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CHAPTER ONE

ONLY here could he find himself

Staring out at the vast, shi Zakari Al’Farisi of Calista welcomed the solitude of the Azahar desert He ruled Calista and its people, but it was the desert that taught him how

He was a good king—a strong ruler Powerful, even ruthless at times—he did what had to be done The easy path was never the option for Zakari and his people knew that and loved him for it He stood six feet three and of solid build, his shoulders ide enough to carry the hopes and fears of his land and his arh to hold any woman He was considered a playboy at tiave his one weakness, for no wo—they were a mere temporary distraction that was necessary at times

There was nothing temporary about the desert

Zakari’s eyes scanned the endless golden sea of sand, the landscape that shifted with the winds—while the rocks and canyons remained the solid markers

It was the land that was the true master here—fierce, inhospitable, yet beautiful, always it humbled him, would drain and exhaust him and then replenish him It was the test of the desert he needed now to reth

For ed their ways—four-wheel drives had replaced cauns were often used for prey instead of falconry, yet the desert and its vital principles were still ingrained and followed by soht to protect their simple existence, so too, while he was here, they would watch out for him Sometimes in the distance, he would make out in the shim their caravan of caht as they travelled Zakari knew they wouldn’t invade his privacy, but was safe in the knowledge they atching fro was safe and hen he returned to the land he loved

He had asked, to his aides’ horror, for solitude during the first part of his retreat here—no staff waiting on his every whi to distract hi half of the Stefani diamond And if he found it, when he found it, he would rule not just Calista, but Aristo too

The legacy would be fulfilled

King Christos Karedes had ruled both islands rumbles from his people had concerned hih froer to preserve their land and its gentle ways

A wise king, Christos had known that the Aristans had to stop looking to Calista to support them That they needed to build their own economy rather than rely on the Calistan diamonds It was for that reason he decided to leave an island to each of his children and made the painful decision to split the precious Stefani diahter would both become crowned rulers, with half the Stefani diamond in their nens

Calista would be ruled by his daughter, Anya

Aristo would be ruled by his son, Aegeus

But tis like the sand in the desert

Zakari’s step with his father—and noith King Aegeus’s sudden death, the islands were ripe for change

Without the stone, the coronation of Aegeus’s son Prince Alex could not go ahead and though the Aristan royals had tried to hide the fact the stone was , Zakari had, as he always did, found out

Zakari sat, willing himself to concentrate, yet his mind, as it had these past couple of days, wandered He was now quietly pleased at Hassan’s suggestion that his housekeeper join him in his second week in the desert When he returned to his tent at sunset, Christobel would be there Would take care of hiht so that he could focus deeper by day as to how best to take care of the future of his people

Zakari closed his eyes

The people that he hbouring island, and protect too the diareedy hands on

And Zakari could get his revenge

The wind swirled around him, the sand beat his face as the breeze picked up, but Zakari sat supremely still

Soon, he would get his revenge on Aegeus for what he had done to Anya

Haughty, razored features remained ihost of a smile

Revenge was so close he could taste it