Page 97 of Under the Lion Star

“He t-told me to tell you that he has y-your,” the boy winced. “Your whore w-wife, and–”

“Get out,” Atlas demanded, sensing my impending spiral. “Thank you for delivering the message. Leave. Now.”

The young elf darted from the room, and Atlas pressed the door closed as all eyes fixed me.

My vision tinted red, hot blood flushing through every corner of my body.

“He has her,” I said to no one.

“Leor,” Atlas approached cautiously. “We will get her back, but we need a plan.”

“He has her!” I roared, grabbing the game table and flipping it across the room.

Tokens, coins, and cards scattered along the floor. My entire body felt as if I had been set aflame. I began pacing the room, unable to hear what the others said, as I grappled with the reality that the man who wanted me dead was now in possession of my wife.

“Leor,” Atlas set his hands on my shoulders. “He won’t kill her.”

“You don’t know that!” I shouted.

“I do,” Atlas groaned, avoiding eye contact. “We have time to make a well-formulated plan. It’s the only way we all come out of this alive.”

My knees hit the floor, and I gripped the side of my head in my hands, desperate to escape the feeling of hopelessness. How could I have let this happen? I’d found my perfect match, the woman who had helped me chart a path forward, the woman who cared for my siblings as much as I did. She was my everything, and I had failed her.

“He has my wife,” I croaked. “I was supposed to keep her safe.”

“We’ll get her,” Atlas assured me, crouching at my side and running his hand over my spine. “Gamril won’t kill her. He needs her alive to lure you.”

“He’ll wait until you come and then kill you both,” Orin added unhelpfully.

Atlas dropped his hand from my arm and looked at the ceiling. He let out a sharp exhale before looking directly at me.

“Gamril is Zialda’s father.”

I could only stare at him, trying to fit what he had just told me into what I knew of Zialda’s life.

“She’s your half-sister,” Liras stated.

“Yeah,” Atlas groaned. “She doesn’t know. I didn’t know how to tell her without letting her know that it was my father who killed her mother.”

“How did you find out?” I asked quietly, trying to gain control over my rage.

“When I came to escort you out to the battlefield, I heard my parents arguing,” Atlas shook his head. “I knew my father was stepping out on my mother, visiting with all manner of prostitutes whenever he felt like it. She threatened to leave him, which would have been bad for his image. The only thing he actually gives a fuck about.”

I stood, but Atlas walked toward the windows before speaking again.

“He promised he wouldn’t do it anymore, but I saw him leaving the house later that afternoon and followed him. He met with a woman in the countryside,” Atlas stared at me. “They argued about him paying her to keep the existence of a daughter under wraps. I turned to leave, having learned enough, and planned to tell my mother about what I had overheard. However, when he didn’t return after another few hours, I returned to the house.”

“He killed her,” Orin offered.

Atlas nodded, swallowing harshly.

“I didn’t witness it myself,” Atlas shook his head. “But I know it was him. Then, I found a young girl lying next to her mother’s body, pleading with her to wake up. I knew she had to be my sister. We both have his eyes.”

“You didn’t say anything to the authorities?”

“How could I? They were already determined to rule the death a suicide,” Atlas shrugged. “And my father is far more influential than I am. A few feldor tossed into the right pockets, and the truth doesn’t matter.”

“You’re sure he won’t kill her?” I pressed.

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