33. Ash Vale

Naia fell easily into her pregnancy.

Every Sunday, she and Ronin stood in front of the distressed exterior of the Kahale cottage and Akane snapped a picture to document the growth of her belly.

During her first trimester, the smell of fish nauseated her, and she developed an obsessive craving for peanut butter. She also developed a new skill.

Every three weeks, Yuki would trim Ronin and Akane's hair on the back patio. Naia would stand aside and watch, intrigued. When the servants in Kaimana trimmed her own strands, it was such a mundane thing Naia had never thought twice about, but now, she wished to learn. It was a desire born out of pride, for Ronin to depend on her in some way.

Yuki taught her with patience. Regardless of the nicks on his ears and accidentally trimming his length an inch too short, Ronin always told her she did a good job.

By the third month, Naia had confidently taken Yuki's place. Ronin sat still as Naia maneuvered around him. The tips of her fingers occasionally grazed his nape; the back of her knuckles brushed his forehead. His intent gaze provoked a pleasureful heat in her bloodstream that hummed beneath her skin as she worked. She minded him no attention with a small curve to her lips, deeply concentrated as she measured the length of his bangs using her index finger.

Her second trimester was a time of slow rises out of bed; mixing pancake batter with sticky fingers; Ronin's wandering hands and small kisses along the side of her neck; morning coffee with Avi and Yuki and listening to their bickering; walks into town with Akane and Theon, and colorful poké bowls and shaved ice piled with fruit; evening hikes, with Ronin trailing behind her, peering beyond the edge of the horizon as the sunrise split the sky like a tangerine.

She'd often catch glimpses of a large bird taking flight from a nearby tree branch or sitting atop an electric pole. While the creature was quick to make itself scarce, she recognized its dull blue feathers and watchful stare as Alke's. It seemed, after all this time, the bird's dead form still lingered at Finnian's side.

One of her favorite things to do was sit in the living room with Theon, listening in pure fascination as Yuki, Akane, and Ronin spoke in their native language from the kitchen. They only did it when it was only the three of them, but it reminded her of Ronin's ethnic background and the fact he was bilingual.

She was catching onto small words.

Yuki had strolled into the kitchen one morning and stubbed her toe on the chair. "Itai!" she shouted, and hobbled over to the counter to lean on.

Or, when they'd eaten dinner a few nights ago, Akane took a large bite of curry, and with a look of pure pleasure, said, "Umai!"

Naia wanted to educate herself and know everything about their culture, not only because of Ronin, but because she wanted to pass it along to their child.

But would they have a chance to teach any of it to him?

Naia became stuck on a sickly cycle with that thought haunting her mind.

Her worries would diminish after she reminded herself how deities—Marina—could not come for her while she was pregnant.For the time being, she was truly free, and it made her determined to stay mindful and present during the months of her pregnancy.

Then she'd wake up one morning, and her thoughts would stray too far into the future. Soon, her nine months would be over, dropping a silent clock in the back of her mind. It became a struggle to enjoy much of anything.

These were the times she sought solace on the internet, researching Ronin's family culture, or the Kahale grimoires, immersing herself in the history of the Himura clan. Reclined in a chair in the corner of the room, Theon minded her no attention as he scrolled through his phone. Occasionally, she'd ask questions about her reading material. Did you know the Himura clan consisted of a hundred people? Did you know their ancestors created the Kahale name as an alias to hide their identity?

His replies came in monosyllabic grunts, but he listened to her ramble on.

Eventually, he would disappear to help Avi with his potion, or assist Yuki in cleaning around the house.

Naia was never alone for more than a few minutes. Ronin would find her holed up in what was once his mother's craft room—now Yuki's office—with her feet tucked up in a chair, books piled on the desk, nose deep in the pages, nervously tapping her fingers on her thighs.

He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her neck. "I found a recipe I think you'd be interestedin," he mused. "Chocolate and hazelnut."

They baked cakes, some days a batch of cookies, and on rare occasions, they'd try a delicate pastry. Often resulting in a butchered creation, thanks to the proofing step. After several failed attempts, Naia learned how much she truly detested yeast and its temperament.

