Isla didn't breathe. This was one of the unknowns in their plan that she had feared. She held the gaze of the man who held her freedom. The one man that with a single word could have her imprisoned. The music and the voices around her grew louder, a reminder that she was in a jeweled cage. One she couldn't fight her way out of.

Raif lost part of his smile with concern as he saw Isla's change. When he glanced over his shoulder, he drew Lord Sutherland's gaze. The two men locked eyes. Raif dipped his chin in a silent greeting. Isla tensed as Lord Sutherland raised his glass in acknowledgment and turned away.

"What will he do," she whispered, heart picking up speed.

She surveyed the exits, thinking of her men. Though she had made note of the guards positioned around the ballroom when she first entered, it felt like their numbers had doubled. Hawk and the others were waiting in Raif's rooms, unaware. She didn't know if there would be a way to get to them. Get them to safety.

Still playing into the charade, Raif leaned his forehand against Isla's, forcing her back in that moment, pausing her plans of escape.

"He is a ruthless man who only cares for getting what he wants," Raif said, "even if it is to the loss of his fellow noblemen. If we get him what he wants, you will be safe."

She closed her eyes, breathing in Raif. "Are you certain?"

"He made no move to alert the guards, for now, I believe we are safe."

Isla didn't know if believed that but knew, for now, she had to trust Raif's judgment. She peered back at Lord Sutherland, who was acted as if Isla and Raif were no longer his concern.

Apprehension tightened in her chest, but for now, there was nothing she could do but complete the task she had already started. She gave a tiny nod and Raif swept her into the corridor, passing two pinched-lipped women who regarded the pair with a mixture of curiosity and distaste.

As they were nearing the archway to the main foyer at the other end of the corridor, the flutter of laughter reached them. Raif rounded on Isla and pressed her against the hall, bringing his face close to hers, resting one hand on her waist. Following the act, she placed her hand on his face. At her touch, he relaxed and his smile softened.

For a breath, they stared at each other, aware of nothing else.

A trio of girls entered the corridor, their laughter quietening as they noticed the pair in an imitate position. One of the girls coughed in disdain.

"Surely, Raif you have not forgotten that you are in the palace and there are rules of propriety?"

Grinning with a devil-may-care air, Raif faced the trio. "I remember a time when you forgot the rules of propriety, Lady Claudia."

Color flooded the cheeks of the girl in the middle. Taking Isla's hand and wrapping it around his arm, Raif dipped his head to them and walked off. As they left the corridor, the hum of the girls' voices resumed, the sound holding a harsh edge to it.

Raif leaned close to Isla. "I must apologize, this will do nothing for your reputation at Court."

"It doesn't matter to me. I will never come back."

Raif glanced at her but said nothing.

As they were crossing to the grand staircase, a door down another hallway opened and a group of men exited, the scent of cigars and brandy wafting around them. Raif tugged Isla onward as the men meandered forward. The pair reached the first step when a deep, commanding voice called out.

"Raif."

Raif breathed out a curse and straightened, meeting Isla's eyes. She saw anxiety and frustration simmering in the stormy gray.

"I am sorry," he said.

Uncertain about the apology, Isla followed Raif's lead and faced the group of noblemen. All of them were apprising the pair, but one man detached himself from his companions and strode over. It was like Isla was seeing what Raif would look like in twenty years if he were cruel. Hard lines and untrusting eyes. Raif went rigid, but his smile was wide and easy.

"Hello, father," he said. "It is a pleasure to see you. If you will excuse me, Lady Isabella is overwhelmed and I am escorting her to her room."

Raif's father tossed Isla a cursory glance before staring down at his son with fire in his eyes.

"How dare you bring your dockside wench into the palace," he said.

Isla didn't bat an eye while Raif looked as if someone had stabbed him in the stomach. In a breath, his shock vanished.

"How dare you," he snarled. "She is not-"

"Do not try to play me for a fool, boy," his father said, stepping closer. "She resembles the woman my men found you with." He leaned forward. "Men you attacked. Men wasted searching for you while you were tumbling-"

"Don't," Raif growled, as Isla felt the muscles in his arm grow taut as if ready to fight.

Raif's father flicked a dismissive hand at Isla. "You can dress her up all you like but that does not change what she is."

