Page 57 of King Foretold
“But if anyone could have gotten their hands on the poison, itisthe royal physicians,” Captain Seo murmurs.
“It doesn’t make sense, though.” Jihun rubs his temples. “Why would the spy use a poison that might expose them?”
“It’s guaranteed to kill and kill fast.” Minju confirms my suspicion.
“The spy wanted to make sure the boy died before he could talk. They’re becoming reckless because they’re afraid of being discovered.” I exhale slowly, fighting my fury, and force myself to think. “Besides, the spy might not be a royal physician at all ...”
“Just someone close to one,” Ethan says, finishing my thought. “Their connection to the physician must be tenuous enough for them to risk using that poison.”
“Even so, they might try to tie up loose ends—” Captain Seo gasps and pushes to her feet. “They’re going to kill the royal physician who provided the poison. We need to find them before it’s too late. Lieutenants?”
Hailey and Jaeseok are right behind her as the captain heads out of the study. I’m torn between chasing after them and staying close to Ethan.
“He’ll be safe here,” Jihun assures me.
“Are you sure about that?” I ask archly. His eyes narrow into intimidating slits, and I cock an eyebrow at him in challenge. “Both of you are bleeding.”
“She has a point.” Ethan grins wryly at Jihun and turns to me. “We’ll be extra careful. We wouldn’t want to risk your wrath.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” I glare at both of them to show I’m dead serious. “Look out for each other.”
I run out of the study and catch up with the suhoshins heading for the Celestial Palace. I tighten the belt around my dobok and put both males firmly out of my mind.
It’s time to kick some spy ass.
Chapter Fifteen
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. The Celestial Palace is creepy. Something about the life force shimmering inside it feelsoff. And now that I know about my unique affinity for perceiving gi, it’s not as easy to wave it aside as paranoia. Even my gold-medalist avoidance muscles aren’t up for the task.
“Where are we going?” I catch up to Jaeseok, who trails a few steps behind Captain Seo and Hailey.
“The royal apothecary,” he says. “I doubt we’ll find our physician conveniently hanging out at the apothecary, but there are plenty of lower-ranking personnel who might point us in the right direction.”
My stomach drops when we arrive at the apothecary to find it surrounded by a horde of palace guards. Captain Seo holds out a glowing white emblem to the guards at the entrance, and they immediately come to attention.
“Have you come to investigate the murder, Captain?” one of the guards asks. “I wasn’t aware the Suhoshin had been notified.”
“Of course they have. A murder in the Celestial Palace is a serious matter,” Captain Seo says smoothly, without outright lying. The Suhoshin had to have been notified of the palace murder, even though the captain didn’t come in response to it. She arches her eyebrow with enough disdain to make the guard pale. “Do you plan on letting me through to do my job?”
“My apologies, Captain.” He and the other palace guard hurriedly step aside, and Captain Seo and the rest of us march in as though we own the place.
I can’t get over the opulence of the palace grounds. The hanok buildings in the apothecary stand under sloping tiled roofs and arching eaves that glow like the liquid gold of dawn. Even the wooden lattices of the doors and windows are stained in every shade of the sky.
We pass a large courtyard, where various apothecary personnel huddle nervously in corners while others sit in the main hall, staring blankly into space. Then we walk into the regal pavilion housing the main apothecary. The medicinal herbs hanging off the rafters, their musky scent infusing the air, send a wave of nostalgia through me. My mother was a gifted healer, and much of my childhood revolved around gathering and drying herbs.
Several officers stand questioning a weeping group of uinyeos in apron overcoats and rectangular fabric headwear. But what catches my attention is the body on the ground in a shadowy corner of the apothecary. She is—was—also a nurse like the ones being interviewed. She looks so young and small. I kneel down next to the body, and a scowling officer heads toward me. But he halts and comes to attention when Captain Seo raises her identification emblem.
“Did you sweep the area?” she demands.
“Yes, Captain,” the officer answers crisply.
“Finish interviewing the witnesses in the courtyard,” Captain Seo orders. “My team and I need privacy to conduct our investigation.”
I don’t hear the rest of the conversation as my ears start ringing. The uinyeo was poisoned by ... She still holds an intact jumeokbap in her fist, with one bite taken out of it. The rice ball has crumbled pieces of roasted seaweed in it, and—I lean down to sniff it—it’s seasoned with toasted sesame oil.
Dread runs down my spine. I’m overreacting. Jumeokbap is a popular on-the-go meal and snack. Just because Hana brought me rice balls once doesn’t mean she has anything to do with this murder. Butmy face goes numb with shock when I see the edge of a sage green fabric peeking out of the uinyeo’s apron pocket. I slowly tug the handkerchief free and run my fingers over the embroidery in the corner.Lilacs.Hana’s favorite flower.
“No,” I breathe. “It can’t be her.”
