Page 1 of Kingdom of Today
Prologue
A grinning Cyrus clutches two scarlet-stained daggers.
We stand in a stalemate, the battlefield between us a nightmare of lifeless bodies and scattered limbs bathed in the unflinching light of Theirland’s twin suns. Lavender and gold streak the sky, casting an eerie glow over the blood-soaked earth, where rivers of crimson carve fresh paths through the flatland. Overhead, a restless flock of scavenger birds circles, their shrill cries piercing the thick, heavy silence as they await their feast.
A fresh wave of CURED soldiers floods in, surging from behind the former high prince and hurrying to kill the array of glowers trapped around me. Men and women I admire. Many more will die today if I don’t stop Cyrus. But how do I strike down the man I love?
Is he still the man I love, though?
In the morning’s brightness, I notice his missing facial brand. No sign of it remains, and my guts twist. More evidence of the monster he’s becoming.
“It doesn’t have to end this way, Arden,” he calls.
“You’re right.” I huff and puff my breaths. “Walk away now, and I’ll spare you.”
His grin turns wry as he spreads his arms. Thin, snakelike shadows seep from his fingertips, coil up, and band around his neck. “I admit, your new confidence is adorable.”
“Isn’t it?” I rock on my heels and white-knuckle my sword hilt as I scrutinize my newest enemy. Cyrus is a god of a man in more ways than one. Beautiful, tall, and powerfully built, with features somehow both surprisingly soft and far too harsh. The contradiction fits. He’s always been a paradox. Demanding yet indulgent. Mysterious but open. Perfect in his imperfections. An opponent feared by the world and yet my greatest ally. From the first moment I laid eyes on him, he fascinated me. And now here we are, soldiers on opposite sides of a war I only just realized I’ve been fighting my entire life.
A chorus of grunts, groans, clinking metal, and gunfire rises as his army attacks my allies.
“You won’t kill me.” Urgency whips at my back. “But I will hurt you if you continue on this path.”
He tsks. “You give me too little credit and yourself too much. I will do whatever proves necessary to secure my rule.” A promise he made at the start of this journey. “Join my team. Merciful leader that I am, I’ll give you one more chance. Refuse, and my desire for you will no longer factor into my decisions.”
There is no need to ponder my response. I lift my sword. “I will never help you destroy Soal.”
Cyrus shrugs. “That’s disappointing but not shocking. Just know you chose this, sweetness.”
I jut my chin. “No,sweetie. You chose it.”
He draws in a deep breath, then releases a short, sharp exhalation. “Let’s get to it, then.”
“Yes. Let’s.” Heart a war drum, I run at him.
He runs at me.
We meet in the middle ...
—The Book of Arden, volume 20, section 18, paragraph 3, verses 5–26
Chapter One
The past cannot be undone, but you can begin again right where you are.
—The Book of Soal1.23.43.18
“I won’t do it.” The words echoed in the empty train cart as it rattled along a winding track. I stood with my back pressed against a cold metal pole, its unforgiving chill seeping through my shirt. High Prince Cyrus Dolion occupied the space just in front of me, his massive frame a tower of strength. He gripped the bar just above my head, his arms forming an unbreakable cage around me.
“Yes, kitten. You will.” Each gravelly syllable contained the full authority inherent in his title. He searched my eyes, intense to the max, before leaning closer to set his mouth near my ear. “We both know I didn’t issue a request, but a demand.”
My pulse jumped wildly until I felt a heartbeat in every part of my body. “You aren’t the boss of me?” A breathless question when it should have been a firm statement.
“I am indeed the boss of you.” He recaptured my gaze. “I outrank you by miles.”
An undeniable fact. “Fine.” I exaggerated a put-upon sigh. “You’ve convinced me. I’ll do it. I’ll obey the oh-so-important order of a superiorofficer.” Gliding my palms up his powerful torso to toy with the ends of his silken hair, I confessed, “I will miss you today.”
“You had better, because I’ll be missing you.” He brushed the tip of his nose against mine. “Thinking about you.Cravingyou.”
