Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ONE DAY LEFT
Iawoke to the sound of something being placed on my nightstand.
Flowers. Roses and gardenias. They smelled incredible.
I didn’t immediately get up though, too afraid to face Keanu. What was I to say? What should I do?
I had a restless night, tossing and turning, every part of me terrified of this world… this world that I was so ignorant and so na?ve. Did I really believe that Keanu loved me? Malakai’s words made complete sense.
He tells me to trust him, but he doesn’t tell me the truth about everything… And not only that, but this was it. This was the last full day, the 31st of the month. By nightfall, I’d disappear and Keanu would return to his ghost form as a night marcher. Unless he got me to take his place.
“Oli?” Much to my surprise, the chief sat on my bedside and stroked my arm. “You should probably get up. We have much to do today.”
I pretended to sleep, but who knew if he believed me or not? I was a terrible liar.
“I’m tired,” I said, turning so that my back faced him. He rubbed my back, and every time his fingers touched the skin at the back of my neck, I felt my walls crumbling. Crumbling…
No, Oli. Don’t even indulge in any of it.
“We’re hosting a dinner tonight. I host it once a month for the nobility,” he said. “It helps me to keep them in check, so that we may be friends, and if a problem arises in my kingdom, I am on good terms with them and can resolve things quickly.”
The last thing I wanted to do was spend the evening with a bunch of snobby nobles. A pool of dread settled in my stomach. Pua would be there too.
“There will be a dance afterward, too,” Keanu said, brushing some hair from the side of my face. He then rested his hand on my shoulder and leaned over, his nose brushing my neck. “I’d love to dance with you.”
Don’t let it affect you, Oli. Don’t! But it was so romantic…
“I know you’re tired and I’m sure you’re still grieving the loss of your mother.”
I remained quiet.
“But I wanted to talk to you about something…”
My curiosity piqued. He kept his hand on my arm and sounded… nervous? “I wanted to offer you a way out of this bargain.”
I blinked and sat up, rubbing my eyes to make sure I really was awake. This was real.
“A way out? What do you mean? Is there something we missed in the riddle?”
The corner of his lip turned up as he looked at me, and I realized how unkept and exhausted I must have looked. But it was as if he was memorizing something… memorizing me.
“I’m not sure how it could all work, but maybe a priest at the heiau can help undo the bargain. I would return as a night marcher, and your days would return to you.”
I gaped, and before I could say something, he added, "You can even remain queen if you’d like.
I know it’s still all new to you, but you’ve proven yourself a competent queen and I trust you with the kingdom.
” He paused, then said, “If you don’t want to be queen, I can make all the arrangements for you and your sister to continue living peacefully here. ”
I couldn’t believe he was saying this.
Keanu. Keanu. The man who pressured me into a bargain with him. The man who allowed Kalani to threaten me at knifepoint. Was this really the same man?
“I don’t want to force you into anything.” His cheeks tinged pink. “I know I have before, and I don’t ever want to do that again. Not to you. Not to anyone.”
“You’d really do that?” For a moment, a sense of freedom came rushing toward me.
If we undid the curse, the rest of my days would return to me. I could live with my sister. We could be free here in the kingdom of ‘Anolani. I wouldn’t have to be married to Keanu. Wouldn’t have to figure out this curse or how to rule a kingdom.
And then reality hit.
If we undid the curse, Keanu would return to his life as a night marcher. An eternity as a ghost roaming the night.
But he would do it for me. Did this really mean… he loved me?
Keanu took my hand and met my eyes. It was then I could tell he was trying to read me.
Don’t falter, Oli. I met his eyes back, trying to give off an air of confidence when, inside, I was melting under his bright-eyed gaze. Why did he have such an effect on me?
I don’t give into my emotions.
Right! So why didn’t I want to accept his offer?
Because I do care about him.
“We will figure out the riddle,” I said. “We’re so close.”
“Are we, though?” Keanu sighed and looked down.
“I won’t be mad if you want to undo the bargain, Oli.
I want you to be free, and express yourself freely with me too.
Listen, we know the answer. Fall in love.
I die. Your days will return to you, and if you light the eternal flame I will be free from my curse. ”
There he was again, being honest. Sincere. It reminded me of the moment he apologized after the ball. He wasn’t flirting his way through this. Wasn’t playing around.
“I think we’re closer to the riddle than ever before,” I said and slipped off the bed.
