Page 91 of Kingdom of Today
Together we entered a small conference room with a polished mahogany floor, a rectangular table, and cushioned chairs. Bookshelveslined the walls. A sense of rightness engulfed me, sparkling with all the love and light Felix had mentioned.
The librarian sat at the head of the table, his forearms resting on the surface, his fingers linked. Seeing him in person proved as monumental as usual. More so. The heaviness of his intensity sucked all the air from the room.
He waved to the shelves. “Pick a book. Both of you. The one that calls.”
I shared a glance with Cyrus. The muscle in his jaw started jumping again.
We strode to the shelves. One side featured volumes ofThe Book of Arden. The other side featured volumes ofThe Book of Cyrus. I didn’t fail to notice I had double the number of editions. A fact we would address at the right time.
“Any news about Mykal or Victors?” I asked while perusing the covers.
“Little has changed for either of them.”
Well, that wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the worst either. I traced my fingertips over the letters etched into a tome, gasping when it zinged me. A call? Must be. In that moment, I wanted to learn what information waited inside its pages more than I wanted to do anything ever.
I lifted it with gentle hands and hugged it close.
“That one?” Domino asked. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. This one.” The same volume I’d read from before.
He waved to the spot beside him. “Very well. Read.”
As Cyrus continued perusing his titles, I sat at the table, on Domino’s right, and got to work, peering at the symbol on the cover. Like the symbol on the wall, this one opened fast and easy. Excitement speared me.
Trembling a little, I flipped through the pages. Code, code, code. One section captured my gaze for a second, third, and fourth time until I caught myself staring at the symbols. I probed every line and swirl, willing the words to open to me ...
Nope.
Come on, come on.I stared and probed harder. Still nothing. Frustration set in, and even the code began to vanish, until the page was blank. But ...
“Focus on our bond,” Domino commanded, and I flipped my gaze to his.
Snap.A magnetic force secured me in the quiet gravity of his presence.
“Better.” He nodded with satisfaction.
Wait. “Where’s Cyrus?” I was alone with Domino.
“Ember requested the pleasure of his company.” He leaned back in his seat and folded his hands over his middle. “It was never my intention to cause problems between the two of you.”
“My relationship with Cyrus is solid,” I stated. “But there’s a glitch in my connection to you. Sometimes I don’t feel you as strongly as other times. Or at all.”
Behind him, the emperor, Mr. Vyle, and Winslet approached the wall, and I stiffened.
“Pay them no heed.” Domino waved in dismissal. “You see through the Rock, which sees through the rift. The emperor senses my visit through the remnants of the fog, and he hopes to catch me coming through the doorway. He cannot see or hear us.”
I relaxed, but only a little. “The woman beside him.” I pointed to Winslet. “CURED healed her, the way Soal healed me.”
“No, not the same way. Her body currently hosts several shadows. Within minutes of their departure, she’ll acquire her injury again, only worse because the wound will be festered. She’ll die in a matter of seconds.”
His words whirled inside my head, flinging sorrow and anger. Dead without the essence of Astan. “Can a conduit of Soal heal her?”
“Only if she allowed it, and most Astanians will not.”
Astanians. I’d known that was a word.
“About our connection,” he said. “It weakens when you are entertaining Astan’s thoughts. They produce a frequency.”
