Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
AULANI
The welcome banquet was quite the scene. Ezra spared no expenses in making sure his brother was welcome home while asserting his position as king. Ezra sat at the head of the table, with me sitting on his right side, and Tavo lounging on his left side.
In this position, I felt that I was in a rather uncomfortable spot because Tavo kept staring at me.
He was trying to figure me out, trying to understand why Ezra had a mute girl next to him, especially a girl who did not look like anyone else here.
Among my other unique features, my red-tinted hair stood out like a red anemone in a bed of pale shells.
I wore blue, while everyone here wore earthy tones of browns, muted creams and ivories, and lots of green.
Cressida sat at the farthest end of the table. Earlier that day, they questioned her, but she pleaded innocent to everything… or so Ezra told me. I didn’t trust her, and I wondered if they had asked her about that golden ball…
The banquet table glittered with candlelight and crystal, gold leafing curling along the rims of koa wood goblets and plates like vines. Music trickled through the high-vaulted ceilings, and laughter echoed from every corner–except where Ezra sat.
Everyone was happy to have both brothers back, but neither brother seemed too pleased to see each other. The tension between them was taut and uncomfortable.
Across from me, Tavo sipped from his goblet and let his eyes rake slowly over me. My eyebrows furrowed. “Ezra,” he said, smiling as smooth as oil on water. “You’ve brought quite the enchantress to the table. What was your name again, love?”
Love? I lifted my chin as my fingers tightened on my fork.
Ezra’s jaw flexed. “She doesn’t speak,” he said.
Tavo clicked his tongue. “What a shame. So beautiful, yet… so quiet.” He grinned. “The best treasures often are.” He leaned forward, and my insides tightened. “What was her name again?”
Ezra’s grip tightened around his goblet. “Her name is Aulani.”
“Aulani.” Tavo said my name, as if he were tasting it in his mouth. “Interesting. She doesn’t look like she’s from here.” I hated he was talking about me right in front of me. Ezra, too, seemed completely bothered by this.
Want my fist to smash his nose?
I nearly laughed aloud at Ezra’s intrusive thought, and when he met my eyes, they sparkled. Despite the gleam in them, though, he also looked worried, and I sensed the undercurrent of insecurity within him.
“What is she anyway?” Tavo asked. “A garden girl? A hula dancer?”
“She’s none of your concern,” Ezra said coolly.
Tavo raised an eyebrow. “Touchy, brother. I only meant to appreciate the mystery… unless you’re hiding something.”
Ezra ignored him, and when I met Tavo’s eyes, he studied me. It wasn’t the kind of look I’d say was an admirable look, but rather…
What if he uses me against Ezra? Was I going to make things more complicated? Considering his burdens, would he crack under the pressure if another one was added?
Tavo raised his goblet to me, unconcerned. “If you tire of Ezra’s mood, dear lady, I’d be more than happy to–”
“She’s not interested.” Ezra snapped finally, his words sharp enough to silence the nearby conversations. Ho‘ohuli and Kalei exchanged worried glances and a hush fluttered over our section of the table.
Tavo’s eyes narrowed, though his smirk remained. “Careful, Ezra. You’re starting to sound like father.”
“Maybe I want to be more like father,” Ezra said, and I slipped my hand under the table, resting it lightly on Ezra’s leg. His hand found mine and he squeezed it.
Tavo turned away, lips twitching with whatever unspoken game he thought he was winning. But Ezra… he seemed unearthed. He seemed… mad. I’d never seen this expression on him, or felt it from him. He was always so calm. Grounded. Steady.
But this… this was a different side of Ezra, and I worried for him.
Later that night, I stood on the rooftop of the palace, gazing at the stars.
Thinking about the telescope I found in Ryker’s pocket… and Mo, Humu, and the world I left behind. I missed it and wondered what would happen when I returned, but I worried deeply about Ezra.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
I turned to see Ezra approach. Ezra's tunic was unbuttoned and open, which showed some of his muscled chest underneath, and his hair looked messy, as if he’d run his fingers through it. I had to look away, my heart pounding.
As much as I wanted to imagine a life here with Ezra, the old man who knew magic hadn’t had much luck the past couple of days. He came by to tell Ezra he still couldn’t find any spells or magic in Kaiora that could help me.
I sighed, focusing on the moment at hand. I love the stars, Ezra. You can see them so well here in the mountains.
