tanya couldn't see the patron where she stood in the shade of a stall, Myungjin and her guards between them, but she bet it was one of Hae Tuak's chatty footwomen.
"King Tagon is on his way back from a hush-hush mission! A messenger has just arrived with the news. They say Lord Saya has slain a god!"
"No way! Do you know which god?" asked the excited vendor.
"It's Daraburu. Can you believe it? Daraburu!"
"Daraburu?! Impossible. This is big. Is the former Saenyeok Tribe just going to take it?"
"As if I'd know!" the lackey said. "But for things to come to this... King Tagon and Lord Saya are sons of the Saenyeok Tribe, are they not? Seems like both father and son no longer honor their own god..."
The vendor's gossipy excitement was palpable. "So is it true that the king has made Lord Saya his rightful heir?"
"I heard that the king cleared a room for him in the palace. That's about the same, right?"
They chattered on, but Tanya was only half listening at this point. Daraburu? Palace? Heir? What is it now, Eunseom?
"Niruha? Are you listening?" Myungjin said.
"Ah." Tanya laughed. "Of course I am. Who do you take me for?" She hadn't actually heard any of what Myungjin had said, but it was easy to fix; fortunately, Myungjin's thoughts were easier to penetrate than most.
She opened her mind and reached for Myungjin's. She made a thoughtful hum as she extracted the needed information. "The new believers have to be taught everything anew, I get it," she said sympathetically. "It must be so frustrating for you."
Hearing that she had 'listened,' Myungjin resumed her rant. "Not that we aren't happy about this positive development. Just remembering the days when they hunted and killed us is horrible. But at least Olmadae is back. With him by our side, we will be stronger than ever. And..."
And on she went.
Tanya's thoughts didn't stray from Eunseom for the rest of the day. Something was definitely, undoubtedly wrong, and it left her with a terrible feeling of dread. Eunseom's recent change in behavior had only proven it, and now there were these new rumors...
She wanted to see Eunseom, or at least Mubaek who had accompanied Eunseom on the mission. But they were still on their way back to Arthdal. There was nothing she could do.
Still, by nightfall, Tanya was so restless that she considered taking the risk of going to the Fortress of Fire to await Eunseom's arrival.
She lay awake in her chambers, the night too quiet, too still. She couldn't sleep.
Why could Eunseom never make her stop worrying? These days, she didn't know if she was angry or sad.
Tanya groaned and rolled over for the umpteenth time that night.
Eventually, her eyes grew heavy with fatigue, and she must have dozed off at some point.
But then...
Her scalp tingled, and she woke up with a start.
She sat up, confused but alert, heart pounding.
A sound had woken her. An intruder?
Then she heard a soft knock at the door. If someone was knocking, it couldn't be an intruder. Or so she figured, her mind still muddled with sleep.
"Yangcha, is that you?" she asked in a raspy voice. At this time of night, it could only be him. But even that was unusual. Even Yangcha needed to sleep.
"Tanya?" asked a voice muffled by the door.
It was barely audible, but Tanya would recognize Eunseom's voice even through a rainstorm.
She leapt out of bed and threw open the door.
Eunseom.
Eunseom stood there as if her daydreams had conjured him up. After all the days she'd chased after him and he'd eluded her, it felt unreal for him to be here, just a hand's breadth away.
Tanya blinked once, twice, but he was really there, standing in her doorway in the middle of the night.
"Hi Tanya..." he said, almost shyly.
'Hi Tanya.' Tanya couldn't believe it. This was what he had to say after avoiding her like she carried a disease. Didn't he have a guilty conscience at all?!
"What," she said, still breathless, "are you doing here?"
"That masked guy let me in..." he said, pointing to where Yangcha was just disappearing down the corridor.
Tanya pursed her lips. "That's not what I meant."
Eunseom looked down at his feet.
"You—what were you thinking, you idiot—you—"
She broke off. Something seemed wrong... Eunseom's clothes were dirty, covered in mud, and he was as pale as a corpse, as if he had come in from a rainy storm, even though today had been a dry, sunny day in Arthdal.
He looked terrible.
"Tanya, I..." Eunseom said, and Tanya realized that he couldn't find words not because he was ashamed of his (still unforgivable) behavior these days; his hands trembled. The realization came to Tanya unbidden. His hands were shaking, and he was in distress.
Tanya glanced around the corridor. When it was still as empty as was appropriate for the late hour, she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.
She closed the door behind her and dragged him to the bed. She stumbled once or twice on the way. It was pitch-black in her chambers.
"Sit down," she said as she went to light a candle. "I'll make tea, you talk. What happened? Did you just get back from the mission?"
Eunseom looked up at her, stunned. Tanya huffed and pulled her blanket over him, then went over to the stove to make a fire and some tea.
Eunseom did not say a word.
Tanya used the silence to cool down while she busied herself with boiling the water. She felt the anger bubbling up in her stomach.
She took a deep breath, poured the tea, then walked back to the bed and handed the cup to Eunseom.
Eunseom accepted it but made no move to drink.
He gave her a guilty look, his eyes red and puffy.
He always did that. What was she supposed to do when he came knocking on her door with such a miserable, sad face?
"I'm sorry, Tanya," he said, subdued.
Tanya narrowed her eyes. A simple sorry wouldn't be enough. But she saw the signs and she could never be so cruel to Eunseom and ignore them. She took the cup from his hands and set it on the floor, then stretched out her arms for a hug. "Come here," she said.
"A-are you serious?" he asked when she stayed like that.
Of course, he wouldn't get away that easily; he would have to tell her what happened and come clean with her, but that could wait until later.
"Oh, come on. Don't act like I don't know what a crybaby you are."
Eunseom scowled, but leaned forward anyway. After some hesitation, he hugged her back. He smelled of blood and earth, of fear and comfort.
Tanya tightened her arms. He was dirty and a mess, but the warmth of his body was comforting. It felt like ages since they had been this close.
She patted his shoulder. "Just cry, it's okay."
