Page 10 of Fate of the Sun King

“Leave it to me,” Gabriel says, and my brow furrows with surprise. “As long as you keep up our end of the bargain.”

“What bargain?” Willow asks, her tone sharp. She’s also eyeing Gabriel with obvious misgivings, and after everything I told her about him, I don’t blame her.

“He wants to know everything,” I say.

“Oh great,” Willow says, throwing up her hands. “Just what we need. Another witness to our crimes.”

I nod at her words, which mirror my own thoughts.

“He said he’d consider not turning us in to Atlas if we tell him.”

“Why did you bring him here?” Mael asks. “If he plans to turn Lor in, is showing him our hiding place the best idea?”

He aims the question at Nadir, who shrugs. “He knows we’re in Aphelion now; finding us within its walls wouldn’t take long.”

Mael sighs and leans back in his chair, unconvinced but apparently resigned.

“Have a seat,” I say to Gabriel. “We might as well start at the beginning, I guess.”

Gabriel hesitates at first, then settles into one of the armchairs, perching on the edge and staring at me.

“This better be good, Final Tribute.”

Over the next while, I fill Gabriel in on some of the particulars about my past, careful to carve around some of the more significant points. I don’t know whose side he’s on, but I reason I can share the same details Atlas must have. He can learn it from me or the Sun King. I keep the bits about my trapped magic and the Crown a secret. Nothing good would come of that information falling into the wrong hands.

I do tell him who I am.

That I’m the grandchild of Serce, the Heart Queen who tangled with forbidden magic and nearly ruined everything. That I’m the Primary of Heart. He’s as shocked as Nadir and the others were when I told them the same thing weeks ago in The Aurora. He asks all the same questions. Makes the same comments.

The baby died. There were no heirs. All of it was a lie.

When I’m finally done, the room goes quiet as everyone watches my former warder, wondering what he’ll do. Several emotions cross his face as he pieces these fragments together. I know what he’s thinking. This finally explains Atlas’s strange interest in me during the Trials. Why he was so intent on me winning, and why he lost his shit when the Mirror rejected me. It probably explains some things going on in the Sun Palace that I have no idea about.

Finally, after several moments of silence, Gabriel speaks. “But why are you here in Aphelion? You must know that being here puts you in danger.” He looks around the room. “And who are all these people?”

“Oh, come on. I’m hurt,” Mael says, pressing a hand to his chest. “Surely it hasn’t been that long?”

“I don’t mean you,” Gabriel says, his voice rough. “You two.” He squints at Willow and then at Tristan before looking at me. “These are your friends. From Nostraza.”

“I… How did you know that?”

“I remember them from the fourth Trial.”

“You saw that?”

“Yes,” he says, his expression grim, but he doesn’t elaborate further. “But it seems pretty obvious now that you’re related.”

“Yes, this is Tristan and Willow. My brother and sister. The prince helped me ‘liberate’ them from the prison.”

He looks me up and down before he addresses Nadir. “The prince. And did the prince also ‘liberate’ you from the Sun Palace? I’ve been wondering how you managed it.”

Nadir’s mouth hooks up at the corner, a sparkle of glee in his eyes. “Gabe, don’t pretend you didn’t intentionally reveal who she was. You practically handed me an engraved invitation to steal her.”

Gabriel’s mouth presses into a flat line.

“What?” I ask. “What are you talking about?”

Nadir arches his brow. “During the Sun Queen Ball. Remember when he grabbed you? He very conveniently moved the shoulder of your dress so I could see the brand from Nostraza. It was only a second, but I’d bet money he did it on purpose.”