He sneered at Isla like she were scum. When she stared back unflinching, he cut his gaze to his son.

"Get her out of here, I will not have you bringing disgrace to our family. I will deal with you later."

Before Raif could argue, his father spun on his heel and rejoined his companions, all signs of the furious father hidden away. Clenching his jaw, Raif guided Isla up the curved staircase. She could feel him vibrating with anger. Once they were on the landing and out of sight, Raif stopped her. His face was twisted with fury and concern.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Isla, what he said-"

Isla kissed him, stealing his words.

"Raif, your father, and his words are as common as hundreds of other men I have encountered before. We have a task to finish. Now, where are your rooms?"

He blinked all his righteous indignation on her account evaporating, leaving him dumbfounded.

"Raif."

Gathering himself, he steered Isla through a labyrinth of hallways finally entering a lavish sitting room decorated in deep greens and browns. As Isla surveyed the luxury around her, Hawk, Brockton, Orin, and Loch emerged from the bedroom. Isla let out a breath, they were safe.

"Do you have my clothes," she asked, ready to be rid of the tiresome dress.

Hawk nodded, motioning to one of the heavy chests that had been their excuse to enter the guest quarters. When Isla moved to retrieve her clothes, Raif put a hand on her arm.

"I would wait for on that." Raif let go. "Since the emerald was not in Viscount Drollan's rooms we must assume they are secured somewhere else."

"Can you get Drollan into your rooms?" Isla asked. "If so, then we can handle him from there."

Raif held up his hand. "I can but I don't think we will need to use force to get what we need. As I mentioned before he is a boastful man and is always eager to show off his prize. I will go down to dinner and sit next to him, making sure he drinks enough that when I ask to see the emerald he will be more than willing.

"Besides his pride, Drollan has a weakness for beautiful women. Isla, your presence could be a distraction. This is what I think."

Raif laid out a simple but efficient plan that would cause little to no alarm and would keep them relatively safe. By the time they had ironed out any rough edges, the call to dine was being announced. Raif moved to the door.

"How will you explain my absence?" Isla asked.

"I will say you were overwhelmed and wanted to retire," Raif said, opening the door. "I will send food up. I'm sorry, but you will have to endure the wait of dinner. I do not know how long that might be."

"It's fine," Isla reassured him though she chafed at the idea of waiting.

The door shut behind him and the room fell silent. When Isla put her back to the door, she found the men watching her.

"Were there any complications on your end?" Hawk asked.

"No more than I could handle." She tugged off her gloves and tossed them onto a table stationed behind a settee as she paced the room. "Lord Sutherland is present in the palace."

Though the men had barely moved, they all froze. Hawk was the first to shake off the shock.

"Did he see you?"

"Yes, but he did nothing. Raif assures me that it means he more than willing to let us do what we must as long as it ends with him getting what he wants." Isla stopped. "Since he is here, then once we have the emerald we can simply pass it off to him and..."

She didn't finish her sentence the idea of being free to fragile to say aloud. Hawk folded his arms, hearing her unspoken words and frowning.

"We may, but this is a man who doesn't incriminate himself. I don't think it's likely he will accept the emerald in the palace where it has recently been taken."

Orin leaned back in his chair, tilting it onto two legs. "We wait at the dock then. He will have to return to his estate in time. We hand over the emerald then."

Isla and Hawk both gave slight nods at this suggestion. It would mean remaining where they could be discovered but the chance to be free once and for all was too strong to resist. Isla looked at Hawk, needing to know what he thought.

"It could be worth it," he said.

Further discussion was paused by a knock at the door. The four men quickly retreated into the bedroom beyond as Isla crossed to the door. When she opened it, a servant was waiting on the other side with a cart laden with dishes of food.

Stepping back, Isla allowed the servant to enter and distribute the meal onto the table. With a bow and a quick smile that told Isla this servant was well of who she was and who she had come with, the servant left.

The food perfumed the air with a savory odor that enticed the men out of their hiding place. On the table was more food than Isla could ever finish on her own and she knew Raif had sent enough for all of them. Without comment, they all sat and ate.

After the first mouthful, Isla knew she wasn't going to be able to stomach any of it. The food was rich and unlike anything she had tasted, but the knot in her stomach from having to wait made it all pointless.

