Page 18 of North Is the Night
“Oh, is that all?”
“Mummi, the gods are stirring. I know you feel it too. This hopelessness, this apathy, this godsdamn acceptance—it is not who we are. It is not who we ought to be. And the Swedes are advancing. They think us weak. They think us ready to fall to their power. The time is now. Väinämöinenmustreturn to us—”
As soon as I say the words, we both gasp, gazing at each other.
Mummi squeezes my hand. “Oh child, what did the goddess say in the woods?”
“‘Return to us,’” I repeat. “‘We need you.’ And she said ‘The time has come. Save us.’”
“Oh, Siiri... ”
I smile through my tears. “Do you believe me now, Mummi? That was a message from the gods. I am meant to do this. I am meant to find him. Will you help me?”
Her own smile falls. “I don’t know where he is,” she admits. “I only know what the songs say. He got in his copper-bottomed boat and sailed away from the lands of Kalevala. He could have followed the path of the inland sea north, but no one knows where it ends.”
“I was planning to go north anyway,” I say. “I will go to the sacred grove. There I will pray and beg for a god to intercede. They must want Väinämöinen to return as much as we do. They want their land back, their people. They want our prayers, our devotion. They want us all to wake up, Mummi. They’ll help me.”
After a moment, Mummi nods. “If you are going, you must leave tonight. The longer you delay, the better the chance is that your father will try to stop you.”
My heart skips a beat. “Tonight?”
“You know the way well enough,” she replies, dropping to her knees and shoving the rest of the wood inside the small hearth. “Have an offering ready for the uhrikivi. A token of fresh game is good, but gold or silver is better.”
My gaze traces the curve of her hunched back. “Wait—this plan is mad, Mummi. Why aren’t you trying to stop me?”
She pauses, glancing over her shoulder. “Because our lives are measured by the risks we take to help those in need when their need is greatest.” She gets to her feet, turning to take my hand in both of hers. “I know how much you love Aina. And I know you love your family too. I know you love your people. You were born to love with your whole heart and to protect fiercely.” She smiles, stroking my freckled cheek. “My wild Siiri. There’s never been any stopping you at anything you wish to do... so go. You have my blessing.”
“I will come back. Look for me at each sunset returning from the north.”
She nods, her hand still on my cheek. “Men have long been the heroes of our tales. Show the people what we women can do to fight for those we love. Go north. Find Väinämöinen if you can. Save Aina. Then return to us. We need you,” she adds with a smile.
“I think I might be afraid,” I whisper, letting her hear my deepest truth.
Leaning forward, Mummi kisses my forehead. “You’d be a fool not to be afraid, my brave girl... but you’ll go all the same.”
Part Two
Now my mind is filled with sorrow,
Wanders through the bog and stubble,
Wanders weary through the brambles,
Roams throughout the dismal forest,
Till my life is filled with darkness,
And my spirit white with anguish.
—Rune 4.The Kalevala.
7
Aina
My dreams have beenso dark of late. I dream about a forest. It’s night, and there’s no moon. Clouds cover the stars, and I’m running faster than I’ve ever run in my life. My bare feet pound the ground as I take panting breaths. I feel everything under my toes—soft moss, crunching leaves, roots, and rock.
I’m not running. I’mfleeing. The monster keeps pace with me, an enormous, shaggy black wolf with glowing red eyes. That color haunts me, like two droplets of blood. Feathered branches slap at my face. I cry out in fear, my voice breaking with the chill of the air. Why am I running? Why am I alone? Where is Siiri? The details of the dream slip away until a sharp pain in my forearm tears me from my sleep.
