Page 19 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

The young man who stood before me was probably the same age as Keanu. He was tall, but he did not share his cousin’s good looks. The man, who introduced himself as Malakai, reminded me of myself when I stood next to Kiki: plain in comparison.

He had brown eyes so dark they almost looked like lava orbs. His nose didn’t have that nice angle that Keanu’s had, and his eyebrows were so thick they looked like bushes on his face.

“I’m to escort you today, milady,” he said, bowing, then extending his arm. I hesitated to take it, and he noticed, quickly grabbing the hilt of his sword instead. It was kind of him not to make me uncomfortable or to force me to take his arm.

“Keanu has asked me to show you around.” It was then that I saw Alohi standing at the end of the hallway. How long had he been there? The older man nodded to me, as if to say he was also going to be guarding me the entire day.

I nodded back, then Malakai and I made our way to breakfast. I had every intention of exploring as soon as I finished eating with him. After all, I had a riddle to solve and a curse to break. The morning, however, went by painfully slow.

“What do you think of all this so far?” Malakai asked. While Keanu’s voice was confident and full of confidence and life, Malakai’s voice was quieter, less assuming, like he worried he might say the wrong thing.

Just like me. We weren’t flashy, nor the center of attention. Never had been.

Before I could answer, Peter came walking down the hallway, and when he saw us, he bowed to me. “Your Highness.” He nodded to Malakai. “Malakai.”

“Where are you headed?” Malakai asked.

“Checking on the border.”

Malakai’s eyebrows furrowed, and he avoided looking at me.

Perhaps he’s irritable because he has to show me around all day… I didn’t blame him. There were probably a million other things he’d rather be doing, like checking the border with Peter.

In fact, there were other things I’d rather be doing. Why didn’t Keanu just show me around himself? It stung a little to think that while he treated me so well when we were together yesterday, he wouldn’t make the time for me otherwise. I needed to accept that, though. Breaking the curse would benefit me more than him, though I was sure he didn’t want to spend the rest of his afterlife as a night marcher…

Before he walked away, Peter gave me a shadowy look, as if he were trying to read me. My insides tightened.

Malakai and I continued in silence before he repeated his question. “What do you think of all this so far, coming from where you did?”

“It’s different,” I said. We sat in the garden, and servants brought our meal. Much to my relief, Alohi stood guard. He was close enough that it wasn’t awkward for Malakai and me to be alone, but far enough that he probably couldn’t hear our conversation.

Despite Alohi’s presence, I silently cursed Keanu for leaving me alone with his cousin. I didn’t care if he trusted his cousin with his life. It was rude of him to force us to be companions for the time. It left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, like the appearance of Malakai and I together made it seem as if we were courting. Was that Keanu’s intention? Did he hope I’d dislike him? If so, it was working.

I must talk to Keanu later about it, I told myself.

“Did you have a good night?” Malakai sipped his tea as he asked, almost too casually. I sipped my tea in haste. What kind of ‌question was that? Everyone knew that the wedding night was for consummation, which Keanu and I very much did not do.

How much did Malakai know about his cousin or about our situation? Did he know I was trying to break Keanu’s curse? Did he know his cousin had died and then I made a bargain with him, resurrecting him for a month? Surely Keanu truly trusted him if he left me in Malakai’s care all day.

“It was… well.” I took another sip, trying to act normal.

Come on, Oli. I had to think quickly to get answers quickly. But I also had to play it smooth as a stingray gliding through the water.

“Keanu said you both grew up climbing coconut trees and swimming to the islands in the distance,” I said.

Malakai smiled a little, as if reminiscing. “Yes, we’ve been close for as long as I can remember.”

“What was your favorite thing to do together?” Maybe I can get information from Malakai… Something that might shed light on who Keanu really was, but also this world and culture I had been thrown into. And, even more, shed light on the riddle.

He paused for a moment, and I appreciated his thoughtfulness. “I love sparring with Keanu,” said Malakai. “He’s quick on his feet. Always a formidable competitor.”

“Who would win?” I asked.

He grinned. “Depends on the day. If Keanu is distracted, I could easily win. If he’s focused, he wins.”

“What does he get distracted by?”

Malakai took a bite of his purple sweet potato then said, “Politics. Family things. He was always concerned about the well-being of our family. It’s probably why tutu kāne picked him to rule next.”