Kingdom Above the Cloud

by Maggie Platt

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Calix said quietly, sounding like something was caught in his throat. “You are right.”

  “Now, it’s not too late. She still lacks your crown and Xanthe’s rose. Perhaps you could help her with both. This will be your greatest challenge yet, but I am confident you are up to the task. Woo her. Win back her affections. And do it soon. Understood?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” the boy responded with great relief.

  “Good. She is with Xanthe tonight. She may earn her rose before you have a chance, but I have my doubts. Xanthe has not been her normal self recently. She seems to have lost her will to win, her appetite for power. My guess is that Tovi will return to you tomorrow, rose-less but knowledgeable enough to have something to work with. Use this, Calix. Do this for me.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. Of course. Consider it done.”

  “Good. Now run along.”

  Calix prepared to leave just as Rhaxma entered. Their eyes met, and the king was fascinated by the energy exchanged. Nonchalant coldness from Calix. Burning hot desire from Rhaxma. One side of his lip curled up. Very few things were as entertaining as the imbalance of unrequited love, and it was this lopsided affection that had caused him to call both to his throne this evening. The idea for this little game had come to him earlier in the day as he observed Xanthe’s distant and uninvested teaching methods. Today had been her chance, her opportunity, to mark the Adian. A few months ago, she would have been ravenous with her appetite for victory. What had happened? He tucked that question away to consider more thoroughly later.

  When he was alone with Rhaxma, Damien smiled fully in her direction. He knew she was hurting. It was the prime opportunity to mold her pain into something constructive like Wisdom or Power. He put on his most fatherly and kindly demeanor. “Good evening, my dear girl. We have something very important to discuss.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty. How may I serve you?” He noticed an extra glitter in her eyes. Tears. Good, she was ripe for this type of assignment.

  “Your lesson for Tovi was absolutely brilliant,” he said tenderly. “Creative. Astounding. Unrivaled. I have not stopped thinking about your skill and potential. I think it is time that you step beyond your title of Master of Perfection. You could be great and so much more.”

  Rhaxma blinked several times. This was clearly not what she expected from being summoned here late in the evening. “Thank you, Your Majesty. But, what do you mean?”

  “You will wear a crown someday, Rhaxma. You deserve it. Whether it is Adia or the Sea or the Desert to the North or somewhere yet undiscovered, you will be a queen, ruling side-by-side with my descendants. I want to mentor you, invest more time in you and our future. To prepare you for that day, you must hone the skills beyond Perfection.” He let this sink in for a moment.

  The tears were gone, replaced by shimmer and energy. It was as if he could see the visions sparking in her imagination.

  “I want you to start with the rose. Xanthe failed to mark Tovi yesterday, and I’d like to see what you can do. This is a prime opportunity for you to teach her what her body can do, especially when there is something she wants to gain. I would start with identifying what she most desperately wants, and then pinpoint someone who could give it to her. Teach her what she must do to gain what she wants. Do you understand this new challenge?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. I think so.”

  “Good. Keep it just between us. I don’t want the others knowing you are receiving special attention and instruction. However, I look forward to hearing about your success. Now, I must go to bed. Good night.”

  She nodded and left the chamber.

  When he was alone, Damien stared at the muraled wall without really seeing it. His thoughts bounced from Calix to Rhaxma and back again. Who would succeed? Or would they unknowingly work together?

  Yes, he wanted Tovi to have all the marks, but this game was really about something more. His own offspring may never show enough desire to be worthy of his crown. He needed a backup, and the winner of this new game would be the new focus of his attention.

  A face popped into his head, quite uninvited. The slow uncurling of grief nearly took his breath away. Lena. She should have been queen someday. His little girl. Oh, what he would do to go back and keep her safe.

  CHAPTER 31

  Tovi gasped. “Bury bodies?” She was revolted by the thought.

  Hesper asked urgently, “What happens when someone dies in Adia?”

