Page 73 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
—The Book of Soal1.20.13.5
I shelved the HP’s bombshell offer of ... friendship? A romantic relationship? And holed up in my room, as ordered. Mykal was gone. Alone, I hurried through my usual evening routine. Test the moisture level of my soil. Check. Adjust the lamp rigged over the pot. Check. Gather everything I would need in the morning. Check, check, check.
Practically foaming at the mouth with eagerness, I jumped onto my bed, looked around for any prying eyes or hidden cameras, and exchanged the chip in my new reader.
Waiting for the first page to load proved difficult, but I did it. When the wordsLady Lemon Adeappeared on the screen, I squealed with delight. He’d given the file to me! Abuzz with curiosity, I swiped to the next page and read.
Hmm. Medical records of former barons and knights. Certain sections were highlighted, including dates of both negative and positive Madness tests, notes from the attending physician listing various reasons for requiring said tests, and the astronomical cost of “damages.” Only, the specifics of those damages weren’t mentioned. In multiple reports,that physician—always Dr. Korey—recommended a dose of “seil” or “aidem 2” before the individual broke.
Shiloh had typed notes of his own in the margins.Weaponizing the Madness for profit?
There were photos of the soldiers in question. One of them resembled the maddened who’d broken the day I met Shiloh. I’d never forgotten his face. According to his chart, he’d received doses of both seil and aidem 2 three days before the incident.
Cold invaded my fingers and toes. Hadn’t I received aidem on my first day here?
Evil.The last word Shiloh had signed to me echoed inside my head.
His supposition about weaponization couldn’t be right. Odds were greater Ember had planted fake case studies for her brother to find. What better way to convince him to join her and her fellow Soalians?
I almost turned off the reader, but I had to learn what else waited in the file. Had to know what Shiloh had died believing on the off chance I discovered a nugget of truth.
Bile singed my throat when I came upon pictures of corpses with their chests split open and hollowed out. Beside the first, Shiloh had written,Known Soalians.
Another case study followed, comparing the two different strains of Madness. The one responsible for feeders and the one responsible for glowers. All results were redacted.
Frustration simmered. Next came reports filed by lords and ladies who had defied orders for one reason or another and entered a pritis mine. A death certificate accompanied each complaint. Each offender had died in a treatment facility or broke on the streets soon after their breach in protocol.
Trembling, I flipped the page, and discovered a personal note from Shiloh, dated the day of his death. Tears instantly welled, blurring the words. Amid a series of sniffles, I wiped my eyes and read.
Dear Arden,
So much has happened, I might as well dive straight into the deep end. Two days ago, I was stretched out on my bed, unsure what to do, when I blinked and found myself inside a library.Thelibrary. Well, I was there, but I was also in my room at the base. I know. That’s impossible, but it’s true. I wasn’t imagining it. I was there. I saw the books and met Soal.
He’s real, Arden. I can’t even begin to describe what being in his presence is like. He spoke to me, two words that have forever changed me. I can’t go back to who I was. My purpose is so clear. Dangerous, yes, but I don’t care. People deserve the truth. They’ve lived with lies for too long.
The Rock eradicates the Madness.Curedproduces and spreads it. That’s why they keep us afraid and indebted. From what I gather, they need us. I think it has something to do with the sleeping gods hidden in Theirland. When they wake, the real war begins.
I 100% get that I seem maddened right now. I know I’ve scared you. Give me a chance to prove I’m right. Be leery of the HP and his father. They get their orders from someone named Astan, who makes the Dolions look like children with toys. If I break with Madness any time soon, it meansCuredsuspects I’ve defected, and they took measures to discredit me. But you know what? I wouldn’t change anything. I’m finally on the right path.
Okay, I’ll stop now. I’ve thrown a lot of seeds at you. (See what I did there?) If you turn me in, I won’t hold it against you. I’ll understand, I promise. I’veturned in others for much less. Either way, I still want to date you.
Yours,
Shiloh
P.S. Ember sent me the following exchange.
Horror collided with sorrow. Despite testing negative when he’d written this, Shiloh had been sick. Clearly. He had all the signs. ConsideredCuredevil. Believed in sleeping gods and Soal. This was the Madness, full throttle. The ravings of an individual on the cusp of a break. And yet, even Cyrus touted Soal as real, and he wasn’t ill. A small part of me whispered,Something doesn’t add up.
I mopped up my tears and flipped to the last series of pages in the document. Emails from the king and Archduke Heta discussing messages between two Soalians known as Sparrow and Unicorn. Shiloh had highlighted certain sections, and after reading everything, I focused on those.
Sparrow:You’re ready for your first mission. Agreed?
Unicorn:Considering I submitted a formal request eight months ago, yes. Agreed.
Sparrow:You weren’t ready then. You’re barely ready now.
Unicorn:Have you even read my file? I’m the best of the best.
