by A. W. Exley
The moment he said the words he wished he could call them back. He had meant them to be something flippant, but it hit him in the gut. He had laid down his life for this couple—what he would give to have more than their regard or affection. Could they love him?
Hone’s face darkened and he moved from his watchful spot to stand before Loki.
Loki needed a change of topic. “Why did you bring me here?”
He cast around the hut and saw his few belongings had been moved from the cottage to here. His duffle sat by the long chest; a coat rack held his jacket.
“Because you belong here. This is your home,” Hone said. He lowered himself to the mattress and reached out for Loki. Instead of pulling the pirate to him, he leaned forward until their noses touched and their breath mingled. He stroked the side of Loki’s neck with his thumb.
“Aye, aroha i a kouroi, Kahu,” Hone whispered, his dark gaze fixated on Loki.
Loki had no idea what it meant, but it seemed significant. The moment was charged with tension.
“Aye,” Paniha repeated, and she smiled at Loki.
Hone nodded, then let him go. “Now you are awake, we will bring you a meal. You must regain your strength, Kahu.” He gestured to Paniha and the two left the hut.
Loki beckoned Miguel close once the others had left. “That thing Hone just said to me, what did it mean?”
Mischief twinkled in the youth’s hazel gaze. “He said he loved you.”
The knot in Loki’s gut exploded into a radiant warmth that spread through his body and made him forget the pain in his chest. “Oh.”
Could he say it back? His mind still didn’t grasp what exactly love was or how it worked. Perhaps Miguel had misheard or got the words wrong. Hone probably said ‘thanks for taking a bullet for me.’
“You don’t believe it.”
Loki drew as deep a breath as his stitches would allow. “I’ve never had anyone love me before, apart from my mother. Really love me, I mean. Talk of love is all a bit soft, isn’t it? Besides, Hone is married to Paniha.”
Miguel moved to sit on the edge of the mattress, and he shrugged. “Some cultures have a more fluid view on relationships. Let the words sink in and mull them over. We’re in no hurry to go anywhere.”
Loki reached out a hand to pat the lad, then let it drop when his chest protested the stretch. “You’re a wise lad, Miguel. How did you get that way?”
A sly smile spread over his face. “When you find yourself bound and stuffed in a crate, it gives you a lot of time to ponder life’s bigger questions.”
“I’m glad I told Nate to crack your crate open and not just kick it over the side.” He ruffled the youth’s hair. “Now bugger off and find Marika. I want to go back to sleep.”
EACH DAY, Loki improved. He found he didn’t just have one or two people as nursemaids, but an entire community. The Maori of the Matanui pa embraced him as one of their own. Every day saw a stream of people bringing him food; bashful warriors asked about his travels, children shared toys, and elders came to swap outrageous tales to help the hours pass. Never in his life had he been so immersed in love. At times, he had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye before anyone else saw.
The first day he was allowed up for a gentle stroll, with Hone at his elbow, children ran around and applauded. Everybody smiled as he passed. They made him feel special. Surely it couldn’t last? A part of him expected it to all be an elaborate trick. That someone would point and laugh and yell out ‘fooled you’ and everyone would join in.
His strength returned and Doctor Finley was happy with how the wound had healed. The Jenny Elle had a cargo to take back to England and the day for him to take flight neared. He had been earthbound for too long and needed to touch the sky. So why was he so grumpy at the mere idea of leaving?
“Come,” Hone said, guiding him with a hand at his back. “Let’s go to the lookout tower.”
That perked up Loki’s mood. Halfway across the grounds, Paniha joined them. The two kept Loki between them as he climbed the ladder. Hone could fuss like an old woman as he worried if Loki was overexerting himself.
At last Loki stood on the lookout platform. The land dropped away before him and the blue vista soothed his eyes. A gentle breeze blew over his skin and if he kept his eye on the horizon, he could imagine he was on the bridge of the airship. If he spread his arms, he could take flight from this point.
“What happened to the soldiers?” he asked.
“Those with skills we value were given the chance to stay, the rest left. We only want those in Matanui who will live side by side with us. No more boundaries.” Hone’s hands curled around the edge of the wall as he gazed down at the growing community.
“We have plans for the barracks.” Paniha pointed to the low white shape, just visible through the edge of trees. “We would like to turn it into a school.”
“For pakeha and Maori, to learn together,” Hone said.
“You can’t stop change,” Loki murmured, wondering what the future held for not just this settlement but the young country. She had yet to find her feet in the world, and England may yet try again to reclaim her shores and resources.
Hone crossed his arms and turned back to face Loki. “No, but we can educate ourselves and meet change head on.”
“You’ll be needing teachers then?” Loki’s mind spun with all they would need to equip a school. The barracks were big enough for two different classrooms and maybe even a laboratory.