Eunseom sucked in a breath, then held still. She could tell that he was trying to restrain himself. That was new.
It had been their way since they were young. After all, Eunseom had been all alone after losing his mother, so he would come to Tanya for comfort, and for Tanya it had been the easiest thing in the world to become that person for him. And in doing so, she had opened herself up as well, with all the good and all the bad she carried inside.
The memory of the past made Tanya's heart patter nervously in her chest. There were worlds between then and now. She had known what to do then, but did she now?
There was no person in this world she had known better than Eunseom, and who knew her better in turn. Who she had seen laugh and cry more often.
She squeezed him tighter, and he finally gave in, burying his face in her neck.
Tanya let him hold her like that for a long time. She listened to the soft beating of his heart and let it ground her.
After some time, his heartbeat slowed down.
"Have you calmed down?" she asked. "Do you..." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
Eunseom looked up at her, a little hesitant.
She wiped his face with her sleeve. "You're really such a crybaby. Always were."
"Stop that," Eunseom said with a hoarse voice. His face turned red. At least he didn't look like a corpse anymore.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked. "Did Tagon do something?"
"Not hurt," Eunseom said with a stilted, awkward grin, then extracted himself to reach over to the now cold tea to swallow it down in two large gulps. "Look at me, Tanya, I have all my fingers and toes and even all my teeth." His breath caught. "I—"
"Eunseom?"
His hands were still shaking.
"Tagon, he..." he began, "he's crazy. He just massacred a whole village, Tanya. Not even for any good reason. Just—just because he wanted to make an example of them or their god or whatever."
Tanya bit her tongue. She wondered why he was so surprised. Did he not remember how their tribe had been slain?
"I know," Eunseom said, as if he had heard her thoughts. "It's not that I didn't expect it, but... Tagon... Arthdal... They're just so messed up."
Well, he was right about that.
What he had seen must have been terrifying. Tagon had probably played one of his games with him. Eunseom wasn't made for such power games; if this continued, Tagon would suck all the life out of him.
She really didn't want him around Tagon ever again. Or Taealha. Or any of those people.
She watched Eunseom's profile, hoping against hope that he would listen to her. "Eunseom," she said, "I've been thinking. Why don't you move into the Great Shrine? You don't have to stay in the fortress anymore." Please stay by my side and don't ever run off again.
Eunseom rolled his eyes. "You say that every time."
"Well, because it's stupid that you still live in the fortress. Look, we'll find a good reason and you can move in tomorrow! No need to wait."
Eunseom stiffened and averted his eyes.
"What is it?"
"Actually," said Eunseom, "I..."
"Spill it."
"I plan to move into the palace soon."
Tanya thought she didn't hear right. "What?"
"I'll move into the palace. It's just more practical. I go there every day lately anyway. And Taealha is annoying."
"If so, why not move into the Great Shrine?"
Eunseom still didn't meet her eyes. He was so obviously hiding something. "The Great Shrine's too far away," he said. "And then all of Arthdal will really think that you and Saya have something going on." Was it her imagination, or was he sulking?
Is that a bad thing? she wanted to ask. But then she remembered that the real Saya might return one day. That could cause some trouble.
But to move into the palace of all places, so close to Tagon? How stupid was that? She couldn't figure him out. "Did Tagon order you?"
"No, no! It's more like... I plan to make him ask me?"
Tanya was at a loss. "Can you please just tell me what's going on in that stupid head of yours? For all I know, you have a death wish."
"It's not like that. I'm doing it on purpose. I want this."
Just a few moments ago he'd used her shoulder to cry on, told her how scary Tagon was, and now he wanted her to believe that he wanted to stay close to Tagon?
Eunseom appeared to be contemplating something. He nodded to himself and finally met Tanya's eyes. "Don't worry, Tanya, I'm not crazy. I have a plan."
"What kind of plan?"
"I can't go into details. But I need to be close to Tagon to carry it out."
Just at those words, her irritation flared. What was he thinking, making plans all by himself without including her?! "Wow," Tanya said. "You're really something. You're really not going to tell me?"
"You probably won't like it!"
"Well, probably because it's a stupid plan!"
"It's not stupid, it's just—"
"Dangerous? Impulsive? Is your plan to cozy up to Tagon and massacre him in his sleep or what?!" she bit out.
"Well—kind of!" Eunseom bit back. "I have to get closer to him first, and then—"
"And then?!" she hissed. "Go on, tell me about this grand idea of yours!"
Tanya's heart pounded heavily in her chest, her breathing was ragged. Did he not see how dangerous Tagon was? Tagon wasn't someone who could be outwitted easily, Tanya would know. After all she did to keep Tagon away from Eunseom, this idiot had run into danger himself. Again and again!
"I know his secret. A secret that can destroy him," Eunseom said.
As worked up as she was, this caught Tanya off guard. "W-what secret?"
Eunseom said, "I'm not telling you."
"If you don't tell me, I won't believe you!"
"Well, it's too dangerous!"
"Oh, great. It's too dangerous for poor old Tanya, so I can't tell her," she mimicked. "And you think I want you chasing after danger?"
Eunseom opened his mouth to argue back, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. Tanya had always come out on top when they had fought, and she would not back down now.
She wanted to feel triumphant, but his deflated look didn't improve her mood.
He stared off into the fireplace for what felt like an eternity.
"You know," he said at last, "this is going to be good for you, too. This plan you and Mubaek are working on—the prophecy? Don't you think you need someone from the inside to make it work?"
"No," Tanya said. She shook her head again and again, as if it would help him understand. "No, Eunseom, it's not worth it. It will take time, but we won't take any risks. You can't win against Tagon that way."
"If you never take risks, nothing will ever change."
"But not like this." She took his hand. "Listen to me," she said, trying to keep her voice level after all the shouting. "The most important thing is... we must stay alive. We and the other Wahans. Only if we stay alive, one day we can... we can go back to Iark and—"
But she wondered more and more. Would they ever be able to return? Would Eunseom want to go back? Would she? She didn't know anymore.