“Let me get ready, and think more about it.” The truth was, I was weak.
I really believed he loved me, and when I stared into his eyes, I could feel myself drowning.
Drowning. Drowning in emotions and feelings that I shouldn’t have for him.
I headed to the washroom. Keanu stood and looked after me, but he didn’t follow. When I had properly dressed and cleaned myself, I reappeared, only to find Keanu at his desk, writing in his journal again.
I hesitated, then stood behind him and gently placed my hands on his shoulders. Keanu smiled and turned to me. I avoided looking at his open journal, knowing it would be so easy to take a peek and read what he wrote.
No, Oli. And who knew? It could be another trap! He could be writing some adoring notes, pretending that he was in love with me, trying to convince me to fall in love with him, solve his riddle, and break his curse.
But only he can break his curse.
And not only that, he offered to live an eternity with his curse… for me.
“Thank you for your offer,” I said. “Truly. But I think we can figure out the curse together.”
Keanu stood and pulled me into his arms.
“Then tell me again, love,” he said. “How do I become one with the shadow, and light the eternal flame?”
“You must accept your punishment as a night marcher,” I said. “And then you’ll be free. Kāne is teaching you a lesson, Keanu.”
He sighed and nodded, looking to the side, as if contemplating. “If you were in my place, what would you do?”
“I would order that the heiau be rebuilt. I would’ve ordered that as soon as I came back from the dead, if I were you.”
He nodded. “Anything else?”
“I’d gather the people and tell them we are surrendering to the warlord, but not to fear.”
Keanu nodded, waiting for me to say the part that we both loathed. When I didn’t say it, he said, “And how should I die?”
I looked away. How was I to answer that?
I shook my head, then felt Keanu kiss my temple.
“I will go and take care of the heiau and speak to my people.” He didn’t mention how he would die.
I hated to think of him becoming one with the shadow.
I held my breath in an attempt to keep my anxiety at bay.
I don’t want to lose Keanu. But I had to. This was the only way to solve the riddle and break the curse…
It was either break the curse this way, or undo it and not even try.
We have to try.
Keanu moved a piece of hair from my face, but this time, I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him. I melted into him. I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help kissing him with every fiber of my being, wanting him. Aching for him.
He suddenly pulled away, a shocked expression on his face. “You kissed me,” he said, his voice quiet, a tinge of panic in it. The last time we kissed, at the cliff edge, we’d both been active participants, but this time I instigated the kiss.
I smiled. “Of course.”
I love you. The very thought caused my veins to throb. I shouldn’t love him. I had just told myself that it was a foolish thing to do.
But it’s too late. I had fallen in love with Keanu, which would only make everything so much harder to do.
But it must be done, for Kāne, the god of all gods.
Keanu looked a little pale at the fact I kissed him. “I should get going,” he said, and before I could ask why he acted so strange, he rushed out the door.
I squared my shoulders and tried to erase the memory of that kiss. The deadliest game had finally been played.
Now I have work to do. Work that scared me to death. And I had one person I needed to see…
I visited my sister and confessed everything to her. Kiki gave me a look.
“So you’ve both played the deadliest game,” she said, then sighed. “What I’ve learned from all of this so far is that Kāne knows what he’s doing.”
I didn’t want to think like that. Did Kāne know what he was doing? Did he even care about us?
“But death is no joke,” Kiki said, cutting off my thoughts. “Once he is dead, he’s dead and there’s no going back. He must become one with the night marchers, and light the way home for others.”
Her words echoed over and over in my head as Alohi and I walked to the dinner. I didn’t even hear the elegant music or enjoy the food. I sat next to Keanu, feeling so close yet so far from him.
I can’t lose him… This was so wildly unfair.
But all of this is Keanu’s fault. He must pay for his disrespect to Kāne…
A tinkling laugh finally drew away my distracted thoughts. I looked up to see that Pua was at the dinner.
She sat across the way, laughing so loudly as to draw attention to herself. Flames erupted inside me. Why was she here? She kept looking at Keanu, but he only looked at me anytime she batted her eyes in his direction.
I should’ve been comforted, but my insides brewed with jealousy.
She kept biting her blood red lips, as if secretly flirting with my husband.
He paid her no attention, but I used this as an excuse.
I had to think of something to brace myself against his inevitable death.
Because the thought of losing him was becoming more and more unbearable.