Selai stared into the fire as the trance took hold. The scent of kawakawa leaves burning amongst the toi bark invaded her senses, along with a want to cough. She fought against the urge, and after a moment, her body became heavy, especially her head, and she was able to slip away freely.

  Above her lodge and the foothills of the Sabeto valley, covered in dark flaxes and ferns, before the real forest began, her spirit travelled fast. She was still searching for signs of Teā and could see traces of his mana left behind through the woods, where he had walked only three days ago. The other children who were with him, Kura, Ngara, and Sukey, had all been questioned and their stories aligned. It was no tragic accident they were trying to cover up, nor did a killing occur.

  She knew Teā was lost somewhere inside the mountain where the Ulu Waimate waters issued. Her spirit rushed south towards the area, faster than a person could travel on foot or even moa. When she reached the Waimate river, she sped down its course towards the falls. She sensed her mana waning; soon, the effort to remain in the spirit world would be too painful. As she climbed the waterfall the sound of her racing heartbeat returned, across the pool she saw the cave entrance, look, on the wall above the cave, a giant taniwha! It was staring as if it could see me!

  Dread and fear and tiredness, those familiar feelings, overwhelmed her. Feelings and the memory of a body, hers, sat on a log outside her lodge. Just as the taniwha approached her tether to the spirit world broke, pulling her back inside herself. She looked up. Across from her, on the other side of the fire was Sere, neighbour and mother to the Chief.

  "You've returned child?" the woman whispered, "Sorry for disturbing you but I was hoping you had more of the sinudina plant, from the side of the mountain? It's so much more powerful than the stuff the husband picks next to our creek."

  "How long have you been waiting?" Selai asked.

  "Since the embers blackened."

  Despite feeling like her spirit had only just reached Ulu Waimate, Sere must have been waiting for a good part of the morning. Travelling by spirit was new to her. She did not like that type of magic, too much mana used, leaving a Tohunga vulnerable to attack. Some Tohunga, like Faturaki, was able to spend days and months in these other realms. No wonder Faturaki hides up in that mountain – no one up there to bother him, she thought.

  "I'm sorry Sere, let me get the herbs for you."

  Sere nodded at a large basket leaning against the wall. "I have a gift for you child. Kumara from my son's patch, he's the Chief of Matavai village now."

  "Yes Sere, I am his third wife after all!"

  "I know child, and I'm teasing, just trying to distract your mind from Teā for a moment and get you to smile again. You look worried."

  "That's because I am. I can't remember the last time I ate."

  "Why starve yourself, Selai?"

  "It's so my spirit can escape this body easily. The closer to death, the easier it is to travel into the spirit world, to search for him."

  "Oh my! You should not be risking yourself! What if you got stuck on the other side and couldn't get back? Who knows what enemies are there waiting for you? Kuleo, the god of death, might snatch you before you can slip back in."

  "It's fine, Sere. The gods are never watching. Nothing there but a few Tohunga spying on each other."

  "Exactly, Pakuu probably waiting so he could slide into your body and finally be a woman!"

  Sere cackled, and soon she caught it and began to laugh as well.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Not only will I have to see Howaru tonight, I'll have to listen to that braggart Pakuu go on about his pool of mana.

  "That's better," said Sere. "You need to laugh again. Let me make you some tea at least? Before that waka arrives with Howaru."

  Sere got up and stood over her, cradling her face in her palms. "Now, that's a real man. A proper hero. I love that you married my son but I could never understand why you didn't go with Howaru when you had the chance? But now that you're my daughter I hope one day you can tell me."

  "One day, mother."

  "Mother? Yuck!"

  They both laughed togther again.

  "Please don't call me that. I'm still young and beautiful, like you. We could be sisters!"

  She laughed again, feeling better with Sere around. But at the mention of Howaru her Selai's stomach had dropped and she felt sick. Is that from hunger or from hearing his name, she wondered? Is it just my worry for Teā spilling out like a bowl with too much kava, overflowing, affecting everything else.

