Page 97 of Kingdom of Today
The royals armed up and loaded onto a bus much fancier than the others. It possessed a clear roof and body, offering a full view of the outside world. No doubt the glass, or whatever it was, was maddened proof. Plush seats offered a comfortable place to rest.
Giselle occupied the vehicle already, seated up front, directly behind the driver. If she wore the key necklace, I couldn’t tell. She smiled and waved at Cyrus and Felix, as happy as could be.
Confusion speared me. The emperor adored this woman. Why take her to a battlefield teeming with feeders and glowers, his greatest enemy? Especially while she was pregnant with their child.
Cyrus chose a spot in the middle, but I kept going, opting to stand in the back to observe everyone at once.
A festering, silent Lolli took the seat in front of Cyrus. A bold decision. The bruised Felix and a sullen Summit picked the seats directly across from them. The air popped with malice even I could feel. Everyone buckled in.
Mr. Vyle and the emperor entered behind an armed, blank-eyed Winslet, and I cringed.Not the same girl.She took the spot next to Giselle, who immediately launched into a conversation about the baby,bubbling over with excitement. Mr. Vyle sat directly behind them while the emperor remained standing, facing the royals.
“Welcome, everyone.” He pressed his fingers together, creating a steeple. He wore a tunic and trousers, and other than the shadows clinging to him, he looked so average. If I’d met him on the streets, I never would have guessed his title. “This marks an important occasion for us all. Our gods are soon to make their final selection, and what happens today will play a vital role in their decisions.
“You’ll need your goggles,” the emperor added, motioning to the driver before claiming the seat across from Giselle and Winslet.
As everyone donned and activated their lenses, the vehicle started forward. We exited the garage and sailed along a paved road, an electrified fence on both sides of us, shutting out the world beyond. As soon as we cleared it, the road became littered with bones, articles of clothing, and shoes.
Wide-open plains stretched on one side, and mountains loomed on the other. Though there’d been a handful of zombielike maddened on the day of my arrival, none were present this morning.
Lolli repositioned, leaning against the glass to face everyone on the bus. “Briar Rose has chosen me. I’ve been assured.”
I didn’t miss the note of smugness in her voice.
Disgust twisted Felix’s features, and there was no masking it. I wondered how I’d ever missed his utter contempt for CURED. He was a rogue Soalian focused only on vengeance, willing to destroy anyone who got in his way. “You can’t even tempt Cyrus to forget a lowborn lady for a single hour,Lollipop. What makes you think a goddess wants to spend an eternity with you?”
Temper flashed over Lolli’s features, but when she next spoke, she sounded as confident and carefree as before. “When I take the throne, you’ll be my first casualty.”
“Your threats are as fake as your orgasms,” he clapped back.
Summit said nothing, just stared straight ahead, his expression set in stone, his mind elsewhere.
Cyrus remained silent as well, his emotions on lockdown. Knowing him, he’d begun to prepare for whatever trial awaited him.
The bus approached the statue of Astan, and I did a double take, my heart pumping with a sudden burst of adrenaline. The horns had risen. They were almost fully erect now, with tips a mere inch from pointing to the sky.
Urgency swept me into a whirlwind. I was running out of time, but—I—refused—to—panic. Even if Cyrus accepted Astan for whatever reason, even if we became enemies, even if I stabbed him, we could prevail. The horn blast wasn’t the end, merely thebeginningof the end.
“Glowers incoming,” Summit shouted. “An entire horde.”
All eyes followed the line of the high prince’s pointing finger. A large shimmering blur preceded a loudboom!
The vehicle lurched to its side and rolled. Initial impact caused no cracks in the glass, but momentum tossed the occupants about. Only I remained unaffected, the vehicle spinning around me. I watched as Giselle clutched her stomach, terrified, unaware a muted bubble of light encased her, acting as a sort of cushion. As Cyrus bounced and jerked in his seat, buckled in. As the others were thrown about.
Even before the vehicle skidded to a halt, glowers glommed on to it, slamming their fists into the glass. No, not with their fists. Each wielded a vibrating hammer. Cracks formed and grew until the glass shattered, spraying in every direction.
Cyrus unfastened the belt and sprang to his feet, a dagger in each hand. The other royals, Winslet, and Mr. Vyle did the same as they recovered, choosing different weapons. Together, the group scrambled from the remains of the vehicle to defend the emperor and a frightened Giselle from glowers doing everything in their power to reach them. Gunshots boomed, the vibrations scattering an abundance of clouds that had cloaked two suns.
I ghosted from the wreckage, slipping into the morning light as Cyrus threw himself into the cluster of Soalians nearest Giselle,knocking several down. The fallen came up swinging swords of fire. Brutal combat ensued all around.
We were so close to the force field, to seeing the key in action. Why do this?
Once Cyrus and the others maneuvered Giselle and the emperor to solid ground, they worked to form a hedge of protection around them. The battled raged on. Emperor Piven clutched his chest, muttering, “This wasn’t in the book, this wasn’t in the book.”
I might not understand what was going on, but I trusted Domino, Ember, and yes, Soal. They helped innocents; they didn’t harm them. Cyrus knew this too. But as a double agent, he had a part to play. He couldn’t give away his true allegiance, and yet, he fought back with utter savagery, ferocious with every blow, never pulling his strikes.
As he swung his daggers, they elongated, slashing more than his immediate challengers. To his credit, however, he never delivered a death blow.
I spotted Domino among the attackers. A master swordsman with expert-level skill most people couldn’t wield after three lifetimes of training, and I marveled. He fought his way through the circle, reaching Giselle. She resisted as he liberated her from the emperor’s clinch.
