Page 159 of Fate of the Sun King

“What do you think’s going to happen?” I ask, stretching up on my tiptoes to see over the crowd.

“I have no clue,” Nadir says. “But stay alert. When the coast seems clear, we head for the gates.”

I nod, and then my gaze drifts to where Atlas and Apricia sit in matching golden thrones, taking a moment to really look at them for the first time since we arrived. They’re both trussed up in gilded finery, their clothes so stiff their movements appear stilted. A gold tent provides shade from the beating sun, though I can see clouds rolling in the distance. Dozens of guards surround them, their hands on their swords and their eyes scanning the crowd for threats.

I suspect Atlas must be nervous sitting out in the open with the rumors of Erevan and the low fae planning to riot whispered in every corner of the city. Gabriel said his big reveal would also support their cause, though the words were so difficult for him to articulate, he began coughing hard enough to bring up blood. I wonder if this has something to do with what’s in the mysterious tower Willow caught him sneaking in and out of.

Atlas has aged since I last saw him, thanks to the dark circles under his eyes, and I swear he’s lost weight. He appears on edge, his knee bouncing and his jaw clenching, while he scans the crowd as if looking for something. I sort through my thoughts about seeing him again. I’ve thought so much about the lies he told me. Those half-truths he led me to believe. The way he manipulated and tricked me. There was a time when I trusted him and believed in everything he told me. A time when I thought it might be me sitting there next to him, preparing to become a queen.

But he got me out of Nostraza, and whatever his ulterior motives, his scheming is responsible for me standing here right now next to the man I love. A man who’s about to embark on potentially the stupidest and most dangerous errand of my life.

Apricia is all beaming smiles as she welcomes another citizen of Aphelion who kneels at her feet and bows their head. But I can see how the smile doesn’t completely reach her eyes and the tight lines that frame her mouth.

After hearing what Halo and Marici said, it seems like the fairy tale in her head was just that—a vision built on nothing that has failed to materialize in the most spectacular way. I wonder what will happen if we manage to get out of here without Atlas noticing. The bonding is tomorrow. Will he be forced to go through with it?

Another person moves down the line, and I scan the crowd again, wondering where Gabriel and Erevan are.

Behind the dais is a small group of upper nobles, along with the fallen Tributes. I spy Tesni, along with Halo and Marici. Instead of being surrounded by a crush of bodies, they move freely between servants passing food and wine from golden trays. Hylene confirmed this morning the others are still gathering in the throne room, and as I peer up, I note the sky is growing darker with the promised threat of rain. Atlas and Apricia will be protected enough under the tent—it’s only the gathering crowd that will get wet.

I’m nervous, I think to Nadir, looking up over my shoulder at him. He leans down and nudges my hood aside, pressing his mouth to the curve of my throat.

I know. Not much longer, I’m sure.

I shift, feeling a bead of sweat run down the side of my face, both from the ballooning humidity and from the nerves twisting in my stomach. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so scared in my life.

A hush falls over the plaza, and my gaze meets Nadir’s. This is it.

We maneuver our way through the crowd and closer to the gate. Nadir lifts me up onto a stone barricade, allowing me a view over everyone’s heads.

At the end of the long golden rug stand three figures. Gabriel and Erevan flank a third High Fae male I’ve never seen before. Around them, the other nine warders fan out, forming a circle of protection. Beyond that Tristan, Mael, and Etienne bring up their rear.

The crowd suspends into perplexed stillness as Gabriel and the others approach the dais where Atlas and Apricia sit.

The stranger between Gabriel and Erevan is wearing a pair of glowing cuffs around his neck and wrists. He’s thin and frail, his gait shuffling and his shoulders rounded, though there’s a purpose in his expression that speaks to something noble. Like a once-grand castle where you can still hear music playing through its halls, but that has been abandoned to the decay of time and loneliness.

Who is that? I ask Nadir, who’s studying the third man and blinking rapidly like he’s seen a ghost materialize from the ether.

Gabriel, Erevan, and the warders all shuffle down the carpet as murmurs ripple through the gathering. There are gasps and small cries of surprise as people start dropping to their knees, their foreheads pressing to the ground in supplication.

Just as many are as confused as I am, looking around and seeking an explanation for what in Ouranos is going on.

“Nadir,” I whisper out loud this time. “Do you know who that is?”

Finally, he leans over and whispers in my ear.

“It’s Tyr,” he says, his tone uncertain. “At least, I think that’s him. It’s been so many years since I’ve seen him, and he looks different, but I think…”

He trails off, and I wonder if this is the first time the Aurora Prince has ever been at a loss for words.

“Who is Tyr?” I ask, but don’t get an answer, because Gabriel starts speaking.

“People of Aphelion!” he bellows, his voice carrying over the stunned crowd. “This king has been lying to you all for over a century! He is an impostor!”

Gabriel is having trouble speaking, just like he did earlier with Erevan. Sweat pours down his temples, and he clutches his chest, pain carved into every line of his features.

But he isn’t to be deterred.

“He forced us to lock up the true Sun King. He told you he died of the Withering, but it was all designed to deceive you. Atlas stripped him of his power and tricked you all into believing his lies.”