Page 24 of Kingdom of Tomorrow (Book of Arden #1)

When you are teachable, you gain understanding, but those who despise instruction lose what understanding they have.

I didn’t rest and recover, but I did stay in my room.

The HP gave Mykal the evening off, too, and we holed up, practicing hand signals and discussing Shiloh.

Neither of us had any idea what was going on with him, so we could only concoct theories and suppositions.

I didn’t let myself think about my odd interaction with my enigmatic instructor.

Didn’t let myself miss my mother or my plants. A true feat!

When curfew arrived, Mykal secured her shackle as usual and gasped. “Okay, this is new.”

“What?” I asked, fastening my cuff. Oooh. “Mine’s padded.”

“Yeah. Mine too.”

Other soldiers cheered from their rooms. They must have received pads too.

I recalled the HP’s reaction to my bruises and knew. A warm sensation spread through my chest, loaded with admiration and even affection. He was responsible for this. Underneath the gruff, he was a good guy.

Things quieted down quickly throughout the ward, and Mykal drifted to sleep.

I dug out my reader and dove into a study guide featuring Theirland, enlarging photos to better examine the finer details.

I did my best to memorize street layouts and monuments.

Not that I’d be going on patrol. Not really.

But. Knowing whether or not my assigned knight took a proper route would elevate my evaluation.

Plus, I’d be in a new, strange world, and I should be prepared for anything.

Something could go wrong during transport.

And what if the building collapsed? We’d lose our shelter.

What if I got locked out inadvertently or a thousand other horrific, life-altering things?

Irrational imaginings. Yes, I comprehended that. But my understanding didn’t stop those scenarios from playing inside my mind. Trying to focus, I flipped to the next page. Whoa! The text blurred as a red circle with seven broken lines overtook the screen. I went still.

The Tome Society.

Foreboding prickled the base of my spine. Words appeared on the screen, as though someone was typing a message directly to me. Do you hunger and thirst for truth, Arden?

Ember. I had no doubts.

My grip on the device tightened. I cast a quick glance at Mykal. She slept on, undisturbed. Deep breath in. Out. I didn’t know how the Soalian had hacked into my reader, but if Cured learned of this, I could be blamed. Labeled a traitor.

My tremors intensified as I read the remainder of her message.

Rather than trust the custodian who steals your money, imprisons you and your loved ones, and profits from your sickness, consider the supposed enemy he discredits.

If your decisions don’t start lining up with your destiny, your books will be shelved with other tragedies.

Anger surged. The fact that my first reaction wasn’t a desire to toss the reader across the room but intrigue at the possibility of reading books written about my life disturbed me greatly.

I typed a response, wanting a record of my refusal in case the powers that be discovered the interaction before I confessed. You’re good at this. But sowing dissent won’t reap your desired harvest with me. Cured protects us.

A response appeared. Denial doesn’t disprove my words.

I worked my jaw and jabbed my fingers at the keyboard. My lack of knowledge doesn’t prove you’re right either.

Another response arrived within seconds.

Don’t believe me. Start digging. The enormity of Cured ’s gains will shock you.

Find out the true purpose of Theirland. Figure out why the Rock blooms with such sweet-smelling flowers.

Learn the origin of pritis stones. Or are you too afraid to ponder simple questions because they are conveniently considered the obsession of an enemy?

I didn’t have a ready answer for her. In this, she wasn’t wrong.

All my life, I’d shut down any thoughts involving the Rock or Soal as quickly as possible for the very reason she’d stated.

But Cured didn’t encourage us to fear the Rock for profit, as she’d implied. We feared the Rock because we should.

Shiloh’s voice wafted through my mind. The king pulled me aside to ask about a correlation I found between eating pieces of the Rock and drinking the liquid inside it, with recovery from the Madness. I can’t be the first to notice. The pattern is so obvious, there’s no getting around it.

The moisture in my mouth dried. Maybe ... maybe Ember planted those studies. Yes, yes. That made sense.

On the reader, new sentences replaced the old. You need the Tome Society, and we want you. Think about what I’ve said. We’ll speak again soon.

The screen blanked without any prompting from me.

Heart thumping, I slid the device under my pillow and rolled to my side.

For an eternity, I lay there, trying to cobble together a plan for my next steps, feeling as if I was stumbling around in the dark, trying to snatch answers from a field of questions.

I should demand to speak with Cyrus now and confess what happened. Or do it later. Or not at all.

If I kept quiet, at least for a little while, I could snoop around Theirland.