Isla stood, waving off the men's hesitation and walked to the balcony doors. Outside the night was a contrast of a black star-sprinkled sky and a glowing city in the midst of its final celebration. Isla crossed her arms, the quiet eating of the men giving her space to think. She found her thoughts drifting to Raif.

Though he had told her how his father saw him, she hadn't understood until she saw it for herself. Raif was no more than a rebellious boy to that man. He couldn't see what Isla and the crew did. A man who worked hard respected those around him, and made a name for himself.

Isla leaned against the curved archway of the doors. Raif was someone she knew her father would have liked. Behind her, the men talked their voices a faint murmur. A chair scraped back and Hawk joined Isla. They stood there, stretching out their wait with their silence.

"It has been almost a year since we've tried to get the emerald," Isla said. "So many times I thought we were close. And now...it might not even be me who retrieves it, but a nobleman that I kidnapped."

Hawk studied her, but she didn't meet his gaze, staring unseeing at the palace grounds.

"It is not a weakness to need help," he said. "Your father understood that. He understood that being a good captain meant trusting and relying on the people around you. It's why he went to handpick you a crew. It's why he never replaced his crew with a younger more agile one. He trusted us. As we trusted him. As we now trust you."

Isla couldn't look at Hawk, afraid she would show too many of her emotions. She trusted them and once this debt was paid and the crew was free to return home, no longer tethered to the ship, she didn't know how she would find a new crew that she trusted as much.

"It is why we will stay with you as long as we can."

Isla whipped her head around. "You plan to stay?"

Hawk smiled, the action forming wrinkles by his eyes. "We never planned to leave."

"But Kiera..." She glanced at Orin, Brockton, and Loch. "Your families. You will be free."

Stepping closer to her, Hawk placed a hand on Isla's shoulder. It was such a familiar gesture that always reminded her that she wasn't alone.

"We will see them more once the debt is paid, but you can never take a sailor away from the sea. The sea is our home. The ship our way of life. We will be with you until you will no longer have us."

The weight of guilt Isla had been carrying around for months lifted. The men weren't trapped on the ship because of her. They were there because they wanted to be. They would remain there because they wanted to.

"My father couldn't of hand-picked a better crew for me."

******

Loud rowdy laughter undercut by a familiar voice was the only warning Isla was given that Raif was returning and he wasn't alone.

It had been almost two hours since Raif and left and if it hadn't been for the quartet of men with her, Isla wasn't sure how she would have been able to stand the wait. They had managed to keep her distracted so she didn't try to do something that would ruin the whole plan.

With a nod from Isla, the men took to their hideouts as she snatched the gloves off the table and tugged them back on. By the time she was in positioned before the doors, she heard a quick rap of knuckles on the wood. She didn't move and a second later, Raif walked in accompanied by a man in his thirtieth year with a growing paunch and a red face. Upon seeing Isla, the man beamed.

"My," he said, "you are as stunning as everyone has been saying."

When Isla did not react, Drollan looked to Raif.
"She knows where little Lorian, as I mentioned."

Drollan laughed. "Of course, of course. I forgot."

He bowed to Isla, the forward motion making him teeter dangerously to the side, but Raif caught him before he could fall. In return, Isla dipped into a low curtsy that offered view any man would be hard-pressed to resist.

When she rose, she saw that Drollan hadn't wasted the opportunity and it took great effort for him to lift his gaze back to her face. Next to him, Raif pressed his lips together fighting against an amused grin.

"Drollan," Raif said. "I know you offered to show me the Serpent's Eye, but I wonder if you would allow Isabella to join as well." He leaned in. "She had a passion for jewels and men who own them."

As Drollan brightened, Isla struggled not to shake her head at Raif. When Drollan held out his arm, Isla took it. He reeked of wine and she wondered how he even managed to remain upright.

"I have something that you are sure to enjoy," he said, breathing wine into Isla's face. She kept her expression controlled and let him lead her out of the room.

As they navigated their way down corridors and to the lower levels of the palace, Drollan talked on, seeming to forget that Lady Isabella didn't speak Lorian or rather not caring. When they reached a guarded heavy wooden down nestled into a far wing of the palace, Isla was fighting against the urge to knock the man unconscious simply to shut him up. The guard at the door eyed the trio, but said nothing, recognizing both Drollan and Raif.

