Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
The splendor of our surroundings registered. Flowers of every color covered the dome’s ceiling. Buildings made of tinted stone-glass came in a multitude of shapes and sizes, some towering, some sprawling, but all glorious. People abounded, each laughing and dressed in exquisite finery—velvet, brocade and satin. Not a potato sack to be seen.
Once we passed the lively town, the flying podium picked up speed. The gold brick road ended at a great mountain topped by a breathtaking crystal palace, with a top that disappeared inside the dome’s greenery. Before I could wonder if I should risk getting trapped up there, we ascended.
I had a choice. Go up or jump. I went up. Those rainbow birds watched from the crystal perches, and yes, they still creeped me out.
Ian gave my hand another pat, his fingers lingering a little too long on the ring. “I wish to hear all about your adventures through Hakeldama. Especially your run-in with the monstra and lost a crimen. But first, you must be eager to see the male who raised you. I’m happy to say I can show you what he’s doing right this very moment.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Yes.” That. What I longed for more than anything. “Please.”
With no directing on our part, the sheet docked on a flat balcony near the top of the palace while my friends docked somewhere below.
Ian led me onto the balcony, through a set of arching double doors, and into a spacious room. The only things inside it were an elaborate throne made of crystal and a marble pool. Mist curled from the water, glittering. Even without a breeze, ripples moved over the surface. Energy charged the atmosphere, at odds with the soft, subtle scent of sweetness in the air.
Our boots thumped against the shiny floor as we approached the pool. The closer we came to it, the more my stomach churned. Fine hairs on my nape stood at attention.
Ian anchored a knee upon the ledge, bent over, and scooped water in both hands. Water he tossed into the air. Shockingly, the droplets didn’t fall. They drew together, forming a shimmery veil. Colors sparked inside it, an image forming.
How was this even happening? According to Jasher, Hakeldama had no magic.
“Daddy,” I cried when the image finished forming. He lay in bed, covered by the pink comforter, staring out the window. He’d lost weight he couldn’t afford to lose, and his eyes were sunken, his skin sallow. “Where’s the portal? I need to get home.”
“In good time, my dear,” Ian replied. “Good time. Look.”
I took in the rest of the scene. A uniformed policeman sat in the chair across from the bed, a notepad and pen in hand. Reading from the paper, he listed locations around the diner where I worked. “My deepest apologies, sir, but though we found her vehicle, we haven’t been unable to locate her bo—her.”
The cop almost said “body.” They thought I was dead. My father thought I was dead.
“You can see yourself out,” Daddy intoned. He sounded as if he’d given up the will to live. Looked it, too. Grief etched every line of his being.
I pressed a hand over my mouth. His lips parted as he geared to say more, but I never heard the words. The water droplets fell into the pool, and the image of him vanished. “Bring him back,” I croaked, a command as much as a plea.
“I’m sorry, my dear, but I can’t. I probably should have explained this beforehand, but the waters only reveal an individual once, for a specific amount of time.”
Homesickness seared the center of my chest.
“Thankfully,” he added, “I’ll be opening the portal tomorrow and personally ensuring your return to him.”
The Guardian’s eagerness wasn’t lost on me. Yeah, he was absolutely ready to be rid of a political rival.
I couldn’t blame him for taking such a route. Easy, quick, and done, no harm, no foul.
He held out his arm in invitation. “Until then, allow me to show you to your room. You can clean up, eat, and rest. In the morning after breakfast, I’ll take you to King Ahav’s journal and Queen Sandrine’s secret room, which we discovered mere days ago.”
The ring buzzed, something it had never done before, and I gasped.
“Moriah?” he asked, concerned.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. But what did the buzz mean? The fact that a “secret room” had been unearthed only after my arrival in Hakeldama, just like the private oasis, proved extremely curious, too. A coincidence that couldn’t be a coincidence. “Would it be possible to see the journal or ring now?”
He winced. “Unfortunately, a band of rebels was hot on your heels, and they must be dealt with before they manage to enter the city. You understand, I’m sure.”
“I do.” Having seen firsthand the cruelty of the rebels, I comprehended it was better to deal with them sooner rather than later. I forced a smile and accepted his offered hand. “In the morning is perfect.”