He gritted his teeth as a spike of pain pierced behind his eyes, a dull throb that bloomed with each heartbeat. He staggered a step back, his shadows reluctantly retreating into his palms as Keryth pushed his magic into Atlas’s mind.
Shadows still flickered faintly around his wrists, responding to his unease.
Atlas lifted his chin, eyes steady. “We need to speak.Alone.”
Keryth arched a brow. “Do we?”
“I came here because of my love for your daughter,” Atlas said. “Elowynne is worth more to me than just an alliance. You’ll have more than a shadow-wielding weapon if you grant me a moment. But not in front of your court.”
A tense silence followed. The king studied him as his hands clasped at his front, and the longer Atlas sat beneath his stare, the more wary he became.
At last, Keryth gave a single nod. “Clear the room.” His eyes traced up and down Atlas’s body. “It appears this is to be a private conversation with my son-in-law. King to king.”
Atlas nearly sighed in relief as the demand left Keryth’s lips, even though the last few words came out in more of a mocking tone than anything else.
“My king,” Varis started. “I must protest leaving you alone with a possible enem?—”.
“And I must protest you finishing that sentence,” Atlas cut him off. “We are guests here at the elven court. You will mind your tongue and do as commanded.”
Varis’s lips pressed into a thin line, looking like he was considering protesting once more, but finally, he gave a slight nod.
Boots echoed across the polished floor as robed attendants and armed soldiers of both kingdoms swept out. The heavy doors sealed behind them with an echoingthud.
A single guard from both Lephyrin and Sumnae remained, guarding the door, the tension between them evident in their stances.
Keryth’s eyes met Atlas’s then, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You have my attention.”
Gods, where the fuck do I even start?
He swallowed thickly, a lick of sweat racing down the back of his neck. “I know how my father was seen in the eyes of the realm, and I assure you, I am in agreement. I want you to know that I’m not Barrett. I’m not my father, nor do I ever plan to be. But people I love were taken from me, and I plan to get them back by any means necessary. This threat isn’t one I can take on alone, as the creature that once roamed the depths under Blackwood’s command isn’t what we’ve thought she was.”
“What could that possibly mean? Does this have anything to do with the nightmare from your ball?” Keryth said, clasping his hands in front of him as he stared Atlas down. “Word of what happened obviously made its way to Sumnae and Terrana the moment their ships made port. It seems your king couldn’t even hold a successful execution.”
“Blackwood had a daughter, and she’spowerful. More powerful than any being I’ve ever come across before.” Atlas sucked in a breath through his nostrils as he searched for the words. “Sheis the reason the execution was unsuccessful and why the masquerade turned into a bloodbath. Their crew managed to sneak into the castle.”
“And to think you believe yourself to be worthy of my daughter.”A laugh slipped from Keryth. “I called her home, you know. Elowynne refused to return to Sumnae. I demanded she come home, and yet, she chose some slut of a prince over her own kingdom.”
Atlas’s mind emptied at the words.
Elowynne was supposed to go home?She defied her own father for him?Fucking Irah, he loved that female.
“All of that aside,” he growled. “My brother managed to capture Blackwood out at sea, evading the beast of the depths. And after the attack…”
Atlas had to choose his next words carefully. He didn’t want any other kingdom to know that his father had been illegally searching for Maerinys, and he refused to incriminate Draevyn, even still.
“When she couldn’t free Blackwood that night, she stormed our castle weeks later and murdered my father before the eyes of his court. She humiliated us and declared war. The woman is somehow connected to the kingdom that sank a thousand years ago. And in her rage, she brought it back to the surface when Blackwood wasn’t returned to her. Kaelypso is somehow a part of her, and both she and Naerysa have plans for the realm.”
“What you’re speaking of is impossible!” Keryth boomed, his voice echoing. He lifted a hand and pointed in Atlas's face. “You will return Elowynne to me. You will not be marrying her. She is to remain a princess of Sumnae.”
A blistering silence filled Atlas’s ears, his teeth clenching so tight he thought they would shatter. “Elowynne isn’t yours to take. She’s a woman of her own, and she can choose where to go once she is returned to us both. But that’s never going to happen if you don’t fucking listen to me. Herlifeis at stake.”
Atlas meant every word. If Elowynne no longer wished to remain in Lephyrin, then he would let her go, regardless of the heartache that would surely destroy him. He wouldn’t even be able to blame her if she wished to return here to Sumnae.
Keryth’s eyes softened as they traced up and down Atlas, his once stiff posture relaxing. “So, what exactly are we up against? Howis Maerinys raised from the depths? The gods haven’t walked among Rymelle’s soil since?—”
“Since the day the kingdom sank,” Atlas finished for him. He blew out a breath through his nostrils. “And it was brought to the surface by Blackwood’s daughter, Esmyra. If what I’ve been told about her is true, then she isn’t just some divine incarnation of Kaelypso. She’s a monster wrapped in the illusion of a woman. Now Naerysa hides in her kingdom they raised, and she’s supposedly somehowworsethan Kaelypso if reports are to be believed.”
“Reports from whom?”
