Page 51 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

“Of course.” Keanu gave orders, and the next thing I knew, we were in his tent with a bucket of water as Keanu washed my arms and hands. I didn’t want to look at the blood he scrubbed off. It was one thing to clean a fish and dispose of the innards, but it was another thing to know that there was human blood on my hands. I had to look away.

“Keanu,” I said, focusing on him instead. “This war must end.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Do you think I wish to prolong it?”

“You believe the riddle is telling you to go to war,” I said.

“It seems war has always come to me,” he defended. “And even if the riddle was telling me I must fight, I don’t enjoy it.”

I softened, realizing I was accusing him of wanting to fight. He finished scrubbing my arms, then handed me a towel and crouched behind me to unlace my corset. It was poorly done, as I’d dressed myself to come out here in the night, but he didn’t notice.

“Here, change into this.” He handed me a simple skirt and blouse, a clean pair that looked like the woman servant’s clothing. Keanu must have borrowed it for me. I changed in haste, grateful that Keanu gave me a few moments alone while he left to get us some tea. His tent was spacious, with a bed on the far end, a small desk on one side, and a mirror on the other. I couldn’t help but notice his journal sitting there, open, again.

Since he wasn’t here, I had the temptation, again, to take a peek at it.

No, Oli.

Keanu returned with a tray of steaming ginger tea and biscuits. We sat on the bed, as before, but neither of us spoke at first. The tea warmed my entire body and soothed my nerves. It wasn’t permanent but provided temporary calm.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Keanu finally said, and I realized he was watching me. “You were brave, Oliana. Most women would have fainted seeing the men in that condition.”

“I just wanted to help.” I knew it would cost me. The scene of wounded and dead men would probably haunt me for the rest of my life, but I had done something. Whereas, at the palace, I was useless. “Keanu.” I set the tea down, knowing we had to have this conversation, whether or not we wanted to. “You must stop fighting.”

“Either way, love,” Keanu said, putting his own teacup down on the tray and standing, as if it helped him think. “I must fight. A messenger has arrived from the western point of the island. Someone spotted the warlord and his armies, and he is drawing close. We must fight him, or surrender.”

The warlord. A lump formed in my throat. “So he has conquered the rest of the islands?”

“Ae. He has named himself king over Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Kaho‘olawe, and Lanai. He has come to take O‘ahu, Kauai, and Ni‘ihau next.”

“So will you fight him?” I asked.

“I must protect my people.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down.

“If he’s king over several islands, surely his army outnumbers yours by thousands,” I shot back.

“Kalani sent his men out tonight to those fields as a threat to me.” Keanu’s hair fell slightly over his eyebrows as he looked down. A pang hit my chest at just how badly I wanted to move it. I shouldn’t want to touch him at all.

“His message to me is that if I don’t give him my throne and armies, he will ensure that after he defeats the warlord–which I don’t know if even he can–then he will come back and destroy me and my people.”

I gasped, but Keanu continued. “He’s already convinced several other tribes to unite with him against this warlord.”

“What is the alternative?” I stood, but Keanu turned away from me, as if hating the answer he had to share.

“The alternative is to surrender to the warlord. Relinquish the throne. Become part of his new empire and leadership, and hope that he is as benevolent as he is powerful.”

Powerful. That was not a word I expected Keanu to use in describing the warlord.

“Keanu, we cannot fight the warlord. He is already ruler of the other islands. Fighting him, even if you were to join with Kalani and the others, is foolish. If we have an option not to fight, we must take it.”

Keanu’s fists clenched, and his jaw tightened. Without a word, he marched out of the tent, leaving me alone.

I gaped, staring at the door. Did I offend him? Was he angry at me? Or did he realize I was right? The thought dawned on me that Keanu had disrespected Kāne. He believed he was more powerful and knew better than the god of all gods. Did he realize this? Did he realize his hubris had literally killed him?

It made me come to terms with the fact that Keanu probably did think he was better than everyone else. After all, he became a night marcher because he thought he was better than Kāne himself. So would he selfishly put himself before his people, just because he thought he was “protecting” them, when, really, he was just trying to preserve his power and place on the throne? How many times had Keanu said he was protecting his people but did it out of his own interests?

No wonder Kāne punished him…

After a moment, I left the tent, only to find Keanu standing close to a ledge, overlooking the ocean. I approached, slowly, then stood at his side.