Page 63 of North Is the Night
“You’re too late.”
She frowns in annoyance, hand still extended.
“I honor my debts too. The bear and I share a life debt. I saved his life, he saved mine. We are bonded now. I cannot raise a hand against him or help another do the same.”
She drops her hand. Her expression crackles with rage like the logs in the fire.
I lean forward, swallowing against the pain in my throat. “Please, Lumi. Just let us go.”
Her lips part to respond, but a cacophony—screams, barking dogs, pounding feet—shatters the silence around us. Then, a thunderous roar—the roar of an angry bear. Kal is coming for me. Lumi’s golden eyes change, dancing with magic flame as she launches to her feet, her face splitting into an eager smile. “It appears I no longer need your help.”
“No,” I cry, raising my bound hands. “Leave him alone!”
“Nothing will stop me from getting to Väinämöinen,” she declares, dropping her shawl from her shoulders. Closing her eyes, the witch reaches out with both hands. A pair of gleaming swords appears. She wears a metal plate on her chest now, over which is crossed the thick black leather of her scabbards. Her hair is hidden under the hood of a snow-white cape lined with fur, trailing to the ground. My grandmother’s silver bracelets still encircle her wrists.
“Please, don’t do this,” I beg.
She looks down at me. “You’re a brave girl. I can see why the bear is so fond of you. I will let you live, so long as you stay out of my way. Väinämöinenwillbe mine.” With that, she steps past me, disappearing into the night.
As soon as she’s gone, I scoot over to the fire’s edge and get my knife. I stretch out my bound legs and cut through the rope. My heart races as the screams get louder all around. I think Kal is setting fire to the village. I can smell the smoke and hear flames crackling like a great bonfire. I work quickly, holding the knife between my knees as I saw through the binding at my wrists.
“Come on,” I rasp, ignoring the pain in my throat.
The rope frays as I move my wrists back and forth along the edge of the blade.
“Come on, come on—yes—”
The bonds break, and I toss them aside, scrambling forward on hands and knees to get my weapons. I stuff my feet into my boots and slide a knife inside each one, keeping my larger hunting knife in hand. I don’t wait another second to push open the flap of the hut and rush into the chaos waiting outside.
The sky is filled with smoke. I count at least four huts on fire. At the far end of the camp, men are shouting, running with axes and bows at the ready. Women tug on the hands of crying children. All around us in the forest come the thunder of many hooves. The villagers’ panicked reindeer are on the run.
I duck behind Lumi’s hut and make for the trees. I nearly crash into a young Sámi man holding the hand of a crying woman. He takes me in with anxious eyes, his hand dropping to the axe at his belt. I move with the speed of a fox, flipping my knife around and slamming the hilt against his temple. The woman screams as I trip him, knocking him onto his back in the snow. She screams again, her hands raised in surrender, crying out in a language I don’t understand.
“I’m sorry,” I say to them both, wrestling his axe loose from his belt as he weakly tries to fight me off. “I’m so sorry.”
I duck away, sprinting for the cover of the trees. Behind me, the village is in chaos. The north end burns, the huts engulfed in flames. Kal is trying to push the Sámi south, clearing the way for me. He roars again in panic.
Lumi stands in the middle of the clearing. One of her swords is sheathed on her back, and she clutches a tall reindeer-
herding staff in her free hand. It curves intricately at the top, cradling a glowing white stone. As Lumi holds it high, the stone glows brighter, nearly as bright as a star, illuminating the forest. She’s looking for the bear.
In the light of the star staff, I can see across to the other side of the village. There, tied to a high line with several other reindeer, stands Halla. She still wears her packs, shuffling from side to side in a panic, trying to pull herself loose. My heart drops. To reach her, I’d have to get past Lumi.
“I’m so sorry, girl,” I whisper. I’m more than sorry. Halla has everything in her packs—my food, my fishing gear, my heavy winter coat. How will I survive in this wilderness without even a coat?
I glance to my left and see a hut with the hides torn loose from the entrance. The family must have fled into the woods by now. Taking a deep breath, I dash out of the trees and inside. I work fast, throwing everything inside the only pack I can find—a cookpot, a bowl, a chunk of dried reindeer meat, and anything else that looks like food. Lastly, I take several reindeer pelts off the floor and roll them up. With the pack on my shoulder and the pelts under my arm, I take my pilfered axe and dash back into the night.
I’m barely past the trees when the snow all around glows golden-white. I turn to see Lumi in the clearing, shouting orders to the Sámi as she slams the end of her staff against the ground. A burst of starlight shoots into the sky, expanding like white flames with a crackle of lightning. It’s so bright that night shines like day.
I smile. Kal eludes her still. “Run, you crazy bear,” I say, into the trees. “Go north, and I’ll find you.” I don’t wait another moment. I turn and sprint into the darkness.
21
Aina
I sit on a stoolacross from Loviatar, noting her stiff posture, her rune-marked hands folded in her lap. My heart hammers in my chest. Some answers at last! She’s going to tell me how we free Tuoni from the Witch Queen’s curse and restore the Tuonela of the songs.
“Start at the beginning,” I say. “Please, Loviatar, leave nothing out.”
