Page 59 of Kingdom of Tomorrow (Book of Arden #1)

You must see your victory inside before you can see your victory outside.

I remained in place, heart thumping, a thousand words tap-dancing across my mind. Only two mattered. Cyrus. Here.

Ember swept past me to claim the head of the conference table. “Sit. Please.”

As I made my way over, my weight nearly proved too much for my legs. Everyone took a seat, with Cyrus situated at Ember’s right. From my spot in the middle, I watched, agonized, as he placed two books in front of him. Shiloh sank into the chair next to me while Jericho plopped beside Cyrus.

He must hate me. After showing me only kindness and consideration, he’d asked me only for the slightest bit of trust I’d told him I’d given him. Clearly, I’d lied. Something he despised. I’d also incapacitated him, leaving him helpless against his enemy.

“Are you all right?” I rasped.

“I’m fine.” An all-too-brief statement that gave nothing away. Still he didn’t glance in my direction.

I wetted my lips with a nervous swipe of my tongue. “Cyrus, I can’t apologize enough. I—”

“There’s time for that later,” Ember interjected.

“Besides, he isn’t injured because of you but himself.

I told him not to venture out with a search party.

But nooo, he just had to go and disobey.

Be advised now. Nothing good ever comes from that.

Unlike you, he had to battle numerous feeders to get here. ”

Guilt seared me. Despite her reassurance, I laid the blame at my door.

“Hey, Arden,” Jericho said with a toothy grin. “How does it feel to know you’ve dated every guy in this room?”

Unfazed, I merely arched a brow. “Two of the three were gold star and I highly recommend. Care to guess my opinion of the third?”

“Sure. You can’t get over your secret crush on him, so you continue to lash out and pretend you hate him,” he quipped, far from chastised.

Cyrus slammed his hand upon the table. Everyone but Ember jumped. “Begin the meeting,” he demanded. “Please.”

“I did begin. You all interrupted.” She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Obviously, Arden and Cyrus will return to the Lux and continue with business as usual.”

Yes, but would I continue to live with Cyrus, the girlfriend monitoring his welfare for that “special” project, or go back to being a regular lady?

“You’ll keep your upcoming meeting with the king,” she continued. “But first, check your book. Judging by snippets read in the books of others, you’ll be met with great opposition. The more you know, the safer you’ll be. Also, you’ll probably learn how we rescue your mother.”

Blink. “My mother requires rescuing?”

“Oh. Right. I forgot to mention that part. Yes,” Ember said with a nod. “She’s in danger. But you have nothing to fear. I’ve been assured—”

I leaped to my feet, demanding, “Take me to her.”

Shiloh clasped my hand, drawing my attention. “Let my sister finish,” he offered gently. “As I’ve learned, you can’t win without her.”

I didn’t sit, but I did return my focus to the frowning Ember and nodded, a silent command to proceed.

“We’ll save her,” she said. “I haven’t discovered how yet, but I did read a passage about a victory party.”

Not good enough. “You actually saw her name with your own two eyes and came upon a sentence that mentioned her status?”

“Not precisely. But I spotted your name. The brief reference revealed you were laughing, so. Tada! Proof that all ends well.”

No. No, that wasn’t proof.

“The best way to help your mother is to pore over your book.” No nonsense, Cyrus slid one of the tomes he’d brought toward me. “You can uncover your enemy’s plans and proceed accordingly.”

I sank into my seat when I spied the title. Arden Dawn Roosa , volume 20, Daily Updates . The same book I’d read before. Embossed on the upper right edge were the words Book of Soal . Desperate, I worked to crack the spine. But the cover remained glued to the pages, refusing to budge.

Was staying here to mess with a book truly worth it?

Ember cleared her throat. “When we rush in without taking time to consult the books, we lose without exception. Cured has books too, courtesy of Astan, and they predict the different paths we can take. But they are unable to see the path provided by Soal. Therefore, it is our only path to triumph.”

New bombshell. Each side had a set of books.

“Know the future, take the steps, stop the enemy,” Cyrus muttered.

Very well. “I’ll stay. I’ll read.”

“Do it from your heart, not your mind,” Ember instructed.

The seal branded in the center of the cover caught my notice.

A circle with seven broken lines. The key.

Though I peered at it for a long while, the lines never moved.

I tried to open the tome the way I was to read it, from the heart—whatever that meant.

Nothing happened. Tried willing it open. Still nothing.

My stomach churned, the first spark of panic stirring. If I failed to succeed, my mother might die.

