Page 78 of Kingdom of Today
He moved on, leaving me floored, and I had to hurry to catch up, his threat clanging between my ears.
We turned another corner, and a familiar tug ignited as if ... no, no, surely not. But what if?
The tug flourished, as if the Rock loomed nearby. I fought to control my reactions, not wanting to give anything away. Confusion set in. I’d been assured a doorway to Soal’s library hadn’t yet grown here.
The tugging faded when we snaked around the next corner, but I glanced over my shoulder, mentally photographing the hallway. Multiple entrances, all closed and flanked by armed guards.
We reached another guarded door, this one made of solid gold. Mr. Vyle motioned to the watchmen on duty. They pressed a series of buttons on a wall pad, and the metal opened automatically, unveiling a chamber with high ceilings, massive marble columns, and white floors veined in scarlet.
“Astan will help you, if you’ll let him. His methods might be unexpected, but his results are unparalleled.” Having said his piece, Vyle strode off.
Unexpected? Unparalleled? Try disastrous.
With no idea what awaited me, I stepped into the space alone. A temple. Silence reigned, not a single sound penetrating the air. Cyrus and the other royals perched upon silver thrones, arranged along the side walls, each chair flanked by towering statues. Those sculptures represented a different god, their forms a medley of ancient power. Among them were Briar Rose and Bala, the pet dragon-thing, as enigmatic as ever.
My gaze lingered on the exquisite Briar Rose, drawn to her by a magnetic force. She wore a gown studded with gemstones and flowers. Unlike the others, she projected otherworldly grace and dignity. I might have stared at her for hours, if shadows hadn’t caught my notice. They nestled against the deities as well as royals. Recalling what those shadows had done to me and my fellow trainees, I reared back, repulsed.
Every royal’s eyes were closed, including the emperor’s. He sat atop the only gold throne. It occupied the space in the center of the back wall, at the feet of Astan’s likeness. There were no noticeable cracks in the statue. But his horns ... I pressed my hands to my protesting stomach. They’d risen another notch.
A pregnant woman in a white gown stood at his side, with ten guards stretched out behind her. Even their eyes were closed. The woman’s only piece of jewelry was a thick silver chain with a fancy wrought-iron key hanging between her ample cleavage.
A key. My breath caught.Thekey?
Only the wealth of shadows kept their eyes open. Those that cloaked the emperor, especially. They coiled around him as if they were pieces of jewelry.
Altogether, it was the creepiest thing I’d ever witnessed. Were the royals entranced? Meditating? Pondering the answer to a riddle? What?
I stood immobile, unsure what to do but knowing I needed my boyfriend as the horrors of the day came crashing into my awareness. “Cyrus?” I rasped.
The shadows fell away from him, as if shoved by an invisible force. Suddenly his lids popped open, and his attention swung to me. He frowned, appearing perplexed, and unfolded to his feet, every movement labored as if he was wading through an ocean of water. The struggle lessened the farther he got from the throne until finally he strode with ease. Concern replaced his bewilderment.
He cupped my cheeks in his warm, calloused hands and looked me over. “What’s wrong?”
I bucked up, jutting my chin and pretending I wasn’t ripped apart at the seams by everything that had happened. “I’ll be okay.” I whispered the assurance, yet my voice echoed from the walls. But would he? “Get me out of here.”
“Come.” Cyrus snaked an arm around my waist and ushered me from the room. He walked so swiftly, I almost couldn’t keep up.
I cast a glance over my shoulder, to the pregnant woman and her key.
Cyrus and I didn’t speak again until we were sealed inside our private bathroom.
“What was that place?” I demanded. “Why were you frozen like that?”
“I don’t know.” His guttural timbre boiled with frustration, anger, and even a hint of fear. “Let’s get the blood off you.”
The blood of my teammates. Whatever remained of my shock dissolved, ensuring I experienced in unison reactions I’d previously staved off. Tremors started in the center of my torso and worked their way to the tips of my fingers and toes. New tears welled. A cry lodged in my throat.
“I think we should focus on what happened to you in that temple,” I croaked.
“We will. Just not now.” Cyrus turned on the water. Soon, hot steam thickened the air.
My tears spilled over as he removed my bloodstained clothes and boots. I let him do it, even raising my arms to help. He shed his own as I brushed my teeth, then entered the waterfall first and drew me in behind him.
“Roman killed Miller, who was Soalian,” I said, my tone going flat again. Head bowed, I stared at the black-and-white tiled floor inside the stall. The liquid spray rained over me. “Winslet might be dying. She was shot twice. Five others are already dead. We were pitted against each other in a free-for-all.”
He pressed the tenderest of kisses into my brow. “It’s awful. It hurts. I can’t make it better. But I can clean you up and hold you, and I want to—Ineedto do that. Let me?”
“Please.” The cry escaped me, and there was no stopping the heaves that shook my entire body.
