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Clarissa

“ H oly Fates.” Devora slumped into the seat next to me, her eyes trained on a sight at my back. “I’ve never seen it up close.”

“Seen what up—” I turned around and cut myself off.

We’d arrived at the Island Territory.

Straight ahead loomed two enormous green cliffs on either side of the ship, with bright, glassy turquoise water lapping and winding through the space in between.

I kept craning my neck up, up, up to take in the beautiful, towering cliffs as we sailed farther into the bay.

My eyes followed their sloping peaks until they descended to meet the shore, which was littered with tall trees and broad leaves.

I could barely make out the tiny crowds of people milling about, and even farther back stood buildings covered with grassy roofs and plunging waterfalls scattered across the terrain.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

Devora nodded. “I’ve always wanted to visit.”

“Let’s just hope these regents don’t try to kill one of us.”

“Third time’s the charm.”

I smiled, then jumped in my seat when a voice behind us said, “I wouldn’t worry about that too much. The Zeloria regent family isn’t like the others. ”

I turned to face Thorne. My heart thumped louder when his eyes lingered on me.

“Empress,” he said softly, inclining his head.

“Lord Reaux,” I replied.

Devora’s sharp eyes flitted between us. “I’m…going to go make sure your bags are ready to go, Your Majesty.” She gave a quick bow before handing me Mia’s leash and darting off toward the cabins. The pup wagged her tail and let out a high-pitched bark as a seagull swooped close to the railing.

I shook my head. “I swear, I tell them to call me Rissa, and it’s like they don’t even hear me.”

Thorne chuckled. “Habits are hard to break, I’m afraid.” Shuffling his feet, he glanced down at Mia, then at the table between us. He cleared his throat. “Are you…are you well?”

“Yes, very. Thank you,” I said. “And you?”

“Good. Yes, I’m—well, you know, as good as we can be.” He brandished a hand in the air. “With everything.”

I twisted my lips, shifting my gaze out to the approaching shoreline and back again. An uncomfortable silence wrapped around us as I ran my finger along the edge of the wooden table.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Is this awkward for you too?”

I instantly let out a breath. “I thought it was just me.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this.” He took another step toward me. “We were friends, yes? That doesn’t have to change.”

I nodded. “Yes. You’re right, we’re friends. Of course.” When I realized I was still nodding, I abruptly stopped. “I don’t even know if I’d go that far. You’re rather cocky, you know.”

His eyes sparkled back at me. “So I’ve been told. Alright, then. How about ‘allies’?”

“Perfect,” I said, voice breathless as he set his hand on the table next to mine. “Allies.”

I stared up at him, neither one of us willing to move. The air stretched taut between us, the rocking of the boat seeming to guide our limbs closer .

The captain called for the crew to prepare to anchor, snapping our attention back. Thorne took a step away. As he silently brushed by my side to leave, his little finger came out to curl around mine. A single heartbeat, and it was gone.

I closed my eyes and took in the sound of seagulls cawing overhead, the fresh air tinged with salt blowing through my hair and nostrils, and Mia’s soft fur rubbing against my legs.

Just one more regent family. This would all be over soon.

As the island’s shores were too shallow for the ship to dock at, we anchored out in the bay and took dinghy boats up to the sandy banks.

The closer we got, the more vivid all the colors became.

Bright pink and blue flowers dotted the leafy trees.

Large, lush fruits hung from branches all across the shore—brown coconuts, orange mangoes, ripe bananas.

Clouds like pillows hung over the very tops of the cliffs, opening to sloping green hills and crystal waterfalls.

A handful of men helped pull our little boats ashore, their feet splashing through the water as they hauled us in.

Groups of islanders passed by with curious looks.

Some waved and smiled at us, while others lingered with baskets or wheelbarrows before going off to their tasks.

The pulse of island life washed over me as I sank into the white sands—the flapping of wings, rush of wind through trees, steady beat of feet on the earth.