  “I was there when my grandfather died. I watched it happen. He grew very faint, like he was suspended between this world and another. Then suddenly he was completely gone. All those people in the dungeon, the ones who were old or had been beaten, they must have died. People in Adia say that we disappear and go on to a different world where we have an adventure with Adwin.”

  “Maybe our theory about the hearts is true then,” Hesper said in wonder.

  Zephne added, “We think that the hearts somehow mean we belong to Adwin. All of us have the heart, and we suspect many others do as well—even some of the Masters, like Xanthe. If the prisoners all have a heart, and having the heart means you belong to Adwin and his adventure, then it suddenly makes sense. Most of the people on this mountain who would disappear to this adventure would be the people in that prison.”

  “There’s more to our theories, too,” Hesper said. “Tell her about the mural, Thad.”

  Thad nodded. “My family is one of the oldest and richest on the mountain. My grandfather is Damien’s closest friend. I practically grew up in the palace, and I still have to go frequently to keep my cover. I’ve been in the throne room a million times. It’s this massive place—it is sometimes used as a ballroom—and all four walls are covered in one enormous mural. It’s a story that you can follow as you walk around the perimeter. There is one man painted into almost every scene, and I figured out that he represents Adwin. As children we were taught that Adwin was evil and abandoned us, but I have seen the story. That’s not what it looks like at all. It looks like the people here kicked him out.”

  “Yes.” Tovi nodded. “That’s close to what I have always been taught. I was told that the people here didn’t want him, so he allowed them to have their freedom. He left the mountain only because they didn’t want him here.”

  Thad smiled and clapped his hands one time. “That’s exactly what it looks like.”

  “Do you know the end of the story? What do they tell you happens after that?” Zephne asked.

  “He created Adia for his followers who left the mountain with him, he went into hiding, and now we have to search for him if we want to find him.”

  “No,” Lyra said patiently. “After that. Do you know what’s next?”

  “Next? What do you mean? How could I know the future?” Tovi asked.

  Thad continued, “There is a heavy red curtain covering something. There are guards stationed in front of it, so it’s impossible to know what’s behind it. We have made it our mission to find out what Damien is hiding behind that curtain, and we thought maybe you would know.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know anything beyond what I have told you,” Tovi responded, disappointed that she couldn’t reward these kind people with the answers they so desperately sought. “If your family is so close to King Damien, why don’t you just ask?”

  Thad laughed. “Well, I pretend that I’m a drunk who is wasting away my life while living in my parents’ house, even though I’m already twenty-eight and should be out on my own as a Master.” He turned so Tovi could see his exposed back. There was no heart in the middle. “Everyone thinks I have no ambition and am happy just sitting around drinking my father’s wine. If I suddenly asked questions about that curtain, it would raise questions and put my work with the HH in jeopardy.”

  They continued to share stories well into the night. When it came time to pull their cloaks on, Tovi was embraced by each member of the HH. They asked her to return as soon as she could without getting into tr
ouble. The rest of the group divided loaves of bread, jars of honey, and a small stash of vegetables to take back to their families.

  Xanthe and Tovi quietly made their way back to Xanthe’s house. Her parents were already asleep, and Xanthe took Tovi straight to her own private wing. After donning soft pajamas, they lounged in her room and talked long into the night.

  “Do you know why Calix brought you here?” Xanthe asked.

  “I thought he cared about me, that he was offering me a different life. I know now that it was probably an assignment from King Damien.”

  “You’re much smarter than they give you credit for, but it was more than just an assignment. It was a contest. About six months ago, King Damien gathered several of us younger Masters, one for each of his symbols. He named us the Council of Masters, and he told us that he had a great task for us with an unprecedented reward. It didn’t go very well. None of us succeeded. Recently he added more incentive.”

  “Six months ago? But that’s around the same time as Tali left. Do you think it is connected? What was the contest?”

  “Mark an Adian. The first Master to have their symbol on an Adian and bring them to the mountain would win the prize.”