Hone huffed a soft laugh. “The best. And I want our people to learn about your aether and how to make and use your mechanised things.”
It could be a genius idea. Technology could give the people here an advantage. But they had a long way to catch up on the rest of the civilised world. Loki glanced at Hone’s wide frame and the determined look on his face. If anyone could make it happen, the young chief would.
“You have much to do, Kahu. Do not be too long when you return to England. We will be waiting for you.” Hone’s gaze simmered with heat.
Aroha i a kouroi. I love you. He still couldn’t believe the warrior would offer his heart to a selfish pirate.
“Of course. You’ll be waiting for the people and goods I will bring back.” He made it a joke. Of course they wanted him to make the return journey with the Jenny Elle packed with everything the settlement needed to make a step forward. He still couldn’t believe they meant anything else.
Hone reached out and cupped Loki’s nape. “You, Kahu. I will wait for you to return.”
He turned his head and bit Hone’s thumb. “Most relationships consist of two people, not three—and you are married to Paniha.”
Part of him wanted to cling to hope with the same desperation as his mother, but the realist in him said it would never be.
Paniha crossed to his side. “We belong together, Kahu, the three of us.”
She placed a hand on Hone’s chest. “Earth.” She tapped herself. “Water.” Then she laid her hand gently over the bandages covering his skin. “Air.”
“Earth, water and air?” A trinity of three elements. The words resonated inside him.
She nodded. “We are the guardians of this place. We need you to be complete. You are in here.” She placed a hand over her heart.
A loud bark of laughter came from Hone. “Paniha was not so sure about you. She took a while to see what I saw within you.”
She laughed and it tinkled on the light wind. “I did not like you. I thought you would hurt Hone and only think of yourself. But you discovered the truth.”
“Which truth was that?” He had found so many in this country.
“Actions always speak true. You gave your life to save Hone. That was when I knew what was in your heart, even if you do not.” Her smile softened and she reached up to kiss his lips.
Then Hone took control and showed Loki the depth of his love as his tongue sought possession of the pirate's mouth.
In the days that followed, they spent the evenings in quiet discussion as they fi
gured out what the school would need. They made a wish list of the types of subjects a teacher should be an expert in and the sort of laboratory Hone wanted to build. Loki was tasked with finding the very best people and enticing them to a new life in a strange new country.
The chief had a vision for a community that merged the best of Maori and pakeha. A place where they worked together while respecting each other, whenua, and moana. It was a world Loki wanted to be part of.
Slowly what they offered him sank in. He still couldn’t say the word love out loud yet, so he showed them instead. It was so new and overwhelming to think that Paniha and Hone welcomed him into their home and hearts, but day by day he grasped the truth and held it tight. Loki may have changed, but some things stayed the same. The selfish pirate had twice the people to lavish his attention upon, and two loving partners to adore him. And in return, he had a man and woman he would sacrifice his own life to protect.
The hawk now had a nest—a place to rest his wings with those who meant the world to him.
MAORI DICTIONARY
Hapu – sub-tribe
Hangi – earth oven to cook food with steam and heat from heated stones Hongi – to press noses together in a greeting Iwi – tribe
Kaitiaki – a custodian or guardian Kahu – hawk
Karanga – a ceremonial call of welcome to visitors Kereru – wood pigeon, a bird native to New Zealand Kia ora – traditional greeting, equivalent to hello Moana – sea
Pa – a fortified village
Pakeha – white people of European descent Patu – a short club
Pounamu – greenstone or jade Powhiri – a welcoming ceremony or ritual Taiaha – a long wooden weapon Tamiriki – children
Taniwha – guardian spirit often depicted as a water dragon Tangata whenua – people of the land Taonga – treasures
Tapu – to be sacred or protected Te Ika a Maui – The fish of Maui. Maori name for the North Island of New Zealand Te Waipounamu – The waters of greenstone. Maori name of the South Island of New Zealand Utu – revenge
Wahine - woman
Waka – a type of canoe
Whenua – land
Whanau – extended family. In the modern context now includes close friends.
HISTORICAL NOTE
The story of Pinocchio was first published in 1883; however, I could not find a better comparison for the change in Loki than that of the wooden puppet becoming a real boy. I hope you'll forgive me twisting history to use that line—time is, after all, wibbly-wobbly stuff that can take a bit of bending! ;) Moa were extinct in New Zealand by the time of this story. However, this is a work of alternate history, so if I can have a version of Aotearoa where Maori retained sovereignty, I can certainly have moa still lurking in the forests.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Books and writing have always been an enormous part of my life. I survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, I overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.
Today, I write fantasy historical novels with heart from my home in rural New Zealand.
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Maori Dictionary
Historical Note
About the Author