“So, who is it?” Taeyo asks Areum, jumping up and down excitedly. He looks like he’s holding a hot potato. “Who knows where to find the eighth artifact?”

Areum flies over to me and pecks affectionately at my hair.

“Well, that’s easy. The dokkaebi, of course.”

25: Dokkaebi Rules of Engagement

“THE DOKKAEBI?”

“Yes,” Areum confirms. “With its bangmangi, a dokkaebi has the ability to summon any item in the Mortalrealm. All you need to do is make a deal with the creature, and it will retrieve for you what you desire.”

We all stare at the inmyeonjo in disbelief. Sure, we’ve all heard the stories about the magical club a dokkaebi carries, and its incredible powers. But striking a deal with a dokkaebi would be like striking a deal with the devil. Except worse.

The dokkaebi are goblins that live in our nightmares. Literally. They feed off human despair (also literally), becoming more powerful each time they consume our deepest fears. Basically, if you fall asleep in the presence of one, it will step into your dreams and make you experience your worst horrors so it can eat them. Fun, right?

They are so frightening that when children misbehave, parents sing them this song to remind them what lurks in the shadows:

With bloody skin so red, so bright,

And hair as black as darkest night;

Be good, you hear, unless you dare;

Don’t let him see your deepest fear;

The dokkaebi may take a bite.

I shudder. What would a creature like that demand as payment for conjuring the last fallen star?

“Even if we wanted to consult a dokkaebi,” I start, “which I’m not sure I do, where would we find one?” Everyone knows you don’t go looking for a dokkaebi. They come looking for you.

“Well, actually,” Mr. Pyo mumbles from the pavement, where he’s still huddled in a ball, “there’s a guest room at the temple. Room forty-four on level forty-four. My sources tell me a dokkaebi has been lodging there for some years now. No key is required, because he never locks the door. But that’s because no one in their right mind dares to enter. If you fall asleep in there, you may never come out again.”

Everyone frowns at him. It seems a little convenient that he happens to know this.

“And why should we trust you?” Taeyo asks.

Mr. Pyo rubs his shoulder where Areum’s claws poked through his shirt. “Believe it or not, I don’t want goddesses roaming the Mortalrealm any more than you all do.”

It’s not a bad answer. And considering Hattie’s rotting heart, time is of the essence. I look around, and it’s clear everyone is thinking the same thing. We’ll have to take a leap of faith. Even if it means facing our deepest fears.