Tanya withdrew her hand and slumped into herself. "We," Tanya whispered, "are tied now, aren't we?"
"What?"
"I'm bound to Arthdal. Asa Tanya, Great Mother of Arthdal. That is my name now, and it binds me to Arthdal. I can't just leave these people behind. They are my people now." It felt like she was saying this more to herself than to Eunseom. For the longest time, she had imagined the life far away from Arthdal, waiting for Eunseom to come rescue her, but somewhere in between something inside her had shifted. The lives of so many people depended on her now, not just the Wahans. "And you..." she said, "you're bound, too, aren't you... Inaishingi?"
"Tanya, you..." Eunseom was visibly stunned. "Shit. Tanya, I... I know you knew, but..."
She wanted to make it hard for him, after he'd lied to her for so long. But she understood Eunseom a little too well. Like herself, he had gained something that he had to protect.
She nudged him with her elbow in a gesture that was more or less a sign of forgiveness. She'd always forgive him, but he didn't need to know that. "Well?" she asked. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Eunseom grumbled, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, okay?"
"Try to make it a little more sincere." She tried to sound as stern as possible. "Speak after me: Oh, Great Tanya..."
Eunseom cringed, but he obeyed. "Oh, Great Tanya..."
"Please forgive this unworthy one for keeping stupid secrets from you."
Eunseom's face turned sour. "Tanya..."
Tanya didn't let her resolve waver. She wanted to torment him just a little.
Eunseom continued, "Please forgive this..." He visibly swallowed. "...unworthy one for keeping stupid secrets from you."
Tanya grinned. "Good. You're forgiven."
Eunseom's eyes widened. "Wait, that's it?"
"It wasn't that hard, was it?"
"I guess."
"But one more thing," she said. "I need you to tell me about it. I want to hear Inaishingi's story from your own mouth."
"Ah," Eunseom said. He scratched his head. "I'm not sure how much there is to tell. I don't even know if I'm really Inaishingi. Actually, I don't think I am?"
"What do you mean? Everyone from the Ago Tribe thinks you're Inaishingi."
"Right," Eunseom said, "and that's why it doesn't matter. I guess it was supposed to happen this way because the Ago Tribe needed someone like me. So that's how I became Inaishingi. Does that make sense?"
Tanya made a noncommittal sound. It didn't make complete sense to her, but she wasn't in the mood for any more arguments.
Eunseom continued, "You see, the clans of the Ago Tribe fought among themselves and sold each other off, and I couldn't watch any longer." He sighed. "But my being there did more harm than good in the end... I wish I could go back in time and undo things."
Tanya shook her head. She remembered Ipsaeng and the others talking about Eunseom. She remembered the man of the Ago Tribe she had met on the street and how happy he had looked when he had realized that his Inaishingi was alive.
"I think you still did good. Even if it doesn't look like it right now," she said.
Eunseom was always better than her when it came to these things. Back when they lived in Iark, even though Tanya was meant to be the future Great Mother, Eunseom could easily do all the things needed for that position. He would have done a great job. He was talented and a born leader.
She pushed Eunseom back to lie more comfortably on the bed. "Come on, Inaishingi! Tell me everything." She hoped this Inaishingi thing would feel less strange if he told her.
Eunseom relented and settled down next to her. "Fine."
She didn't know how long they talked. Once he started, there was no end to Eunseom's tales. This was the Eunseom she knew, who talked freely about his thoughts, his dreams, or just random things.
And then, he asked her to tell him stories of her own, and she told him everything about the birth of Asa Tanya.
With all that had happened recently, there was nothing more comforting to Tanya than this; Eunseom coming to her on his own terms, sharing his stories and listening to hers.
Maybe there was still hope for them.
Sometime before the first light, they were both almost nodding off, and the Head Priest's bed didn't make it easy for them; it was comfortable.
"Oh right." Tanya remembered that she hadn't told Eunseom about her upcoming journey yet. "I'm going away for a while soon."
Eunseom's head shot up. "What—where?"
"Mubaek and I have been planning this for a while. I'm going to meet a potential ally." At Eunseom's scandalized expression, Tanya added, "You have no right to say anything! You did all those dangerous things behind my back!"
Eunseom winced. "I guess you're right... But it sounds dangerous, Tanya. Are you sure?"
"I'm not leaving right away. We still have some logistics to work out. Don't worry, we won't leave until the plan is foolproof."
Eunseom nodded slowly. "You and Mubaek are smart. I believe you."
She started to tell Eunseom about the plan, but after a while she could hear the slow, shallow breathing of someone who was asleep.
She poked his arm. "Hey. You have to leave now. People will talk if they see you in the morning."
"Mmph." Eunseom roused himself and slowly staggered out the bed.
She walked him to the door. When she opened it for him, she expected an empty corridor on the other side, perhaps a guard standing at a respectful distance.
But she didn't expect Yangcha.
Tanya barely held back a gasp. Yangcha stood a few feet away in his usual statue-like position. He bowed to her, seemingly oblivious to her shock.
Hadn't he retired for the night? How long had he been there? What if he'd overheard their conversation? How soundproof was the door?
But as always, he didn't show any emotion, nor did he reveal his thoughts to her this time.
He bowed again and led a drowsy Eunseom outside, leaving Tanya with a sense of unease.
*
The thing about smuggling the High Priestess out of Arthdal was that it was an almost impossible undertaking.
The High Priestess was never alone. The High Priestess only left the Great Shrine for important business, not for her personal entertainment. The High Priestess only ever wore her white, immaculate robes so that everyone would recognize her wherever she went.
Tanya had broken these rules before, and she usually managed to get Yangcha to look the other way with a well-aimed threat or two.
It wasn't that hard. She knew some of his most embarrassing secrets. Like his aversion to bitter foods and his immense sweet tooth. Or that he often sang drinking songs to himself inside his head when he was annoyed by the people around him. Very loudly.
