Page 120 of North Is the Night
I blink in confusion. “A maid? Do you mean Kukka?”
“Who?”
“The dead maid Vammatar assigned to me.”
He nods.
“Yes, she’s acceptable.”
He snaps his fingers, and Kukka appears in a swirl of shadow. “Serve your mistress,” he commands.
Kukka bows her head, hurrying over to the table to prepare my tea.
“I can leave the room?” I ask, watching her work with her odd, broken fingers.
He frowns, one brow raised. “You’re not my prisoner. You’re my wife and my queen. Soon we’ll have you crowned, and all the gods in all the realms will honor you.” With that, he turns to leave.
“Wait,” I call out.
He pauses, his hand on the door, not turning around.
“Will I see you later?”
He turns, his face unreadable. He’s quiet down the bond too. “Is that what you want?”
Slowly, I nod.
His mouth twitches with a smile. “Then I will come to you later.”
The thought of freedom is too delicious to ignore. I finish breakfast and dress, tucking my marriage knife at my hip. With Kukka at my side, I journey down the spiraling stone steps in search of my first adventure alone as Queen of Tuonela.
I start in the garden, collecting roots, flowers, and stems to dry for teas. Before long, I find my way to the bustling kitchen courtyard. Kukka holds my foraging basket as all the dead hurry to accommodate me, offering me slices of fresh buttered bread and sweet treats. It feels strange not to see the other girls, but I’m relieved to know they’re safe from Tuonetar’s wickedness.
The others would still be here if not for Loviatar. Two days ago, the blind weaver was my friend, my only ally in this dark place. Now, everything is different. I know more. Iseemore.
And I have questions.
Steeling myself, I march across to the weaving room. Kukka hurries around me, opening it before I can reach out. Once inside, I breathe deeply of the familiar scents of wood and lanolin. Then I hear theclack, clack, clack.
“She returns,” Loviatar calls without pausing in her work.
I move down the row to where she works alone. “May I sit with you?”
“Sit, don’t sit. You outrank me now... myqueen.”
I sink onto the stool she left beside her loom. “I’ve come to ask you something.”
“I am at your disposal, my queen.”
I purse my lips, sensing the teasing in her tone. “Are you quite finished?”
Her hands pause in their work. “Ask.”
“Does Tuonela have a sauna?”
She sighs in annoyance, setting her shuttle down. “We’re not animals, Aina. Of course we have a sauna.”
“Wonderful. Meet me after supper, and you can show me the way.”
