Chapter Seven
Consider the source.
“This way,” Domino said, heading in the opposite direction.
“Class?” I grated as I caught up. “I’m all for learning, but I’m here to read my book.” My blueprint of the future. Truth amid a world of lies. Victory in the face of defeat. The only way to help Cyrus.
“If Ember has delayed a class for your arrival, it’s because you won’t be able to decode your book until you ascertain a specific truth.”
Concentrating on anything other than Cyrus was gonna be tough. I mean, was I putting him in danger by being here?
Wait. Was I? “CURED tracks the chip embedded in my hand.” They tracked everyone. “Do they know I’m here, in the library?”
“The library sits upon Ourland and is also within Ourland. If you keep within certain perimeters, CURED will record only locations you can walk while in Bala City. Soal has thought of everything.”
Okay. All right. But still.
Domino led me into an empty room with an open door of light centered on the far wall. A sign over it read The Beginning For Beginners. We crossed through, entering . . .
With my head tilted back, I stopped and spun in a slow circle, examining every inch of the space. An impossibility. We were inside the library, yet also outside, standing in an endless garden fantasyland both with and without walls.
A large golden orb beamed the most incredible warmth and glorious golden light from an endless expanse.
And the fragrance. A luscious cornucopia of floral delights, featuring everything from roses to wildflowers to honeysuckle.
How I distinguished the individual notes when I’d never encountered them, I didn’t know.
Petals of every color bloomed in every direction, even the sky.
Little drops of dew glistened on a carpet of lush grass.
A gentle breeze caressed my skin as I toed off my boots and socks and sank my bare feet into the softness that pulsed with the very beat of life.
Stones of varying sizes carved out a winding pathway, humming a perfect accompaniment to the sounds of a distant, rushing river.
The two created a celestial melody I hoped to hear every day forever.
At the center of it all stood a tree like no other. A wide, twisty trunk made of three separate parts. The bark on each resembled a filigree as intricate and lovely as lace. White flames flickered over leaves of sapphire blue, crimson red, and vibrant purple, offering a visual feast.
The tranquil garden quashed any sense of urgency I’d previously entertained. For a moment, I could only close my eyes and savor a grandeur too glorious to take in all at once.
“I’ve lived here over three centuries, yet the beauty never ceases to amaze me,” Domino quietly stated.
Excuse me? The astronomical, impossible age nearly broke my brain. “Three centuries?” I echoed. Despite the thick stubble on his jaw and eyes as fathomless and deep as an ocean, he appeared less than a decade older than me.
“It’s not as shocking as you think. In certain places of the library, such as this garden, time passes differently,” he replied with a shrug. “In some ways, I am both older and younger than you.”
There was so much I had to learn.
Around twenty people filtered in through a side entrance.
I probed each face, searching for Shiloh, the guy I’d dated before Cyrus, who’d first set me on the path to Soal.
Problem: Everyone looked blurry. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes.
No change. Then, one face cleared as if the air had been sprayed with cleaner and wiped with a rag. I squealed, delighted. Mom!
She wore the same nanny uniform as usual, but today it emphasized a pink flush of health. Something I hadn’t seen since her treatment for Madness. Even her hair gleamed.
“Arden?” she cried with surprise, as if a haze had cleared from me.
We lunged toward each other and hugged so tight we might leave bruises. Domino stepped back, providing distance and privacy, while also surveying the reunion with curiosity.
“You’re here.” I laughed as I pulled back. “You’re Soalian.”
“I am.” A huge smile stretched from ear to ear. “I joined Soal’s army three days after you whisked me from my apartment.”
Then she’d joined three days after Tagin Dolion died.
“Tell me everything,” she urged. “What’s new with my sweet baby girl?”
No way I would burden her with the details. “Here’s a late, breaking headline. I need to get my eyes checked. Everyone but you is blurry,” I said, waving to the other occupants now settling in front of the majestic tree.
“That’s for everyone’s safety.” Mom chuckled. “Trust must be given to erase the shields.”
Um, I’d become a Soalian four days before her, yet she knew more than me.
“So you’re good?” she asked, clasping my shoulders and giving me a motherly once-over.
“I really am. And you?”
Another huge smile broke out. “Better than ever. Oh! There’s my friend, Beeeep,” my mother cried with all the happiness of a schoolgirl. “You’re gonna love her. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
“Did you say . . . Beeeep?” I asked, but she’d already rushed off.