To others, Yangcha carried an air of mystery, but not to Tanya. He wasn't as serious and composed as he appeared to be on the outside. If his fellow Daekans found out, he'd lose face.
So, mostly thanks to Yangcha's forced indulgence, Tanya had often slipped out, her face hidden under a cloak. But she had never stayed away for long. If people noticed her prolonged absence, it might look like she ran away. People's faith would turn to betrayal overnight.
Smuggling the High Priestess out of Arthdal wasn't the problem, the problem was smuggling the High Priestess out of Arthdal and maintaining her good name.
But they had to make it work somehow if Tanya was going to meet The Bear.
She met Mubaek in her quarters to finalize the plan; they had chosen a time when they knew Yangcha would be summoned to the palace by Tagon.
"First," Mubaek said, "we need to make it look like an official pilgrimage. I would suggest a spiritual journey to the White Peak Mountain, because no one would question it. The former high priests often did this. No one needs to know that our real destination is elsewhere. What's important is to get you out of Arthdal first."
But it meant that she couldn't just go on her journey alone with Mubaek. A high priest's spiritual journey required a special procedure. Seven priests and seven soldiers from the Great Shrine had to accompany her, and they had to travel a set route in a set number of days, as tradition dictated. The route would take them east through parts of the Black Land, then further northeast to White Peak Mountain.
Of course, the plan was that she would never actually make it to White Peak Mountain...
"Second," Mubaek continued, as he took a map out of his satchel and spread it out on the table. "We must separate you from the pilgrimage. On the third day of the journey, you are to arrive at the old site within White Peak Mountain, but once you enter White Peak Mountain territory, it will be difficult to get out. So we have to carry out our plan before you cross into the territory. Here..." He pointed to a spot on the map, just south of White Peak Mountain, where two rivers formed an island and met on either side. "On the second day of the pilgrimage, I will wait for you there in disguise. I will prepare a trap that common rogues used to hunt down Neanthals back in the day, and we will let the pilgrimage walk right into it."
"Why did you choose this spot?"
"We call this place River Island. There is a sacred wellspring located on the island. It is the least traveled road of the entire route, as only the sacred pilgrimage is allowed to enter the periphery." He looked up from the map and met Tanya's eyes. "By the time the people of White Peak Mountain search for you and discover the trapped pilgrimage, we'll be long gone. They will be tricked into thinking you were kidnapped by some random rogue."
It wasn't a bad plan, but...
They might be able to trick regular soldiers and priests, but they could never fool Yangcha.
"Third," Mubaek continued, as if he was reading Tanya's mind, "Yangcha. First and foremost, we have to deal with Yangcha."
Tanya got up from the table. She felt frustration welling up. "But it's impossible to trick Yangcha." He was too vigilant, and Tanya still wasn't sure if he ever actually slept. Was he even human?
"I agree," Mubaek said. "This is where every plan I have drawn up fails. I cannot think of a way to hold him off for long if he accompanies you on the pilgrimage, nor can I think of a way to make him stay in Arthdal. Tagon will insist that he come with you."
This was the point where they ran into a wall. Could they really do this? With Yangcha in the picture, it was over before it even began.
They shared a contemplative silence. Tanya walked over to the flower bed and stared into the sea of flowers.
"Niruha," Mubaek said after a while, "you know Yangcha better than I do. I believe you might already know how to handle him."
Tanya forced her eyes up from the flowers. "What are you talking about? You have known him for ages! What would I know compared to you..."
Mubaek shook his head. "Yangcha has always been secretive. I know almost nothing about him. But... I have this feeling about him."
"I don't follow."
"He is as loyal as they come. His silence speaks for that." Mubaek knitted his brows in thought. "Do you know the story of the loyal hare?"
Tanya shook her head no. "What is it about?"
Mubaek looked uncomfortable. He wasn't a man of many words and certainly not a storyteller. But he seemed intent on telling her the story. "A long time ago," he began, "a wedded couple was separated at sea by the cruel will of nature. The wife was washed ashore in the foreign land of Aniartz, where she was treated as an outcast, and her husband searched desperately for her for many years. While she waited for him to find her, she befriended a hare that kept her company for all the seven years she waited. Because of this legend, hares, despite their muteness, are known as loyal and gentle companions." Mubaek cleared his throat and said, "Yangcha reminds me of the hare."
"Exactly," Tanya said. "He's loyal to Tagon."
"Loyalty can change," Mubaek said. I'm the best example of that, he thought.
Tanya didn't understand. In her eyes, Yangcha was only loyal to Tagon. How should she be able to deal with him? It was an impossible task! The only way was...
The only way was to get rid of him completely.
Mubaek interrupted her thoughts, "In any case, we have to deal with him before you leave. Do you believe you can think of something?"
Tanya sighed. She didn't think she could, but she had to. "I'll try."
Yes, Tanya thought, determined, there's no other way. I just have to get rid of Yangcha.
*
"You want... what?" Ipsaeng said, dumbstruck. "Is the Great Tanya Niruha seriously asking me for advice on poison?" He looked her up and down. "Y-you actually want to p-poison someone?"
"You heard me," Tanya said.
Ipsaeng lounged back against a comfortable-looking tree trunk and returned to polishing his collection of trinkets. He was living the life of a Niruha here on Dalrae Hill. Today, Tanya had found Eunseom's friends down by the horse river. While the others were busy doing laundry or preparing lunch, Ipsaeng didn't seem to have anything useful to do.
Well, Helper was also lazing around on the shore.
"But why come to me?" Ipsaeng asked.
Dalsae, who was chopping mushrooms by the fireplace, snorted. "Good question. Why ask this idiot?"
She began, "You just seem—"
"—knowledgeable?" Ipsaeng said, a smug grin forming on his lips. "I guess I do."
"—like a thug," she finished. Someone who could poison people, her mind completed.
Ipsaeng blanched. Dalsae burst into hysterical laughter.
The laughter only stopped when Badoru came running over to scold them for being so loud. She swore they were all grown-up children—no wonder Eunseom got along so well with them.
