Page 47 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

I walked down the hallway from which the murderer had run, hoping to find something–anything–to prove any case for Pua, Malakai, or Peter.

But there was no evidence.

A few guards noticed me walking alone and escorted me to my room, saying they were doing a full sweep of the palace. As we walked to my room, more guards joined. The palace now had the highest and fullest security I’d ever seen. Guards on every corner. Servants being checked before entering any room.

When I reached the bedroom, I stepped onto the balcony. Malu hovered in the air nearby, and I gaped. Though it was night, the sky was ablaze beyond the mountain, no doubt flames coming from the crops.

Please be safe, Keanu. And that was when I heard it, as if I was being reminded of my dwindling time to break the curse: the drum beats. Were the night marchers here tonight?

Please don’t be here for Keanu, I begged Kāne. And that was when I realized. If I didn’t want Keanu to be cursed to an afterlife of a night marcher, there was only one thing to do…

Play the deadliest game. Even if it ripped out my heart.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TWELVE DAYS LEFT

Dearest Oliana,

I am sorry I have not been able to visit you or spend more time figuring out the riddle. I wish we had more time together. Please know that I am safe, and that I’m doing all in my power to keep our army and people safe as well. I hope to see you soon.

With all my love,

Keanu

I scrunched up the paper and threw it in the fireplace, frustrated. This was the third letter he’d sent me, signing it each time with “all my love.” What love?

I went to see my sister again, though all I could hear was mother coughing in the other room.

“Keanu’s physicians have been here everyday,” Kiki said, her voice soft. We sat in the living room again, Kiki’s applique nearly complete. She put it down and sighed. “Do you think she’ll ever get better, Oli?”

“She has to,” I said, a frown on my face.

“But she’s had this cough for the longest time. It comes and goes, comes and goes. And…” Kiki pursed her lips before continuing. “Remember how the coughing disease wiped everyone out? They said the biggest evidence was the bloody cough.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “She’s been coughing blood for who knows how long.”

“We can’t lose hope.” I swallowed hard and placed my hand on Kiki’s.

After sitting in silence for a long while, Kiki asked, “Is Keanu still out on the battlefield?”

“Yes.” I shook my head. “If he’s gone any longer, I might just go march out there myself.”

She smiled. “Why don’t you? You’ve never been one to let things stop you.”

I blinked. She was right. Why didn’t I?

I had convinced myself for the last couple of days that I didn’t need to go to the war camp, because the more we were separated, the easier it’d be for me to pass away in this deadliest game.

But there was a part of me that didn’t want to pass away. It wasn’t fair. I should live… Unless something happened to me before the month was up.

I could get murdered before the month is up…

I didn’t think that the attempted murder on Keanu would bother me, but I became paranoid of every corner I turned. I asked Alohi to walk right beside me, rather than several strides behind me. Malakai controlled the guard rotations and now I saw guards at every corner, no matter where I went.

Peter told me himself that they found no evidence of the murderer. “It’s like he disappears,” he said when I’d seen him in passing. I couldn’t help but look at Peter, wondering if the murderer kept disappearing… because it might be him. “If you do notice anything suspicious though,” he said, “Let me know and I want to investigate it as soon as possible.”

Or did he say that so he could hide evidence? I didn’t know who to trust.

Alohi, while we searched the area where I’d received my shoulder wound in saving Keanu’s life, noticed footprints that disappeared through the ferns and hit the exterior of a palace wall.