Page 16 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

“Thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. Now please hurry, we have much to discuss.” I shut my eyes for a moment.

“Why are you speaking to me like that?” I reappeared, dressed in the nightgown, only to find him dressed down to his shirt and breeches, his shirt gaping wide open to reveal his tanned, chiseled muscles, tattoos, and scars like small white ribbons across his chest.

I had to blink again, feeling like I might puke at any moment. Anxiety reached all the way up my throat, telling me I was a fool for making this bargain. He was too flawless to be married to me.

No, I told myself. I was going to survive this, and then I’d figure out what to make of this man, my husband. Besides, I did it for my family. All that mattered was their well-being.

“Because you’re my wife.” He grinned, took my hand, and led me to the bed. “Here.” He sat down on it cross-legged, facing me, then set the tray on the bed‌ between us. The chief moved so quickly, it was making me nauseous trying to keep up.

The warm, spicy smell of ginger wafted into the air as Keanu poured it into the teacups. Thunder rolled softly in the distance outside as lightning flashed and the rain poured harder. It was a pleasant background noise… Well, it would’ve been if I weren’t so stressed.

“You don’t have to pretend to like me,” I said. “I have little time.”

“I’m not pretending.” He winked. “And don’t fear, my bride. You will have plenty of time, as you’re going to break the curse. I know it.”

“You shouldn’t be so confident.”

He ignored me. “When you break the curse–”

“If I break the curse,” I corrected, and his eyes darkened, but only for a moment.

“You don’t believe you can do it?”

“Not when we’re wasting time on these festivities and talking.” My eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t even know where to start. I’ve asked every kupuna I know about the night marchers. Nobody knows how to break the curse.”

“Drink, please.” Keanu took a sip of his tea, watching me;

I hesitated, though I didn’t know why. The ginger tea smelled so warm and inviting, a bundle of tropical coziness all in a cup. I couldn’t resist any longer and took a drink. Almost immediately, my nerves began to calm, and a soothing sensation rose inside my chest. The corner of Keanu’s lip turned up and for the briefest moment, I wondered if the tea had been poisoned. But what would he benefit from killing me?

Besides, I laughed at myself. He drank the tea himself… What was I thinking? It had truly been a long day!

“Last night I dreamed, and I heard Kāne’s voice speaking to me again,” Keanu said.

I put down my teacup to listen, feeling myself sink into the warmth and mystery of Keanu’s bright eyes. He leaned in, so close I could smell his fresh sandalwood scent. It was strange that Kāne, the god of light and life, would speak to Keanu and give him this riddle. But how could I doubt Keanu? The other riddles he recited the night we met were real, so why wouldn’t this one be real?

“E ho‘opa‘i nā pahu,

Pā‘ani i ka hihiu loa.

E lilo i ho‘okahi me ka aka,

E ho‘ā i ke ahi mau loa.”

Keanu’s voice was smooth, yet deep, like listening to the rolling of waves on a calm night. I closed my eyes for a moment, evaluating each word in my mind.

Hear the drums echo,

Play the deadliest game.

Become one with the shadow,

Light the eternal flame.

When I opened my eyes, the chief continued to observe me. I took a sip of my tea, trying not to let him see the numbing effect he had on me.

“What do you think, sunrise of my heart?”

I shook my head, distracting myself from his romantic nicknames for me. And when I separated my emotions from my logic, I found myself feeling rather… odd. Keanu seemed eager, much too eager for me to solve the mystery of how to break his curse. What if he wanted me to tell him the answer and then disposed of me right away? I mean… the answer eluded me. I understood the first part about the drums, but who knew what deadly game we had to play, or what it meant to “become one with the shadow?” And as for the eternal flame, well, that could represent anything.