  Sere began walking away. "I have to go now. Howaru needs to eat before he hunts Baby Eater and finally rids us of that menace. See you at the feast my child."

  By nightfall, Selai was dressed in a Tohunga's ceremonial skirt with her hair fixed up, in a traditional style famous to the region. The evening breeze coming from the east was already sharp, so she wrapped her shoulders in Sere's borrowed shawl. Adornments were a combination of jade and whalebone for the hair ties, pendants, and earrings.

  She wanted to look good for the Chief while at the same time wanting to hide and diminish herself from in front of Howaru. She did not understand this need to feel ugly in front of him – the want to rip out her earrings and tear out her hair. She wanted to be filthy, perhaps to rid him of that stupid look. Of all the women on the island, he had to save that dumb face for me – and everyone knew it.

  She left in the late afternoon taking the long route from her summer lodge, winding itself around and above the Yasa range, to the main village of Matavai, and river mouth of Waimate. That is where the waka from Feke would be landing and where she would have to welcome Howaru, Faturaki, and whatever escorts Feke tribe would send. That is where she would have to face him again.

  Matavai's meeting hall was full that night. Every villager, from fisherman to farmer, their wives and children; chiefs and nobles and warriors, and even the most loyal slaves, all squashed in together, awaiting Kafiki's champion Howaru, and the celebration to follow.

  The hall named Kawanisa was west-facing, in recognition of their ancestor spirits. The fale overlooked the mouth of the Waimate river. By sunset that evening Howaru was sat at the back of the hall in the centre of a dias, bathed from the west in Ra's last light, looking starved and wild. His skin was darker than she remembered, almost as dark as hers – any from Matavai – but there was gold gleam under the tan reflecting his origins to the north, at least that is what everyone suspected. She was sat on the opposite side of the tapa mats separating the Matavai tribe from the dais. Alongside Howaru sat Pakuu, Chief Kuanua and some Feke warrior escorts. Her place as the third wife to Kuanua was among the eldest children, furthest from the middle. She was relieved to be out of his eye-line, happy to let the youngest of the Chief's fifteen children sit in her lap while the other children surrounded her like a litter of puppies.

  Nava, the third youngest whined, "I'm hungry!"

  "Shhhh," hushed the others.

  Selai whispered, "It won't be long. Only one welcome and prayer and your father asking the big man for his help."

  She watched as the tribes exchanged simple gifts. Pakuu, representing the Takaroan people of Feke Motu and its Chief Taumatafiti, presented a cloak of parrot feathers and an offer to send Paotapu, Feke's master carver, to assist with completing Matavai's first open water fishing boat fleet. So, the gossip throughout Kafiki is that we're struggling to build boats, she thought. Or, is Pakuu just stirring up the kava as usual. Still, she was concerned to hear Howaru wasn't part of the gift exchange, suggesting he had not accepted the task. Why would he come all this way to say no?

  Nakelo tugged her skirt. "Why does dad need help Selai? He's Chief, he can kill the monster, can't he?"

  "Of course he can. But our chief is needed here in the village first. The big man was sent from Feke Motu to help."

  Nava squirmed in her lap, wide-eyed. "He's Howaru aye?"

  "That's his job," said one of the older girls.

  "Yes." Replied Selai to both questions.

  "He's the big man?"

  "I suppose, but he's not a chief. Not like your father"

  "He's the greatest warrior of all-time dummies." Hissed Natuira the eldest.

  "Shhh!" Nakadrudru, mother to five of the children and second wife hushed, frowning at Selai.

  Piss off you jealous ugly bitch, Selai thought before chastising herself, why are you losing control of my emotions. Nakadrudru deserves my respect despite how she treats me. I have a special place, unofficially a chief's wife but under his protection. I no longer get harassed by the men. I need to be grateful to Kuanua and his family, including the wives for I'm no better than they are, and soon I'll be one of them. She felt like she was about to cry but took a deep breath instead. No. I'm a healer first and a wife second. The thought troubled her, and she pushed it away in favour of worry for Teā and the constant prayers to Watea the god of the cosmos, to protect her son.