I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at the insubstantial light masses. “Which makes you the bosses?”
“Yes and no,” Riedel said. “You can say no to us …”
“But we wouldn’t recommend it,” Hanchell finished.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. I had already made my decision. The needs of Geniverd were too great for me to ignore the call to the throne. Zawne was a good man and would rise to the occasion. We would do away with the corruption, the mass boredom, the uselessness of the strife. I couldn’t wait to ruffle some feathers among the clan leaders. Even if Zawne wasn’t as keen as I was for change, it didn’t matter. I needed to fix the class system before our world regressed into peasants and kings, like in the ancient days. I needed to fix the dwindling middle class and bring peace to the agitated sections of the world, like on restive Nurlie Island.
Also, being queen next to Zawne, waking up in a palace every morning … it couldn’t be that bad.
“I agree,” I said, back straight, eyes firm. “I will be the queen.”
“Excellent!” Hanchell cried. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have said she was clapping.
“The next step is to inform Zawne of your decision,” Riedel said. “Do it tomorrow, when you wake up. We can bring you both back the next night for a debriefing. We don’t want you coming back too often, Kaelyn. You will be too exhausted to complete your duties. Rest for tomorrow, tell Zawne, then come back the next night.”
I nodded. “Got it, boss.”
Hanchell tittered. “You don’t have to call us that. Oh, and before you leave, there is a visitor for you. It looks like you have some friends in the spirit realm.”
“Who?” I asked. “Is it Mama? Is it Lordin?”
But Hanchell and Riedel had vanished. Everything was still for about three seconds. Then I sensed a different scent, a scent I knew very well. My head lifted, my chin sticking out. My eyes searched as I spun. It was a man who answered me finally, his shape forming in the distance of the vast, clouded plain.
“Kaelyn.” The voice was low as it danced my name.
I choked, overwhelmed with emotion. And then my tears brimmed over. “Roki?”
Chapter 7
We stared at each other for over a minute, unblinking, unflinching, utterly mute. I studied his hair, the soft handsomeness of his face, his muscular frame. Roki hadn’t changed that much in three years. He was the same man I had adored before the world fell apart, back when I was an ignorant little girl.
What was he doing in Shiol?
Roki came to me, floating across the ground like a spirit. He took my hands in his and said, “I’ve missed you. I was looking for you just now. I saw your body lying in your bed, but you weren’t in it. Your body was empty. I flew directly here and saw that the Crown of Crowns was speaking with someone. I couldn’t see you inside their bubble, but I knew it was you. I signaled to them that I wished to meet with you. I told them we used to be friends.”
“You were in my bedchamber?” I said, a little scandalized. “You were watching me as I slept?”
“Yes …” He made a face, probably realizing how creepy that sounded. “But it’s not weird. I do it all the time. You see, I’m not a human, Kaelyn. I’m a Min.”
I gaped at Roki, speechless. I would have torn away from him, but I liked the warmth of his hands over mine. I moved my mouth, but no sound came out. How could Roki be a Min? All our time together, and he was a spirit? I had given my heart away to a spirit!
“It’s tough,” Roki said with a laugh. “I get it, I do. I’ve been alive for a long time, and I have never once told a human being what I truly am. If I let the information slip, I would suffer a final death, and the person I told would be killed. I have always expected this kind of reaction. It’s great seeing it from you.”
“I’m funny to you now?” I had started crying. I was mad that he was here, mad that he had lied to me about being a spirit, mad that I loved the feeling of his hands enfolding mine.
“No,” he said, becoming serious. “I’m sorry. You’re not funny to me. You’re adorable and radiant, even now when you’re crying.” Roki delicately wiped the tears from my cheeks. He had always been a gentleman. “It’s just, I use laughter as a medicine, you know? It’s why I always jested with you, always tried to make you laugh. It felt appropriate now, in this strange moment, you here with me in the spirit realm. I just want to make things right.”
“Okay …” I sniveled, trying to hold back my tears. It was hard to stay mad at Roki. “But why now?” I said. “Why didn’t you make things right before, when I needed you the most, when I was at my lowest low? If you’re a spirit, you could have visited me anytime—”
“And I did!” Roki said, suddenly enveloping me in his arms. He said in my ear, “I’ve visited you every night since the fateful day your mama died. I sat on your bed and watched you. I walked with you through the quiet halls of NordHaven. Then I followed you to the capital. Sometimes I watched you at work. I wept tears of joy when I saw how well you were doing with the foundation. You’ve helped so