After school, Akane would teach Naia how to make an onigiri. Naia enjoyed the activity of doing something with her hands. Spooning a filling into the rice and forming it into a triangle shape with her fingers. Between that and Akane talking about her day at school, it prevented Naia from thinking too hard.

During her fifth month, the crib was delivered on the front porch by a mail carrier.

Naia hauled the giant rectangle box into their child's nursery.

She stood aside, arms crossed, hip jutted out, doing her best not to grit her teeth, watching Ronin unbox all the pieces. "I said no, Ronin."

"Babe, this is fucking ridiculous." He lifted from his crouched position, hair in his eyes as he spun to face her. "There's like a hundred pieces. The direction manual is as thick as my mom's fucking grimoire."

"We have nothing but time." She brushed past him and collected as many crib bars as she could hold in her arms. The bag of screws caught on one piece and scattered across the room. "We're doing it my way."

"It's a waste of time when there's an easier solution," he countered.

Some of the bars slipped out of her grasp and hit the carpet. Another smashed right down on her toe, and she pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth to keep from howling out in pain.

"It will be easy!" she snapped, reaching down to pick them up. "If you would just stop complaining and help!"

"You've already lost half the screws needed to keep it together." He jutted his hand out towards the jumbled parts scattered across the bedroom floor.

Naia held the crib pieces tighter to her chest. "I will figure it out. Leave me alone."

Ronin's hand came up in the air.

Naia narrowed her eyes. "Don't you even think about it."

"This is ridiculous, Naia. Just let me put it together my way."

"Using magic. That's cheating."

His raised hand lowered to grip his hip. "The fuck it is. It's common sense."

"Oh, so now you're telling me I don't have common sense?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." He huffed, exasperated.

"Sounds like it is."

"Fucking hell, did I say you don't have common sense?"

"No, you implied it when?—"

She gasped.

The movement was like a bird's wing caught in her stomach.

Slowly, the pieces of the crib fell from her arms, and she brought her hands to the small bump of her belly.

In an instant, Ronin crossed the room to her side. "What? Are you okay?"

Through stunned laughter, she shook her head. "I am fine."

He placed one hand on the small of her back and the other on her hands resting on her stomach. "Babe, talk to me. What is going?—"

His breath hitched.

Naia squealed as the baby's kick rippled through her ribcage.

Ronin snapped his chin up to look at her, eyes wide. "Is that him?"

Naia nodded enthusiastically, a touch of coy playing on her lips. "Apparently, he agrees with me."

Ronin's expression flattened. "Or this is his way of telling you to listen to me." With a playful smile, he tugged on the end of her silver hair.

Naia raised her fingers to his chin, guiding his mouth to hers. "No magic."

"Fine." His arm snaked around her waist, and he kissed her.

"How's it coming along?"Naia placed the steaming cup of tea down on the workbench for Avi.

He sat with terrible posture, hunched over a thick book and an assortment of stones laying on the wooden surface of the bench. A star shape was drawn beneath them in a white powdered substance. In its center was a small cherry-red puddle. She'd learned over the past few months it was best not to ask whose or what poor animals' blood it was.

"Thanks. I think I have it almost figured out," he said, more to himself. His hair lay off to the side of his head, held in place by the sweeping of his fingers. "If I remain in the center of the spell, I can keep it going for about twenty minutes."

Darkness rained through the glass ceiling. Lit candles flooded the room in a buttery glow.

"Good." Naia rested against the edge of the workbench, rubbing her belly in soothing laps with her palm. "It should give us plenty of time to…"

She wasn't sure what it would give them time to do. How would they strategize against Cassian?

Avi rotated his body on his stool and picked up his tea. He regarded her as he took a sip, brow lined with creases.

"Hey, no frowning." He lowered his mug in his lap. "It's all gonna work out."

She stared down at her stomach, overcome with a rush of emotions that were partly her hormones and partly her own avalanche of concerns.

"I have little faith in most things," she murmured.

Avi cleared his throat, sitting his mug down on the workbench and shifting around on his stool.

