The next two days went by with nothing to eventful, I suppose. The king and Jay kept their distance and left me alone, which was good because my stress level had went down a bit.

We were now close to the beginning of the swamp, the air was getting thick with humidity and bugs. Soon enough are horses were walking through knee deep water. We stop a moment so Ni-ki could look over the map to see how much farther we had to go. He estimated it was a few more miles south.

And then we were forced to unmount our horses and walk. I was cursing as my boots instantly filled with water and my feet sunk into the mud. I throw my arms out to try and stay upright as my left foot gets stuck, I try pulling it out with the result if almost falling face first into the mud.

“Careful.” Sunghoon who had caught me said as he helped me stand straight.

“Thank you.” I give him a nod as I finally get my foot free and continue following the others. When I pass my a tree, I snap a limb to use as a walking stick. I turn my head to check on Max before he was out of sight, all the horses were tied to small trees and two guards stayed behind to watch over them.

Soon enough the horses were out of sight thanks to the closely clustered trees. The sound of birds and bugs filling the air accompanied with the sound of us slugging through the water and mud. A curse would be let free here and there when someone’s foot would get stuck making them almost fall into the water, until someone finally did.

“Mother er.” I curse as the king falls backwards into me, causing me to fall on my in the water. Sunghoon and Heeseung help us to our feet as I gasp from the cold temperature of the water. “Did you really have to use me as a cushion?” I ask the king as I pull my wet shirt off of me.

“It’s not like I did it on purpose, my feet were stuck!” The king exclaimed in annoyance. His white shirt and pants now stained and soaked, lucky for me I had changed into dark clothes like a smart person.

“Let’s just continue.” Jungwon called out getting all of our attention.

What felt like hours passed as we stomped deeper into the hot stinky swamp. The trees and vines were starting to grow closer together making the journey even harder then before. A few of the lower ranking guards walked ahead to cut the vines apart while the others remaining stayed behind to help watch our backs, though I don’t see anyone being out the far.

“Sunghoon that’s not funny.” I say as I feel something brush my leg, I figured he had poked me with a stick.

“I’m not doing anything..?” I don’t press the matter seeing as the thing brushing my leg was gone.

“What was that?!” The king yelled out as he jumped a bit. I couldn’t help but laugh a little at how easily the king was frightened, but that smile was gone quickly as I heard a guard scream from behind us.

We all turn to see the two guards that were behind us, but they gone. No trace that they had been there besides a few bubbles popping on the surface of the water.

“Wh-where did they go…?” Sunoo asked from behind me. And then we all turned the other way to see the guards that were in the front gone as well.

Everyone instinctively huddled together and gripped one another to feel some kind of security, everyone didn’t have to say it, but we were all scared. Even my heart was racing as my eyes scanned the swamp. How could four grown men just disappear?

“What’s that?” The king asked while pointing to a spot of water where bubbles were rising to the surface and popping, as if that one spot of water was boiling.

Whoever I had a hold of g