Drago descended first, followed by the ever-serene Orion. That surprised her. Orion rarely ventured this far from his family. She straightened, her eyes glued to the cluster of teenagers. They were a riot of color and energy tumbling behind the two men. Her gaze settled on one young girl in particular.
Nali’s eyes lit with recognition. “Phoenix.”
Phoenix Reykill stepped forward, a little hesitant but smiling. “Empress Nali. It’s good to see you again.”
“You’ve grown,” Nali said, warmth in her voice. “And brought friends.”
Phoenix gave a sheepish nod as Asahi came to stand beside Nali, eyeing the group with curiosity.
Orion inclined his head. “Apologies for the abrupt visit. There’s been… a bit of a portal mishap.”
Drago huffed, amused. “Phoenix and her cousins thought a little exploring was a good idea during their school break. Unfortunately, the portal that was created scattered them across the isles like confetti. We’ve been collecting them one by one. We believe the last of their group—a young Dragonling named Jabir—may have landed here.”
Nali frowned, thoughtful. “I haven’t seen anyone new arrive through the border wards. But I will send out inquiries. You are, of course, welcome to stay as guests.”
A chorus of excited ‘thank you’s followed from the teens, their enthusiasm bright and utterly unfiltered.
Asahi raised a brow at Orion. “You’re chasing teenagers across kingdoms now? I thought you preferred diplomacy over chaos.”
Orion gave him a dry look. “The two often overlap when you have kids. You and Nali should try it sometime.”
As the group began the walk toward the palace, Drago, Orion, and Asahi fell into easy conversation—comparing updates on their families, the political landscape, and some rather suspicious new creatures Drago had spotted on the Isle of the Pirates that might or might not belong to a certain Empress.
Nali let the conversation flow around her as she observed the young ones with undisguised interest. Their laughter bubbled like spring water—so alive and curious.
Amber and Jade practically vibrated with excitement, pointing out stone-skinned sentries, shadow wraiths clinging to the edges of towers, and a trio of mischievous sea monkeys scaling the ropes of the airship like it was their personal jungle gym.
“Oh my stars, they followed us!” Amber cried, both hands clapping over her mouth.
“They are the coolest thing ever!” Jade added. “How much trouble do you think we’d be in if we took a few back with us?”
“I think we’ll be in enough trouble without adding them to our list,” Amber muttered. “I’m just glad they were there when we fought against Blackheart.”
Nali perked at the name. “Blackheart? You fought against Blackheart?”
Jade puffed up proudly. “Yeah. He’s visiting some place called the Cauldron of Lost Souls now. Ashure was like ‘You think your sister has a bad-ass stare? Watch this!’”
Jade snorted out a laugh and nodded. “Yeah, and Blackheart was like, ‘No, please have mercy on me.’ Of course, Ashure didn’t.”
“I thought it was cool when Saldusa turned herself into salt,” Adaline said.
“Jabir would have loved those sea monkeys,” Alice added with a sigh. “Too bad he missed it.”
“Fight? Jabir? He would’ve tried to make friends with them. He makes friends with everyone,” Zohar scoffed.
Asahi studied them with a bemused expression. “It sounds like you’ve had quite an adventure.”
“And none of it exaggerated,” Orion said under his breath.
“Oh, before we forget, we’ve brought you a present!” Jade suddenly exclaimed, her hands fumbling in her pack.
Amber gasped. “Oh! Yes! Our gift!”
The rest of the teens immediately groaned.
“Don’t do it, Your Majesty,” Zohar warned. “It’s not too late to run.”
“Come on, Jade. You know we’re in enough trouble back home. Do you have to ruin it here as well?” Bálint groaned.