Naia was about to apologize for souring the mood when he said, "I met Ronin when I was sixteen. I lived out on the streets. My mom went to prison for drugs, and my dad kicked me out for taking up too much space and spending his gambling money."

Naia analyzed his sheepish expression and the way he toyed with his earrings, as if he fought through his discomfort to open up to her. His vulnerability touched her.

"It sounds like he shouldn't have been a father," she said. "You deserve much better than that."

The corner of Avi's mouth lifted in agreement. "To get by, I stole food and money. Imagine my damn luck when I chose Ronin to pickpocket."

Naia's lips parted, her hand coming up over them, eyes bulging. "Oh no." She giggled.

He laughed, crow's feet wrinkling at the corner of his eyes. "Right? I specifically did my thieving shit on the non-magical side of the city for a reason. The fucker damn near killed me with his blood briars. I happened to have some of my homemade powder on me that acted as an explosive and gave off a rancid smoke. It gave me time to run away. Only two nights later, he tracked me down in the Valley—alleyways connecting through the city where the homeless pitch tents."

Naia's heart ached, imagining a younger Avi, all alone, in a flimsy shelter like what she'd seen once with Theon when she marched out of the brewery in search of Finnian.

She frowned. "I imagine you were petrified."

An awkward chuckle rolled out of him, and he scratched the side of his tattooed arm. "I talked his ear off. He just stared at me with those intense eyes of his. I tried to play it off, tell him he had the wrong guy, and even offered him a moldy piece of bread I'd been munching on. Dude was a grade-A grump, and I thought for sure he would murder me, but he ended up taking me to get a burger."

Naia rubbed large circles around her stomach again, tears biting at the back of her nose. "Sounds like something he'd do."

"Ronin didn't ask for me to follow him around after that, but I did." Avi grabbed his tea and held it up to his mouth, grinning behind the rim. "He told me to fuck off more than once, but I would laugh or bring up some other topic to talk about. Eventually, he opened his brewery and hired me. Theon came along shortly after." He took a sip. "Ronin never asked us to follow him. We just chose to."

Avi stared down at his steaming cup with a glinting gaze. "In a way, he saved us all—gave us a reason to keep moving forward in this shitty world. I can't speak for the others, but I can tell you not once has Ronin ever failed us. He's too stubborn and always tries his hardest." He lifted his head to look at her. "Believe in him, because I promise you, he will not give up on you or your child."

Moisture gathered in her eyes, and she smiled, nodding, because Ronin was a beautiful soul, and she was honored to be a part of his life.

She caught a fleeing tear from the corner of her eye with the back of her finger. "Thank you for sharing with me, and for always being kind."

Before Avi could get out a response, Naia threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him with extra force, knowing his brawny build could take it.

Avi lifted his tea out of the way, stiffening beneath her.

After hearing his story, it made her ache to imagine him younger, alone, and not knowing when he would get his next meal.

"Thank you for keeping me alive," she murmured. "I am sorry you had to experience the pain of having parents who failed you. You are not alone, and I promise you I will be a better mother than both of ours ever were."

Avi relaxed under her. "You're going to kick ass at it, Goddess." One arm came around to return the hug, squeezing her tightly.

She pulled away and playfully flicked his nose. "And my son will have much to learn from his Uncle Aviel."

Tears welled in the witch's eyes. He tried to blink them away, but they escaped down his scruffy cheeks.

"Fuck," he spluttered, dropping his head and wiping at his face. "Don't let Theon see me like this, or he'll give me shit for the rest of my life."

Naia laughed.

November arrivedwith a crisp twinge in the air.

Ronin and Naia stood side by side, admiring the massive tree that now stood where Kaleo's inn once was. The trunk of the tree was as wide as a whale's mouth, and its low, historic branches sprouted from the ground like a spider's legs.

"I wanted to bring you here to show you this," Ronin said. "After the inn burned down, the tree grew from the ashes."

She glanced over at him. He was bundled in a baggy black sweatshirt, his shoulder-length strands hidden beneath a snug beanie. His cheeks and the tip of his nose were the color of a cherry. The image reminded her of her last memory with Kaleo, and a sharp pang twisted in her heart.

