Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos Book 1) by Nisha J Tuli

Author:Nisha J Tuli [Tuli, Nisha J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NJT Author
Published: 2022-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

“Ready?” Gabriel asks, regal in his golden armor, his dark blond hair tied at the nape of his neck. This morning, he dragged me out of bed to train with him, stating I’d had more than enough time to recover from the first trial.

It’s been about a week, and Atlas visits me each day. Sometimes he stays for a while and sometimes only a few minutes. He sits by my side and talks to me, asking me questions about my life in Nostraza. He tells me about Aphelion, and I ask all the things I’ve always wanted to know about Ouranos.

He tells me about the rulers in each realm. Cyan, the king of Alluvion to the west, and Cedar, the king of The Woodlands to the east. He tells me The Aurora is in league with Tor and the Mountain Queen Bronte, as well as D’Arcy, the Queen of Celestria. He shares his knowledge of each court’s Artefacts. The Stone of Tor, the Celestrian Diadem, the Alluvion Coral, and The Woodlands Staff.

I soak up these bits of knowledge like water over dry sand. I’ve spent so many years in the dark. He tells me of the forgotten realm of Heart and its fallen queen. Its lost Artefact—a crown with a blood-red stone. Her tainted realm is a black stain on the history of Ouranos.

What happened to her? I’d asked, and Atlas shook his head and told me not all magic in this world is meant to be touched by the Fae. That she’d almost destroyed everything on which we stood with her thirst for power. After that, he touches my cheek, telling me I should get more rest. He doesn’t kiss me again, a fact that leaves me bitterly disappointed. Perhaps he’s found one of the other Tributes more appealing.

Now Gabriel stands at my door, waiting to escort me to lunch with Madame Odell and the other Tributes. I wince as I tuck an errant curl behind my ear. If I thought Gabriel would take it easy on me because I was still healing, I was sorely mistaken. He worked me so hard this morning that I can already feel an ache settling in my muscles.

My hair has grown, though, reaching past my shoulders now. Mag took the opportunity to fuss with it as much as possible. While I preferred its natural wave, she’d twisted it into thick, glossy curls that I had to admit were rather lovely.

I catch Gabriel’s smirk through the mirror.

“What?” I ask, turning around to meet his gaze with narrowed eyes.

“Nothing,” he says. “It’s nice to see some meat on your bones. You don’t look like a walking corpse or like someone took a butcher knife to that hair.”

I roll my eyes. “You really know how to flatter a girl.” I toss my hair again, fluffing it in the mirror, amazed at how smooth and shiny it is. “Callias is helping me grow it out,” I say. “It’s going to be down to my waist soon.

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