Page 98 of Under the Lion Star

“He won’t,” Atlas sighed. “I don’t know how I didn’t realize it earlier. If you die, he could stake his claim as her father, making the argument that he would act as steward since she’s a woman.”

Nima scoffed, swiping at the tears that silently fell down her cheeks. Pullam pulled her close, acting as an anchor while she processed the true identity of her mother’s murderer.

“But they tried to kill her,” I considered.

“Corrin did,” Sanna offered, looking up from the papers. “My handmaid heard two men arguing. I think her visit to the apothecary spooked Lord Corrin, and he took it upon himself to try and take her out.”

“So, he needs her alive,” I breathed out, raking my fingers through my hair. “Thank fuck.”

My mind worked to piece together the plethora of information I’d learned in the span of a few minutes. Gamril and Corrin wanted me dead. Likely to do with the mining issue that Orin had told me about before. Gamril planned to use his relationship to Zialda to install himself as steward and send us back to war once I was out of the picture.

Zialda and Atlas were siblings, which didn’t shock me in the slightest. My wife was being held hostage by her estranged father somewhere within the city. My wife who had found her dead mother’s body after the same monster killed her.

A part of me wanted to be mad at Atlas for keeping his secrets. It’s what he always did. He was a master at hiding vulnerable feelings and knowledge behind carefully crafted walls of sarcasm and humor. Truly, though, it was Zialda’s forgiveness he’d need.

“Your mom?” I asked, knowing that Atlas’s mother’s death had also been a suicide by hanging.

“No,” Atlas shook his head. “My father wasn’t even in Galvord when she died. As much as I hate to admit it, my mom chose to take her own life rather than live another minute with my father.”

“Atlas,” I pulled him into my arms.

“So, we’re killing Gamril and Corrin, then?” Orin said, looking over the mess of cards under the table I’d heaved across the room.

“He’s going to use her to get to you,” Atlas frowned.

I nodded, knowing that he was right. We needed a plan, a distraction of some sort. Gamril wasn’t incompetent like Corrin was.

“Alright,” I said after I’d gathered my thoughts and secured my emotions. “Orin and Liras, go find Corrin. We can’t use him as a bargaining chip, as I highly doubt Gamril would have left him alive after killing me anyway. Sanna, you stay here and finish sorting through that pile of shit.”

Orin and Liras departed while Atlas and I brainstormed where she could have gone. He took off after the courier to get the remainder of the message while I stayed with Nima, Pullam, and Sanna. Pullam had agreed to watch over Sanna while the rest of us played our parts.

Atlas returned, giving me an affirming nod as I stood and approached him.

We were about to leave when Sanna let out a strangled cry.

“They killed Mom and Dad,” she rasped, turning to me with tears in her eyes.

“I had begun to suspect that,” I sighed. “Keep sorting. We’ll need to be able to justify the bloodshed I’m about to let loose on the city streets.”

“You and me?” Atlas asked, setting his hand on my shoulder.

“We’re going to go get my wife.”

Chapter 33

Zialda

The little saliva in my mouth clung in thick strands, like slimy spider webs that refused to release me. I licked my lips, trying to make the dry burn abate. With a groan, I rolled onto my side, looking for any comfort from the frigid floor my body was pressed against. Rough rope scraped over the skin of my wrists, eliciting a momentary panic before I realized my hands were bound behind me. The memories flooded in, helping me to gain a basic understanding of how I’d ended up in this situation.

Polished gray walls rose around me as I forced my eyelids to peel open. Small alcoves containing ornate vessels filled with the remnants of those since departed lined the walls. My focus moved over the circular room, scanning the space for anything that I might be able to utilize as a weapon.

“Fear not,” a mocking voice filled my ears. “Your husband should arrive at any moment.”

His finger glinted with the ring of his family legacy. A legacy that I learned I was a part of, not that I wanted anything from Gamril Voldair. My eyes narrowed at the man who had played a small part in my existence, and I wondered if there was any good left inside his heart or if the years of treachery he wove had turned it cold and black.

“Where’s your buddy Corrin?” My voice was hoarse, the words scratching their way out of my throat.

“It’s a shame your mother never taught you how to use the ignorant to your advantage,” Gamril sighed. “If I had known you would end up queen, I may have intervened upon seeing how weak your mother was raising you to be.”

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