Page 24 of Kingdom of Today
My heart leaped. He was the second escaped patient Cyrus had mentioned, as I’d suspected. “How is he? Can I see him?”
“Fine. And nope. He’s not here. But you didn’t let me finish,” Ember said, and I heard the heavy sigh hidden in her words. “We’re going to have some trouble with Cyrus. Okay, a lot of trouble. Tons.”
“What kind of trouble?” I demanded. Foreboding flared anew, setting off a chain reaction. Ice sprouted over my spine, acid churned in my stomach, and tremors consumed my limbs. “Tell me.”
“That’s to be determined.” As I wrestled with brewing panic, she told Domino, “Your petition has been approved. Congrats.”
He blinked slower than usual. “I filed no petition.”
“Ah, but you will, and soon,” she replied, then dashed off, as if the conversation was over.
“Hey,” I called. “Elaborate on your bombshell. Tell me everything you know about this supposed trouble with Cyrus. Leave nothing out. No detail is too small.”
“You’ll have to read your book and tellme,” she called back. “But first, go to class. I scheduled it to begin upon your arrival, and you’re about to be late.”
Chapter Seven
Consider the source.
—The Book of Soal1.20.1.7
“This way,” Domino said, heading in the opposite direction.
“Class?” I grated as I caught up. “I’m all for learning, but I’m here to read my book.” My blueprint of the future. Truth amid a world of lies. Victory in the face of defeat. The only way to help Cyrus.
“If Ember has delayed a class for your arrival, it’s because you won’t be able to decode your book until you ascertain a specific truth.”
Concentrating on anything other than Cyrus was gonna be tough. I mean, was I putting him in danger by being here?
Wait. Was I? “CURED tracks the chip embedded in my hand.” They tracked everyone. “Do they know I’m here, in the library?”
“The library sits upon Ourland and is also within Ourland. If you keep within certain perimeters, CURED will record only locations you can walk while in Bala City. Soal has thought of everything.”
Okay. All right. But still.
Domino led me into an empty room with an open door of light centered on the far wall. A sign over it readThe Beginning For Beginners. We crossed through, entering ...
With my head tilted back, I stopped and spun in a slow circle, examining every inch of the space. An impossibility. We were insidethe library, yet also outside, standing in an endless garden fantasyland both with and without walls.
A large golden orb beamed the most incredible warmth and glorious golden light from an endless expanse. And the fragrance. A luscious cornucopia of floral delights, featuring everything from roses to wildflowers to honeysuckle. How I distinguished the individual notes when I’d never encountered them, I didn’t know. Petals of every color bloomed in every direction, even the sky. Little drops of dew glistened on a carpet of lush grass.
A gentle breeze caressed my skin as I toed off my boots and socks and sank my bare feet into the softness that pulsed with the very beat of life. Stones of varying sizes carved out a winding pathway, humming a perfect accompaniment to the sounds of a distant, rushing river. The two created a celestial melody I hoped to hear every day forever.
At the center of it all stood a tree like no other. A wide, twisty trunk made of three separate parts. The bark on each resembled a filigree as intricate and lovely as lace. White flames flickered over leaves of sapphire blue, crimson red, and vibrant purple, offering a visual feast.
The tranquil garden quashed any sense of urgency I’d previously entertained. For a moment, I could only close my eyes and savor a grandeur too glorious to take in all at once.
“I’ve lived here over three centuries, yet the beauty never ceases to amaze me,” Domino quietly stated.
Excuse me?The astronomical, impossible age nearly broke my brain. “Three centuries?” I echoed. Despite the thick stubble on his jaw and eyes as fathomless and deep as an ocean, he appeared less than a decade older than me.
“It’s not as shocking as you think. In certain places of the library, such as this garden, time passes differently,” he replied with a shrug. “In some ways, I am both older and younger than you.”
There was so much I had to learn.
Around twenty people filtered in through a side entrance. I probed each face, searching for Shiloh, the guy I’d dated before Cyrus, who’dfirst set me on the path to Soal. Problem: Everyone looked blurry. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes. No change. Then, one face cleared as if the air had been sprayed with cleaner and wiped with a rag. I squealed, delighted. Mom!
She wore the same nanny uniform as usual, but today it emphasized a pink flush of health. Something I hadn’t seen since her treatment for Madness. Even her hair gleamed.