Ezra leaned against the railing and I joined him, our arms touching. I always loved his warmth.
You don’t have to pretend he didn’t get to you, the king finally said, his voice tight. He’s charming. Powerful. He exhaled. He’s everything I’m not.
Ezra… Tavo was the last thing I was thinking about.
If anything, my thoughts now turned to Cressida and the frog situation.
I should’ve been thinking about the sea and my days wearing thin.
But there was so much to do here, and I desperately wanted to help Ezra…
I wanted to take just one thing off his plate.
I should let you go, Aulani. Maybe it’s selfish to want you to stay when I can’t even promise–He looked down at the view below, stopping himself. You looked so far away tonight.
I touched his hand and our fingers intertwined, as if they were used to doing this. Ezra looked at me with his green eyes, eyes that looked so sad and tired. Worn down.
My fingers brushed his smooth cheek, then trailed down his jaw.
If you didn’t catch my drift, you’re slower than a sea slug in molasses, Ezra.
He barked a laugh, sudden and real and relieved. You hated him.
I gave a single nod, solemn as the moon on the sea, then pulled him down so our foreheads touched. He closed his eyes and I felt something in him–something raw and aching and afraid.
I don’t want to lose you. His voice was soft. Gentle. Not to him. Not to the sea. Not to anything.
I gently kissed his cheek, falling into his fresh koa wood scent.
Then you better keep your promise, I teased and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close.
What if we did find a way to permanently transform you to a human? Would your heart swim away and I never see you again?
I grinned. What if I dragged you with me?
He laughed again, something I counted as a victory. You’re dangerous, mermaid, you know that?
Only for you, I said and hugged him. No kisses… not yet.
I couldn’t sleep. Even after spending a romantic moment under the stars with Ezra, I tossed and turned. Not only was the sea calling to me, but something just didn't feel right.
Magic.
I could no longer resist the tingling sensation in the air. Someone was using magic, and it wasn’t the comforting, cozy magic that Aunty Lorelei used, nor was it the natural magic that existed in the forest's life or the songbirds.
It was a leeching kind of magic that made the air feel heavy. I wasn’t exactly familiar with dark magic, per se, but I was pretty sure this was it.
Where is it coming from? I got out of bed, changed, and slowly made my way into the hallway, tiptoeing barefoot, following my instincts.
I walked out of the palace, and Pili circled before landing on my shoulder.
He shook his feathers, as if nervous for me, as if telling me to turn around and go back.
But I didn’t want to go back. I had to find whatever was causing this imbalance in the air, and I had to stop it.
The coquis were ridiculously loud, so loud it almost made it difficult for me to sense the tingling, pulsing sensation in the air. I passed through the terrace garden, traversing deep into the forest.
The koa trees were so old they seemed to hold the wisdom of thousands of years. No wonder the people loved these forests, these trees. They had a life all their own. Tavo spoke of cutting them down, and that made my heart ache.
The locals cut them down too, I told myself. Yes, this was true. They used the wood for ships and weapons… but Tavo meant to cut them down at an alarming rate.
Ezra won’t let that happen. He cared for his people, this land, and these trees. A coqui chirped next to me and I jumped, eyeing it with suspicion.
Not Ezra. The normal coquis were a dull color, like white sand mixed with ashes from a campfire. Ezra, in his frog form, had had more of a green color, with a golden tint, as if he were still wearing his green kingly tunics even in frog form.
Suddenly, the air became more charged, and I felt a stinging sensation inside my chest. The trees were sinking–not physically, but the life in them was drifting away to something unseen, something terrifying.
Even the birds and owls hid in the trees, but they could not escape the magic force, sucking their lives like a whirlpool dragging the surrounding water, drawing everything to its center.
That’s when I saw a light. I moved, careful not to step on any branches or rustle any leaves. With skirts hiked up above my knees, I crouched behind a large monstera bush.
My jaw dropped.
In the center of the opening was a light, and it came not from a lantern nor a fire. It came from a ball.
A golden ball.
Cressida. She held it in her hands, trying to conceal the light from the forest, yet it still glowed.
What is she doing? Black magic drifted like ribbons in the air, connecting itself from the trees and nearby life to the ball.
The ball is taking the life from the trees, the birds, and… Not the frogs. No. Coquis hopped around, and even if I had made a sound, they were so much louder. Their endless, annoying chirping hurt my ears.