Page 21 of Kingdom of Today
Yes, Cyrus warned me not to trust anyone else, even another Soalian, and I understood his reasons. But this was a mystery I must solve. This particular Soalian had kept the secret for years. A skill I wished to acquire. Plus, I really needed a friend right now. A mentor. I wouldn’t admit what I was.
Mr. Vyle had made sure of that. He did indeed punish a trainee for the treatment facility incident. The culprit was hung in the courtyard and left to rot for days. I hadn’t known the chosen soldier, but the loss stayed with me.
Though I’d “summoned” Domino, he hadn’t visited me, proving Cyrus’s assertion that my piece of the Rock was meant to provide a burst of strength after ingestion, nothing more. And yet, I sometimes thought I detected a low hum of the librarian’s relentless intensity. But if he was nearby, why not appear? I didn’t expect to have a long, drawn-out back-and-forth with the guy, but come on. At least let me lie down, close my eyes, and pretend to sleep while he explained more about Soal, the Rock, and the books.
When my day off finally dawned, I was beyond ready.
The morning began as any other, a bell buzzing and cell doors opening. The only difference? Trainees cheered. As I sat up in bed, I noticed my guards no longer stood at the entrance. Guaranteed, theylurked somewhere in the shadows, intending to follow me as I made my way through Bala City.
I hadn’t forgotten Cyrus’s request that I remain at the base. While his happiness mattered, I ached to be inside the Rock. I couldn’t stay here. I just couldn’t. Answers awaited me, the tug stronger by the second. No way I could pass up this opportunity.
After a beat of hesitation, I freed my seed from the safe and stuffed it in my pocket. Just in case I needed a boost ... or didn’t return. Like my team, I hustled into the hall and made my way to the locker rooms. While others chatted about their plans, jubilant, I did my best to hide my nervousness. Today I was going to break countless CURED laws. If caught, I’d lose everything I valued, perhaps even my life.
I hurried through a shower and changed into regular clothes. The infamous pink tank and shorts I’d worn my first day on the base. The very reason Cyrus called me Lady Pink. I relocated my Rock to my shorts pocket.
My stomach churned as I speed-walked toward the underground train station on the other side of this building.
Halfway there, a trainee named Winslet caught up and draped her arm over my shoulders. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I echoed, confused. This was the first time she’d approached me. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s great.” She had spiky hair, multiple piercings, and strength many envied. And she was funny. A trash-talker who let nothing intimidate her. If she was the Soalian I sought, even better.
“Let’s hang today,” she suggested with a bright smile.
I almost blurted out, “No, I’m meeting someone.” Such a rejection opened the door for more questions. “Maybe next time.”
“I don’t mind tagging along, whatever you’ve got planned.” She hit me with a sad expression. “I could really use the company right now.”
Hmm. Was she too eager to stick with someone she’d never interacted with? Perhaps she was assigned the duty of spying on me up close and personal. With CURED, the possibility always existed.
I made a noncommittal noise to buy myself a little time to cobble together an appropriate but firm response. We reached the steps leading to the underground station, where hundreds of soldiers congregated. A cornucopia of conversations filled the air.
Down we went. As usual, a musty odor greeted me, and I wrinkled my nose. Pritis clusters illuminated the congested expanse. Secured to the rocky ceiling, they chased away shadows. In an instant, my blood boiled. CURED had removed every orb from a Soalian’s heart.Weproduced the light able to repel feeders.
An answering light heated my chest until a luminous glow burst from my pores. As promised, no one noticed. Hands balled into fists, I trekked farther into the underground corridor. Winslet kept pace.
Soldiers in and out of uniform swallowed us. Brakes squealed in the distance, the train coming to a stop near the platform. A door on every cart opened, allowing the throng to swarm inside. My companion released me to push someone out of our path, and I seized my chance, purposely surging into a crowd at warp speed and slipping into an already filled cart. The doors closed, leaving Winslet outside.
Disaster averted with zero casualties. I searched for Cyrus among the faces, hoping, hoping. Boo, hiss. No sign of him.
The cart wobbled and the train shot forward, zipping along the narrow tunnel at a faster and faster clip. Though no one paid me any heed, I felt spotlighted as I gripped the bit of the Rock in my pocket. My link to Domino. To help. The sensation of being watched lingered the entire ride and only increased when I disembarked onto an overcrowded platform.
As I climbed a flight of stairs and emerged into a sunny, bustling cityscape, mouthwatering scents replaced the subtle but awful stench of a leaking battery. To my shock and delight, I caught sight of Cyrus.
I hurried closer. Hmm. Disappointment killed the thrill of excitement. Not the real Cyrus, after all, but a hologram. The display showcased all five royals in the running for king, their images flashing over a building’s wall.
A question scrolled over their heads.Who Will BE Crowned?
“Come, taste the nectar of the gods,” called a woman costumed as a mermaid. She lounged on a large square pedestal that served as the base for a colossal statue of a fish-man, petting him with one hand and beckoning to pedestrians with the other. “Our sea cakes are the land’s sweetest treat, and only half a trill.”
Citizens paused to pet him too. Someone kissed his tail. My entire life, most people had treated these statues as mere decorations while only whispering accounts of sleeping gods in secret. Witnessing this open adoration surprised me. Something had shifted among the masses.
Another problem for later. The Rock called to me, urging me on.
My eyes raked the background, my nerves taut as I hunted for any sign of trouble. The area buzzed with life, vehicles whizzing along paved roads and people rushing down winding sidewalks. Buildings of varying shapes, sizes, and materials flanked the streets. Glass monoliths gleamed under a too-bright sun, their sleek surfaces reflecting the city’s constant flow of movement, while weathered shelters with peeling paint stood in stark contrast. Lavish crystal palaces sparkled atop hills, as lovely as frozen waterfalls as their faceted walls glittered. Alongside the magnificent structures, odd, angular buildings made of a polished golden alloy shimmered, seamlessly fused to sturdy brick buildings.
Intermixed throughout, multicolored lights flashed from signs advertising a plethora of services. Everything from spending an hour with a robotic lover to punching a living (supposedly willing) person to blow off steam. Screeching, fast-paced music resounded, the notes setting my nerves on edge. A feathery breeze carried a blend of new scents, and I caught myself wrinkling my nose again. Fried foods, the metallic tinge of metal, and clashing body odors. The overpowering smells left an unpleasant residue in my nostrils.
