Reiji closed the metal door behind him when he left Master Kazuri's workshop. He stood in the corridor for a long while and thought of what he ordered the Maestro, telling him to stay calm.

He told Master Kazuri to ask the Kahani where the machine and all his work were relocated. If the Kahani refused to reveal anything, the Maestro should act fine. And if the Kahani would tell him where everything was, the Maestro would tell Reiji.

The Maestro had been confused, and it took a while for Reiji to convince the man to trust him. Eventually, Master Kazuri agreed.

"My Matu?" Gat Kiyo, who stood in the hall, stepped up to him. Concern grew in his Dakawa eyes. The golden-brown of his right eye appeared darker than usual, and so did the green left one. "Is the Maestro alright?"

"He'll be fine." As soon as Reiji said it, a wail came from the door behind him. "He'll be fine," he said again, pushing away from the frame and starting to walk. "I need to talk to the Kahani."

"She would be in the private gardens, My Matu," Gat Kiyo informed him as he followed.

Reiji knew where the Kahani would be and led the path to the gardens. His thoughts were still filled with how Master Kazuri had cried over his work, but his mind also drifted to something else the Maestro had shared with him earlier.

Master Taoro had intended to destroy all lakar, and he had been successful, creating the Brilliance—an event that will be told in the history of Daracka for generations. But why? Master Taoro had been the one to come to the late Kaharaza years ago, proposing that he could give the power of the old kings back to the kingdom.

Had the late Maestro learned something during his work that drove him to destroy the machine he created and obliterate all the lakar on Bickra?

Reiji was now convinced that the power of lakar was too dangerous—too uncontrollable—and he must do something to stop it.

The Kaharaza of Suluna responded to his message with an act. A hundred ships with five thousand men were coming to Daracka. Things were now at play, and he must tread carefully.

My ambitions are my right, he thought to himself.

He needed to speak with the Kahani about the relocation of the machine. He should have been involved or, at the very least, informed about that decision.

Striding to the private gardens, he knew he'd find her taking an afternoon session with Master Hatari. He proceeded with haste.

He moved from the east keep to the main keep, where he followed another corridor leading to a veranda overlooking the private garden at the north wing of the Ozaro Palace. He descended a staircase and found his way to the grassy lawn at the edge of a cliff. An overgrown blooming bougainvillea rested at the center. Its shedding petals peppered the ground, clothing the green grass with red.

Reiji took a moment to examine the tree and thought of the coming monsoon rains. In a few months, all of the tree's petals would fall. Summer would end in Daracka, and storms would be coming soon.

He continued to the other end of the garden, where he found the Kahani under a gazebo beside a banaba tree that was also in bloom. Its beautiful purple flowers gathered and formed a gigantic bouquet. Some petals had already dropped, dusting the gazebo's roof and surrounding soil.

The Kahani looked up as he approached. She looked like a dream in her scarlet mestiza, surrounded by fluttering reds and violets. The puffed sleeves of her dress never failed to make her look tall and classical.

Sitting beside the Kahani was Master Hatari, wearing her deep wine karkan. The shade of her robe almost matched the Kahani's mestiza. The blend made them look like they were in livery.

Master Hatari pushed out of her chair and stood. "My Matu." She bowed, pressing her right hand to her heart. "Have you come to join us?" she asked, her long white hair drooping at the sides of her face as she bent.

Reiji gave the Maestra a short informal nod, then turned to the Kahani. "I need to speak with you alone." He intended to provide no respectful greeting, no bowing, and no addressing her as My Kahani.

"I will take my leave then," Master Hatari said.

"No," the Kahani said, and the Maestra stopped. "You will stay. What is it, Reiji?" Her voice was too calm and too cold, without emotion, and it annoyed Reiji that she did not note his disrespect. Her face was unreadable, and her blue-gray eyes were even more so.

Reiji hesitated, but the presence of Master Hatari did not matter.