After Badoru dragged Ipsaeng away to help with the laundry, Dalsae spoke up again. "So you really want to poison—kill someone?"
Tanya turned to him. He looked at her expectantly.
"More like incapacitate someone," she said. "Just temporarily—for a lunar cycle or so?" It wasn't as if she wanted to do any real harm to Yangcha. Well, maybe a little. She wanted to see all Daekans pay for their crimes, sure. But she didn't want to do any actual killing.
"Well," Dalsae said, "that moron is only good for lying and stealing. You won't have any luck with him."
Tanya hid her disappointment. If only Chaeeun were still around... As a doctor, she would surely know a way. Or at least Seucheon, who knew all about herbs. But he had left Arthdal long ago. "This place scares me these days," had been his parting words. She wondered where he was now.
"Hey!" Dalsae shouted. "Are you ignoring me?"
"Um, not really? Is there something you want?"
Dalsae abandoned the mushrooms and plopped down where Ipsaeng had been sitting. "I can't believe you didn't think to ask me about the poison. I'm so disappointed."
"Come on Dalsae," she said slowly. "What would you even know?"
For a moment, Dalsae looked like he was going to cry. Why were all Wahan men such crybabies?
"I—I'm good with poison!" he said. "I was the best hunter back in Iark, don't you remember? The key to hunting is poison!"
Tanya didn't really remember such things, but surely Eunseom had been the best hunter? She wondered why Dalsae was making a lousy mushroom dish and not a freshly hunted meat dish if he was so great, but she didn't want to see him cry for real, so she didn't say it out loud.
"Right, of course I remember. How could I not think to ask you," she said. "Advise me please?"
Dalsae perked up. "You're lucky you asked me! I have just the idea." He stood up, then called to her as he ran up the hill, "Just let me get a few things!"
Why did Tanya feel this had been a bad idea?
But Dalsae turned out to be quite the poison expert. He returned with an assortment of herbs and plants and a long (and terribly boring) explanation for each single herb. As he talked, he began mixing the herbs into something that reeked like chicken droppings.
"Mix it into the food, just a tiny bit," Dalsae said. "Even a giant bear will faint if you use more than a pinch. Don't mix it into drinks, it loses its effect."
"What kind of food would be good to put it in?" Tanya wondered. She didn't want to look suspicious or she'd lose her chance to poison Yangcha. Then she remembered Yangcha's weakness for sweets. "Would sweets do?"
"Sure!" Dalsae said. "Let me think... Sorghum cakes would be perfect—the kind mixed with glutinous rice will absorb any strange smells."
Tanya nodded along. "But I don't know how to make them."
"It's easy, I can help you. We just need the ingredients." He turned towards the river, where Badoru and Ipsaeng were crouching in the distance. "Hey! The market is calling!"
Badoru and Ipsaeng groaned loudly.
Dalsae was in the middle of finishing the mushroom stew when Badoru returned from the market, alone. He dropped a heavy sack in front of Dalsae, then collapsed beside him.
"Where's Ipsaeng?" asked Dalsae.
"Ah, him? He got distracted, as usual. Let's eat without him." Badoru reached for the pot.
Dalsae slapped his hand away. "Don't. It needs to simmer a bit more."
Badoru lay down flat on the dirty ground. "Wake me when it's ready. I'm starving."
Dalsae ignored him and rummaged through the bag. He took out the sorghum and some other things. "Okay, Tanya, let's make the cakes!"
Tanya's stomach flipped with nervous excitement. They were really going to do this. "What does the poison do again?"
"It causes a sudden fever and delirium that lasts about a fortnight. And recent memories are affected."
He wouldn't even remember who poisoned him. A foolproof plan indeed! But... "Are you sure it'll work that way? Haven't you only used it for hunting?"
"I'm sure," Dalsae said. "Remember the time Mungtae was sick for an eternity? When we had to drag him to the Wabi tribe healer?"
Tanya remembered. Mungtae had been so sick and the whole tribe had been worried for days. They thought he was possessed by an evil spirit. Wait...
"You—you poisoned Mungtae?!"
Dalsae had the nerve to look embarrassed. "I was young and stupid. I didn't know it would have such an effect!" he said. "Maybe I thought Mungtae's big statue would be perfect to practice on? He's as big as a bear... Or maybe I thought I could finally get him to fight back. He never fought back no matter what we did."
"That's no excuse! I can't believe you. You guys all bullied him too much. No wonder he turned out like this."
Dalsae looked up. His eyes went cold. "Turned out like what? Mungtae... Do you know where he is now?"
Tanya hesitated. She didn't want to think or talk about what had become of Mungtae. "Around the time you guys were sent to Doldambul, he was sent to the palace. He's a palace guard now, one of Tagon's personal guards."
"You're joking," Dalsae said. "Tagon's guard? Of all the things he could've done, he became Tagon's guard?"
Tanya sighed. "He's changed. He's... almost unrecognizable. He's killed many people for Tagon." Slaughtered, he'd slaughtered them.
Dalsae stared at her, unmoving. He slumped back down, as if all energy had left him.
Badoru chimed in, eyes still closed, "Is this the guy who sold you off to the slavers?"
So it was true. She had heard this story from Seucheon, but she had wanted to deny it. Because it was too painful to know what Mungtae had done to them.
"It doesn't matter," Dalsae said tonelessly. "We... I made him like this," he thought. "So everything he did is on me."
Tanya disagreed. It doesn't work that way. One day Mungtae will have to own up to his wrongdoings, Tanya could have said, but it wasn't her place to speak up.
But Mungtae had wronged Eunseom, so she wouldn't forgive him anyway.
Dalsae turned back to the pot and stirred the contents sulkily, obviously in no mood to talk anymore.
Tanya sighed. What had become of the Wahans? They didn't even call themselves Wahan anymore and maybe they never would again. Mungtae was in Arthdal, but pretty much a lost cause. Others like Buksoe were still missing. It was a mess.
