Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The whole world went silent as I stared at his lifeless face. My view blurred as tears streamed down my cheeks.
He was gone. Gone. Gone.
Losing my mother was one thing, but losing Keanu hit me like nothing else. I was stunned, frozen in place. My whole body went cold. This wasn’t real, was it?
A drum sounded in the distance, and I looked up to see Peter and Malakai. Both looked as shocked and pale as me. When I met Malakai’s eyes, I was sure he saw the pain in mine, and I saw the horror in his.
He killed Keanu. But just as soon as the horror was there, it was brushed away. Malakai had always been good at putting on a face. He quickly recovered and shoved Peter to the side and grabbed my arm.
“We have to get out of here. The night marchers are coming to take him, just like they did the last two times.”
The last two times. How could Malakai do this to his cousin? Not once, not twice, but three times? He had to have blood as cold as the water at the bottom of the sea.
Instead of moving, my whole body was heavy lava rock.
“How could you?” I was trembling all over, unable to take my eyes off my husband’s cold body.
“Hurry up.” Malakai’s grip was cutting off the circulation in my wrist. I yanked my arm away from him, knowing I needed to act. Now was not the time to wallow in my emotions, though there was a large gaping hole in my heart. I had to get away from Malakai.
“Help!” I screamed. Malakai smacked me across the cheek but the burning sensation wasn’t enough to stop me from getting help. “Alohi, help!”
The drumbeats were getting louder, but Peter came to my aid. Within seconds, Malakai’s sword was on the ground and Peter pointed his blade at the murderer’s throat. He glanced at the darkness outside, hearing the conch shell and drumbeats.
It was then that Alohi appeared. He saw my dead husband on the ground, and Peter holding Malakai at the tip of a sword.
“Ioane and Sefa!” Alohi called out, and two other guards came to his call. They arrested Malakai, but instead of taking Keanu’s body, they rushed me away.
“What about Keanu?” I couldn’t think, though I knew I needed to.
“He will be taken home to Kāne, my queen,” said Alohi and Malakai cursed.
“Queen? She’s not worthy to be queen!”
“Silence,” Alohi said as we turned the corner, safe from the sight of the night marchers. Malakai seethed with anger.
“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance, Oliana–”
“Take him away!” Alohi said, and the guards obeyed, leading Malakai, though he kicked and screamed threats the entire way.
Chills ran down my spine as the sound of the drums drew closer and closer. We were safe from the view of the night marchers, but the air grew icy, and I looked at Alohi with tears in my eyes. Peter stood nearby, a vacant look on his face, like he couldn’t believe Keanu was dead either.
“They’re taking him,” he said when our eyes met.
“He’s going to become one with the shadow…” I buried my face in my hands, and once the drumbeats faded away, I fell to the ground and sobbed.
I remembered little. Somehow I was back in my room, and there was a knock on the door.
Alohi had sent for my sister, and as I cried in her arms, I wasn’t sure I could do any of this.
I couldn’t even handle being in the bedroom, and when a servant brought in a tray of ginger tea, I felt completely unraveled.
Keanu is gone. I wanted to remember his life, but all I could see was the pain in his eyes. Pain because this was the end, but he knew this had to be done. There was no other way for him to repay his wrongs to Kāne.
Kiki offered for me to stay at her place, so we made our way there. It was all a blur, and when we went to sleep, all I could do was stare at the ceiling of her luxurious home–the thing I had bargained for in the first place–and cry.
I didn’t know losing someone could hurt this much, especially when we’d only known each other for such a short amount of time.
But he was my husband.
I just have to survive, I told myself. But that part of me was dying. I had been practical for so long, it was as if my feelings had been bottled up, and now they were overflowing and exploding in a way I could not contain.
Keanu… I called out over and over. But there was nothing in the night besides the constant sound of the waves beating on the distant ocean shores.
The next morning, I woke up to find Kiki sitting on a chair nearby, sewing a golden pikake design on a quilt. She looked up and her expression softened.
“Good morning, Oli. You should drink something.” She put her work aside and brought me water. I drank, but could feel nothing. My whole body was numb. My heart, though beating, felt dead.
“How are you feeling?” She stroked my hair. I shook my head and she nodded, as if she understood. Never had I felt more grateful for my sister than at that moment. I didn’t need to speak. She just knew.
“You did the right thing,” Kiki said. “He had to pay his respects to Kāne, and he will do that now. He trusted you.”
He trusted me, and I let him die. I wished the earth would open up and swallow me. How could I live with myself?
But he took your days. Participating in taking a person’s life would never justify any actions of mine. I felt horrible. Disgusting. The lowest I’d ever felt in my entire life.
I pawned off my life so that my sister and mother could have this good life.
What would have happened if I had never bargained with Keanu that night we met?
What if I went on to see the other night marcher, apologized, then carried on with my life to marry Pulu?
Would that have been so horrible? I wouldn’t be in this mess.
I wouldn’t have taken part in this riddle that got Keanu killed…
“Peter came by this morning,” Kiki said, drawing me from my intense thoughts. “He said that you must return to the palace as soon as possible. They need to consult with you.”
