Page 44 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
He closed his eyes and groaned. “Please tell me she didn’t ask you to join the—” Lips pressed tightly together, he went quiet.
I gave a clipped nod. “She did. She called my name, and I foolishly followed her. She told me you’ve been marked for death.”
Another groan left him. “I should have warned you. I can’t apologize enough for failing to do so.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t believe her. She hatesCured, and she’ll do anything to convince me to join her cult, even pressure my friends.”
Well, no wonder she’d sought me out and given me the hard sell. But the realization didn’t ease the pressure in my chest or stall the questions rolling through my brain.
“Let’s forget it happened,” I suggested. For now, anyway. Later, I planned to dissect every detail. “I owe you a day of fun, remember?”
“I do like a girl who keeps her word,” he said, but his smile wasn’t quite as bright.
Determined, I pasted a happy smile on my face and amped up my efforts. For half an hour, I regaled him with tales of my first attempts at plant propagation. He was still chuckling when we reached the head of the line and placed our order.
After devouring a doughnut more delicious than I remembered, we visited a garden maze, played like children at a park, sampled different foods he had other coupons for, and exchanged life stories. I cheered him up—I know I did—and he helped me feel safer. I didn’t think of Ember or the bearded man until I lay in bed that night, chained to the wall, with Mykal sleeping soundly on the other side of the room.
Knowing glowers, my enemy, wielded such an incredible ability to walk into solid structures opened a mental door to a boatload of fear.
Door. Door.The word echoed. If the Rock was a doorway to an actual library, as the Soalians professed ... did that mean Soal existed?
Stop this!Of course Soal and his library weren’t real. Besides, even if something the Soalians claimed was actually true, it didn’t change the devastation they caused the world. They were evil, and they deserved to be imprisoned.
I rolled to my side and pressed my palms to my churning belly. The chain rattled, abrading my wrist, but it couldn’t drown out my riotous thoughts. I needed to tell the HP about the invitation. But should I? He’d want to know why I’d been chosen. The truth could jeopardize Shiloh’s career at the worst possible interval. But if I failed to tell the high prince the truth and he later found out, I’d look guilty. And there was always the chance this was some kind of test.
No need to make a decision right now. Tomorrow marked my first trip to Theirland.
Ugh. The reminder threw fuel on the fire of my fear.
Sleep beckoned anyway. The last thoughts to drift through my mind before sleep pulled me into the dark brought a small measure of comfort.The HP isn’t a bad guy. He’ll help me with all of this. I can trust him. Maybe.
Chapter Twelve
Be cautious; be vigilant; be wise; the enemy’s greatest weapon is his lies.
—The Book of Soal2.21.5.8
“We’re not traveling to Theirland today.”
Roman’s loud call filled the women’s locker room. Frowning, we flooded into the hall, joining him and our other teammates.
The second-in-command stood in the center before the two rooms. “I don’t know why, so don’t ask. We’ll proceed with our regular schedule today and go tomorrow.”
A reprieve. Nice. I returned to my locker and finished preparing for class. When I finished, I raced to gym C. The coming warm-up meant I was seconds away from seeing Shiloh and High Prince Dolion.
Anticipation warred with nervousness and determination. There, in that moment, I made a decision. I would tell the HP about the invitation. Letting him find out another way would do no one any good. But I’d take a risk and leave out Ember’s name. Although, I did need to mention the execution threat, bluff or not. However, I would confess my intentions to Shiloh first.
Argh! He wasn’t here. The HP didn’t show up either. Both absences bothered me, agitating my stress response.
As the day progressed, my agitation magnified. There had been no sign of either man. Maybe someone had overheard Shiloh’s talk of the Rock and tattled. He might be locked in a room with the high prince, undergoing an intense interrogation.
“Roosa,” Duchess Mimidae snapped.
I blinked into focus, realizing my turn to fire a netter had arrived and every member of class was fixated on me. Cheeks heating, I stepped up to the designated line and aimed the heavy gun at a dummy set up on the other side of the classroom. My grip trembled as I squeezed the trigger. A metal net unfurled as it whipped toward my target. Dang. I’d missed, the net adhering to the wall beside the dummy. So far, I’d done my best with the throwing stars.
“You’re too stiff,” she said. “Next time exhale a deep breath before you fire.”
Disappointed in my performance, I hustled to the end of the line to await my redo.
Titus stepped up to bat and executed a perfect shot.
