Page 165 of North Is the Night
“I’m the goddess of illness, am I not?” Loviatar replies. “It seems my sister came down with a sudden and debilitating case of the fainting sickness.”
“She’ll kill you for this,” Aina warns.
“She can try,” Loviatar replies. “Goddess knows she’s tried many times before.”
I smile. Is it possible I’m starting to like this witch? But then Loviatar turns on me. She takes a step forward, hands raised. “Look,” I say, “it wasn’t personal—”
The goddess hisses.
“Please, don’t hurt her,” Aina cries. I’m not sure who she’s talking to at this point.
Loviatar points a tattooed finger at me. The air around us stills. “If you ever raise a hand to me again, little fox, I will plague you with boils inside and out. They will pop and fester all over your lily-white skin. Your death will be slow and agonizing. Do we understand each other?”
I lower my axe, but not my defenses. “Why are you now helping us?”
Loviatar turns to Aina. “Tuonetar is gone. We believe her shackles are intact, but she’s not in her tower.”
“Oh gods,” Aina whispers.
“I think Vammatar is to blame,” the witch adds. “She reveals her hand at last. She is on the side of chaos.”
“She said she wanted to watch it all burn,” Aina replies.
“Kalma patrols the river’s edge, the twins search for the shaman, and my father now searches for you. You’ll never get out of here alive without help.”
“And you’re going to help us?” I can hear the tears in Aina’s voice.
The witch inclines her head.
“Why?” I press. “I can’t imagine it was the bump on the head I gave you.”
The witch turns with a snarl to face me. “Actually, it was.”
I blink in surprise.
“Why?” Aina asks again for both of us.
“I thought Tuonela was the safest place for Aina and her child because I didn’t know Väinämöinen survived his curse. I’ve been trapped down here, cut off from the world above. And there’s been little enough spoken about him. I didn’t know he was training new pupils. And I never expected one so fierce... or so loyal to my queen. If you vow with the shaman to keep Aina and the child safe, I will help you escape.”
Before I can reply, Aina steps forward. “Prove you mean what you say. Prove you trust me, so I may trust you, Loviatar.”
The witch closes her eyes. In this darkness it’s hard to make out her expression. I can only imagine it’s one of torment. This is a power struggle between Aina and the witch. Aina asks for something the witch clearly doesn’t want to give.
“Toivotar,” she says on a soft breath. “Her name is Toivotar.”
“Toivotar,” Aina repeats. “The tenth child of Loviatar is the goddess of hope.” She smiles, brushing a hand along the witch’s shoulder. “It’s a beautiful name.”
“She’s a beautiful woman,” I add.
They both turn my way. “You’ve met her?” asks Aina.
I nod. “She appeared to me moments after you were taken by Kalma. She helped me to my feet and set me on the path north to find you.”
“And does she look like Loviatar? Black of hair, pale skin?”
“Yes,” I reply. “But she smiles more... and she laughs.”
Next to Aina, the witch is motionless.