"Why didn't you tell me that the machine was relocated?" He tried to match the Kahani's coldness, but his tone wavered. He was always like this around her—a man before coming to her, then a child when she was near.

The Kahani rose from her seat and raised her chin. Despite her shortness, her stature made Reiji step back. "How did you know?" she asked.

He didn't answer, but he knew she didn't need him to. She would find out soon that Master Kazuri had imparted the information to him.

Gesturing at the small round table under the gazebo, the Kahani offered him a seat. "Master Hatari and I are in the middle of discussing the illegal trades in the south. Would you like to join us?" Again her voice was calm.

There were more important matters to discuss than the illegal trade activities in the South. And what about the readying fleet in Suluna? Though they hadn't yet set sail, Reiji expected the Kahani to panic about it. But that discussion would be for another time too.

"Where is the machine?" Reiji ignored her offer, his voice rising. He had come to know only one thing, and that was what he intended to do.

"Calm yourself," she ordered. A crease formed between her brows, and she frowned. "What is it you think I am hiding from you?"

Plenty! He wanted to scream at her.

"You have not been honest with me about Master Kazuri's work." Reiji matched her reaction. He clenched his jaw, thinking about the words he would say next.

Master Hatari stepped to the side and curiously stared at him.

"You know that it is difficult to be a Matu." The Kahani fell back in her seat, her frown faded, and her unreadable expression returned.

Of course, Reiji knew that perfectly. Being the Matu, being himself was burdensome, but he gave her no satisfaction of confirmation.

The Kahani smiled when he didn't speak, and again he knew she didn't need him to answer. "Being a regent is more difficult." She held his gaze and paused. "I wish you would understand what I do and why some things must be kept from you."

"I am the Matu. I am the heir. I am to become the Kaharaza." Reiji believed each word he said was absolute. "If you would step down from the throne—" his tone was almost pleading.

You don't have to kill me. We can work together.

The Kahani abruptly stood up, her chair scraping the floor of the gazebo. "I will not step down." There was a fury in her that he'd seen many times, an act she had been playing whenever she was questioned or disobeyed. "You are too young, too foolish to run this kingdom. You do not know what sacrifices I have made."

"What did you plan for me then?" he asked, though he knew the Kahani planned for him to die. "I will be old enough to ascend to the throne in less than two years. That's not a long time. Why are you not teaching me how to be a Kaharaza?" Reiji held the Kahani's gaze. "Did you think you could hold the throne for longer? My coronation is inevitable."

The Kahani flinched. Something in his words had gotten to her, and her eyes widened. "For the good of this kingdom, I will hold on to it for as long as I can because you will always act like a child. The old kings help us. Only they know what will happen once you become Kaharaza."

Her words stung, and she was right, of course. This outburst was not a necessity. The decision was impulsive, and he stepped back. The Kahani noticed the movement, and her face turned from fiery to regretful.

"Forgive me," she said and shook her head. "I did not mean—" she stopped herself and recomposed. "I will let you know the location of the machine soon. I give you my word, but it is a matter of this kingdom's safety that I keep it from you for now. There are people in the palace I do not trust."

Reiji's brows shot up, his eyes widening. How could she speak as if she was only doing what was best for everyone when she was not trustworthy?

"So you don't trust me?" Reiji asked.

"I do." The Kahani stepped closer to him and took his hand. The touch made him tense, but he didn't pull away. "I trust you, but I need you to trust me more."

It was the first time in years that she had held him like that, and the warmth of her skin enveloped him. He almost closed his eyes and called her mama, but he remembered the note—the order to the assassins.

What happened between them? What happened during the many years that they had drifted this far apart?

This conversation had given him the answer he was looking for. An answer he didn't want but was necessary to push him to do what needed to be done. She did not want her on the throne, and he was now convinced she would do anything to keep him from becoming the Kaharaza.

Reiji met the Kahani's gaze. He squeezed her hand and gave her a false nod. 

.