I tipped my head, and she added, “You are the queen and the chiefess of this people now, Oli.”
The queen. The chiefess. I did not feel like any of those things. Especially without him.
I thought of Malakai the night before, cursing me, saying I was just a peasant.
“I know you’re grieving,” Kiki said, “but the kingdom needs you, Oli.”
My head hurt. Did they really expect me to show up and rule, when I had no idea what I was doing? And, to be quite honest, I had no right to be there in the first place.
“Oli?”
What other choice did I have? I sighed.
“I will go,” I said, but I moved slower than a turtle on land.
Alohi escorted me to the palace, but everything felt silent.
‘Anolani kingdom was quiet. The breeze didn’t brush through the leaves.
The surrounding colors, including the color of the water, looked dull, as if nature itself mourned the loss of a good man.
Good man? Keanu was a good man? Since when? I had never considered him to be the honest type. He’d been so overly confident to the point that he defied the gods.
I have to forget him. But how could I, when I was taking his place as ruler of the kingdom–the kingdom that he literally gave and bargained his life for time and time again?
Before I entered the courtroom, an attendant handed me a letter. It was from Malia.
Greetings Queen Oli,
News of your husband’s death has reached our shores.
I am truly so sorry. I wish I could write more about the legacy he has left, but I write in haste.
If you have ever trusted me–in the brief time we’ve known each other–then I must tell you that the warlord is on the move.
I’ve seen his armies with my own eyes, and the people of our island are severely outnumbered.
Going against the warlord would mean death.
My father has chosen to beg mercy from the warlord.
When he was told of Keanu’s death, he asked me to send you this message right away.
Oli, the warlord has weapons that change the whole nature of the war.
If you care for your people, you would do the same as my father. Kalani does not understand.
But we do.
Burn this note as soon as you can. I do not wish for the warlord to have any evidence that we’ve seen him as an enemy. We hope to join his side as soon as possible.
Aloha pono,
Malia
I blinked.
I’m queen. I had to make a decision. I trusted Malia, I really did.
“Are you ready?” Alohi asked, cutting my thoughts.
I shook my head, but I didn’t have any choice. We entered the room.
“Queen and Chiefess Oliana,” said one of the king’s counselors once I sat on the throne. It took all of my strength not to look at the empty throne beside me. Much to my relief though, Malu perched there instead.
“We grieve with you at the loss of the king.” The counselor bowed, and the rest did the same. “He was a good king, the best king. He cared for our people and the land like no other kings before him did.”
“To him, we were all ‘ohana,” said another.
“May he rest in peace,” said another counselor, and the others murmured in agreement. I tipped my chin to them, hoping it was thanks enough. But my legs were shaking under my black skirts.
What am I doing here? I was not fit to be queen.
“As Queen and Chiefess of the kingdom, you know that the warlord has finally arrived. Word reached us this morning that a battle is soon to take place at Nu‘uanu.”
My blood went cold.
“Chief Kalanikupule has asked you to assist in the battle. The people of our island must make one last stand. We can’t be frightened that he has weapons from the foreigners.”
Peter, the only white counselor in the room, stood forward and bowed before saying, “He means to say that the warlord has guns, your majesty.”
I thought of Malia’s letter: The warlord has weapons that change the whole nature of the war.
I’d heard of guns, though it sounded like something that was not real. I shuddered just thinking about Kalani, the other chiefs, and their people coming face to face with such weapons, machines that spit powder and balls and killed so swiftly.
“What should we tell the messenger?” asked one of the counselors. All eyes turned to me, and I wished I could disappear. I wished I could jump into the ocean, tell myself silly riddles, and spearfish, like none of this ever happened. I shouldn’t be here. Keanu should.
I remained silent for so long that one counselor kindly cleared his throat and said, “Your majesty?”
“What is your counsel?” I asked, unable to think clearly.
“We should give them aid,” said a counselor. “It’s our only hope of protecting our people.”
“Protect our people by sending them to war?” My voice was surprisingly strong, but also filled with agitation. “The king said the final word last night. We are not going to war. Whether Kalani comes and asks himself or the messenger comes, the answer is the same. We are not going to war.”
“What will we do when the warlord comes here?” The counselors murmured among themselves. “Surely he will kill all of us.”
“You don’t know that. The only reason he is fighting Kalani is because Kalani aims to fight back,” I said.
“Your majesty, this is madness,” said a counselor. “We must fight.”
Before I could reply, Peter defended me. “She has spoken.”
“She doesn’t know how to be the queen. She’s just a commoner.”
“Don’t question the king’s choice of wife.”
The room exploded in arguments. Color drained from my face.
They don’t trust me. Well, not all of them. And why should they? They had done all of this politics much longer than myself.
Suddenly… I didn’t trust myself. Going into this bargain, I thought I had the upperhand. But what a fool. There was no upperhand without Keanu.
I lost him.
“I must go.” I stood and rushed out the side door, unable to take the loud shouts and arguments any longer.
I am no queen. I slumped to the floor in the hallway and cried.