Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Cyrus blinked fast, as if trying to clear his thoughts, and released her abruptly.
As she gasped for oxygen, he popped the bones in his neck and asked me, “Why don’t I show you to our room?” He sounded almost pleasant, but strain gave him a harsher edge.
“That would be nice, thank you,” I said, eager to get him alone.
“This way.” He slung an arm around my waist and led me away from the gaping group.
We passed through a shimmery curtain of air, entering a moving hallway. I gasped as the entire space swung to the left before settling, ending in a winding staircase.
“What just happened?” I squeaked, flattening a palm over my racing heart.
“The palace readjusts when new guests visit, ensuring they can’t memorize the layout. For the emperor’s trusted few, however, it returns to the original floor plan.”
Wow, wow, wow. “It’s, like, alive?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
We traversed a wide hallway with multiple doors, each flanked by armed guards. Meta of various sizes patrolled here and there. They were ferocious up close, with metal teeth and claws.
I cringed as one sniffed at me, only then noticing the portraits on the wall. The emperor, holding a jewel-studded goblet in toast. Tagin, the former king, with a spear. Some high princes. Felix, with two axes. And there was Cyrus. How distinguished he looked, decked out in a royal uniform, holding a bejeweled sword.
“Hey, what were you and Felix discussing?” I asked.
“We agreed to be the last two royals standing.”
A secret alliance. Smart.
Cyrus led me to the farthest entrance, which opened automatically as we approached. We swept inside an opulent chamber with antique furnishings I’d only ever seen in history books. Polished wood, fine fabrics woven with bold colors, and massive portraits of only Cyrus hanging along papered walls.
As soon as the door shut behind us, he heaved a heavy sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to go so far with Lolli. One moment I intended to respond verbally, the next I held her throat in my hand, whispers of ‘kill her’ filling my head.”
Only one explanation made sense. “Astan.” I took his wrists and guided his arms around me, stepping closer to put us chest to chest. “He’s influencing you.” Exactly as Domino had said.
“I’ll work harder to guard against him.” Cyrus tangled his fingers in my hair and angled me to ensure I looked only at him. “Tell me again you’ll never leave me.”
“I’ll never leave you.”
A tinge of relief. “I need to kiss you right now, but I would be kissing Domino, too, would I not?” He searched my gaze. “I can almost see him in your eyes.”
“He’s here with me, yes.” I refused to lie to him.
With a huff of resentment, Cyrus released me. “Let me show you what we’re up against.” He stalked to a set of double doors, opened them, and motioned me through.
I passed him, ignoring my dismay and stepping onto a wide balcony. Our room occupied the top floor on the east side of the palace, allowing us to peer down at the grounds and beyond the dome.
My mouth hung open in disbelief. From this vantage point, I saw the battlefield, the berries now shielded by that protective barrier. A sea of feeders attacked the contingent of glowers assembled there, the two engaged in fierce combat.
“We’ve got to help them,” I said, white-knuckling the railing. “Maybe there’s a switch to shut off the frequency. Lolli could have it. Her men set up the equipment needed to create the shield.”
“Judging by things I’ve overheard her say, there’s a single doorway, but whoever opens it experiences unmitigated pain.”
Chapter Seventeen
I’m looking for people willing to do the necessary work and rise in the ranks of the kingdom; apply within.
—The Book of Soal 2.1.4.19
Tick tock. Tick tock.
My internal countdown made itself known, screeching at full volume as I considered our options. Or rather, option. Find that key and sneak to the field. If it hurt to open the door, fine. It hurt. I’d do it and I’d deal.
But first we needed to discover what, exactly, that key was. “Introduce me to your grandfather,” I said as wind lifted my hair.
Cyrus arched a brow. “You hope to interrogate the ruler of our world?”
“I do.”
To his credit, he didn’t blanch. “Will you be subtle with your questions?”
Okay, so, I might have been a tad overzealous during my previous interrogations. The very interrogations Mr. Vyle had referenced during our first interaction. A time I’d rapid-fired forbidden questions at CURED’s most illustrious leaders. “I promise I’ll try my very best.”
He sighed. “I’ll set something up.”
As other royals and trainees stepped out onto their balconies, Cyrus linked our fingers and backtracked, pulling me into our room. The door shut of its own accord, and his shoulders rolled in.
He released me and muttered, “We are losing this war.”