Page 60 of North Is the Night
She goes still.
I tug on this thread, determined to unravel the truth. “Isaw the other girls in the woods tonight. They died here. How many has the Witch Queen dragged below? How many has she tortured and killed? Why does she do it?”
“She is mad, Aina. To try to understand her reasoning is a fool’s errand—”
“Don’t.” I place a hand on her shoulder. “No more games. Not with me. Tell me the truth. Why does she want us to suffer so?”
“It’s bold of you to assume she cares about mortal suffering.”
“She doesn’t, does she?” Hearing it said aloud, I know I’m right. “She’s doesn’t care about us at all. We are completely expendable to her. This is about Tuoni. It’s about makinghimsuffer.” Another thought comes to me, sending my heart racing anew. I lower my voice, glancing over my shoulder to make sure we’re still alone. “Is he out there, Loviatar? Is he trapped in those woods?”
The witch says nothing.
“He is, isn’t he? He’s being forced to watch as your mother and sisters torture us to death. Over and over, he watches, helpless to stop her.”
Loviatar’s face is expressionless. “As I said... clever mouse.”
“But why is it a torture for him? Why does he care if we die? Or perhaps I should ask—what does he stand to gain if we live? What can he mean to do with us?”
The witch remains silent. Perhaps she likes listening to me puzzle it out for myself.
“Only girls are being taken,” I continue. “Not princesses or shamanesses, not even goddesses... we are all just young, unmarried, common girls—” My words fall silent as the truth hits me. “Oh, Loviatar, he meant to supplant the Witch Queen in all ways, not just stifle her magic. He meant toreplaceher... didn’t he? Down with the mad queen. He wanted to find someone more aligned with his vision, more willing to help him build the Tuonela of his dreams.”
Loviatar smirks. “Who better than a young mortal girl full of bright visions of life and fanciful ideas of death? Together, you could rule this realm and turn it into a beautiful dream.” She turns her face, those clouded eyes seeing through me. “The raven was right to bring you to me,” she says at last. “You’re perfect.”
My heart stops. “You know my raven?”
“I know your raven.”
“Who is he, Loviatar? He’s been protecting me since I arrived. He came for me tonight in the woods. He stopped Vammatar from striking me. Oh gods—” My heart feels fit to burst. I was a fool for not seeing it sooner. “IsheTuoni? Is the death god trapped in the form of a raven—”
Loviatar takes me by the shoulders. “Be calm, Aina.”
“No—” I pull away. “I’ve told the raven too much. I—oh gods—he knows everything about me. Everything—”
“Enough, Aina.” Loviatar cups my face with her cold hands, her face inches from mine. “The raven cares for you... as I do. We would see you free of this living nightmare. You could free us allif only you have the strength to defy the Witch Queen.”
I feel like I’m drowning on dry land. My head is spinning, heart racing. “This will see me dead with my head mounted on a spike in your mother’s garden. Loviatar, I’m not ready to meet death as my equal. Gods hear me, I want to live.”
She gives my shoulders a squeeze, pressing her forehead to mine. “Listen to me, little mouse. You’ve been trapped in this nightmare for a few weeks. There are those of us here who’ve been fighting for a lifetime. We are closer now than we’ve ever been.Youare bringing us closer. So, I am going to do something that I haven’t done in an age. Are you listening?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I have decided that I am going to help you.”
I lean away, searching her face. “Help me with what?”
“Free my father.”
Her words sit heavy between us, pressing like a weight on my chest. “What can I do?”
“Only one person has the power to free him from his prison,” she replies. “And freeing him will free us all.”
“And you think I am that person?”
“No, you’re not,” she replies, her fingers brushing down my braid. “Not yet... but youwillbe.”
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