They were one and the same, but it stirred up the traumatic end of his lifetime as Kaleo. A tragic end he did not deserve.

"It is an ash tree." Naia looked up at it. A brassy shade dusted the leaves of the top branches. The wind rustled through the limbs of the tree, causing a gentle cascade of butterscotch leaves to fall to the ground.

Ronin cracked his knuckles from inside his pant pockets. "According to some rumors, they tried chopping it down a ton of times, but the next day it always reappeared, bigger than what it was before. Eventually, they gave up and let it be."He grew still for a moment. "It's weird to think I was Kaleo in my past life. I wish I could remember those times with you."

Naia shifted her weight on her feet to lean her arm against his, knowing the small form of physical connection would be enough to ease his busy mind. "I can remember for the both of us and show you my time with Kaleo as much as you want."

"It's not the same," Ronin muttered in a brooding tone.

Naia strolled underneath the limbs. "My father spoke of nature often during my studies as a child. Ash trees possess strong roots with the ability to puncture the shell of the Land of the Dead, and their branches can reach up into the Land of Entity."

"A divine tree," Ronin concluded. "You think he grew it from the Land of the Dead?"

"I have no doubt. I learned after my punishment how Father had somehow hid my presence on the island. It is why it took Marina so long to find me." Naia pressed her palm to the rough exterior of the bark, savoring the faint connection she had to him. Without Wren, his presence in her life felt distant.

"Let's name him Ash."

Naia swung around, stunned by Ronin's proposal. "What?"

He hung his head back and peered through the tree limbs. The mid-morning sun turned his irises the color of maple syrup. "Ash Vale. To honor your father."

"Ash Vale Kahale." A lump expanded in her throat and she smiled. "Though that would only be his alias name."

"I see you've been reading our family journals." Ronin strolled over to her, slipping his hand over her hips from behind and onto her lower belly.

"Of course. I want to know everything about your ancestors' history," she told him.

His chin settled in the crevice of her neck and shoulder. "It's all in the past, babe."

"Ronin Himura," Naia tested the name on her tongue. "Ash Himura."

His lips brushed the side of her cheek. "Naia Himura."

She shivered, leaning back snug into his chest. "I have never had a last name before."

Ronin's gruff chuckle vibrated against her ribcage. "You already have all of me, Naia. Including my last name." His palm smoothed over her stomach, possessively splicing his fingers over the shell of their child. "And when we make it back to Hollow City, I'll make it official."

Under the luminousgaze of a full moon, the midnight hour was unusually frigid. A dry chill the winter solstice rarely delivered to Nohealani Island.

Naia hooked the crook of her elbow in between Ronin's crossed arms and rested a bit of her weight onto him, desperate to relieve the throbbing in her ankles.Ronin's bicep strained against her forearm; his eyes locked on the silhouette of the tree line.

Finnian emerged from its shadows. His long onyx-colored strands glistened under the lamplight like the feathers of a crow. Naia noted his crooked tie under his gray dress vest, and the flecks of red staining the breast pocket. It brought her comfort to see some things about him had not changed.

A comfort that quickly froze and grew uneasy with her pulse skipping, because Finnian was finally in front of her. The weeks leading up to their meeting, she'd chewed the inside of her cheek to shreds, obsessing over Finnian's findings. To occupy her mind, she'd relived old memories. Meticulously sorting through past rumors and fragments of discussions she had caught wind of regarding Cassian. Anything that could be of use or jar her mind. Efforts that only resulted in more dead ends.

Finnian gave her a once over with his bright green eyes, idling on the bump of her belly, the size of a medium pumpkin. "May I?"

Ronin tensed beside her.

She observed Finnian closely, noticing his genuine curiosity brimming over the mortal life growing inside of her.

"Family means something to me." She lifted her chin, squaring him with a look. "Does it still mean anything to you?"

Finnian's eyes found hers. "With you, it does."

He was many things, but he would not speak words he did not mean.

"By extension, that includes Ronin and Ash," Naia said.

Finnian blinked. "Ash?"

Naia exchanged a glance with Ronin that told him everything would be okay before she stepped over the invisible boundary line. He strode behind her as she made her way to Finnian.