  Tovi gasped. “Do you think Tali was brought here after being marked?”

  “No, I would have heard about it if someone marked him.”

  “Well, then, what happened?” Tovi asked, trying to hide her relief that Tali was not involved.

  “Calix is too much of a perfectionist to jump right in, and Leeto is too much of a strategist. They both waited for quite some time and gathered information before even approaching Adia. On the other hand, Eryx charged right in. He has been spying on your village all this time, looking for the person he would try to mark. But something changed in him. None of us know what happened, but he became more subdued. He continued to travel to Adia, but he never spoke to anyone there, and he practically stopped speaking to people here. It’s like he’s in his own little preoccupied world. He doesn’t allow people to get near him. His eyes changed color, and he shaved his head. That’s when I started thinking about my color theory.”

  “What color theory?”

  “Look at Jairus and me. His sister, Lena, was the one born with these colors. Jairus used to have two-toned hair, half brown and half maroon, split right down the middle. At some point when he was very young, he took on Lena’s yellow hair and purple eyes. Even though she has been gone all these years, he still has her colors. I have had Lena’s colors since I met Jairus. There has to be a connection between our loyalties and our colors. Something about Eryx’s loyalty must have changed while he was in Adia.”

  “It makes sense. I love my brother more than anyone in the world, and we have the same colors. And look at Leeto and Rhaxma’s family,” Tovi said. Then after a pause, she changed the subject. “What brought you to the Hidden Heart?”

  Xanthe played nervously with her own fingers and looked down at her lap. “I’m ashamed to say that I unleashed all of my wiles on someone in your village. I thought I had him, too. I can be very persuasive when I want to be. But I was wrong. Just when I thought he would act on his impulses, he turned away. I couldn’t believe it. No man had ever walked away from me, and that’s when I realized that this Adwin of yours—if he really existed—had to be more powerful than any of us realized. Just the thought of him gave that boy a strength that none of the men on this mountain have ever had. I came back, and that’s when I went looking for the Hidden Heart. I had heard of people who believed in Adwin, and I was determined to find them.”

  Without thinking, Tovi rubbed her shoulder where her marks still prickled.

  “They hurt, don’t they?” Xanthe asked. “People who have the heart in their hand and the marks on their back, just like us, are the only ones who feel them. It’s one of the things they taught us in school. The pain goes away if you can get rid of the heart, and you can get rid of the heart by believing their stories of evil Adwin. I don’t know why, but I’ve just never been able to totally buy into what they told me. I’ve always held onto this tiny sliver of hope that there is something—someone—better out there.

  “Listen, I know I hinted at this already, but I want to make sure you understand the importance of avoiding the rest of the marks. Damien has given us a new challenge. He wants you to have the full ring—all seven symbols. He also wants you to lose the heart on your palm. If that were to happen . . . ” she trailed off, unable to find the right words to break the terrible news.

  “What? What will happen?”

  Xanthe sighed. “I really like you, Tovi. I’m going to do everything I can to protect you. But you must avoid those marks. If you don’t, they’re going to kill you and take your body back to Adia when the army goes to conquer it.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Megara sat at the patio table, irritated that she had to waste her time on this pointless lesson task. Every few minutes she coughed, leaving black specks on her handkerchief. She barely listened to King Damien’s speech aimed at the Adian brat.

  “Today we have a very important lesson in store for you. It is all about Wisdom, the mark that looks like a sturdy chain. What would the world be like without wisdom? We would all be fools, Tovi. Fools about life and love and success. Wisdom is one of the keys to our perfect little world,” King Damien began as they finished their breakfast. “I have brought Megara here today because she is the absolute finest example of someone who lives a life brimming with the fruit of wisdom. By the end of the day you will have a much better understanding of our world and your place in it. Now run along, you two. There is much to learn!”

