“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 thiskingdom, 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 Iwondered 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 arebothregent 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, andstraight ahead was a tan couch facing wide, floor-to-ceiling windows.
