Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
What was I doing, letting a strange woman lure me into the unknown? Archduke Heta had taught me the importance of my surroundings. I didn’t know this space, but she did. She might be infected. A Soalian hoping to brainwash me. To use me as a key into the base.
Still. I couldn’t leave without answers. “How did you speak inside my head? Who are you? What did you mean, execution?”
“I’m Ember Cruz, Shiloh’s sister.” Small circles with inner lines began to radiate a low-watt golden glow from her skin. “This is your first official invitation to the Tome Society. Join us and help me save my brother.”
I reared back. Glower! My knees knocked, her connection to Shiloh doing nothing to diminish my fright.
Tone wry, she said, “I’ll take your horrified expression as a no. But understand this. I’ll ask you only thrice and no more. The sooner you accept, the better off we’ll all be.”
I would rather die than join Soalians bent on destroying Cured. “If you actually had access to books detailing the future, you would’ve known not to waste your time targeting me.” The words frayed as I pushed them past clenched teeth.
“Eventually, you’ll say yes and we’ll become friends. I’ve seen it.” Her unwavering confidence shook mine. “I’d like to save you the regret your delay causes, but I can’t force you. You are the god of your own world, after all.” With a sad smile, she backed up and disappeared inside the stone.
Inside it. Exactly like the bearded man.
But that couldn’t be right.
There was no way I’d seen what I thought I’d seen. This was my hologram theory in action. Yes, yes. Another hologram. The real problem went deeper. A glower had invited me to join the Tome Society. Had threatened me with Shiloh’s death.
By some miracle, I returned to him without slipping into hysteria.
“Everything okay?” he asked, his brow wrinkled.
Better to dive right in. “Is your sister’s name Ember?”
He closed his eyes and groaned. “Please tell me she didn’t ask you to join the—” Lips pressed tightly together, he went quiet.
I gave a clipped nod. “She did. She called my name, and I foolishly followed her. She told me you’ve been marked for death.”
Another groan left him. “I should have warned you. I can’t apologize enough for failing to do so.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t believe her. She hates Cured, and she’ll do anything to convince me to join her cult, even pressure my friends.”
Well, no wonder she’d sought me out and given me the hard sell. But the realization didn’t ease the pressure in my chest or stall the questions rolling through my brain.
“Let’s forget it happened,” I suggested. For now, anyway. Later, I planned to dissect every detail. “I owe you a day of fun, remember?”
“I do like a girl who keeps her word,” he said, but his smile wasn’t quite as bright.
Determined, I pasted a happy smile on my face and amped up my efforts. For half an hour, I regaled him with tales of my first attempts at plant propagation. He was still chuckling when we reached the head of the line and placed our order.
After devouring a doughnut more delicious than I remembered, we visited a garden maze, played like children at a park, sampled different foods he had other coupons for, and exchanged life stories. I cheered him up—I know I did—and he helped me feel safer. I didn’t think of Ember or the bearded man until I lay in bed that night, chained to the wall, with Mykal sleeping soundly on the other side of the room.
Knowing glowers, my enemy, wielded such an incredible ability to walk into solid structures opened a mental door to a boatload of fear.
Door. Door. The word echoed. If the Rock was a doorway to an actual library, as the Soalians professed . . . did that mean Soal existed?
Stop this! Of course Soal and his library weren’t real. Besides, even if something the Soalians claimed was actually true, it didn’t change the devastation they caused the world. They were evil, and they deserved to be imprisoned.
I rolled to my side and pressed my palms to my churning belly. The chain rattled, abrading my wrist, but it couldn’t drown out my riotous thoughts. I needed to tell the HP about the invitation. But should I? He’d want to know why I’d been chosen. The truth could jeopardize Shiloh’s career at the worst possible interval. But if I failed to tell the high prince the truth and he later found out, I’d look guilty. And there was always the chance this was some kind of test.
No need to make a decision right now. Tomorrow marked my first trip to Theirland.
Ugh. The reminder threw fuel on the fire of my fear.
Sleep beckoned anyway. The last thoughts to drift through my mind before sleep pulled me into the dark brought a small measure of comfort. The HP isn’t a bad guy. He’ll help me with all of this. I can trust him. Maybe.