Page 105 of Under the Lion Star

Leor

My racing thoughts had slowed considerably now that Zialda was next to me. Her read rested on my shoulder as Orin and Liras exited the mausoleum. Despite the wave of calm I felt, the tension in my body refused to release me entirely. It was as though letting my guard down, even for a moment, would spell disaster. Although likely to live for centuries more, I was sure that half of my lifespan had been taken from the fear of knowing I could have lost her tonight.

Orin looked around at the carnage. Even from a distance, I could tell who killed who. The men whose faces looked like ground meat were a clear giveaway that Liras had put his morning star to work. As much as I had wanted them to stay away for their safety, I was relieved when I realized that they were helping Atlas with the guards outside.

Atlas exited next, dragging the limp body of his father by the pant leg. Blood dripped off the morning star held loosely in his hand. He tossed the weapon back to Liras, giving him a wink before lugging his father’s corpse to the pile of bodies Orin had begun to assemble.

When he approached, it was clear that his demeanor lacked its usual mirth, and my chest ached, knowing that Atlas was unlikely to open up to me about his feelings. He’d often acted as if Gamril’s disapproval did not affect him, but he was likely mourning the loss of a life where he’d had a halfway-decent father.

“All that money. All that power. And he was still bested by his disappointing son,” Atlas scoffed, sitting on the bench next to Z.

“If it means anything, you’ve been an excellent brother. Even before we knew we were related,” Z offered, resting her hand atop his knee.

“That means more than you can imagine, Alda,” he grinned. “I’m sorry I never told you.”

“Why would you carry that burden alone? Why did you never tell me?” She frowned at Atlas.

“Your aunt,” Atlas groaned. “When she found us, after we’d told your sisters, she took one look at me and knew. I think she knew that Gamril was one of your mom’s clients and when she saw you and I standing side-by-side she figured it out. She said that telling you and your sisters the truth, while all of us were powerless to do anything, would make it impossible for you all to move on.”

“We could have killed him,” she protested. “We could have done it together.”

“No,” Atlas shook his head. “He was too powerful, too prominent. His death would need to be justified or else we’d have all faced imprisonment.”

“And now?” Z pressed.

“The letters are enough to justify our actions tonight,” Atlas sighed, turning his face to the stars. “Sometimes I like to imagine our moms are up there, waiting for the moment that Gamril’s soul falls through the afterlife on his way to the Underworld.”

“We did right by them,” she set her head on his shoulder. “Maybe now they can both rest.”

Atlas looked down at Z and nodded. His fingers interlaced with hers on top of his knee, and his eyes met mine with a soft smile.

“Did he say anything profound? Some parting words of wisdom?” I asked.

“Nah,” Atlas shook his head. “He made a really fucked up sound when I hit him in the gut with that cursed thing. What the fuck is wrong with humans? Swords are the go-to for a reason.”

“Lacks showmanship,” Liras called, tossing the final mercenary onto the heap.

Orin laughed but nodded his reluctant agreement.

“Corrin?” I asked my brother.

He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly while Liras choked on his own laughter.

“I may have gone a bit overboard,” Orin admitted.

“I don’t think there is a manner of death that I would consider overboard for someone who tried to kill my wife,” I deadpanned.

“That’s good you feel that way,” Liras chuckled, tearing a cloak from one of the bodies and using it to wipe the blood from his spiked mace. “Cause this one skinned him.”

“Gods above,” Z winced.

Orin shrugged. “The other guy, the one he hired, must’ve had a heart attack at the sight ‘cause he just dropped dead.”

“After he pissed himself,” Liras added under his breath. “Gods, this thing is a bitch to clean.”

We studied Liras as he tried to scrub around the base of each spike. He huffed in frustration before giving up. “Just gonna dunk it in a bathing pool or something.”

“How’d you find me?” Zialda asked, looking between me and Atlas.

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