"Eunseom was here this morning," Badoru said, probably to lighten the mood. "Looks like he's regained his senses? He told us he came to see you too... Or did he lie again?"
Tanya replied, "He came to see me. Not sure if he's completely back to his senses, though."
"He never will," Badoru said. "I swear, he was born as an absolute nutjob. This morning he had another stupid idea. Something about sending a wooden frog to deliver messages? Total idiot!" Badoru said it in such an adoring tone that Tanya decided against scolding him.
"It was a wooden bird," Dalsae corrected.
"Does that make it any better?"
Dalsae shook his head demurely.
Tanya bit her cheek to hide a smile. But it was good that Eunseom had visited his friends. It was progress.
Sometime after lunch, Dalsae handed her the package of sorghum cakes. "Here, Tanya. Just make sure you don't feed them to the wrong people."
Tanya nodded. "Thanks, Dalsae. I owe you one."
Dalsae grinned down at her; his spirit seemed to be lifted. "Nah, it's good to be helpful."
Seeing him like this, she couldn't believe that he had once bullied Eunseom. Back then he had been so hostile and jealous of Eunseom, yet in Arthdal he'd been at Eunseom's side when Tanya couldn't. And now they were something like best friends—unbelievable!
Time changed people. If Arthdal had blackened the spirits of many, there were also people like Dalsae who owned up to their mistakes, who could better themselves, and that gave her hope.
Tanya packed up and said goodbye to the guys and Helper. Time had flown by here on Dalrae Hill and it was already afternoon.
Now all she had to do was get Yangcha to eat the poisoned cakes. Once Yangcha was out of the picture, nothing and no one would stand in the way of her journey.
*
That evening, on the pretext that she was tired of the Great Shrine and needed to stretch her legs, Tanya led Yangcha to a secluded part of town.
They sneaked out without notifying anyone.
She almost felt bad about taking advantage of Yangcha's indulgence like this, but she didn't want Yangcha to pass out from the effects of the poison anywhere near her quarters. It might cast suspicion on her, something she definitely didn't need.
It was a beautiful evening. The dusk brought out the brilliance of the stars and the crescent moon. It would have been a nice evening walk if it weren't for the knowledge and gravity of what Tanya was about to do. With every step she took, she felt the weight of the packed cakes growing heavier inside her tunic.
They chose a quiet green spot near the city walls and sat down on a pair of smooth rocks.
Tanya started chatting about this and that, not really listening to what she was saying herself, but Yangcha was eerily quiet.
She decided it was now or never. "Oh, right," she said in her best attempt at nonchalance and pulled out the package. "Look what I snatched from the kitchen. There's this talented cook, he always makes wonderful sorghum cakes. I couldn't resist when I saw them. I already ate my fill earlier, but you should have some too." She rambled and she knew she had to stop. "I know you have a sweet tooth, so don't try to tell me otherwise."
She opened the package and offered the cakes to Yangcha.
Instead of taking a piece, Yangcha stared at her with blank eyes.
"What is it?" she said. "Is there something on my face?"
Yangcha didn't answer.
Tanya did not panic. "Y-you don't have to eat them now. I know you can't take your mask off." She tried to sound unassuming, but thought she was failing utterly. "But it's just us here. I promise I won't tell anyone if you take it off."
Just as she was about to freak out at his continued silence, Yangcha's voice entered her mind. "It wouldn't work anyway. I've trained myself to be immune to all common poisons."
Tanya froze. Before she knew it, the cakes slipped from her hands. They made a dull, wet sound as they hit the grass.
No way. This couldn't be happening. "You're joking."
Yangcha responded with a long, telling silence.
"Or not joking..." Tanya's pulse beat in the hollow of her throat. She had been so stupid and naïve. She didn't know why she thought that she could pull this off. This was Yangcha she'd tried to poison! Yangcha, who was one of Arthdal's strongest warriors, who she'd seen fight and kill.
Had he been waiting all this time for her to try something? Had Tagon told him to wait for an opportunity to get rid of her?
Tanya swallowed hard. "So is this it? Now, will you hand me over to Tagon?" She stood on shaky legs. She didn't know if she should try to run, but she knew she wouldn't get far.
Yangcha stood as well and stepped forward. Tanya took a few steps back.
Suddenly she hated that she had led him into a secluded area. No one would come to help her here.
For a long moment, Yangcha just stared her down. Tanya thought she would die from the tension alone. Her heart almost burst out of her chest.
Then, Yangcha made a strange sound.
...What?
It sounded like... Wait, was he laughing?!
"Idiot Niruha," came his voice. "I'm trying to tell you to read my mind."
"What? Why?"
Yangcha rolled his eyes and stepped closer. He looked at her imploringly and she realized that he was serious. He wanted Tanya to read his thoughts, for whatever reason.
Yangcha's inner voice sounded annoyed. "You don't know how frustrating it is to be around you. I'm not supposed to talk to anyone, but you can read all my thoughts like it's nothing to you."
"That's not my fault!" Tanya said. "Your thoughts come so easily to me."
"Right... That's why I used a meditative technique to close off my memories. To keep at least my memories away from you."
Now that Tanya thought about it, although she could often hear Yangcha's thoughts, there were still so many things she didn't know about him. She knew all the unimportant things, yet nothing that mattered, but she'd always written it off as Yangcha being Tagon's dog. A mindless puppet with no thoughts of his own, just there to do Tagon's bidding.
It seemed like she'd been wrong.
"There's something I want to show you," he told her. "Read my mind. You have my permission. I think it's time you knew."
"Know what?"
But she didn't need an explanation. It was easier to just do as he asked and find out for herself—if she could pull it off.
She gestured for him to give him her hands. She took them in hers, felt their roughness. It helped her to concentrate on him.
Maybe it was because of the mask, but Yangcha's eyes were drawing her in. They were as clear and dark as the cloudless night sky. When she tried to read someone's mind, there was always resistance and obstruction. But not now, it was as easy as allowing air into her lungs, a welcoming presence.
