Page 59 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
Cheers resounded from the other PODs. I didn’t hear them, but I noticed the expressions and actions of the remaining lords- and ladies-in-training. When Roman stripped out of his bodysuit, removed hisaccessories, and withdrew his card, I rushed to do the same. We exited our PODs in unison, and I burst out, “Tell me what happened. Please.”
Roman grinned. “We mowed down the infected and captured eight glowers, that’s what!”
A confusing mix of relief and remorse assailed me. I wondered if Ember was among the prisoners. “Did you see Cy—the HP in your feed?”
“I caught a glimpse of him fighting John Victors one on one, but I didn’t witness the end result.” Roman threw his arms around me, lifted me off my feet, and swung me in a circle. “We just made history, baby! The most glowers captured during an inaugural training mission.” He set me down, ruffled my hair, and jogged to Lark, pretending to gobble up her neck while she laughed. “We’re going to celebrate so hard.”
“Those dead maddened were once human beings, and now they’ll never get a chance to recover,” Titus spat as he stalked past us.
That must be the reason for my remorse. If not for treatment, my own mother could’ve been among the masses too sick to realize her bloodlust came from an otherworldly disease.
“They were beyond treatment,” Roman called to the other lord-in-training’s back. “You’d do better sympathizing with the people those things enjoy killing.”
Titus raised a hand, flipping him off without looking back, and marched on. Roman huffed, and Lark whispered something in his ear, making him laugh again.
Though I wished to search for Cyrus, I knew it wasn’t my right. Not knowing what else to do, I trailed the lovey-dovey couple to the counter, where we turned in our cards. I was a total third wheel on the walk to a colossal common space, where a party already raged. Members of my team mingled with knights and more-decorated barons, snacking, dancing, playing games, and discussing today’s adventures. The wordsHigh Prince Dolioncame up a lot, but only references to his fight with Mr. Victors. A few lords and ladies fell asleep against the walls.
As I maneuvered through the crowd, wanting to be anywhere else, my stomach rumbled. What I wouldn’t give for more apple-and-fig tartlets. Or a doughnut. I hadn’t eaten all day.
Of course, the only food left on the tables was meal bars. Though disappointed, I snatched one. Better something than nothing.
Fatigue caught up to me after I swallowed the last bite, and I yawned. My eyelids were beginning to feel like sandpaper when I blinked. Though I searched, I didn’t find a safe, private spot to rest. No way I’d ever sleep out in the open.
Noticing Juniper standing alone in front of a statue, I closed the distance. “Hey.”
“Hey, Princess Panic.” She nodded, keeping her focus on the dinosaur man. The bubbly greeting conveyed only affection.
“Ooh la la. A title upgrade. I’ve really come up in the world. In school, I was merely referred to as Panic Girl.”
She snorted. “Please tell me you know something about these statues.”
“I was hoping you did.”
“I do, and I don’t. I skipped ahead in the archduke’s class, but details were vague at best. From what I gather, this statue represents a former king.”
Okay, that caught my attention. “Tell me more.”
Pointing to the base, where strange symbols were carved, she said, “I excel with languages, but this one is tricky. Some kind of mix between ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Norse. And yet, different.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “If something as fierce as this creature stood no chance against the Madness, how are we supposed to win?”
“That’s a fair question to which I have no answer, only more questions,” I muttered, earning a second snort. I wondered what Ember might know about the guy.
“You’re the brave one.” Grinning, Juniper bumped my shoulder with her own. “You’re supposed to comfort me. Assure me we’ve got this.”
“We’ve got this?” I asked, and she grinned. “Honestly, before this conversation I thought wewerewinning.”
“Especially if the HP got John Victors off the streets.”
“Yes.” That would be a great thing. Wonderful. So why wasn’t I thrilled by the idea?
Find out the true purpose of Theirland.
My tension returned full force. So far, I’d seen nothing to suggest Soalians were the good guys and little to suggestCuredwas evil. And yet, I remained unsettled.
“Juniper,” Jericho called behind us. “We celebrating or not?”
She glanced over her shoulder, waved, then gave me a half smile. “Gotta go. See you later, Ardie.” Off she raced before I could warn her about the sometimes-appealing, always-rotten Jericho Jones.
On my own, I shuffled around a corner and discovered a bench that overlooked a large window. No one gathered nearby. Guess this was as private as I could get. Easing down, I peered outside, on the lookout for flickers of light, wondering how many glowers were out there and what other purpose this world could possibly serve, other than containing the infected and mining pritis.Cureddidn’t mine the crystals, metals, or precious gems as well, so they weren’t after the treasure. Unless there was another kind of treasure here. Something more valuable than diamonds and gold.
