Kensei Jon's Arc

Chapter 6 of 49

They did not leave right away. The road to the palace could wait one hour, Kensei told himself. Jeon-min had not slept. Neither had he. They sat against the tall shelves of the abandoned library, the scroll safe between them. Kensei took Jeon-min's hand. Then he leaned in and kissed him. One kiss became many. They forgot the enforcers, the master, the morning. For a long time the only sound was their breathing and the shift of cloth. Kensei pulled back to look at him. Jeon-min smiled, his black hair a mess, his hanbok loose at the collar. "We should go," Jeon-min whispered. But he pulled Kensei close again. Kensei let the road slip further away. A floorboard creaked near the door. Kensei froze. He turned his head. His father stood in the doorway. The king. He wore no guards, no crown, only a dark travel cloak. He watched them without a word. Kensei knew that stare. It was the same one that had signed him down to Hikui. Kensei stood fast. He pushed Jeon-min behind him and grabbed the scroll. His hands did not shake. "You followed us," he said. "I came alone," his father said. "The enforcers do not know this place." His eyes dropped to the scroll in Kensei's arms. He knew it. Kensei saw the knowing in his face. "Then you know what I hold," Kensei said. He unrolled the top. "Your crest. Your hand. The old law says a master who demotes a Hikari for love loses his seat. You demoted me for loving him. I am taking this to the judges." His father stepped closer. "Give it to me." "No." Kensei stood his ground. Jeon-min's hand pressed against his back, steady. "You buried this law once. You cannot bury it twice." For a moment his father said nothing. His mouth tightened. Kensei braced for a shout, for a call to hidden men. Instead his father looked at Jeon-min, then at his son's hand locked with the servant's. "You would truly ruin me," his father said. It was not a question. "I would free us," Kensei answered. "You can walk to the palace beside me and confess. Or you can wait for the judges to read your own ink." His father's face changed. The hard mask cracked. He looked older, smaller. He turned toward the door. "The judges sit at dawn," he said quietly. "If you mean to go, go now. I will not stop you." Then he was gone into the dark hall. Kensei let out a breath. Jeon-min gripped his arm. "He let us go," Jeon-min said. "He did more," Kensei said. He rolled the scroll tight. "He told us when the judges sit. He wants this ended too." He took Jeon-min's hand. "Dawn. We reach the palace before he changes his mind."