Page 35 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

“Well, no. It transformed into the ghost form when the marchers came to get me. And then, after I bargained with you, I returned to the night marchers, still a ghost. At twilight, we faded away, and then I woke up here, back at the palace in my physical body again.”

“Can night marchers bargain with anyone? Would you have tried bargaining with someone else if I hadn’t agreed to anything?”

“Yes, any night marcher can bargain with any mortal. You were a special case because you faced punishment.” He winked at me. “I think our bargain was a win for both of us.”

I ignored his wink and repeated my second question. “And if I don’t figure out the riddle, will you find another mortal to bargain with?”

He hesitated. Then, “It’s strange dying, Oliana. You think about every opportunity missed… every word left unspoken.”

Keanu then added, “Since Kāne lets us have a second chance–only if the mortal agrees to the bargain–then I think yes, I would try bargaining with someone else. Many have given up trying to bargain, and I was told that few marchers have been freed from their curse.”

I gulped. An eternity as a ghost, forced to march on ‌moonlit paths. Forever cold. Never to rest. Always to carry spirits back to Kāne…

I somewhat understood why Keanu kept trying, even bargaining with a mortal a second time.

But who was the first mortal he bargained with? Was it a girl, like me? Peter said that Keanu had not been married before, so what happened the first time?

My mind was in a fog. Perhaps I was a little spooked.

Bodies. Ghosts. Murders.

I shuddered.

“Does that answer your question about my body?” Keanu seemed amused at the question as he led us up some stairs.

I tried to keep from rolling my eyes. “Yes.” But I wasn’t done just yet. “What happened to your parents, Keanu?”

“Ah.” He smiled but it seemed sad. “Did Kalani say something about that? He likes to use my parent’s death against me. It seems to be his only tactic, though it lacks any kind of creativity.”

“Kalani said you killed them.”

Keanu didn’t hesitate. “When the foreigners came, they brought many diseases that our people did not have the immunity to fight. You probably know this.”

I did, because the same thing happened where I lived. Many of the generation before me passed away because of the sicknesses that were introduced.

“My parents sent out a decree to cast out all the foreigners, but I got the help of the foreigners to create remedies and medicines to aid my people. Many of them recovered, and after persuading my parents, they allowed the foreigners to remain in our land. But it wasn’t long before my parents caught another sickness and passed away.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, meaning it.

“Many say it was my fault, and that if the foreigners had left sooner, my parents would not have fallen ill.” He sighed. “I used to blame myself. Before my parents passed, they reassured me it wasn’t my fault, and that these sorts of things happen. I promised I would take care of our people and protect them from outside enemies and forces. So if Kalani said anything about me murdering my parents, then that’s what he spoke of.” He stopped in front of two large doors. Painters had stained the doors black, with gold trim and embellishments, just like the rest of the palace.

“Here we are,” he said, opening them.

I gasped.

A library.

While I knew they existed in wealthy kingdoms and had heard of them, I had never encountered one. Just the sight of all the books hit me like the first rays of dawn over the ocean, filling the world with light and wonder. I felt as though I were drooling. How could one have so many books? What did all of them contain? I wanted to sit and start devouring each one right at that moment.

“You like it?” Keanu grinned.

I caught myself gaping. “Yes. I mean…” I swallowed, hoping that I wasn’t actually drooling.

“I think we can find information in these books about previous chiefs.” Keanu stepped in and headed to some shelves on the right. I couldn’t help walking to the nearest shelf and brushing my fingers against the spines of each book. The books featured muted tones, and gold letters formed the titles on their spines.

Stunning.

I passed fairy tales, foreign tales, histories, and more. If I lived past the month and remained married to Keanu, would I have access to this place? It was incredible. There were sofas and live plants in the middle of the room, the nicest place to get cozy and read.