Page 92 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
“Check the front right wheel,” she called.
“Got it,” he said, hustling over with tools.
The closer he came to the camera, the stiffer I grew. Yes, the transparent disk was designed to be invisible, but come on. He worked on the wheel with his face directly in front of the camera lens.
I didn’t expel my breath until he called “Good to go” and jogged off. Then the cart was rolling on. No one checked for pritis. The cover was never removed, a load never dumped before the cart returned the way it had come, going through the dark tunnel and into the mine.
Again I increased the speed. Finally, the cart reached the heart of the mine. Rocky walls supported by beams. No workers labored nearby, despite the soundtrack of clanking metal. The dimly lit, winding path led to a dead end.
Hmm. There wasn’t even mining equipment. No tools of any kind. The place looked abandoned, as if it had dried out. But that presented a new mystery. There was no reason to pretend to mine pritis. No reason to guard the mines at all.
I was missing a lot of facts, the puzzle growing murkier, and I had no idea what to do next.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Those who refuse the truth will die withCured.
—The Book of Soal1.19.37.9
Guard duty ended in greater disappointment. The cart never reemerged, so I never retrieved the camera. But panic didn’t get the better of me again. I carried too much anger. I wanted, needed straight answers about something, anything, but no one was willing to give them.
Dragging my feet, I made my way to the apartment I now shared with Cyrus. Maybe I’d tell him what I’d done and give him a chance to prove he intended to clean up my messes.
At the first security checkpoint, a viscount said, “You need to come with me, Lady Roosa.”
I forgot how to breathe. “No, thank you.”
“I wasn’t asking,” he repeated, holding my stare. Clearly, he’d mastered the art of intimidation.
My bravado cracked.Curedmust have learned of the transmitter. “I’m due to meet High Prince Dolion for a secret project I’m not allowed to discuss.”
“This has priority.KingDolion has requested a meeting.”
“I see.” Breathe! “Did he say why?”
The viscount simply blinked at me.
I’d take that as a no. “I’ll just contact the HP and inform him of my tardiness. You know how Dolions can be when they’re kept waiting. People lose their jobs.” Cyrus might not be aware his father had summoned me.
“He’ll be contacted on your behalf and informed of the delay. This way.” The viscount marched down the hall.
I trudged after him. We navigated different hallways, took two elevators, and descended a flight of stairs, then entered an elaborate underground catacomb with walls comprising the same gemstones that decorated the statues aboveground. A set of towering arched doors blocked our entrance into, what was this place? The ragged ends of my nerves frayed further.
“He’s inside,” the viscount said, stepping aside.
Like a brave girl, I pushed inside a spacious chamber. The opulence caught me off guard. Murals covered a cathedral ceiling, depicting battles between men and beasts. Golden statues lined the walls, bracketed by ivory columns veined with crushed rubies. Each figure featured a colossal man with ram horns and wings encrusted with diamonds. A white marble floor gleamed. The air smelled of cloying, clashing perfumes, one too musky and the other too sweet.
King Dolion stood at the other side of the room, beneath the dais steps, peering up at the biggest statue. The horned, winged man towered behind a massive golden throne, gripping its top. His wings folded in at the sides, the tips brushing the arms of the royal seat.
My nerve endings buzzed with something I did not like. “This place is ...” Awful.
“Glorious, I know. Welcome to the Temple of Astan.” The king kept his attention on the throne. I detected no anger in his tone. No accusation or irritation. “My thinking spot.”
I shuffled deeper inside. “Why am I here?” In a temple for the man Shiloh had claimed was leadingCured. Looked like the medic had gotten something else right.
Perhaps he’d nailed other facts too. The sleeping gods and heating war no longer struck me as such an outlandish idea.
“Two reasons,” the king said. “We believe you can handle the truth, and you are important to my son. He’s made that very clear. Therefore, I’d like a chance to get to know you better.”
