Page 122 of Kingdom of Today
He caught my wrist. I almost grinned as I opened my fingers, ensuring the sword of fire vanished. Rather than launch another strike, I heaved my body against him, flung my arms around his shoulders, and pressed my mouth into his, kissing him with all the love and passion I contained.
He wrenched his face from mine, pressed the tip of the dagger to my throat, and glared down at me, panting.
I licked my lips, imploring him with my gaze. “Don’t let me die without a goodbye kiss, Cyrus. Please.”
He huffed his next breath. Growled. Scowled. And ...
With another curse, he dropped the dagger, swooped down, and kissed me. Kissed me hard and fast and thoroughly, until I knew I’d reached the heart of him. I kissed him back while combing my fingers through his hair.
Tears seared my eyes when I encountered horn buds. But I didn’t stop feeding him the passion I’d harbored for so long ... didn’t stoppouring my love into him as I snapped off the last bracelet I’d taken from him, flicked it into a blade, and thrust it through his abdomen.
Grunting, he shoved me away and peered down at his gushing wound. Blood leaked from the corners of his mouth.
I wasted no time, sprinting to Lolli, exchanging the bloody blade for my sword of fire. Her eyes popped open upon my approach; she twisted to hit me with a vine, but I swung, removing her head. Her knees buckled. Down she fell, her vines falling with her, freeing the captives. Glowers sprang from the tangle while fending off their opponents. Thousands of shadows shot from her body, screaming as they filled the sky.
Without hesitation, I ran for the force field. At the same time, I dove inward, centering on the flame that empowered my bond to Domino. The brightest and strongest of them. I reached for it, preparing to snuff it out.
A terrible roar drew my gaze to the shadow-filled sky, and my jaw nearly unhinged. Vyle flew toward us, flapping wings of smoke. Wisps of fire sparked from the corners of his mouth, as if he was attempting to spew flames.
Bala had come to aid her master.
Heart thudding, I quickened my velocity. Problem: Winslet stood in front of the force field, hunched over and gasping for breath, even as she stretched out her arms with a dagger in hand, as if she intended to stop me.
If I had to fight her ...
Her gaze found mine. “Don’t let CURED win,” she rasped—and stabbed herself, slicing into her own carotid.
I skidded to a halt and gasped. Like Lolli, she toppled. Crimson spurted from her wound, coating the force field. The glittery air shimmered, and a doorway appeared. I stood there, floundering in disbelief.
She was dead. Had sacrificed herself, letting me live. Tears sprang free, streaking hotly over my cheeks.
“Arden!” Domino’s voice yanked me out of my shell shock.
The mission. Right. I kicked into motion, slipping through the new door. He ran at my side. I wanted to stop and thank Winslet, but that would have to come later.
Cyrus must have sent in an army as soon as he welcomed Astan, because soldiers waited near the growing Rock, their harbingers trained on us.Boom, boom, boom.
Domino twirled his sword, using it as a shield. Forget the army. The difference a single night had made in the structure boggled my mind. The Rock now reached my midsection. And it was still growing, right before my eyes.
A contingent of glowers followed us in, some hanging back to keep out feeders.
The guards continued to hammer at the triggers of their guns. I mimicked Domino, swirling my sword faster and faster until I, too, produced a shield. A conversation we’d once had echoed.
How did you become a librarian?
I bonded to the Rock on a deeper level, becoming part of the doorway itself.
The process required a sole individual. Domino couldn’t do it, I’d bet. He was already a doorway.
But I wasn’t, despite our bond.
As more roars pierced the air, smoke and flames billowed on the breeze. Vyle must be gaining strength.
“Get me to the Rock,” I told Domino. “I’ll do the rest.”
He cast me a glance teeming with admiration. “See you on the other side, Arden.” With the speed of a bullet, he launched at the guards and called, “Ember! Kenneth!”
Both glowers fought their way over, and together we fought our way forward. The countdown in my head morphed into chimes, signaling the last seconds on the clock.
