Free The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh Page A

forgiving.”
    When the guard doesn’t respond in kind, Kirin demands, “What is it? You look as if you wish to speak.”
    She hesitates, then says, “ Th ere have been rumors circulating among the guests that the Sea God’s power is waning, and so is Lord Shin’s. Less than a year ago, he was defeated by Shiki, their friendship broken irreparably. Without such a staunch and powerful ally, many believe Lord Shin’s role as guardian of thiscity is at an end. And the Sea God, without Lord Shin to protect him…”
    Th e guard’s voice fades as she and Kirin move away from the tree. Keeping low to the ground, I follow, curious to hear more of their conversation. When I catch up, however, it’s only to find Kirin voicing his dismissal.
    â€œTell the others to keep their eyes open. I wouldn’t put it past Crane or Tiger to stir up trouble tonight.”
    She bows, stepping backward. “Yes, my lord.” She leaves just as she arrived, appearing to blend into the darkness. Soon she’s a blur of movement at the corner of my eye.
    Alone now, Kirin sighs, turning his gaze toward the pond. A lone heron sweeps over the water, the tip of its wing brushing the surface. “Protecting the Sea God is too much a burden to bear, even for you, Shin.”
    I step back and a branch snaps beneath my foot. Immediately Kirin’s head turns, and I duck, wincing at my clumsiness. Th rough a gap in the foliage, I watch as Kirin peers into the forest. For a moment his eyes seem almost to glow a bright, burning silver, and then a squirrel leaps from the underbrush, skittering up the trunk of a tree. When I look back, Kirin’s eyes are brown once more.
    Slowly he moves down the same path the guard took, toward the lake. When he’s safely out of sight, I step out from the trees and make my way across the bridge.
    Th at unwelcome feeling from earlier steals back into my heart, that perhaps I misjudged Shin. I don’t yet have a complete understanding of the troubles of this realm, but they remind me of home, where because of a weak and spineless ruler, warlordssquabble over land and shed blood because of petty grievances. It must be the same here. In the Sea God’s absence, the inhabitants of this realm, sensing a weakness, would try to upset the balance of power in their favor.
    Th en there’s Shin, who alone strives to hold back the tide. Like the people in my village. Like myself.
    I shake my head, willing away the direction of my thoughts. Regardless if I feel sympathy for him, I have my own challenges, beginning with taking back my soul.
    Th e pavilion is shrouded in darkness. If Nari hadn’t been so certain the magpie was being held here, I might have searched in a place more heavily guarded, not one that appears abandoned. I pull open the door, and the moonlight behind me floods across dark wood. On either side of a narrow hall are rooms, the shadows of clouds moving across the thick paper walls.
    Just as I’m closing the door behind me, another slides open down the hall. I throw myself into a corner, hunkering in the shadows. Two figures dressed in black slip across the corridor. I only glimpse them for a moment—one thickset, a sword at his waist, the other skinny, weasel-like, carrying a large crossbow strung across his shoulder—before they disappear through the opposite door. Th ieves?
    Ironic, that they should steal from Shin, who stole from me . In all the stories, magpies warn of thieves.
    Not tonight.
    To my right, stairs lead upward. I climb them quickly, careful not to make a sound. At the top is another narrow hall, this one shorter than the one below. Only a single door is set in the wall.Inside, a sound stirs, like restless wings. Th e magpie! I slide open the door, step inside, and shut it behind me.
    Eagerly I sweep my gaze over the room, only for my heart to sink. Th e magpie isn’t here. Th e source of the noise is a cool breeze