There had to be something I could do. I waved the book. Slammed it against the table. Boom, boom, boom. I pulled and strained and screamed, all to no avail.

Shiloh rested his hand on mine, offering comfort, but I experienced none. Then my gaze collided with Cyrus’s.

“Remember what I taught you about fear,” he stated flatly.

I gave him a clipped nod, wishing so many things. “Leave, fear.”

“Shiloh and Jericho”—Ember waved to the door—“give Arden some breathing room. Return to your studies.”

Jericho’s mood instantly soured. He jumped to his feet, his chair skidding away from the table, and exclaimed, “I’m tired of studying. Give me a day off at least.”

“No. And now you’ll write two reports today.”

He kicked a table leg. “I’ve cracked a single volume, and it’s a tale I didn’t want to read. But nooo. I can’t burn it. I’ve got to”—his voice took on a mocking tinge—“‘learn myself before I can grow myself.’ You’re the one who needs to grow up, Em.” He marched out the door.

Ignore him. I returned my attention to the book, fighting fear and concentrating on the symbol.

“I’d like to stay, sis,” Shiloh said.

Tune him out.

“Shiloh Cruz, we’ve talked about this,” Ember exclaimed. “In official meetings, I’m your boss.”

“Please,” he said.

She gave a little laugh. “Arden?”

“He’s fine,” I responded, staring at the book with all my might, refusing to blink. Still nothing, dang it. Come on, come on!

Shiloh murmured encouragements.

Frustration boiled within me, melting the lock on my anger.

My fingers tightened on the book until my knuckles ached.

I ground my molars. Why wasn’t this working?

And was the room shrinking? The air was definitely thickening.

And heating. I tugged at the scooped neckline of my dress.

I was going to fail. My mother was going to die because I failed.

“You have reverted to old ways,” Cyrus said with his hard, intractable instructor voice. “You will defeat the fear, Lady Roosa, because I say you will. So do it.”

My lids flipped up, and my breath caught. His irises smoldered at me. “You think I’m not trying?”

“I didn’t say try . I said do .” He stood and marched around the table, approaching my side. My heart went haywire.

“Give her a break,” Shiloh snapped. “She’s doing the best she can.”

“A break isn’t what her mother needs.” Cyrus kept his gaze glued on me as he crouched beside my chair, becoming my anchor in the storm. “Am I a liar? Do I spew falsehoods, even to spare myself trouble?”

“No, you never lie.” His nearness erased the rest of the world from my awareness.

Calm, quiet strength radiated from him, enveloping me.

I drank in his decadent scent. A calming fragrance I now knew originated here in Soal.

“You tell the truth, dishing as many clues as you can without endangering yourself or others. It isn’t your fault when someone reacts wrongly, which they regret with every fiber of their being. ” The confession left me in a rush.

“Correct.” He blinked with surprise but recovered quickly, readapting his stern demeanor as he cupped my cheeks. “Are you brave? Did you face down the emperor’s grandson to do what you perceived was right because of the damning evidence offered to you?”

I almost believed he might possibly be saying he’d already forgiven me.

Almost. “Yes. I’m brave,” I boasted, gripping his wrists to hold him close to me.

Uh-oh. Shiloh wilted. I tried to release Cyrus out of respect, I did; but I failed in that too.

“Is there a secret to success? A hot new tip? A tried-and-true process? Am I doing something wrong?”

“Anytime you open a new book, your readiness is tested. You must be willing to do what it says, even if it seems foolish. Sometimes it’s easy to pass, sometimes it’s difficult.”

I swallowed a whimper. “But I suck at tests.”

“You’ve been acing mine.” Cyrus flashed the world’s fastest grin.

“Forget everything else and simply study the seal. Let it unveil itself to you. It wants to.” He released me, forcing me to release him too.

He straightened partway and gripped the edge of the table and an arm of my chair, then pivoted to tap the cover of the book.

“Whatever you see or hear or feel, do not draw back in fear. Press on, and the book will open.”

Forget. Study. Press on. “Got it.” I nodded for emphasis.

Breathing deep, I homed in on certain details. The leather and its three nicks. The circle. The seven broken lines inside it, each embossed in gold.

Mom is in danger.

I squirmed in my seat.

She might die.

Gah!

“Look deeper,” Cyrus said.

My eyelids narrowed, and my gaze zeroed in on the lines. Wait. There were lines inside the lines. Something about them prodded the back of my mind. What, what?

Was that—I frowned, focusing on the tip of the center line. Yes! Another line was growing, as if a seed had been planted inside it and a sprout had just broken through the surface.