It wouldn’t just stain his brother’s name, but also Atlas’s reign.
He forced his features into stone, knowing he couldn’t afford to let Keryth see even a flicker of doubt as he lied and said, “My brother isn’t missing. He’s absent on my orders and hunting Kaelypso.”
The lie tasted rancid, but if the elven king thought for even a breath that his own blood had turned against him, the rumor would spread like wildfire. The realm would question his control, his judgment, and even his crown.
Inside, Atlas was at war with himself. He didn’t want to play politics, but he forced the mask of a king over his face, knowing the wrong truth spoken aloud could be the beginning of his undoing.
Keryth’s brow furrowed, his eyes sharp as he studied him. “And you plan to go against gods?” he asked, his tone full of doubt. “Do you and your men even know what you’re walking into? You’re not equipped for this. Us elvens likely aren’t either. You’re charging blindly into a battle that will get you killed before you even reach Elowynne.”
“I don’t care,” Atlas said through his teeth. “I have to try.”
“The sea is no longer deemed safe. Kaelypso has likely found a way to remove those cuffs by now,” Keryth added. “Which is yet another issue we have, regarding how you possess such an item in the first place. It will be brought to Rymelle’s Table.”
Fuck. The Table of Kings? It hadn’t been used in centuries, only necessary when disagreements were had among rulers in an attempt to prevent war. His own fucking father was never even called to it, andhewas the one who dug up the velsinyte in the first place.
Fantastic. I’ve been king for a month, and this has already happened.
“Whatever advantage you think you have, may already be gone,” the king finished.
Before Atlas could say a word, Varis stepped forward. “If I may speak, King Keryth, even if she were able to break free of the cuffs… we took measures to ensure she wouldn’t be a threat.”
Atlas’s eyes flared, shadows exuding from the corners of the room. He forced it down, trying to seem as calm and controlled as possible.
What the fuck could Varis have done to preventthat?
His hands flexed at his sides, but his words were steady. “Indeed, we did,” Atlas echoed.
Varis bowed before Keryth. “It was to protect our men on the journey here, and your kingdom once we arrived.”
“And what measures are you speaking of?”
Varis clasped his hands behind his back as he took a step forward. “A small piece of the substance was sewn beneath her flesh,” he admitted coldly. “A fragment left as a precaution, so if she were ever to break free, she would still be powerless and easily obtained once more.”
Atlas’s mind emptied. Every instinct screamed to tear Varis apart.
His advisor—the man who was supposed to be his right hand—had acted behind his back, lied, and taken actions without his king’s approval. He knew he couldn’t fully trust the man, but this… this was a betrayal on a level he hadn’t imagined.
Had he done anything like this while Atlas’s father was king? He highly fucking doubted it.
How had Varis even done it? When?! If he had sewn it into her flesh it must’ve been in an area she couldn’t reach.
“Remind me, Varis,” Atlas started, every word carefully measured. “Where again was this placed within her?”
“Her spine, Your Majesty.”
Atlas’s jaw ached from clenching it so tightly, his hands twitching at his sides as he desperately worked to keep his shadows at bay. He had to maintain the façade of control, of composure, or Keryth might notice something was off between them.
Yet inside, Atlas was consumed by the knowledge that Draevyn would never forgive him for this.
Sure, he may have considered extreme measures to stop her, to protect the realm and kingdoms… Esmyra was to be hung for her crimes if she stayed in Lephyrin’s hold. But to carve into her flesh? To violate the woman’s body? The thought made his stomach tighten with revulsion. No. Atlas would never—couldnever—let that happen to a woman. Not anyone. Not even to the goddess who raced into their lives like a violent storm and tore apart everything he’d ever loved.
What would I do if someone violated Wynne?
He pictured the scene: of his love being held down against her will, her bare skin on display for her attackers, a blade sliding across her skin and the blood that would well.
His fury boiled hotter, mixing with the shame he felt for even imagining it. The audacity of Varis’s actions were beyond comprehension, and yet the knowledge that it had been done under his own watch ignited a fire in him he could scarcely contain.
And if Draevyn wanted to burn their world for what had beendone to her, he would understand. Atlas would cast their world in darkness and let them wither away to nothing if anyone eventhoughtof doing that to his wife.
