Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,56

whisper.

“Ah, you’ve always been my smart, little Walker; I just hope you don’t hate me when you learn the truth.” He ruffled my wild hair as though he were talking to a small child. “Here, have a drink. You must be parched after wrestling my guard out there.” His voice returned to a normal level and he gave me one of his Politician smiles. I tentatively took the cup from Josiah’s outstretched hand and took a sip. The water had a bitter taste.

“We are headed to the Capital and should be there in a few hours. Rest while you can, Ash.” He leaned in closer to me. I felt his bottom lip graze my earlobe, and I sucked in a labored breath. “I leaked word to Cyler and his men of your disappearance. They’ll be on their way soon. I’ll save you from this, Ash. I’ll do whatever it takes,” he whispered.

“Save me from what?” I asked. My voice was becoming hoarse and heavy.

“I’m going to save you from me.” Josiah said as darkness overtook me, and I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I woke in Josiah’s lap. The interior of the transport felt unfamiliar, and my mouth flooded with a metallic taste that made me nauseous. I felt disconnected from my surroundings and unsure of where I was.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” he murmured while petting me softly. Weeks ago, I would have reveled in the idea of waking up in Josiah’s arm, but everything felt wrong, just so, so wrong.

“What did you do to me?” I asked while sitting up and stretching. His eyes followed my movements hungrily, and I pushed myself as far away from him as I could and smashed my body against the door of the transport.

“You needed to rest,” he explained in an eerily calm tone.

I looked out the window and saw that we were quickly approaching a collection of tall buildings and modern adornments. The Empire was vastly different from the modest Dormas province and even more advanced than Galla. Josiah shook his knee anxiously, a habit he collected as a child when his father would grill politics and history into his mind.

“We are in The Confederation of Dasos, headed towards the capitol,” Josiah clarified. “We won’t be here very long; I’m sure they will want to move things along quickly.”

The transport stopped abruptly, and Josiah crawled out, yanking my hand with him. I felt wildly underdressed in my form-fitting olive dress from the Solstice Festival the night before. My discomfort made me remember my new family and what led to me being here. I was worried about Kemper and Jacob, were they hurt?

Josiah dragged me down the street, and the guards flanked us on each side. I felt suffocated by their towering, brooding attitudes and Josiah’s grip kept getting tighter and tighter. While walking, I thought I saw a glimpse of Cyler’s black, curly hair, but I quickly chalked it up to my mind playing tricks on me. There was no way they’d find me so fast.

Josiah pulled me into a tall, dome-shaped building, and my flat shoes clicked loudly against the styled tile. Everyone turned to look at us while we rushed past. Josiah ignored the curious stares of passersby and the eager secretaries wanting our information, so they could warn their superiors. We made our way down the brightly-lit hallways until Josiah came to a large, intricately-carved door and opened it, revealing a circular room full of men dressed in varying degrees of professional attire.

“Ah, Master Stonewell, I’m so happy to see that you were successful in your mission” an elderly man at the center of the circle exclaimed with a loud clap. I observed the old man openly. He had shoulder-length, white hair and bright grey eyes. The wrinkles on his face formed perfectly around his mouth, indicating that he either spent the majority of his life laughing or smiling.

“Yes, emperor Lackley. It was easy enough,” Josiah replied with a bow while pulling my arm down, wordlessly begging me to follow suit.

“So this is the girl that’s got Cyler Black’s attention, hmm?” He said while his eyes roamed the length of me. Emperor Lackley then exited the podium and walked towards us with a mild grin. He moved slowly, but the entire room had their eyes on him, curious what he would say. Once close enough, he spoke in a low tone. “Word has already gotten out that Cyler and his leadership council are here. I’m surprised at how