Was he really willing to let her do this?
She closed her eyes and spread her awareness to invite in whatever he wanted to show her.
Never had it felt like this to her before, almost like she'd left her body. The air around her, the ground beneath her, everything shifted, and when she opened her eyes, Tanya was some place different, looking through eyes that didn't belong to her.
She was outside, but not in Arthdal. It was a full moon night.
She, or whoever she was, couldn't sleep; today's battle had left her on edge. So she wandered around the edges of the camp instead, listening to the snoring and sleepy mumbling of her fellow Daekans.
She winded up close to the forest and wondered if she should go to the river for a quick wash. She preferred that to bathing with the other men, who always made fun of her for not taking off her mask.
The night air was humid and heavy, but it cleared the further she strayed from the war camp.
It was when she neared the river that she heard distant sounds. They didn't come from the camp, but from further into the forest. She crept closer without making a noise. Were enemies here to spy on them? Or for an ambush even? She wouldn't put it past the Ago Tribe to resort to such methods. They were losing.
She approached the source of the sound. Something rustled over grass and leaves—the sound of but one or two men. No army lying in wait to attack, then.
A man stood near the riverbank, his attention fixed on something on the ground. With his back turned to her, Tanya couldn't make out his face, but his silhouette looked familiar, too familiar... He was crouched over that something on the ground, so focused on it that he didn't notice Tanya.
The clouds above shifted, and the moonlight cast the man in light.
It was Lord Saya.
Tanya frowned in confusion. Lord Saya was supposed to be in the eastern camp. Why had he returned now—alone and at night?
Slowly, Tanya crept closer.
That was when she noticed something on the ground next to the man. Bright purple Igutu blood.
Lord Saya stood up, so she hid behind a tree, where she could finally see what he had been leaning over.
A body...
The blood belonged either to the body or to Lord Saya himself. He didn't seem to be hurt badly enough to justify the amount of blood, which meant that the body on the ground was an Igutu.
Lord Saya drew a knife, one-handed. At first, she thought he was going to kill the Igutu for good, but instead he gathered his hair in his other hand and began to work the knife through the mass of hair.
Why he would do that was beyond Tanya. But she didn't like it. Whatever he was doing, she would report it to King Tagon in the morning.
Lord Saya severed the last strands in one clean cut, then discarded them on the body and over the mossy ground.
He arranged the body, then halted in his motion.
For a moment, it seemed like Lord Saya was paralyzed. He stared at the body on the ground. He was too far away, but Tanya thought she heard him say something. Perhaps his last words to the one who would probably not make it through the night.
Her gaze fell on his now shoulder-length hair. Just why would he do that?
At last, Lord Saya stood, glanced at the body one more time, then looked around the forest. Tanya quieted her breath, but she knew she was safe. This was what she was trained for.
When it seemed that Lord Saya deemed his surroundings safe, he took off in the opposite direction of the camp. Tanya heard his steps quicken, then he began to run.
The sound of his footsteps grew farther and farther away.
Tanya counted to fifty before she moved. Lord Saya was gone. She walked over to the figure on the ground and crouched down to inspect it. Could it be...?
It was that Igutu. The one she—no, not Tanya, but the person whose body she inhabited—had fought several times before. The dujeumsaeng from Iark. The dujeumsaeng who wore Lord Saya's face. Only now, he didn't only wear Saya's face, but also his clothes.
Tanya checked his pulse and examined his wounds. He wasn't dead yet, but the wounds were deep and untreated. If she left him here, he'd be dead by sunrise.
No, Tanya realized, if the Igutu died here, near their camp, dressed in Lord Saya's clothes, in the eyes of the others, it wouldn't be an Igutu who died, it would be Saya.
This was Lord Saya's plan.
Did he want to run far away and make everyone believe that he was dead by using this dujeumsaeng?
"Not dujeumsaeng. His name is Eunseom."
Someone had told her—no, him, Yangcha—this before. She had told him this.
Yangcha hesitated.
Yangcha had burned her village, killed her people, dragged her from her home to Arthdal, watched as she was used by Tagon and Taealha. He had committed enough crimes against her to fill a lifetime.
If he let this boy die, it would be his greatest crime yet.
Yangcha made up his mind.
He reached for his pouch in which he kept his first aid kit. The boy would live, and Yangcha would see to it that he returned to her side.
Slowly, the memories of that night began to fade.
When he opened his eyes, Tanya Niruha was there, right in front of him, his hands still clasped in hers. He could feel her probing presence inside his head, so fierce compared to her soft, warm fingers.
He had many regrets, but not for this.
Looking back, Yangcha had already made his choice back then, in the forest close to their war camp, when he saved the Wahan boy.
His choice then had been Tanya, and she would be his choice again.
Their connection broke and Tanya was herself again.
Tanya staggered back, out of breath, as if she'd been running for her life. She sat down on the rock to catch her breath and get used to the sensation of being in her body again.
"This..." she gasped, "I can't believe it."
She shook her head to rid her mind of the foreign memories, and the gruesome image of Eunseom's near-corpse. She couldn't believe that he would have died that night if it weren't for Yangcha. He would have died all alone in the forest.
"Why?" she asked. "Why would you save Eunseom?"
Yangcha simply shrugged, as if it was no big deal, as if he'd saved a small animal and not the secret benetbeot of Saya, and Tanya's Eunseom.
He had been there that night, had seen what Saya had done. He'd known all along. He had kept Eunseom's secret, brought him back to Arthdal, back to Tanya.
Just for her?
Deep inside, she already knew. Yangcha's memories and thoughts still swirled innocently in her head, as if it made sense that he would betray Tagon for her.
She couldn't believe it.
But it struck her at once that since she'd gained this psychic ability, there hadn't been a single instance where Yangcha had wished her ill. Tanya hadn't detected even a trace of grudge-bearing or resentment or even irritation in his thoughts, as would only be appropriate for someone of the Daekans.