Ugh. Had I really just contemplated sneaking around a military base and spying on my government, simply to answer queries posed by my enemy? Surely I wasn’t so foolish.

But maybe?

Armed with information, I could conquer every doubt Ember had fueled.

If I got caught, I’d lose everything. Mom could lose everything.

But shouldn’t a search for the truth be rewarded?

Acid seared my throat. This was a no-win situation. I should leave Fort Bala. Just grab my stuff and go home. I’d find another way to pay Mom’s back taxes. Maybe work two jobs. Three even. There’d be no more messages from the Tome Society. No more confusion.

Only the regret of not knowing.

Damned either way.

Run! The chain on my wrist pulled taut as I jolted upright. Trapped! I jerked at the cuff to no avail. Bit by bit, my lungs shrank, choking me from the inside. I couldn’t breathe. I needed to breathe. Clutching at my throat, I collapsed against the mattress.

“This isn’t resting and recovering, Bubble Gum.” A rough, gruff voice drifted through my ears, startling me enough to capture my thoughts, allowing speculations to flood in.

“Cyrus?” He was here? I darted my gaze but saw no sign of him in the cell. The door remained closed, Mykal still sleeping. Was I having an auditory hallucination ... like the maddened?

Just like that, the panic resurged. I pulled at my clothes. Too tight!

“Arden,” Cyrus snapped. “Listen to me. We’re both wearing transmitters. Your heart rate hit a certain threshold and activated both sets. Now we can hear each other. Tell me your mantra.”

Transmitters, not infection. My motions slowed and my breathing followed. In, out. “Leave, fear. I’m brave,” I breathed out.

“Yes, you are brave. You comprehend fear is the monster at your back with a knife at your throat. And what do we do to monsters?”

“This isn’t a teaching moment,” I shriek-whispered between pants. In. Out. At least Cyrus and Ember agreed on one thing. Fear was the worst. “I want to go home. I can’t do this.”

“We do not say can’t , soldier.”

“Fine.” I sniffled, and there was no stopping the humiliating action. “I’m currently unable to can.”

He had the audacity to laugh. “What do we do when fear attacks us, Roosa?”

“Fight back,” I muttered.

“That’s right. And you are growing into an excellent fighter, focusing on the correct opponent.”

His compliment filled my head, and I calmed a bit more. With his voice a caress in my ears, I almost felt as if he were stretched out at my side, his arms wrapped around me. A true comfort. “How? How do I fight back?”

“Tell me your battle cry again. Punch the air with your words.”

“Leave, fear. I’m brave.” A soft thump sounded as I also punched the bed. “I’m brave.” Another punch of the mattress. “I’m brave. I’m brave, I’m brave.” Hey! Those battle cries had some heft to them. Maybe I was kind of a little brave. I mean, look at all I’d experienced and pushed through.

“Again. Louder.”

“I’m brave.” I smashed my fists through the air, one after the other. “I’m brave!” Knockout!

“Okay, we get it. You’re the bravest. Can I sleep now?” Lark grumbled from her cell.

Other soldiers issued complaints too. Mykal rolled over and shoved a pillow over her head to smother her giggles.

I sank into my mattress, my cheeks heating.

“Get out,” Cyrus grated with obvious annoyance.

Excuse me? “I’m chained to the wall and barred in. There’s no way I can leave my cell.”

He gave a little chuckle. “I wasn’t speaking to you, Pink.”

“To whom were you speaking? And what happened to purple ?”

“The woman who entered my hallway. And I realized I prefer the classics.”

“You own a whole hallway?” I asked because I didn’t know what else to say. I wouldn’t be surprised if the woman was Dr. Korey. He did seem to enjoy ordering her to leave.

“I’m confident we both recognize the fact that I own every hallway I enter.” Amusement tinged his words. “I exited a meeting between instructors and team leaders as soon as the transmitters activated.”

Shame pricked me. “My apologies, sir, for interrupting.”

“I’ve attended hundreds of those meetings,” he told me with a dry tone. “I can afford to miss one.”

I wished I could see his face. Judge his expression. Decipher the truth about his mood. Why was he being so nice to me, and why did the answer matter so much? Wait. “What time is it?”

“A few minutes after four.”

“In the morning?” I gasped out. I had stirred my cauldron of worries all night long, missing my only opportunity to sleep in semipeace. Now, in little more than an hour, I would be stepping into a whole new world for the very first time. “I’m brave,” I squeaked.