Page 151 of Fate of the Sun King

“If that’s true, then why do we give the credit to Zerra?” Nadir asks.

“Perhaps it was just propaganda to make her seem more powerful and used to lure in followers,” Nerissa says. “The author does seem to think the Artefacts are more sentient than we normally give them credit for.”

“So they’re alive?” Tristan asks, and Nerissa shrugs.

“That’s why they talk to you,” Nadir says.

I nod. It had always been unnerving to understand how much they knew each time I spoke with them. “Maybe.”

“That doesn’t answer why they talk to Lor, though,” Tristan says.

Nadir’s gaze falls to me as though he’s trying to see through me. He shakes his head.

“I know.”

“Do you think it matters?” I ask. “Maybe it has something to do with my grandmother.”

“Perhaps,” Nadir says. “I think, for now, it’s just important we get to the Mirror and figure out what it has for you. If it’s the ark, then the next question will be what we do with it. If it falls into Cloris’s hands, what could she do with it?”

I shake my head. There’s something about this knowledge that’s bothering me. It feels like there’s a thread I’m missing, but it’s written behind a thick sheet of fogged glass.

Whatever the case, Nadir is right. We need to focus on the task at hand. One step at a time. One revelation at a time. Just like when we were in The Aurora, I sense there are still many parts of this story yet to be told.

A moment later, the back door to the house bangs open, and Mael and Etienne stride into the room.

“We received a note from Hylene,” Mael says. “She talked to Willow, and it isn’t good news.”

Mael hands the note to Nadir, who scans the missive as we all watch.

“What is it?” I ask after a moment.

“Hylene has confirmed the presentation will take place in the palace courtyard tomorrow morning as planned,” Nadir says. “But there will be a party for the VIP guests inside the throne room.”

“No,” I reply. “But that was our chance.”

“It says the party was supposed to take place in one of the back gardens, but they moved it inside at the last minute because they’re expecting rain tomorrow.”

“So what do we do?” I ask.

“We need a diversion,” Etienne says. “Something to draw everyone away.”

“What would be big enough to convince them all to leave? And even then, the guards will be trained to stay put,” Mael counters. “They know not to abandon their posts.”

“So we do away with the guards,” Nadir says. “And create a big enough disturbance to call the guests and the majority of the palace soldiers to the front, where everyone else will already be gathered.”

“The throne room is suspended over a cliff,” Amya says, her expression thoughtful. “What if part of it were to, say… collapse? I know the layout well enough. We could destroy the southern window without touching the Mirror. Everyone would be climbing over one another to escape.”

Everyone seems to consider this idea, but I say, “No. We aren’t killing off a bunch of innocent people who are there attending the bonding.”

Nadir pins me with a glare. “Those people aren’t innocent, Lor. They all stood by and watched you compete in those Trials, cheering for every moment of your suffering. They’re complicit in how Atlas treats the low fae, and while a handful might object in theory, none of them have ever lifted a finger to join the resistance.”

“And you have?” Tristan asks Nadir. While the two of them are starting to warm up to one another, it’s clear there’s a divide yet to cross.

“I’ve never claimed to be better than them,” Nadir growls. “But I’m the one who wants to help your sister, so right now, mine is the worthier cause. Agree?”

Tristan grunts but nods his head.

“That still doesn’t mean they deserve to be murdered in cold blood,” I say.