He must have known all along. About Eunseom's identity. About what she and Mubaek had been up to all this time. All the times she had sneaked out of the shrine, all the times she had threatened him to let her go on her own, he had known.
She had thought she was so clever to trick him. Tanya giggled—because it was so funny and she'd been so stupid. She would never have gotten away with all of that if Yangcha hadn't had her back. He had protected her from Tagon.
She was still shaky and her head hurt as badly as ever. She'd never used her psychic abilities to this extent before. But the pain was so insignificant compared to the truth she had just learned, compared to the gratitude towards the person who had supported her all along and had saved Eunseom when she couldn't.
"All right, Yangcha, you got me," she said. "I wasn't expecting this. But there's no turning back for you now. You know that, right?"
"I know," he said, then motioned to the mushy cakes on the ground. "We should clear these away before a starving child comes across them."
Tanya's grin widened, and before she knew it, she was laughing out loud.
She didn't know why she was so happy with relief. Because Yangcha wouldn't stand in the way of her plan? Because she had stolen one of Tagon's strongest and most loyal warriors? Because she didn't have to get rid of Yangcha after all? Certainly not because she now knew the whole truth about what had happened between Eunseom and Saya.
Maybe... maybe because it felt like she had gained an ally. A trusted friend.
So perhaps it wasn't just her imagination that Yangcha's eyes seemed to smile as well.
*
You were right about the loyal hare, Tanya wrote in her letter to Mubaek the next day. My spiritual journey will begin in time for the new moon without any setbacks.
She asked Yangcha to deliver the letter.
*
On the day of Tanya's departure, she found Eunseom in the archives of the Fortress of Fire, hunched over a scroll. He didn't notice her arrival, too engrossed in whatever he was reading. He looked like he was having fun, and that irked her.
Daedae, the scribe, sat at the table next to him. Were they study partners now?
When she approached, only Daedae noticed her presence. He made a move to bow, but she silenced him with a finger to her mouth.
Slowly and as quietly as possible, she crept up behind Eunseom, hoping to catch him off guard. He was so immersed that she wondered if anything could break his concentration.
She leaned forward. "Lord Saya," she whispered into his ear.
Eunseom started back in shock, exactly according to her plan. "Tanya?!" He turned around to face her. "H-hey! Was that necessary?"
Tanya stifled her laughter. "It was."
"I can't believe you sometimes. Are you really the High Priestess? Or are you just a kid?"
Tanya clicked her tongue at him. "Who's a kid—" she started, but stopped herself. Real adults had to stay calm in situations like this, and she didn't want to prove his point.
Eunseom didn't pursue the topic either. "So, what brings the High Priestess to our humble archives?"
Tanya's throat tightened.
"I just wanted to..." She couldn't even bring herself to say it.
"...Say goodbye?" he finished for her.
Tanya almost teared up.
"You're leaving now?" he asked.
"Yes, they're waiting at the Great Shrine. Yangcha is outside."
Eunseom pushed back his chair and stood up. "Wait a moment." He rolled up all his scrolls and cleared the table. "I'll take you there."
Tanya felt a little flutter of giddiness.
"Daedae," Eunseom said, "I'm done for today. I'll see Tanya Niruha off."
"Yes, my Lord. I'll continue working on the grid." Daedae then turned to Tanya and bowed to her. "Niruha, please have a safe journey."
Tanya acknowledged him, then returned to watching Eunseom clean up his mess of scrolls. When he was done, he flashed her one of his bright smiles. "Let's go, Tanya."
Outside, Yangcha rejoined them, and they made their way back to the Great Shrine along Arthdal's streets.
She and Eunseom walked side by side. His pace was lazily slow, and Tanya wondered if he wanted to stall as much as she did.
Like this, with the mid-spring sun illuminating his face, Tanya could admire his profile. She was beginning to see it. Why Eunseom wasn't only the kind, goofy, and smart boy people were drawn to, but a leader they could admire and trust with their lives. When did you become so mature? she wondered, but for the first time she didn't feel bitter about it.
She wanted him to look at her the way she looked at him. Sometimes, she felt, he already did.
And she wanted the people to look at them, together. She desperately wanted them to know that it was Eunseom and not Saya at her side, and to support them for who they were.
A crowd was gathering at the side of the street. Word must have spread that she was leaving Arthdal.
"Tanya Niruha!" someone shouted, "Please be safe! We await your safe return!"
Her chest tightened; they'd come to see her off, they'd come for her, only for her.
Would they cheer for Tagon, too, despite the terror he instilled in them?
Not for much longer, she hoped.
All too soon, they reached the Great Shrine. A pang of anticipation shot through her when she saw the seven priests and seven soldiers waiting for her.
She turned to Eunseom.
Why did she feel that she shouldn't leave him behind? They had only just made up. It still felt too fresh.
"Just tell me not to go," she whispered.
"Tanya," Eunseom said, and there was a steady hand on her shoulder. Eunseom's thoughts were tangled and buzzing, but his concern was unmistakable. "Don't cry now. I get the feeling you don't want people to remember you like that."
Tanya snorted, albeit wetly. "Can you promise me something?"
"What is it?"
"Promise me... Don't do anything reckless while I'm gone. Don't wreak havoc. Whatever happens, wait until I'm back, okay?"
Eunseom's eyes softened. "Okay, I promise." I can do that for Tanya, she heard him say in his mind, and that reassured her.
But she still felt uneasy about leaving.
Maybe once she was gone, the ache would ease inside, where it didn't feel like the weight of an entire sea was pressing down on her. But right now it seemed impossible to part from Eunseom.
Eunseom eyed the approaching priests and relieved her of the burden of saying goodbye first. "Bye, Tanya. Be safe."
"Goodbye," Eunseom, she added in her head. "Take care while I'm gone."
She walked on and resisted the urge to turn back.
This was it, she was leaving Arthdal. For the first time since she had set foot on the grounds of this cursed city, she was leaving. She would return, but she was no longer a dujeumsaeng. The next time she returned, she'd return with more power than Tagon would think possible.