She shrugged and took off her glasses, placing them on the side table nearby. “It wasn’t for very long. Lady Reaux hired me when she saw me working at one of the taverns in the North Territory. It’s how Katrine and I met—she was barely fifteen.” She averted her gaze as she crawled back under the blanket. “Like Katrine said, we’re much better off now.”
“What did Lady Reaux do to you?” I asked, forehead creasing. “Was she?—”
“Nothing,” Devora said quickly, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “She was fine. It doesn’t matter.” She turned to face me, her red hair spilling onto the pillow beneath her. Her voice was softer when she said, “You’ve been so good to us. And the way you saved her tonight… She’s like a little sister to me, Rissa. That’s something I can never repay.”
“I didn’t save her,” I whispered back. “She just fainted.”
Devora gave me a look that spoke volumes. “You can tell the others whatever you want to, but I know what I saw.”
I searched her stare, and I knew arguing with her would be a lost cause. Devora wasn’t like the others. She was perceptive, far more so than I’d given her credit for. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Maids are taught not to ask questions. It’s how we survive.” She shifted to lying on her back and gazed up at the dark ceiling. “I don’t need to know everything, Rissa. Just that she’s going to be alright.”
“She will be. And, Devora…I’m sorry for whatever you may have faced in the past. For how people may have treated you. You didn’t deserve that.”
The room went quiet, save for the sound of Katrine’s steady breaths, and I thought Devora had fallen asleep.
Just as I was drifting off, I could’ve sworn I heard her say, “It’syouI don’t deserve, Rissa.”
49
Clarissa
Eighteen days. That was how long I’d been in this kingdom. Like the others, the Island Territory held its own unique beauty—lush, dense jungles with creatures crawling and squawking about, stunning shorelines with water that lit up like diamonds, and towering mountain peaks in the distance that cast the whole island in shadows at sunset.
The regents filled my time with so many activities at all hours of the day and night, in between touring the island and meeting the people. Everywhere I went, I kept wondering when this evasive “Hunt” that Nox mentioned was going to pop up, but the people were just as tight-lipped as he was. Whenever I asked about it, they would give me a smirk and pretend they didn’t hear me. It was starting to make me a little nervous.
However, I barely had time to worry about that or assassins with the hours spent hiking in the massive jungles, rock climbing off the side of Mount Tivalor, weaving fishnets at six o’clock in the morning, and my least favorite—deep sea fishing well past sundown, with nothing but lanterns and the moonlight to guide our way.
Foxes werenotmeant for water, and those dinghies they took us out in did little to ease my skittishness.
I’d seen more,donemore, than I had in my twenty-eight years in Veridia. It was incredible. But it was also exhausting.
Almost three weeks wearing this mask of diplomacy and knowing I was both placed on a pedestal and under a magnifying glass at the same time was wearing me down.Especiallyafter everything that had happened. Before, I was determined to gain the approval of the people and the regents so Galen and I could get married and be done with this without any pushback.
Now…the idea of being shackled to him in any sort of union made bile creep up my throat.
It’s for the people, I reminded myself over and over.
Two days had passed since he almost killed Katrine, and he hadn’t emerged from his hut. Every time I checked, the curtains were drawn, and one of his personal guards was stationed at the door to ward anyone off.
I knew he was spiraling. That was what he did—something bad happened, and he burrowed so deeply in his guilt that he cut everyone off. And heshouldfeel ashamed. But a leader couldn’t hide the way he did. His instability and flightiness were infuriating…yet part of me still felt sorry for him.
Galen was genuine but misguided. Able to sway people with a smile, but unable to trust in his own self. His past made him crave affection and approval so desperately that it crippled him. I understood now why Thorne continued to defend him after everything they’d been through.
I’d hardly seen Thorne since that night, either. Our group would gather for dinner in the evenings with the Zelorias, and shortly after, he and the brothers would go off together, or he’d try to get Galen to talk to him. I finally had my first free morning since we got here, and I was hoping to go find him, but to my surprise, Hector Zeloria was waiting outside my hut when I left for breakfast.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Morning, Clarissa. Up for a little target practice?”
“That depends. Am I the target?” I asked, and he raised aneyebrow. I cleared my throat. “That was a joke. Poorly timed. It’s just been a few days since anyone tried to kill me.”
“Yes, Thorne has filled us in on theadventuresof your tour. I’m sorry it’s been so difficult.” He held his hand out in a motion for me to follow him, and we made our way through the main courtyard of the Base. “And, no, I planned on usingactualtargets. Unless you have a better suggestion.”
“What exactly are we practicing for, Lord Zeloria?”
He chuckled. “You know, I rather like that title. Far more than my brother does. Don’t tell him I said that.” Instead of heading down the main path like I expected, Hector curved around the Base and to a clearing near the campfires we’d spent our first night at. “We’re going to get you ready for the Hunt.”
