Reiji woke, slowly passing the border between sleep and wakefulness and becoming aware of the warmth beneath him—the soft sheets and the cozy bed that would soon be exchanged for a banig, less comfortable than a mattress but cooler and preferable for the upcoming peak of the summer season.

When he finally opened his eyes, he peered into the brightness of the room. It was already midday, but no one had come to rouse him, and he was thankful for the needed rest.

His eyes moved across the coral rock floor, drawn to a movement at the balcony where Gat Kiyo sat on a chair and gazed out at the city under the high noon sun.

"Have you no other things to do?" Reiji murmured.

Gat Kiyo flicked his head to him. "Other than waiting on you, My Matu?" He smiled as he stood up, poised as an attentive servant, wearing his zarok—red and black bandana on his head.

Being waited on was a luxury that Reiji was grateful for. Though sometimes he wished he would wake up to no one watching him or insisting on helping him put on his clothes, as he worked to understand the role of a Kaharaza, he found that he would not have time to care for himself when he was taking care of a whole kingdom.

Reiji became absorbed for the past week since the Kahani allowed his involvement in political matters. He became responsible for almost every governing affair in Daracka—from the small hungry street sleepers to the large trades and businesses between Zircka and Vurcka. All was overwhelming, but he didn't expect it to be exhausting.

Governing a kingdom required more than just great ideas. It was more complex than he thought it would be, and he grew weary in only a short time in his new role.

Reiji looked at Gat Kiyo, willing a smile to his face, gratefulness showing in his eyes.

As he propped himself up on his elbows, he glimpsed a plate of fresh mangoes on the table behind his attendant by the balcony. The sweet scent of fruit hung in the chamber's air.

"I'll ask the servants to get you a proper meal," Gat Kiyo said, catching the direction of Reiji's gaze. "Will you require anything else?"

"A bath," Reiji said as he felt the damp sweat on his back and neck. Daracka's northern parts, Kazima included, always had milder weather than the south, but the hot season made even the north too warm and humid.

Gat Kiyo pressed a hand over his chest and bowed. He then turned and left the room, leaving Reiji to prepare himself for what was left of his day.

Reiji pushed out of his covers and padded to the table by the balcony. He picked up a folded napkin to wipe the oil from his face and bare chest. When he finished, he hung the napkin over his shoulder.

The glistening ripe mango invited him to eat, and he popped a cut piece into his mouth, savoring the sweetness as he licked the dew off his fingers.

"Prince Reiji," a female voice spoke beside him, and he flinched, turning around with alarm.

A girl stood on the balcony with him, a hood covered her head, and a half-mask hid her nose and mouth. Only her dark green eyes were exposed. She waited for Reiji to regain his composure before raising her hand, and a tiny piece of paper rolled into a scroll appeared between her fingers.

Reiji cleared his throat as he almost choked on the mango and swallowed. He recognized the girl and stepped toward her, taking the scroll with eagerness. He'd not expected any response to his latest message so soon.

"What is this?" he asked, but the girl did not answer. She was only a messenger—a Ghost from a network of spies he had under his employ.

"May Matu!" Gat Kiyo reentered the chamber. Panic laced his voice.

With a swift hand, the Ghost pulled out a throwing knife and aimed it at Gat Kiyo.

Reiji eyed the sharp edge. "Stop!" He raised a hand to the girl, and they paused. When he was sure the girl wouldn't harm his attendant, he spoke again. "I trust him," he said. Then without removing his gaze from the messenger, he angled his face to Gat Kiyo. "Close the door."

"My Matu?" Gat Kiyo's voice coiled with doubt and fear. He could scream to alert the guards, and they would rush into the room, but that would be a problem.

No one knew he had spies except for Gat Garim, who had mentioned that he knew about them. And Reiji wondered how much more the man knew about his dealings with the Ghost, but that was not important now.

"Close the door, Gat Kiyo," Reiji commanded again, and he heard the door shut.

Gat Kiyo stood by, silent and waiting.

The girl hid her knife and relaxed, nodding at Reiji to open the message.

Reiji glanced at Gat Kiyo first to ensure he was calm before looking down at the paper in his hand. When he rolled and spread it over his fingers, the contents were not what he expected.

"What is this?" He asked, and his voice was in disbelief, raspy and breathless. He understood the words written, but it seemed impossible. "Is this real?" He looked up at the girl, but he already knew the answer to his question. Her employer would not have sent this to him without being verified.

The girl nodded once, and Reiji's heart dropped.

"When was this sent out?" He asked.

"The day before you left for Zircka." The girl's voice was that of a ghost, soft and hushed like a whisper.

The breath in Reiji's lungs came out in a shiver, and the sweetness of mango in his mouth left a dry bitter taste as he swallowed the pain. He rubbed his palm over his face and tried to think.

Betrayed. Someone in the palace had betrayed him. That person had sent the assassins to try to kill him. None had been successful so far.

He had doubts before, but this piece of paper in his hand was evidence. The words on the tiny scroll were very specific, commanding the death of the Matu, and it was written by a hand he was quite familiar with.