"Open up," Drollan said with a flick of his wrist.

After a brief hesitation, the guard did as instructed. Drollan looked to Isla with a glint of eagerness.

"The king offered to keep my prize in the royal vaults but that it would have taken an escort to visit. No, I knew storing it close by would be the wisest."

At this Drollan spared another glance at Isla's chest. Not only was this man arrogant but dumb as well. The door was opened for them and they walked into a room that was the size of Isla's cabin and lined with shelves holding most of the palace's silver. At the center was a table Isla guessed was for polishing as it held smudges.

The guard retreated to his post outside as Drollan bustled over to a corner of the room and retrieved a small chest from a middle shelf. He set the chest down on the table and removed a key from around his neck. With a mischievous smile at Isla, he inserted the key and turned.

Isla held her breath, fearing that what she had worked so hard for, for so long would somehow fail when she was so close. Her heart beat against her chest as Drollan lifted the lid. Unable to stop herself, she eased closer, nerves humming with anticipation as he withdrew a silk bag.

When he turned to Isla and tipped the bag over his palm, she became motionless. Laying in his hand was an emerald shaped into an oval and encircled by bronze crafted to resemble the coils of a snake.

Isla blinked. It was real. There in the man's palm was her freedom. The crew's freedom. It took all her strength to restrain herself from snatching it and making a run for the door. There was a plan to follow.

So instead, she took a tentative step forward and peered up at Drollan with wide eyes. He grinned. Biting her lip, she raised her hand, silently asking for permission. With his free hand, Drollan cupped Isla's and transformed the emerald to her gloved palm. For all the hope and value it cared, the emerald was lighter than she imagined it would be.

"Oh," she breathed out in admiration.

The sound tore Drollan's attention away from the emerald and to Isla's face, pleased to know his prize had impressed her. Isla held his gaze and shifted forward, making the man flush with excitement.

Before Drollan could do anything more than glance to Isla's lips, Raif bumped into him and he stumbled forward, knocking into Isla. She staggered and there came solid thump as something hit the floor.

Startled, Drollan mumbled apologies. As he bent forward to search for the dropped emerald, Isla stepped closer and brought her forehead down on his. Drollan wobbled and Isla fell to the ground as if from the force of their collision. Gathering himself together, Drollan spun around in a panic right as Raif straightened and cinched the silken bag.

"It might be best if we lock this back up," he said, laying the bag inside the chest and removing the key.

As Drollan held out his hand for the key, Isla let out a soft moan, distracting him. When he turned to her, his gaze went from her face down to her exposed leg. Forcing himself to focus, he held out his hand and leaned over to help her, teetering a bit. Before he could assist Isla, Raif clapped a hand on Drollan's shoulder.

"Let me, I wouldn't want you to fall over as well," Raif said.

Laughing good-naturedly, Drollan stepped back. Isla raised both her hands to Raif. When he lifted her to her feet, they stared at each other, feeling the emerald - hidden in her glove - pressed between their palms.

**********************************************************************

Drinks all around!!!

*grabs your hand and starts dancing* THEY GOT THE EMERLD! THEY GOT THE EMERLD!!! *we both tumble to the floor* One step closer to freedom!! Share your excitement with me!! 🗯💬💭🎉

*takes a breath*

Well that was a wild ride! Now tell me, who is planning to team up with me and make Raif's father pay for what he said?

I can't believe he called Isla that! The guy has seriously got to get punched in the face or thrown off a ship!! I can see why Raif wouldn't mind being kidnapped, it's almost better then being around his father! Poor Raif, but hey at least he got another kiss from Isla so I don't think he's too upset about it!

Funny enough, I never expected Raif's father to appear. One of those things where my characters do their own thing and I'm swept away with the tide. But it explains a lot about Raif and why he wouldn't want to be at Court all that much.

(Update: there are NOW 2 chapters left plus an epilogue 😊)

Ya bhagacha cha prashna (Marathi): What is one goal you want to achieve in your life?

Mine: Pretty obvious but I would love to get a book published.

Vote for clear skies, comment on the north star, and follow that horizon!