Mia tugged on her leash, eager to join them.

“Ah, Thorne, my friend! It’s good to see you!” a man with thick black locks hanging to his large waist called as he strode toward our line of boats. I looked to my left to see Thorne helping Marigold and his mother out of their dinghy, his tan face splitting into a grin when he saw the man.

“Daelan. Still getting up to trouble?” Thorne said by way of greeting as they clapped each other on the back.

“More so than you these days, I daresay,” Daelan remarked.

“ The last time I saw you, Iris was ready to pop.” His amber eyes fell to Marigold, who stood a few paces behind Thorne, holding a stuffed doll in her hand.

“Is this…” He trailed off, eyes widening as he looked back at Thorne.

“She looks just like her,” he said, his voice quieter.

A look passed between them, one that spoke of a deeper friendship. Thorne smiled softly and nodded, then turned to his daughter. “Marigold, I’d like you to meet Daelan Zeloria. He’s one of the regent lords of the Island Territory, just like I am back home.”

My lips parted. This was the regent lord?

Daelan grimaced. “Please, Thorne. Do I look like a lord to you?” At that, Marigold giggled, and Daelan got to his knees with a chuckle.

The sand shifted beneath his hefty weight, his dark braids swinging and twirling with the colorful beads he wore around his neck over his exposed broad chest. “Hello there, Marigold. It’s nice to meet you. ”

She gave him the most precious curtsy I’d ever seen, with her little blue dress skating the tips of the sand. “I like your necklace,” she said shyly.

“This old thing?” He fingered the red beads. “Here, you can have it, sweet girl,” he said, taking it off and draping it over her neck.

“Two minutes and you’re already wrapped around her finger. Pathetic,” Galen teased as he approached from our left. He looked stronger than he had in the early hours of the morning when I’d seen him.

Thorne scoffed. “You’re one to talk.”

“Oh, wait till Hector shows up. He’ll hand over the entire island to her,” Daelan countered, standing to give his king a bow before Galen patted him on the back.

“Who is Hector?” I blurted, and all eyes turned to me. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, feeling like I’d interrupted some private moment.

Daelan wiped his hands on his tan breeches, and sand flew off them with the movement. “Well, well, you must be the infamous Veridian.” His eyes scanned mine, but it didn’t feel threatening. Merely curious. Observant.

“You can call me Clarissa.” Then I motioned to the dog dancing around our feet.

“And this is Mia.” When I held out my hand, Daelan took it, a smile brightening across his dark features.

His palm was callused, with gritty grains of sand rubbing against mine as he pulled away.

A regent who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, it seemed.

“Oh, she’ll be well-loved here,” he said as he knelt to scratch behind Mia’s ears. “We have plenty of animals wandering the island.” His lips tilted into a smirk. “So, I hear my counterparts have been giving you a rough time.”

I glanced back at Galen, who averted my gaze. “It’s been…interesting,” I said.

“Well, we don’t run things the same way around here.” Daelan shot me a wink. “And thank the Fates for that.”

“Careful now, Zeloria. Some of us are still a bit traditional,” Thorne’s mother said as she came up to take Marigold’s hand.

“Lady Azura.” Daelan gave a dramatic bow. “Always a pleasure.”

“Where is that brother of yours?” she asked, raising a sharp eyebrow. “He was always my favorite.”

“Hector’s around here somewhere. Probably entertaining our new friend. Who just so happens to know you, Clarissa.”

I leaned back, startled. “Me?” I didn’t know anyone in this kingdom , much less this small island.

He shrugged, but there was mischief behind those amber eyes. “Come!” he said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s show you around.”

We all shouldered our bags and trudged after him in the sand. We must have been a sight to behold—nearly a dozen of us plus our guards and a dog carving a path across the shore, earning the stares of many islanders as we made our way onto the paved road of tightly packed rocks.

Daelan, Thorne, and Galen chatted like old friends, and I wondered how they knew each other.

