The Looming Heir of Resha Island 3
Olivia’s secret is exposed, and she has no choice. She must be honest with Raya.
Raya has two choices. She can join the queen in persecuting Olivia, or attempt to reclaim her freedom.
Part ONE | Part TWO | Part THREE | Part FOUR | Part FIVE | Part SIX
I found Raya in the family room hovering over puzzle pieces, with moonlight as her guide. Was I meant to fight this attraction to her? Her dark skin glowed beneath the moonlight.
“How was your shower?” She grabbed a piece from the middle and placed it on the left edge of her game. She’d solved over half of it while I was in the shower.
“Good. The pie should be cooled if you want a piece,” I offered.
“I’m not big on sweets,” she said in a flat tone that worried me.
I ignored the awkward silence that followed. “You get any word back on the search?” I sat on the couch across from her.
She glanced at me with soul-deep exhaustion. “I haven’t heard anything.”
“When are you to be notified?” She blew out a long breath.
“Olivia.” My name was gentle on her lips, with a touch of turmoil. “Can you stop lying to me? My job is to protect you.”
I lifted my eyebrows. What did she know? “Lying about what?”
“Where the Broader’s Head?” She stopped working on the puzzle and settled her gaze on mine.
“I’m not sure.” I was in my suite when it was stolen and couldn’t be connected to the crime. No matter how much the queen wanted it.
She opened her hand to reveal the tiny disc that I’d hidden in my locs. “What’s that?” I fought the urge to touch my locs.
“You lied.” It was short and simple. “This could put us both in danger.” Her jaw clenched, but most of her anger hid in the shadows.
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We were in danger. If I hadn’t had the heirloom stolen, Raya would be in chains. I wanted to tell her that, but she knew it. “Are you going to contact the queen?”
Raya studied me, and I prayed that we could trust each other. At least in my hands, I would try to get her freedom. After a few seconds, she handed me the disc, and I secured it better this time. Relief.
“Why did she have Prince Eshodi killed?” Her voice shook. The gravity of her losing Eshodi hit me hard.
“She wants to hold on to the crown. We have an age limit here. Fifty-Five. Once a queen reaches it, she must pass the crown to the next in line of succession. That’s me. The Broader’s head is passed down to the first male in every generation. It has the secrets of our history and customs that must be preserved throughout generations.”
“Prince Eshodi was her son, so why didn’t she just ask him for it?”
“It was his job to give her the information she needed. She wanted to use it to fulfill harmful agendas. The male heir carries the weight of knowledge so the queen can focus on managing the island. I’ve heard that the information in the Broader’s Head is massive and comes with a heavy burden. No one person should carry both burdens, and so the rule was put in place four centuries ago.”
“How did you get the disc? And why would he send it if he knows you’re to become queen?”
Raya’s shadow was a silhouette now. “Eshodi sent it to me via messenger, and I made an oath that I would not use the heirloom for my rule.”
“He would’ve wanted me to help you. What do you plan to do with it once it’s in your possession?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. We could survive this. “We have a cousin in Sunlight City. Last I heard, he’d gotten married and even has a little girl. I’m hoping to find him.”
She sat there in the dark before I urged her to lie next to me. She didn’t argue and took her place behind me. Her soft breath and warm body made it easier for me to relax. “You should leave. Escape this Island.” I warned her, “Soon.”
“I have nowhere to go. Half the world is demolished or toxic. And I’m contracted to the island anyway. I may only leave by death.”
“It won’t be safe for you until I am queen. And if I fail…” The air constricted in my throat. Losing this battle would affect me, the people of Resha Island, and Raya.
“I won’t leave. I already lost everyone in the war. No one outside of Resha Island even knows I exist. If Eshodi believed in you, I will honor him by staying by your side.”
Eshodi left someone trustworthy. I was grateful. I rested against the pillow and allowed sleep to drag me under.
