Page 160 of Fate of the Sun King

Atlas, who is slowly rising from his seat, stands frozen in place by the accusations Gabriel hurls his way. I see him flinch as each one lands and explodes against his chest.

Gabriel takes another lurching step towards Atlas, the warders surrounding him, all of their expressions hard. Each of them was forced into silence. I don’t know the limits of their tethers, but it seems they’re all struggling too, their breathing labored and their complexions sallow. But they stay by Gabriel’s side, and it’s clear Atlas doesn’t know what to do in the face of their mutiny, because he’s gone as white as a sheet.

“Gabriel,” Atlas says, his voice softer than I was expecting, like he can’t believe his friend would betray him this way.

“You made me do this,” Gabriel hisses at Atlas, flinging a finger at Tyr, who stands with his shoulders sagging and his hair in his face. “You’ve been killing him, and you made me do this!” Gabriel screams so loud that his voice cracks, and I feel the pain and anguish in it. Of everything he must have suffered under the grinding thumb of his king.

Gods, this explains so much about Gabriel.

Nadir’s grip tightens on my arm, and I look up to find him transfixed on the scene before us.

“People of Aphelion!” Gabriel shouts, rallying himself despite the way he’s laboring under this stress. “This king is a liar and an impostor. He’s been deceiving for years. Tyr is and always was your true king!”

Dark clouds roll in the sky and his words echo against a crack of thunder, like a curse sent from the heavens.

Words that can never be undone.

Words that can never be put back.

And then all hell breaks loose.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

As the realization of what we’re all witnessing sinks in, everyone loses their minds.

Atlas has been lying to everyone.

Nadir and I are shoved left and right, and I stumble against a large body. Pushing myself away, I try not to trample anyone, but we’re surrounded by chaos like we’ve been dropped into the middle of a churning, roiling ocean teeming with hungry sharks.

“Now’s our chance,” Nadir growls in my ear, his arm still banded around me. “Let’s go.”

We elbow through the crowd hand in hand, jostled from every side. People surge towards the center of the plaza, where Gabriel stands with Tyr, as the Sun King’s guards attempt to hold them back. I catch sight of Tristan and Mael moving in with their weapons poised.

The energy around us paces into a feverish swell of emotion.

People are angry and shocked and confused. But most of all I taste it, because it’s a flavor I know so well—the sour bite of betrayal from a king with bright blue eyes and a honeyed smile who was lying to their faces the whole fucking time.

It seems to take forever to make it through the press of bodies, but finally, we squeeze through, emerging at a less densely crowded spot.

I scan our surroundings, noticing the guards lining the palace have all moved in to help quell the uprising.

As we continue to muscle our way to the gate, I worry about Gabriel—he was clearly about to collapse from the weight of revealing Atlas’s lies. This is the price he’s been forced to pay all these years.

Tyr is alive, and Atlas was never the true king of Aphelion. All of the warders must have known. All of them forced to be complicit in this crime. No wonder Gabriel is always such a dick. Now I understand why he didn’t run to Atlas the moment he spotted me. How long has he been working against his false king?

“Lor!” Nadir calls. “This way.”

My chest expands with relief when I spy Halo and Marici beckoning us towards them. Gabriel came through for us. In spite of everything, he delivered what he promised.

I fling off my cloak as we approach, revealing the gold palace livery beneath, as well as the bag strapped to my chest containing the Heart Crown. Willow managed to sneak us two sets of clothing to help us blend in, but Nadir absolutely refused to wear it, opting for his usual black and arguing that he could easily conceal himself with magic if needed.

I didn’t press the issue too hard this morning when we were dressing, but I did call him a drama queen before he started tickling me, and we both ended up wearing nothing as I rode him on the floor of my bedroom. Our bedroom. It wasn’t something we discussed when we decided we’d be sleeping next to one another every night, but it’s been that way since we returned from The Woodlands.

With our hands clasped and heads down, Halo and Marici flank us as we walk-run towards the palace. No one acknowledges us, too consumed by Tyr’s appearance to pay us any mind.

Inside, we come face-to-face with Hylene, who’s dressed like a proper Sun Palace courtier in gold from head to toe.

“Is it empty?” Nadir asks, and she nods.