I hung back, wanting to laugh and cry, and needing a moment to collect myself. Mom was here, and she was well, and she had a friend she trusted enough to share identities with. It was everything I’d hoped for her, and my heart overflowed.
“This is usually the moment I experience a new deluge of doom,” I confided in Domino as he returned to my side. And I should have. The thing with Cyrus . . . But no. My delight remained. A miracle had occurred with my mother. A miracle could occur with the high prince too. Whatever was needed.
The librarian might have smiled, but the microamusement vanished so quickly, I convinced myself he’d experienced an involuntary muscle twitch.
“There isn’t room for doom right now. You’re too happy.
” Domino faced me, as if to bid me goodbye, but seconds passed, and he remained rooted.
“What is it you so greatly admire about Cyrus?”
“Many things.” Remembering the feud Cyrus had mentioned, I asked, “What is it you so greatly dislike about him?”
“I don’t dislike him,” the librarian said, frowning. “Why would you think so?”
“Well . . .” What did these two formidable men not wish to discuss? They’d both denied animosity while projecting a boatload of it. “For starters, I’ve met you both.”
His frown deepened, but he motioned to the other students with a tilt of his chin. “Go. Learn. The faster you do, the safer you’ll be. The world as you know it is soon to change.”
“More cryptic words. Great.” There’d been so many already. “Quick question first. Is my mom’s friend really named Beeeep?”
For the second time, I was pretty sure he almost smiled. “Just as you see blurry faces, you will hear a sound rather than names, unless told by the person in question. Another security measure.”
Ah. Made sense. Mostly.
“Hey, new girl. Your instructor is here, and we’re about to start. Join us.”
The familiar voice drew my gaze, and I snorted. Ember herself stood at the tree, ready to begin. Like Domino, she wore a crimson robe made of the finest fabric trimmed in gold.
“Thank you,” I told Dom, reaching out to clasp and squeeze his hand. “For everything.”
Manner suddenly as sharp as ice, he slid his eyes to our joined hands, silent and still. Oops. I’d made an obvious blunder. Touched an elite without permission.
“Apologies,” I muttered, severing contact and turning sharply. I forced the librarian from my thoughts and bounded over to stand beside my mother.
Leaning into me, she said, “Baby, this is Beeeep.” She motioned to the woman on her left. “Beeeep, this is Arden.”
“Hello,” we both said. Beeeep’s face remained blurry, and I believed mine remained blurred to her. What sound did she hear in place of my name?
“Nice to meet you,” she said, and I thought I heard kindness in her voice.
“You as well.”
Ember clapped, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Before anyone decides to rush me, I’m happy to report this garden is time adjacent.
We can stay here for years and return to our lives without missing more than a few minutes.
Now zip it. Everything I’m about to tell you comes from The Book of Soal.
” Reverence dripped from her tone. She anchored her arms behind her back, saying, “Sometimes, words must be lived to be seen. Follow me, please.” One step forward.
That was all she took, and a cobblestone path appeared out of nowhere.
With Ember at the helm, we walked the path, single file, the air around us shimmering with images.
A fantastical world of unimaginable wealth and opulence, with castles made of crystals, gardens teeming with life and color, and roads paved with gold bricks.
Trees abounded, birds with glimmering feathers flying from branch to branch.
I gasped with delight. Look there! Bees and butterflies!
“This is the Theirland of yesteryear,” Ember announced. “A land Astan the Destroyer would come to infect with his Madness. Perhaps you noticed the statue of him in Bala City. He’s preparing the masses for his next grand entrance. The beginning of the end.”
I pressed a hand over my belly.
The teacher began to teach. “The more you know of the one you battle, the better prepared you’ll be. First fact. Astan wields only two weapons. Lies and fear.”
No one spoke, the students riveted by flashing images of Astan in flight and battle, a thick, black smoke curling from his mouth. I was eager to see and hear more, to learn everything.
“He lives for one purpose,” Ember said. “The devastation of Tsuri, Soal’s son.”
Excuse me? Soal had a child?
Another image appeared, this one featuring a thirtysomething man with a snow-white tunic, scuffed leathers, and a stunning purple robe.
“Astan once served as Tsuri’s second-in-command. Tsuri was married to Rose, whom he adores.”