Chapter Forty-Six Nadir The Umbra
The streets of Aphelion are alive with activity with the celebrations for the bonding well underway.
“Do you think he’ll meet with us?” Lor asks as we weave through the crowds a few hours later. It took a little bribery, but I managed to uncover the location of Erevan’s headquarters without too much fuss. It’s hard to predict how he’ll react when we arrive, but I’m taking a leap of faith that he won’t run to Atlas as soon as he lays eyes on Lor.
A riot is the diversion we might need to get inside the palace. People will get hurt, but that is inevitable. None of this can be stopped.
Ducking down a narrow alley, we approach a plain black door. It’s the entrance to a gambling den that runs around the clock. I’m told Erevan runs his activities from the basement, and I hope the information I’ve received is correct.
I knock on the door in a series of quick taps as I was instructed, and we wait.
Lor squeezes my hand, her gaze darting down the alleyway, and I smile at her, trying to ease her worries.
A cold dread slithered through my blood when I heard my father was in Aphelion. His presence is an ominous sign, but with any luck, we’ll be in and out of the palace before he knows we’re here. Why is he looking for the ark too?
The stress in my shoulders pulls so tight I’m on the verge of snapping right in half.
After we wait for what seems far too long, the door pops open. A low fae elf stands in the doorway, blinking at us.
“We’re here to see Erevan,” I say, and the elf sniffs as though he’s stepped in horse droppings.
“And who the fuck are you?”
“You can let him know the Aurora Prince is here to see him. I have a proposal for him.”
The elf narrows his eyes and gives me a once-over as if trying to validate my claim. To support my point, I allow the swirl of my magic to filter out, wrapping me in the tendrils of light that prove my heritage. I don’t know if this elf understands what he sees, but it’s enough to make his eyes widen.
“Fine. I’ll go see if he’s willing to talk to you.”
Then without another word, he slams the door in our faces.
“Rude,” Lor says. I can tell she’s trying to make a joke, but she’s so tense that it comes out wrong. She shakes her head, and I pull her towards me, wrapping my arms around her as she buries her face into the crook of my shoulder.
We stand there, and I can’t get over how right this feels. How perfect she feels. How much I want to protect and hold her like this forever and ever. Her entire body relaxes as she melts against me.
“Lor, I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” I say.
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” she replies.
“Or your siblings or anyone else.”
She sighs and clings to me tighter. “I know you believe that,” she says, looking up at me. “I know that’s what you want, but even you won’t be able to watch over everyone once we’re inside. Anything could happen.”
“I know,” I say, running a hand down the back of her head. “I’m just trying to be comforting. Work with me here—I’m not used to this.”
She snorts out a small laugh and cracks a tiny smile in spite of herself. I remember when I vowed to be the one to make her smile every day, and I still hope that’s a promise I’m able to keep.
Finally, the door opens again, and the same elf gestures to us.
“Come on,” he says, stepping aside to let us enter the dim hallway before he closes and locks the door firmly. “This way.”
We head down a set of narrow stairs where we’re forced to walk in a single line before we turn down another hallway.
We enter a tunnel interspersed with cobwebbed torches.
“Where are we going?” I ask, a sense of foreboding creeping down the back of my neck.
“To see Erevan,” the elf replies in an almost bored tone. “I thought that’s why you came.”
I resist the urge to make a pithy remark, because it would serve no purpose. It hardly seems like this elf’s plan is to drag us down here and clobber us to death.
Eventually, we emerge through the tunnel into a large chamber carved into stone that forms a dome over our heads.
The space might be cold and unwelcoming, except that a large fire burns in a hearth carved into the far end while thick woven carpets muffle our steps. In the center is an arrangement of brown leather chairs and sofas, with a low wooden table in front.
Erevan sits on a sofa, reading through a stack of papers. At our entrance, he looks up and then rearranges the pile before he flips the entire thing over, ensuring we won’t be able to read anything on the page. A signal that while he agreed to see us, he doesn’t trust us.
He stands up and holds out a hand.
“Prince Nadir,” he says, his tone polite but neutral. “I admit I was rather surprised to hear you were asking to see me. And that you’re in Aphelion at all.”
I shake his hand, and he looks at Lor.
“And you are?”
“I’m Lor,” she says, and he narrows his gaze.
“Why do you look familiar? Have we met?”
She presses her lips together. “You might have seen me during the Trials.”
It takes Erevan a moment, but when he puts it together, his eyes go wide.
“The Final Tribute.”
Lor nods.
“What on earth are you doing here? I thought you disappeared.”
“Well, it’s a long story, and that’s part of the reason we’re here today.”
Erevan hesitates for a moment, but whatever he sees in Lor’s face must convince him that she’s telling the truth and, more importantly, that she’s worth hearing out.
“Have a seat then,” he says. “Can I get you a drink?”
“No thanks,” Lor says, settling into the spot where Erevan directs us.
I drop down next to her, and Erevan sits down and waits.
Lor exchanges a look with me, and once again, she launches into a loose version of the truth that recounts the events of the past few months, keeping Erevan on a need-to-know basis when it comes to divulging all the facts.
When she’s finished talking, Erevan perches on the edge of his seat, his legs wide and his hands clasped between his knees, hanging on her every word.
“So, you need to get to the Mirror without being seen,” Erevan says when she finishes talking.
“We need a diversion,” I say. “Something big enough to draw everyone’s attention away from the palace and out of the throne room.”
“And you want me to do that?” he asks, looking between us.
“We heard a rumor that you plan to start a riot during the presentation festivities tomorrow,” I say, and his eyes darken.
“You expect me to put my people in danger so you can get inside the Sun Palace? Why would I do that?”
“I’ll offer whatever I can,” I say. “Money to fund your cause. Whatever resources you need.”
“End slavery in The Aurora’s mines,” he says immediately, and I knew this would be his ask.
“Done. As soon as it’s in my power to do so. I would have done that anyway, though, so I’d still owe you another favor at some point.”
He studies me as if reading the truth in my words.
“That could still be centuries from now,” he says, and I nod.
“It could be,” I say with a smirk. “But one doesn’t get a no-strings-attached favor from a future king every day.”
Erevan tips his head in a gesture that seems to say Good point.
“If we get what I think the Mirror might have, then it won’t be centuries,” Lor says. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted is to destroy the Aurora King. We have many reasons to ensure he’s gone much sooner than that.”
Her gaze slides to me, and I know that, along with everything else, she’s thinking about my mother and the way she’s trapped inside her empty existence. I squeeze her hand.
“How? Why?” Erevan asks, and these are very good questions.
“I can’t tell you everything,” Lor says. “But you’ll have to trust me. No one hates that man more than I do. Well, except for maybe him.”
She looks at me with a sad smile, and I tip my chin.
“Guilty,” I add.
Erevan blows out a long breath, considering our words. He runs a hand through his blond hair.
“The truth is we were planning to start a riot, but I’m not sure that will be enough to do what you’re asking. It’s not like we haven’t tried this before. I’ve been hoping for some way to make this one more definitive than the others, but so far, nothing of significance has materialized. There are too many guards, and Atlas has them all on alert. You aren’t the first to hear of the rumors.”
“You want a diversion that Atlas will notice?” A voice comes from the door, and all three of us look over to find Gabriel. He storms into the room and stops. There’s a wild light in his eyes, and his jaw is set hard enough to crack through marble. “You wanted something that would embarrass Atlas and tarnish his name? I know a secret that not only will get everyone’s attention but will change Aphelion forever.”
And then he clutches his chest with a grunt and collapses to the floor.