Page 96 of Fate of the Sun King

“Because he broke her,” Cloris said.

Oh yes, Rion had made a grave misjudgment in his treatment of the girl. She’d locked away her magic, and he’d tried and tried to pry it out. Cloris had stood by, watching her scream and writhe and cry. Watched her fight against him until he had no choice but to give up.

But rather than admit it, Rion had declared she was useless, and there was no point in bothering with her. If there was magic, then it was gone. But Cloris was sure the girl had merely been bent but not broken.

What she did know was the girl would forever be useless to her if she remained inside Nostraza. She’d tried again and again to make Rion try something else with her, but he refused, saying it was no use. He was afraid. He must have known what it meant that she’d withstood him.

Cloris had pleaded with him not to kill her, and he reluctantly agreed once she reminded him that if the girl died, the magic of Heart would transfer to someone else, and they might have no idea who. At least with her safely inside Nostraza, he could keep an eye on her and keep her contained.

It had been years, but Cloris knew the girl still lived. And now what she needed was to get her hands on her and undo the damage Rion had caused. It might be the only way to find the lost ark of Heart.

“What do you mean he broke her?” Atlas asked.

“I mean he tortured her until her magic… died.”

“There is no magic left in Heart,” he declared, but there was an edge to the words, as though he already realized they couldn’t be true. She’d never heard much about the Sun King’s intelligence, but he was astute enough to keep up with her at least.

“There is,” she whispered. “There is magic left if you know where to look.”

He blinked again, a wall dropping behind his eyes. She understood this was a lot to take in. Rion had reacted similarly.

“I still don’t understand what this has to do with me,” Atlas said, though she could tell he was eager to know just what it might have to do with him.

“You are not yet bonded,” Cloris said, and Atlas nodded slowly. “Do you really want to tether yourself to one of these simpering girls?”

“A bonding with the Heart Queen?”

Clarity flickered across his gaze like he’d wiped a fogged-over mirror with his sleeve and could finally see a glorious future shining in the distance.

“I know your truth,” Cloris said. “What did you do with your brother?”

She tipped her head and blinked at him, allowing him to fill in the uncomfortable pieces himself. Thanks to her connection with Zerra, Cloris had always known Atlas wasn’t the Primary. Until now, she hadn’t concerned herself with how exactly he’d claimed the title of king, but now she would use that knowledge to her advantage.

“My brother died of the Withering,” Atlas said. “Everyone knows that.”

The Withering was a rare affliction that affected only High Fae. It happened when their magic began to turn on them, essentially eating them from the inside. No one knew what caused it or why only certain Fae were afflicted, and there was no known cure. Sometimes Fae could live for decades with the Withering as it slowly chewed away at their bodies, while other times it came on suddenly, and a once-healthy High Fae would find themself dead within a few weeks.

The story was that the former Sun King, Tyr, had been one of those who’d succumbed quickly.

Cloris pressed her lips into a thin line, resisting the urge to fill the prickly silence between them. Let him be the one to hang himself.

“I’m in the middle of the Trials as we speak,” Atlas said, as though he wasn’t quite ready to accept what she was offering, poking her story with holes. “It’s too late.”

“Is it? Has the fourth test been completed?”

Again, she said nothing as she let him work through this process on his own. No, it was not too late.

“Let’s say I believe you. How would I bond to the Heart Queen? How would that work?” He sharpened his gaze and added, “What do you ask for in return for all of this?”

This was where Cloris had to play her cards carefully. She’d let too much slip to Rion in a moment of weakness. Her thoughts became so muddled sometimes, and he spoke so harshly to her that her tongue had loosened against her will. She’d revealed things she had never meant to. It wasn’t a mistake she’d make again.

“She is the key to finding something I’ve lost,” Cloris said. “Or rather, the sisterhood lost many years ago. Once I have her then I can use her to find this item, which will then allow her to bond to you.”

There. She hoped that sounded reasonable enough.

“What kind of object?” he asked.

“One of great power. One that can bend the will of the Artefacts. Once I have it, I will help you get everything you desire, and then I will return the object to where it belongs, with my goddess.”