and a map. But no guide. There are a few more details I can offer, but you will have to accomplish this on your own.”
“As ever,” Kelly muttered.
“You’re not coming with us,” Cressida realized, looking at Reza.
He shook his head and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Politics,” Kelly murmured.
“Reza, why not?” she pressed, ignoring the pirate.
Reza shifted his shoulders, uncomfortably, she thought, and she knew that whatever he said, and whatever he’d done just to get them safe passage through the village, it was going to hurt her. And she could do nothing to stop it. Her resolve of leaving him behind fled completely.
“Most of my family died,” he said quietly. “The last time people like you came to the island. They do not blame me, but I am my father’s only son, and I have been gone. My sister has married Chaiya, who you met, the chieftain’s son. And I have agreed to wed his daughter, to unite our bloodlines in strength.”
Cressida couldn’t breathe for a moment. To have choice so swiftly taken away was dizzying. She stared at Reza, unable to look away. He’d made her choose — he’d let her choose him, and now he was discarding her. It was supposed to be the other way around.
She got to her feet, mind a fog of anger and heartache, and though she felt Reza’s hand on her arm, she wrenched away. And though she perceived that Kelly was getting to his feet, she just waved him off, more or less staggering through the seated pirates to escape the hut. It was too confined. It felt too small. She couldn’t breathe and she needed to be free of it.
Outside the hut, the sun was just beginning to set beyond the jungle canopy, a blaze of scarlet and orange and gold against the mountain’s peak. Villagers stopped to stare at her, a few muttering to each other, but she just turned and walked away from them, away from the village fires, towards the darkening shadows of the jungle itself. A few people called out to her but she didn’t understand what they were saying, and moreover she didn’t care.
She stumbled into the jungle, shoving past branches and leaves, tripping over fat tree roots and rocks, and kept the village and the setting sun at her back. She didn’t stop until she could no longer smell the cooking fires or hear the rush of the waterfall. She didn’t stop until the torches being lit on the camp’s perimeter were out of sight, and all that surrounded her were lengthening shadows and rustling vegetation. Then she sat, right where she was, and put her back to the sturdy trunk of a tree she had no name for, and burst into tears.
Cressida did not cry often, and now it poured out of her, as if a dam inside her heart had crumbled, releasing a tidal wave of anguish, gasping sobs and helpless watery moans. She put her face in her hands and buckled to the uncertainty, the loneliness, and the heartbreak. She cursed the day she’d seen the merchant clipper sailing on the horizon. She cursed herself for bringing Reza aboard the Black Fortune instead of leaving him to rot with the rest of the clipper’s mysterious crew. She cursed James Kelly for letting her dally with him and never telling her he loved her. She cursed her heart for being stupid and open. At last, she had lost her balance and fallen. And she didn’t have the strength to get back up.
She didn’t know how long she cried. Eventually, she hugged her legs to her chest and pressed her cheek to her knee, trying to remember how to breathe, trying to rebuild the dam inside her. When at last she opened her eyes, however, Reza was crouched across from her, a look of absolute shame on his face. She wanted to look away but couldn’t.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You are the flower of my heart.”
She thought that should have made her cry some more, but found her eyes had cried all the tears they could. “I chose you,” she murmured miserably.
“No.” He reached out, touched
“As ever,” Kelly muttered.
“You’re not coming with us,” Cressida realized, looking at Reza.
He shook his head and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Politics,” Kelly murmured.
“Reza, why not?” she pressed, ignoring the pirate.
Reza shifted his shoulders, uncomfortably, she thought, and she knew that whatever he said, and whatever he’d done just to get them safe passage through the village, it was going to hurt her. And she could do nothing to stop it. Her resolve of leaving him behind fled completely.
“Most of my family died,” he said quietly. “The last time people like you came to the island. They do not blame me, but I am my father’s only son, and I have been gone. My sister has married Chaiya, who you met, the chieftain’s son. And I have agreed to wed his daughter, to unite our bloodlines in strength.”
Cressida couldn’t breathe for a moment. To have choice so swiftly taken away was dizzying. She stared at Reza, unable to look away. He’d made her choose — he’d let her choose him, and now he was discarding her. It was supposed to be the other way around.
She got to her feet, mind a fog of anger and heartache, and though she felt Reza’s hand on her arm, she wrenched away. And though she perceived that Kelly was getting to his feet, she just waved him off, more or less staggering through the seated pirates to escape the hut. It was too confined. It felt too small. She couldn’t breathe and she needed to be free of it.
Outside the hut, the sun was just beginning to set beyond the jungle canopy, a blaze of scarlet and orange and gold against the mountain’s peak. Villagers stopped to stare at her, a few muttering to each other, but she just turned and walked away from them, away from the village fires, towards the darkening shadows of the jungle itself. A few people called out to her but she didn’t understand what they were saying, and moreover she didn’t care.
She stumbled into the jungle, shoving past branches and leaves, tripping over fat tree roots and rocks, and kept the village and the setting sun at her back. She didn’t stop until she could no longer smell the cooking fires or hear the rush of the waterfall. She didn’t stop until the torches being lit on the camp’s perimeter were out of sight, and all that surrounded her were lengthening shadows and rustling vegetation. Then she sat, right where she was, and put her back to the sturdy trunk of a tree she had no name for, and burst into tears.
Cressida did not cry often, and now it poured out of her, as if a dam inside her heart had crumbled, releasing a tidal wave of anguish, gasping sobs and helpless watery moans. She put her face in her hands and buckled to the uncertainty, the loneliness, and the heartbreak. She cursed the day she’d seen the merchant clipper sailing on the horizon. She cursed herself for bringing Reza aboard the Black Fortune instead of leaving him to rot with the rest of the clipper’s mysterious crew. She cursed James Kelly for letting her dally with him and never telling her he loved her. She cursed her heart for being stupid and open. At last, she had lost her balance and fallen. And she didn’t have the strength to get back up.
She didn’t know how long she cried. Eventually, she hugged her legs to her chest and pressed her cheek to her knee, trying to remember how to breathe, trying to rebuild the dam inside her. When at last she opened her eyes, however, Reza was crouched across from her, a look of absolute shame on his face. She wanted to look away but couldn’t.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You are the flower of my heart.”
She thought that should have made her cry some more, but found her eyes had cried all the tears they could. “I chose you,” she murmured miserably.
“No.” He reached out, touched
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