Page 31 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
With his hand on the small of my back, he shepherded me into the hall. I trembled the entire walk to class, but I didn’t flee. That was progress.
At the door, I groaned. “This is going to suck.”
“Just hold your head high and walk in as if nothing happened,” Shiloh advised.
His words rang in my ears as I strode inside and glided straight to my desk. Archduke Heta didn’t pause his lesson. Even though multiple classmates glanced my way, no one spoke out against me.
“—unsure of the chemicals used to disintegrate the veil between dimensions,” he was saying. “Most of our history was lost when much of the population became infected with the Madness. Only after the birth ofCureddid peace and sanity return.”
His instruction faded to the recesses of my mind, thoughts of the Dolions’ conversation overtaking me. Why did they care if I acted as the HP’s assistant? It made no sense.
I’m not sure how much time passed before an automated voice announced the end of class. Soldiers jumped to their feet, relieved.
“Tomorrow, you won’t stand until you’re dismissed,” the archduke commanded. Everyone stilled, no one daring to move. Tension thickened the air, but he offered no other rebuke. “Grab a reader on your way out. They’re preloaded with the textbooks you’ll need for each class. Dismissed.”
Relief resurged, spurring a flurry of action.
“You okay?” Juniper approached me with a concerned expression.
“I let terror beat me for a bit,” I replied, popping up. “Happy to say I won in the final round.”
“Yeah, but did your opponent die or crawl away to return another day?” she teased.
I winced, and she laughed.
“If only we could do a murder pact. I kill your fears, and you kill mine.” She winked and hurried on to catch up with someone else.
I snatched a reader from the desk and tried to follow the girls out, but the archduke called, “Miss Roosa. A word.”
Swallowing a groan, I backtracked.
He looked me over before turning away, busy with a reader of his own. “If you ever leave my class without permission again, you’ll be kicked from the entire program. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I croaked.
“Then you may go.”
I hurried off, aware I had less than ten minutes to reach next period. To my amazement, Roman waited for me in the hall. He slung his arm around my shoulders, a surprisingly affectionate gesture, and led me forward.
“Feeders and glowers are terrifying at first,” he said, “but you’ll learn to see past your fear, I promise. If anyone can ready you for combat, it’s a Dolion. And me! Trust the process, Ardie. You’ll get through this and be better for it.”
I nodded, appreciating his concern. He was turning out to be a good leader already. Strong and courageous, sometimes playful, but tough when needed. Complicated but also straightforward. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. By the way, good thinking, buddying up with Titus. He needs a handler, I can tell.”
“That’s not—” Oh, never mind.
Roman gave me an encouraging squeeze before hustling to Lark, who had slowed for him.
Imagine. Me, ready for combat. An idea seemingly as impossible as King Tagin Dolion caring what I did or didn’t do.
Pensive, I followed a group to room 6, where Duchess Echo Mimidae was dismantling a metal whip thing. No desk for her. She stood behind a counter scattered with weapons. Guns big and small, blades smooth and rigid, and fancy gadgets I’d prefer to never touch.
Clutching the reader to my chest, I picked a seat in back. Perfect timing. The now-familiar bell spilled from the PA, announcing the start of class.
Time to discover what other horrors the day had in store.
“Hello, class,” the duchess said, offering us a genuine smile, with no hint of her scowl. “I hope you’re ready to learn. If you want to keep all your fingers, pay attention when I speak. And take notes. I’ll be throwing a lot at you.” She laughed as if she’d told a joke. “Not literally. Not yet anyway.”
