Page 52 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
“I’ve attended hundreds of those meetings,” he told me with a dry tone. “I can afford to miss one.”
I wished I could see his face. Judge his expression. Decipher the truth about his mood. Why was he being so nice to me, and why did the answer matter so much? Wait. “What time is it?”
“A few minutes after four.”
“In the morning?” I gasped out. I had stirred my cauldron of worries all night long, missing my only opportunity to sleep in semipeace. Now, in little more than an hour, I would be stepping into a whole new world for the very first time. “I’m brave,” I squeaked.
“Yes. You are.” Static crackled over our connection, as if he were on the move. “Prepare for travel and meet me at Transport One in ten minutes. And Arden? Do not remove the transmitters.”
Had he forgotten I was chained? “What are we going to do?”
No response. I tapped the disks behind my ears. “Hello? Cyrus?”
Still nothing. A second later, the padded shackle around my wrist fell off and the door to my cell opened. I blinked rapidly. Wow. Okay. He’d been serious.
“What even is my life right now?” I muttered, pounding my fist into my mattress.
“Judging by the one-sided conversation I just overheard,” Mykal said, snickering, “I’m guessing you’re in a hurry to see the HP. Excuse me.Cyrus.Promise me you’ll spill everything when you return, or I’ll revolt.”
“I promise. Maybe,” I grumbled, earning more giggles from her. “I better go.” Time was ticking.
My blood turned to fuel as I scrambled from the bed and zoomed to the locker room, where I cleaned up and dressed at warp speed. Both the hallway and the facilities were empty, most soldiers sleeping in their cells.
As I anchored my hair in a ponytail, an elevator carried me to the twelfth floor. A level I’d never ventured to. Perspiration dampened my palms. The cart stopped and opened. I spotted Cyrus immediately. He stood in front of a pair of guarded double doors, his hands in his pockets. He’d showered, shaved, and changed since I’d last seen him, his hair wet and his military fatigues crisply pressed. His wound looked better.
I approached him tentatively, my heart racing. “Hi. Sir.”
A wry smile lit his rough features. “You’re excited to see me.”
“What? No.” Embarrassment scorched my cheeks. “Why would you ever think—”
He tapped a transmitter behind his ear, and my shoulders rolled in. Right.
“Just so you know, it’s not excitement,” I grumbled. Probably. “You make me nervous.”
“Ah. Nervous,” he echoed, growing serious. “Brighten up, Pink. You’re about to receive a treat few others have enjoyed. A private tour led by the king’s son. I’ll show you the rifts between worlds.”
Rifts. Our mode of transport into Theirland. “Yes, please!”
The guards pushed open the doors, and Cyrus waved me inside the room.
I took a step, then hesitated, suspicions brewing. “This feels like a bribe. As if you’re going to expect information about Shiloh.” Or Ember.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not foolish enough to bribe you for information you said you don’t have. Take the tour or not. Always your choice.”
Well. In that case. I strode past the door, entering a huge, mostly empty space with a glass-encased room in back labeledTriage. The rifts occupied the center of the room, and wow. “They’re like enormous claw marks. Air wounds.” It looked like a massive beast had raked its nails through the air and cut into an abyss. Thick shadows slithered inside each.
Cautious, I edged around the rifts. They appeared the same no matter my angle. “Are there many of these throughout our world?”
At my side, Cyrus nodded. “Many. But these particular rifts lead to aCured-protected building in Theirland. One by one, lords- and ladies-in-training will step into the darkness. You’ll experience a moment of excruciating pain, then you’ll be in Theirland.” A muscle jumped in his jaw. A reaction I didn’t understand. Unless he didn’t like the other world. “The facility has a walled perimeter, armed guards, and cameras. There are few places you can go that someone isn’t watching.”
I heard the warning tucked inside the complimentary tidbit, and it didn’t bode well for my goal. If he already suspected my plan to poke around, I was as good as caught.
He misunderstood my concern and promised, “I’ll help you get through this however I can.”
“Thank you. This helped,” I whispered. I believed he meant his words. Yes, we’d had a rough start, but every day since, he’d aided me. I should take a risk and tell him about the Tome Society. He wouldn’t blame me, and he might erase my confusion. My only shot at a win-win.
I braced. “Please test me for Madness. Use the most reliable method of testing available.” My blood.