Naia removed her hand from her belly as an invitation, smiling at her little brother. "Ash Vale is his name."

Finnian's outstretched hand hesitated, fingers trembling.

"Your touch will not corrupt me or him, Finny." She huffed and grabbed onto him since he took his sweet time, leaning into his grip.

He supported her as she shifted her weight onto one leg, giving her swollen ankles another rush of relief. She let out a long exhale.

"Would you like for me to hold you the way you used to hold me when we were children?" There was a mischief in his tone she hadn't heard in ages.

She shot him a look. "It's the least you could do for what you did to me at Alke Hall."

In a fluid motion, Finnian strapped an arm around her back and scooped her feet off the ground.

She fastened her arms around his neck."Finny!"

He laughed. "You weigh as much as Aunt Thea!"

Their aunt was a middle goddess of the sea who lived in a secluded lair made of sea stacks in the eastern land and feasted on any mortals that ventured in her territory.

"You are incredibly insensitive to talk to a pregnant goddess that way." She lightly nipped at a strand of hair dangling in his face, giggling. "Aunt Thea is a beast who swallows ships."

She guided Finnian's hand on the bump of her belly, as he could fully hold her up with one arm. His palm was warm through the material of her shirt, and she watched the emotions cross over his face, one by one. The slight dip of his brow, the glossy proof of moisture gathering in his eyes, the surge of intensity cracking through his aloof demeanor. He did well not to show it, but she could feel his magic protectively sticking to her like a cloak settling over her shoulders.

"He will have your strength…" Finnian murmured. "Mr. Kahale's infuriating tenacity."

Ronin gave a breathy laugh from behind her.

She knew Finnian's assumptions came from sensing Ash's aura. An emotion lingered in his voice she could not identify, and it unsettled her how he had yet to bring up the subject of Cassian.

"Finny," she whispered.

Her stomach coiled as she observed her little brother, who refused to meet her eyes.

"How do I break the curse?"she asked.

Finnian gently placed her back on her feet. All sentiments vanished from his face as he backed away from her. "Naia, there's no way to break the curse."

The breath perished in her lungs.

"No." She shook her head, her knees shaking. "No, I don't buy it, Finnian. Do not lie to me."

"Cassian covered his tracks. There is nothing that can be done."

"No!" Naia reached out and gripped his arm to keep herself upright. "You are lying!"

He stared down at her, brow pinched, pain welling in his eyes.

"Did you even look for a way?" Naia lashed out. "Or let me guess, you made some vile deal with Cassian instead. What? Did he discover you snooping and offer you something in return to forget what you learned?"

Finnian winced.

"Naia," Ronin cut in.

"I did not make a deal with him," Finnian said, his voice like ice. "I upheld my promise to you."

"That's it then? I am just supposed to hand over Ash—" A sob sprung from her lips.

She stumbled backwards on her heels into Ronin's chest.

His hand wrapped around her arm from behind. "Naia, everything will be?—"

"No!" She pushed him away. His comfort was only a reminder of the path they would have to take. Choosing to oppose Cassian, endangering Ronin and the others in the house. Through the night, her eyes jumped to the Kahale cottage. Yuki had a life and a career. She was a mother. And Akane was only a child. This island was not Theon and Avi's home, but they'd stayed out of loyalty and devotion. They deserved to return to the city.

Pressure built in Naia's lungs. Her lips had gone cold as she pushed her fingers through her hair. She could already see their broken corpses, their souls no longer tethered to this land.

Refusing to accept such a fate, Naia clung to Finnian's arms and shook him. "You cannot do this to me, Finny! Find a way. Please. I do not want to do this!"

He snatched a hold of her elbows and pulled her into a suffocating embrace. Her forehead crashed into his shoulder, bending her nose against his collarbone.

The force of his affection, the old scent of the licorice he loved to chew on, was her undoing.She wheezed out a mangled sound and wailed, her snot draining all over his dress vest.

It felt as if a burning inferno surrounded her, with no water to extinguish it.

Finnian held her with the strength of a god, straining her bones. "They have taken from you your whole life, Naia. Let this be the last time."