Page 146 of Fate of the Sun King

“Destiny has offered me the means to fix the mistake that was made, so don’t presume to stand there with that look on your face, judging me, Gabriel.”

“I’m not judging,” I lie. “I’m just trying to understand.”

Atlas looks me over, the corner of his mouth twisting up into a cruel smile.

“Lor is going to help me find an object that will allow me to bond with her,” he says, and I get the sense he’s been dying to say these words out loud.

Atlas has lived alone with his lies and his murky version of the truth for so long that he needs someone else to become a part of his narrative just to ease his isolation. Despite living in a golden palace surrounded by hundreds of servants and advisors and courtiers, the Sun King is a lonely, lonely man.

“What is it?” I ask, furrowing my brow.

“It’s an amplifier that will allow me to reverse the Mirror’s decision and seize the power I’ve been denied.”

“What?” A cold dread slithers through my veins.

“When I get Lor back, I will make her find it and use it to bond with her, and I’ll finally be the true king of Aphelion.”

I do my best not to react. Internally I’m screaming. What is going on here? Is anything he’s saying true? Has he lost his mind?

“How do you know about this?”

Atlas gives me a patronizing smile, but I don’t miss the touch of wildness that’s entered his eyes. He’s been slipping away for months, and now I wonder about the real monster living under his skin.

“It doesn’t matter,” he says. “All you need to know is that we must find Lor, and then everything will finally be as it should.”

I step back because several things are clicking together.

“What do you mean, ‘true king of Aphelion’?” I finally ask, my voice raw. “What about Tyr?”

Atlas tips his head, peering at me with an expression that makes my blood turn cold. He walks over to the window and peers out.

“That’s another benefit of this plan. I will finally be rid of him.”

“No.” The word slips out without my meaning to, and then Atlas turns to me with a patient smile that feels as honest as a thief with stolen jewels tucked under his floorboards.

“Oh, Gabe,” Atlas says. “I know you’ve always hoped you’d get your precious Tyr back and you two might get another chance to be happy. But I assure you that getting rid of him has always been in my plans.”

I take another step. No. I can’t let this happen.

“Do you still love him?” Atlas asks, approaching me now. “After all this time, does your light burn for him the way it once did? Do you still pine for a king who is nothing more than bones and skin? A hollow shell of a man? Do you think he remembers how he feels?”

My forehead breaks out in panicked sweat as he stalks closer.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, the words coming out as a whisper.

Atlas knows he’s picking at all my fears and worst anxieties. My feelings for Tyr that I’ve tried to push down for so long. In spite of everything, a small part of me hoped he’d break free of this cage and return to himself one day. Deep down, I have always known Atlas would find a way to get rid of him. But still, hearing it confirmed chips out a permanent piece of my heart.

“You can’t do that,” I hear myself saying, and Atlas doesn’t even bother to correct me, because we both know I have no power here.

“Where is she, Gabriel?”

I swallow hard, trying to bury my response.

The strain of my lies cinches a band around my chest, and it’s the slightest movement. The slightest squeezing of my eyes and the barest hitch in my breath, but Atlas sees it.

Atlas, who sees almost nothing, finally sees this.

“Where is she, Gabriel?” he asks again, approaching me now, his gaze scanning me from head to toe, shredding me apart bit by bit.