I nod. “We actually don’t want to take it anymore, but we do need him to destroy it with his magic,” I say. “And since he’s unbonded, he might need his Primary’s help. In Tyr’s case, it seems almost certain he would.”

Gabriel stares at me before he sighs and rubs a hand down his face.

“Do you think he can?” Nadir asks. “When was the last time he used his magic?”

Gabriel shakes his head. “I couldn’t tell you. Certainly not since before Atlas cuffed him.”

“Do you think the arcturite affected his abilities?” Nadir asks.

As he and Gabriel discuss the implications of extended exposure to arcturite, my gaze slides to Erevan, who watches everyone with a guarded expression like he wants to escape through a window. Atlas isn’t the Primary, so it must be someone else related to their family.

“Is it you?” I blurt out.

Erevan sits up straighter. “Me what?”

“Are you the Primary of Aphelion?”

Gabriel’s gaze darts to Erevan and then back to me. “Lor—”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to pry, but if Tyr can’t use his magic anymore, then we might need your help.”

Erevan’s shoulders drop, and I sense he’s been carrying a lot of weight on them for a very long time.

“I . . .” He sighs. “Yes. I am the Primary.”

“You?” Nadir asks. “And Atlas knew?”

Gabriel nods. “The day the Mirror told Tyr, he ran straight to me and Atlas.” He pauses. “That was the beginning of the end.”

“How long have you known?” Nadir asks Erevan, leaning forward.

“Maybe all along,” Erevan admits. “But Tyr told me right before Atlas . . . Well, before he did everything.”

“What do you plan to do?” Nadir asks, and Gabriel and Erevan exchange a loaded look. I place my hand on Nadir’s arm, indicating that maybe this is none of our business, even if I am the one who started it.

“I don’t know,” Erevan says, his words clipped. “I don’t want to be a king.”

A shuffle at the door draws our attention to Tyr, who stands beside Hylene, her hand gripped around his elbow. We all pass looks around the circle, wondering how much he heard.

Gabriel stands up. “Tyr . . . I’m sorry. I . . .”

Tyr raises a hand, and Gabriel snaps his mouth shut as Hylene escorts the king into the room with slow steps. It’s nearly painful to watch him.

Hylene pulls out a chair and Tyr settles into it as we all watch in silence.

“Tyr,” Gabriel says, his voice pained. “You should stay in bed.”

“I’m fine,” he says, his voice a little more forceful than his appearance suggests.

He turns to look at me. “You need me to destroy the ark. Please tell me everything, Heart Queen.”