He had to fix this. He had to dosomething.
Keryth’s gaze remained steady. “Be that as it may, I cannot risk sending my troops blindly into a battle against gods,” he said firmly. “Until more can be discovered, until we know the full scope of what we’re up against, my kingdom must remain protected.”
The words hit Atlas like a dagger to the heart.
“And my beloved Elowynne is likely already dead,” the king continued, his voice grim and certain, “if everything you’ve said is true.”
She’s not fucking dead. Atlas refused to believe it, and he couldn’t wait to prove it to the bastard.
Anger roared in his chest, but he swallowed it, forcing a controlled nod. “Understood.”
With that, he turned and strode from the throne room, suppressing the urge to lash out as shadows simmered above his shoulders.
He would find Elowynne, no matter what it took.
Atlas’s steps were heavy as he exited the palace, the air outside was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine as the breeze rolled off the mountains. Varis trailing silently behind him as his thoughts raced frantically, faster than he could even comprehend.
By the time they neared the docks, the tension had reached a breaking point.
“If you’ll allow me to explain,” Varis started.
Those words were enough to shatter the last thread of restraint Atlas had left.
With a roar, he whirled, seizing the man by the throat. Varis’s eyes went wide as he was lifted and slammed against the trunk of a nearby tree. Shadows slid out from beneath Atlas's palms, wrapping around his advisor and securing him tightly to the bark, but even then, he refused to loosen his hold on his neck.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” he spat, voice low andlethal. He brought his lips to the traitor’s ear. “Everything you’ve touched is poisoned. Every secret you’ve kept, every life you’ve endangered is a betrayal to me.”
Varis choked, sputtering, but Atlas’s glare pinned him in place. “You acted without me, without my knowledge. You violated her!” His grip tightened. “And in doing so, you’ve ensured my brother will never forgive what’s been done.”
Atlas glanced over his shoulder, noting all his men watching the exchange as they waited for orders at the ships.
Varis gasped and coughed, but even under Atlas’s iron grip, his voice found strength. “You’re blinded by so many things, my king,” he rasped, fighting for every breath. “Think. Draevyn left you. Lefteverythingfor her, including his kingdom. Was the position I possess not guaranteed to him once you took the throne? That was why you tried to be rid of me in the first place once your father was murdered.”
Atlas desperately tried to ignore the truth in his words.
“But face it, King Atlas, I’m all you have left. I’m the only one who knows the true secrets of velsinyte. How it works, and where to mine. I’m the only one who can help you navigate this. I acted alone, yes, but only because I knew what needed to be done. Kaelypso would’ve killed us all when she escaped if I hadn’t done it.”
Atlas’s mind screamed at him to crush the man’s windpipe then and there. But he stopped himself, eyes narrowing as he met Varis’s beady stare.
He could play this. Let Varisthinkhe was indispensable. Let him believe his king still relied on him and was lost otherwise.
Releasing just enough pressure to let him breathe, Atlas then straightened, smoothing the tension from his shoulders. He was sure to make his voice deceptively calm when he said, “You’re right. Perhaps I overreacted.”
He couldn’t help himself when he shoved the man away, sending him stumbling into the dirt. “We best get moving, then. Time isn’t on our side.”
It truly wasn’t. If Esmyra still didn’t have access to her power, there was no way in any hell Draevyn’s crew would be able to defeatthose soldiers of the sea alone. He had to catch up to them and try to fix this.
Varis’s chest rose and fell rapidly, relief mixing with a glimmer of triumph in his eyes.
The stupid fuck thinks he won.
Not only had he overstepped, but he betrayed his king. And Atlas would make sure his every word and action would be the man’s undoing.
But most importantly, he would do everything in his power to give Draevyn the pleasure of his demise.
With a cold, calculated patience, Atlas fell into step beside Varis as they made their way down to their fleet to sail south for Maerinys.
“Now, Varis,” he started. “Tell me everything you know regarding the mining of velsinyte.”