  Megara stood and began walking down the path toward the courtyard carrying a small sack. She wished Tovi would hurry up so they could get this lesson over with. There were much more important things on her mind.

  The night before had proven to be most informative for Megara, and she was trying to decide what to do with her new information. Struggling to fall asleep because of her chronic cough, she had gone out to her balcony to get some fresh air. Movement in the courtyard below caught her by surprise. Looking closely, she realized it was Xanthe and Tovi arriving at Xanthe’s house, just next door. Curiosity awakened within her, and she was consumed with the need to know what they had been up to. Staying in the shadows, she moved to the far edge of her balcony, only twenty feet from Xanthe’s open window. She heard their entire conversation.

  What would she do with this knowledge? What would King Damien think when he found out the future Queen Xanthe had the heart in her palm? Megara’s insides purred with satisfaction. But for now, she must focus on her pupil.

  Without any sort of introduction, Megara began to speak, looking straight forward and walking at a brisk pace. She could have been talking to herself for all the acknowledgment she gave Tovi.

  “The key to understanding Wisdom is accepting that life will never be the way you want it. Others will always be better than you. They will have the things and people you want. There are not enough men, meals, drinks, or gold to make you happy. You must give up nonsensical dreams of happiness. Happiness is a mirage, something to forever chase and never reach. There will always be pain, heartache, misfortune, and loss. There will never be enough of anything for everyone.”

  They stopped on the corner of two dingy streets in the Bottom Rung. Children ran through the alleys wearing threadbare shoes. Bakers and merchants called out to passersby in coarse language. Megara watched Tovi closely. The Adian’s eyes seemed to be caught by a group of men in gray uniforms who were sweeping and clearing trash from the gutters outside of a worn-down building with a swinging green sign.

  “Look at them, Tovi. They are not worthy of any position in this entire kingdom except cleaning the muck off these streets. That is their role. It is their identity. They are worthless without their ability to work. Do you think they want that life? Of course not. But it’s all they get.”

  Megara clapped her hands loudly. The commotion around her still
ed, and all eyes turned in her direction. A woman with hot pink hair came out of the closest building, and a small girl peeked around her skirt.

  “You, woman, come here!” she called. The mother, with her daughter still clinging to her, walked a few paces into the street, looking unsure and glancing several times at Tovi.

  Megara opened the small sack in her hands and drew out several heavy gold coins. In a suspiciously sweet tone she asked, “What would you do with these if I gave them to you?”

  “I—I don’t know. Probably new clothes for my children. Some extra food for the pantry.”

  Megara turned toward the small girl and bent down so they were on eye level. “Do you want this, child?” She held her laden hand out.

  The little girl pulled her fingers out of her mouth and tentatively reached toward the sparkling coins. As she was about to touch them, Megara pulled her hand back and straightened up. “Too late. I’ll keep them.” She put the coins back in the sack and turned to Tovi. “That is how life works. When something seems too good to be true, it is. When things look to be going your way, they aren’t really. All we have in life is what we’ve earned and a tiny bit of luck.”

  She looked closely at her student. Tovi was very quiet, but her eyes were scrunched in anger. “Do you feel sorry for them?”

  Tovi remained quiet, eyeing the people that had gathered along the street.

  “Answer me!” Megara demanded.

  Tovi waited a beat and then swung her glance up to Megara. “Of course, I do, but not as much as I despise you,” she said quietly, grabbing the sack out of Megara’s hand and tossing it at the feet of the pink-haired woman before Megara could register what was happening. “You’re miserable and loathsome. I’d rather be a fool than die a little bit every day for the sake of your wisdom.”

  Megara brought her face so close to Tovi that she could see the details of the little purple star in her eye. Every nerve in her body prickled with a mix of sickly shame and enraged pride. But she refused to show it. Not to this wretched Adian. “I know things, Tovi. Things that will break you. You’ll be sorry you didn’t play along with this little lesson. I have other ways to teach you. Soon enough you will understand wisdom.”