Page 119 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
Bala City did not possess the same radiance. An oozing, shadowy film covered the buildings, and I cringed, repulsed. That was when realization struck. I’d really done it. I’d severed my connection toCured, making me officially an enemy.
Zero regrets.
“Come with me,” Ember said. The crowd parted, giving me a front-row view as she marched into the Rock.
My awe doubled. Tripled. Legs trembling, I walked forward—and smacked into a solid surface, rattling my brain against my skull.
A grinning Ember poked out her head. “Guess you need instructions. Focus on the seal, let it reveal its wisdom, and command it to open,” she said, and then she was gone again.
I drew in another deep breath and shifted my gaze to a symbol carved in the Rock. “Open?”
Sound waves rippled across the stone. The lines inside the symbol moved, aligning, and the circle spun. Crimson rushed along the veins that branched throughout the stone, and a small section turned to mist right before my eyes.
Steady feet carried me forward. The mist proved cool, an unexpected caress against my skin. In the blink of an eye, however, I was standing beside Ember, breathing in the most exquisite floral fragrance.
“Welcome to the Door of Shaddai.” She spread her arms.
Shaddai. The utopia free of the Madness, filled with everything we could ever need or want. I perused the vast room live and in person for the first time, marveling. Flowers grew over the walls and beneath a transparent floor, several buds blooming only when I stepped toward them. Freshly polished tables gleamed, made from the purest gold. Books were shelved covers forward. Whenever I focused on one, the title lit up. Just as before, men and women, young and old, congregated here and there. Many ceased what they were doing to smile and wave at me.
Oh! I recognized her from school. And he’d lived in my former building, down the hall from Mom and me. There were a handful of knights, barons, and viscounts I’d seen at the base. I marveled anew.
“Everything you see,” Ember said, walking slowly, allowing me to gawk as I kept pace, “came from Shaddai.”
“It’s breathtaking.” Mom was going to love it here.
My mother. I bit my tongue. I needed to speak with her. Tell her she’d had it right and I’d been wrong.
Ember continued. “You’ll find in-depth world histories, memoirs, biographies of triumphs and failures, languages, word studies, parables, and detailed outlines of what’s to come. Anything you seek to learn is available. Though some books are open to everyone, others must be unlocked to be read.”
“So unlock them.”
“If only it were that easy. The symbols on the Rock contain the wisdom of the ages, and that wisdom acts as keys. When you understandand act on what you learn, those keys work, exposing more wisdom. Similar to the one you used to open a door into this realm.”
Um. “To enter, I just stared at a symbol and spoke. I didn’t learn anything new.”
“Not in your mind. Not yet. But our hearts pick up things on a deeper level without our intellects realizing it. Recognition will eventually come, but the speed it happens depends on various factors. Most of the other symbols will require a more concentrated and conscious effort. But don’t worry. You’ll be trained, learning as you go. It’s the same for all of us.”
I gazed about, trying to take in everything at once. A huge fountain made of jasper in the shape of a lion showered anyone nearby, but the droplets didn’t wet them or their books. A row of cherry blossoms—unpotted, living trees—grew inside the building, offering quiet spots to rest.
“I have so many questions,” I said, amazed.
“You always do. Right now, I’ll answer three. Go.”
My gaze caught on Domino, who stood off to the side, observing me with unabashed interest. His intensity blazed off the charts. “What’s the purpose of a librarian who’s part of the High Guard?”
“First, don’t mind Domino. He read something in his book that confused him. Anyway. Librarians are the best of the best and the highest members ofourroyalty, bound by a specific set of laws. They live in the library and help Soalians on and off the field.”
Hmm. “If they’re so good at their jobs, why are so many Soalians beaten and arrested?”
“Failure to read the book. The breaking of our laws. Fear. Pick a reason. But you’ll see how good librarians are when you’re in the field,” she replied, and I grunted. I hadn’t meant to ask my second question. “Let’s hear your final query.”
Fine. I’d traveled this road. I might as well take it to its end. “When can I strike atCured?”
“After you’ve trained. Now then. In this part of the library,” she said as if we’d never deviated from the tour, “time passes the same as in Ourland.”
Okay, so, there were places where timedidpass differently. Good to know.
“The more you visit, read, train, and study, the more missions you complete, the faster and brighter you’ll be able to glow. One of many ways to recognize other Soalians. Don’t worry,” she repeated, “non-Soalians won’t notice. Their infection prevents them from seeing our slightest radiance.”
