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)
I drew him forward, and we turned a couple more corners, finally coming to the hallway where I’d first sensed the Rock. Guards stood at the entrance, unaware of anything untoward. Except. I gently rotated the doorknob, but dang it! Secured. I guess I’d expected Domino to handle this aspect of the mission too.
Onward and upward. An ID pad was adhered to the wall, but if we dared use it, our identities would be flagged immediately. And what if we didn’t qualify to open it?
“Do you have the tools needed to remove the hinges?” I asked, and it was weird, talking to him while standing between two armed guards, knowing without being told Domino would hide the opening of the door as well.
“No need.” Cyrus slid the large gemstone on one of his rings aside to reveal a small cubby. He pressed the tip of his index finger inside and when he withdrew it, a thin, round . . . paper? Whatever it was, he adhered it over his ID chip.
The fog began to break apart, and my heart sped up, urgency becoming a whip at my back. “Hurry.”
Footsteps sounded in the distance. A changing of the guard? Or had we been spotted?
Cyrus twisted to avoid brushing against a guard and pressed the heel of his palm into the right spot. The door opened without a problem.
“A skeleton key that logs nothing,” he muttered as we entered the empty, well-lit room.
The door shut behind us without issue. I would’ve marveled at the rift now before me, but we’d run out of time.
We sailed through the slit of darkness that cut through the air, leaving Theirland behind. Again, there was no pain or disorientation. One moment we were in the small chamber, the next we stood in another room, this one large enough to contain an eight-by-eight section of the Rock. Though the room was enclosed, with no windows or sunshine, lush flowers bloomed from the top, scenting the atmosphere with a soft, floral fragrance. I breathed deep.
Welcome home. Relief shimmered through me, weightless and infinite, as if stardust were dissolving in the first light of dawn. Hand in hand with Cyrus again, I glanced at an engraved symbol, just glanced, yet the wall thinned into mist. The transformation had never occurred so quickly.
Together we entered a small conference room with a polished mahogany floor, a rectangular table, and cushioned chairs. Bookshelves lined 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 of The Book of Arden. The other side featured volumes of The 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.”