Page 28 of Fate of the Sun King

Nadir looks at my sister. “If only it were that simple.”

“We have to stop this,” Amya says, and she sounds so small.

“I know,” replies Nadir. “I know.”

He looks down at his plate and makes a show of returning to his breakfast, though I can see he’s not really eating. The rest of us follow suit, chewing quietly in the kitchen’s somber mood.

Nadir drops the piece of toast in his hand and stands up, planting his fists on the table’s surface.

“We have a few things we need to take care of quickly. Gabriel can give us only a little time before he’s forced to reveal our presence to Atlas. We need to accelerate our plans.”

Everyone’s eyes meet around the table. I can hear the strain in Nadir’s words. The news from The Aurora has shaken him, but he’s putting on his game face.

“Nadir,” Amya says, but he holds up a hand.

“The plan hasn’t changed. From the beginning, it’s been our intention to get Lor’s magic back so she can help bring Father down. That’s the only thing that ends this. And to do that, we need to understand who’s sharing the secrets of Heart around Ouranos and get Lor to the Mirror. Then we can focus on the rest.”

Nadir glares at his sister, who dips her chin in agreement.

“But we still don’t have a solid plan,” Tristan says.

“What we need is someone who knows the layout well enough to draw us a map with alternate entrances and exits to the throne room and the building itself,” Mael says.

“Gabriel,” I say, but Nadir shakes his head.

“Only as a last resort. I worry we’re already testing how far he can stretch this. If we ask him, we can never be sure when the line crosses into something he has no choice but to reveal to Atlas.”

Nadir looks at Amya. “Any ideas?”

“Actually, yes,” Amya says. “As luck would have it, I heard last night the future Sun Queen is looking for new lady’s maids. Apparently, she fired her entire staff because they were all, and I quote, ‘a bunch of ninny-headed fools without two brain cells to rub together.’ She’s holding interviews tomorrow. It might be the perfect opportunity to get us inside.”

I almost smile at that, imagining Apricia tearing up a storm in the palace. It almost makes me feel sorry for Atlas.

“I’ll do it,” Willow says, and every eye swings to her. “Well, it can’t be Lor. They’ll recognize her. Nor can it be Amya.”

“I could do it,” Hylene says. “No one there knows me by sight.”

“I have a feeling your skills are needed elsewhere,” Willow says. “This is something I can do, and I want to help. I’m sure I can convince this Apricia I have at least three brain cells.”

“It makes sense,” Nadir says slowly, but Tristan and I trip over each other’s objections.

“It’s too dangerous,” Tristan says.

“What if he figures it out?” I question, and Willow gives us both a sharp look.

“Oh, and everything you’re doing is safe? Stop it. I can do this. I can stay beneath anyone’s notice long enough to get a lay of the place.”

“Servants usually know all the best routes to go in and out,” Amya says. “It’s a good plan.”

“She looks too much like Lor,” Mael says. “What if they make a connection?”

“I can dye my hair,” Willow says, anticipating the comment. “I’ve always wondered what I’d look like as a blonde.”

She flips her still-short locks and smiles at me. “I want to do this for you, Lor. For all of us. I don’t have magic, and I’m no good in a fight, but this I can do.”

“But, Willow—”

“No,” she says, more firmly than I’ve ever heard her speak. “You and Tristan, you’re always the brave and selfless ones. You’re the one who protected me when those guards… You… They…”