The Kahani's handwriting had perfect lines on her k's and elegant curves on her e's. For years, Reiji had studied books written by great rulers of Daracka, and he'd often favored the Kahani's works though she had written only three volumes so far.

It was the Kahani's hand he was seeing now on the small piece of paper that ordered his death.

"How do you know if this is real? This could be a sham." Reiji wanted to believe that it was a lie.

"We intercepted it and bribed the messenger to give us the message," the girl answered. "But a copy was produced to be sent to the assassins."

"What?" Reiji breathed out. "You let the message get to the assassins? You knew they were coming for me and didn't warn me?"

"You haven't paid us to protect you, My Matu. You've only hired us to gather information and send out your messages. If the copy hadn't been sent to the assassins, the person who sent it would know. This provides an opportunity for you. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"My Matu?" Gat Kiyo spoke with caution, but he did not move from his post.

Reiji glanced up at Gat Kiyo, doubt and fear clouding his brain. He remembered what Gat Garim had whispered to him that he could not trust his family or those who treated him as such. Could Gat Kiyo be involved in this?

Impossible.

Since Reiji was a child, he had known the man as his keeper, his caretaker—the only man near enough to make the kill. If Gat Kiyo wanted Reiji dead, there had been many years for that opportunity; it would have already been done.

No, it can't be Gat Kiyo.

Reiji shook his head. Anger rose in his chest. He needed someone he could trust—someone with power.

"I must write a letter," he said to no one in particular.

In a hurry, he walked to his writing desk, where he took a small piece of fresh paper jagged on its ripped edges. He began to write with an inked quill. His hand trembled as he pressed the tip of the feather onto the parchment, blotting the start of his message but continuing with long and fast strokes.

He should have made this decision months ago, but he wanted to believe that things could still be different; they were not.

Now, he was alone with no one to trust. So with tremors in his fingers, he wrote. Every word came out with a heavy breath. His eyes roamed over the message when he finished.

To your proposal, I agree.

Reiji rolled the paper into a tiny scroll. He didn't see the need to seal it. He'd never sealed any of his messages to this particular person before. He walked back to the balcony where the girl still waited.

Gat Kiyo watched with furrowed brows, worry glinting in his Dakawa eyes.

There would be no going back on this decision. Reiji's whole world would change, and the plan he had been devising for so long would be set in motion sooner than he liked. There was less hesitation in him now as his fury fueled him.

He handed the paper to the messenger.

The Ghost took it and turned without bowing. Without saying a word, she jumped off the balcony and disappeared, like a shadow erased by the sun's light.

Gat Kiyo gasped and rushed to look over the railing. The chamber was high in the main keep, impossible to scale, where no one could jump off the balcony and survive. But Ghosts had many talents. That includes sneaking in and out of places in impossible feats without detection. That was why he employed them and paid a hefty amount of money to keep his connections confidential.

The message was sent. The trigger was pulled.

He had waited long to respond to the proposal—to the Kaharaza of Suluna's proposal.

Let's get you seated, the message had said. An offer to help him get the throne.

Now he needed to take care of Gat Kiyo. The attendant had seen too much. Employing Ghosts was not illegal, but as the Matu, Reiji was not expected to have his own spies, especially since he had yet to ascend to the throne.

A knock came on the door. Reiji and Gat Kiyo turned.

"That would likely be your meal, My Matu," Gat Kiyo said, leaning over the railing. A slight shake hinted in his voice.

"I'm no longer hungry. Send it away," Reiji commanded, and the attendant walked with haste to open the door.

A maid carrying a tray peered in, but Gat Kiyo waved his hand at her, and she did not proceed to enter. The door closed with a click, and Gat Kiyo turned back to Reiji, the edge of his bandana darkening with sweat over his forehead.

"My Matu?" Gat Kiyo said with caution. He looked at Reiji as if he was a stranger. "Please tell me that you have not employed a Ghost."

"I have," Reiji answered. He took a deep breath to allow his rage to subside, but it did not help. His heart ached, and there was more than anger inside him. The pain of betrayal became a crushing agony. "I have for months now," he added.

"Why?"

Reiji looked at Gat Kiyo. His attendant was a good man, one of the wisest he'd known, but he had not told Gat Kiyo about his secrets, plans, and ambitions. There were only a few in the palace that Reiji confided in, and he only considered Gat Kiyo as one of them now. Though doubt lingered in his mind, his heart fought to believe Gat Kiyo was loyal to him. "Do you trust me?" He asked.

Gat Kiyo watched him, his brown eye and green eye intent and without hesitation. He set his chin on a level and said, "With my life." His words were without fallacy. "I trust your decisions and your ideals. But I know that you need guidance as well. Though I do not have the right, I will not judge you guilty of a fault merely for hiring a Ghost, but I will if your intent is wrong." He spoke like a true Maginoo. "Now, will you, My Matu, tell me what this is all about?"

And that was all the answer Reiji needed to decide, telling his attendant about the Kahani's betrayal but leaving out any details about the Kaharaza of Suluna's messages and proposal.

.