Daelan appeared to be several years older than the other two, perhaps in his late thirties.

He was certainly unlike any of the other regent lords we’d met—Thorne aside, I supposed. Much more relaxed and carefree.

The tall trees surrounding the path opened up to a wide clearing that looked like a town square.

Huts of various sizes with moss growing on the roofs were scattered across the large patch of land.

A stream trickled through the center and off to the right.

Men, women, and children played at its edges, carrying buckets of water or scrubbing clothes on washboards.

Others were up at the tops of the trees gathering fruit, while more still passed by with fishing gear and hunting knives strapped to their backs.

A large round building came into view. The walls were made of bamboo with carvings etched into the thick stems—I spotted drawings of animals, the elements of nature swirling around landscapes, and the face of a woman embedded in the walls.

Waiting at the entrance was a tall, dark-skinned man with a shaved head, his arms crossed over his thin chest and a pleasant smile on his lips.

A rod of bamboo leaned against his side.

“Heard you coming all the way from the shore. You’re a loud lot,” he called out in a rich, deep voice.

“Sorry to disturb your evening, old man,” Daelan teased back.

“Seven years older, and I’ll never hear the end of it.” The new man shook his head. “Welcome to the Island Territory, friends.” Grabbing his walking stick, he spun to the door, leading us inside the hut.

“Hector Zeloria,” Thorne whispered in my ear. “Daelan’s brother. They oversee the island together.”

“The two brothers are both regent lords? Did neither of them marry?”

Thorne shrugged. “Not yet. It hasn’t been their priority. If one of them bears an heir one day, then they’ll be happy, but it’s not like the other territories. The islanders often opt to elect their regents.”

“Not a bad idea, honestly. ”

Thorne tilted his head in agreement as we walked through the first building and out the back door, where more than a dozen huts made up a circle around a large courtyard. Everything was lit in a hazy glow from the light of the setting sun.

“We call this the Base,” Daelan explained, sweeping an arm toward the rest of the buildings.

“Hector and I live here, and we have plenty of guest houses for you all. The main market for this side of the island is a short walk west. We islanders love our nightlife, so things may get a little loud around here,” he finished with a chuckle.

I could see evidence of said nightlife in the enormous courtyard where we now stood. Leftover campfires littered the space, and benches and chairs made out of logs formed U-shapes around them, perfect for little pockets of community.

Daelan and Hector led us around the guest houses at the perimeter, stopping at each one to show our party their assigned living space for the next few days.

Lady Azura was next to Thorne and Marigold’s hut, then Galen, my mother and me, and lastly Rose and Leo.

A couple of larger ones beside them were reserved for our maids and guards.

When only Rose, Leo, Mother, and I remained as the others settled in, the brothers stopped in front of a little house with flowers hanging from a red awning.

“Your palace, madam,” Daelan said, bowing low before me.

“You’ll find a welcome gift has already made itself at home,” Hector added.

I glanced at them. “What are you talking about?”

Daelan shrugged. “He said to tell you that.”

Exchanging a curious glance with my mother, we stepped inside.

It was a small suite with a low ceiling and walls painted midnight blue at the top, then fading into a light sky blue at the base.

I could see almost the entirety of the hut from the front door.

There was a round table with a couple of chairs near the entrance, a hallway to the right opening into a room with two beds, and straight ahead was a tan couch facing wide, floor-to-ceiling windows.

And on that couch sat a lone figure watching the sunset beyond the mountains in the distance.

Something about his dark blond waves and the rings glittering on his fingers as he twirled a glass of amber liquid had my brow furrowing.

Mia sensed his presence and yapped loudly, pulling hard on her leash.

Next to me, Leo sighed. “You have got to be kidding me.”

The welcome gift craned his neck to look at us. Familiar navy-blue eyes twinkled as he smirked.

“It’s about time,” he said, raising his glass. “Did you miss me, darling?”