Page 68 of North Is the Night
Silence is the only reply. Silence and loneliness and crippling doubt. They wrap around me like a shroud, suffocating me. I fall to my knees in the snow, the strength leaving my legs.
“Please,” I say, not knowing which god will hear my prayers. “Do not abandon me to this despair. Show me the way.” Tipping my head back, I gaze up into the starry night sky, looking for a sign.
The darkness erupts with an eerie light. Is this Lumi’s magic? I go still, my breath catching in my chest, ready to run again. High above me, off in the distance, a river of green dances its way across the sky. The colors change, flashing in waves of white, purple, and blue. The river flows between the stars, shimmering like water, burning like flame.
“Oh gods...” Hands braced behind my head, I watch the lights dance. “Revontulet.”
The great foxfires of the north. I’ve never seen them with my own eyes. They say the colors are made from the flaming tail of a tulikettu, a firefox. The men of the north hunt him, determined to claim the strength of his väki. So, he runs. The firefox runs so fast across the snow that his tail sparks, lighting up the sky.
I smile as peace fills me. This is surely a sign. Väinämöinen is like the great firefox. Many have gone in search of him, and yet he cannot be found. He lives on, lighting up the sky, showing me the way.
“I see you,” I whisper to that river of light. A flicker of hope glows in my chest, so weak and precious. Aina is alive. Väinämöinen is alive. He will help me save her. And then, he’ll help save us all. “I am coming,” I say, tracing the river of light as it dances over the hills. “On my knees, I will crawl to you, oh great Väinämöinen, oldest and wisest of shamans. Revontulet, show me the way.”
The river of light elongates, moving in a great dance, blanketing this snowy hillside, which glows blue, purple, and green. A deep grunting sound makes me turn. I jerk my axe free from my belt, heart pounding. Kal snorts in welcome, bounding through the snow to join me at my side.
“Oh, thank the gods,” I cry, wrapping my arms around his massive head. His breath is hot, his great mouth open as he pants. I pull back, brushing my fingers over his snout. “Lumi didn’t hurt you, did she?”
He grunts, and I step back, looking for injury.
“I’m so sorry, Kal. Gods, I shouldn’t have gone in there. It was foolish, but I was desperate. Now, I have nothing left. No food, no shelter. Please tell me we’re close. Otherwise, I’m dead.”
He grunts again, pushing past me, ready to lead the way.
Tucking my axe in at my belt, I hurry after him. “Kal—wait. Lumi is the one who’s after you.” I brace my hand at his back as we make our way down the hillside. The foxfires still dance in the sky above us.
“She trapped you in that pit,” I go on. “She knows you know the way to Väinämöinen.” I pant, my feet slipping in the deep snow. “I’ve turned it over in my mind, and I think sheletme go. I think she means to follow us, Kal. In this snow, we can’t hide our tracks.”
He just grunts, trotting the last distance down the hill. An expanse of flat tundra opens before us, ending in another sloping, forested hill some three hundred yards away.
I pause, taking in the landscape. “We should go around, stick to the trees.”
But Kal doesn’t listen. He just charges across the open snow, cast in an eerie green by the light above.
“Kal, she’ll follow us,” I shout, running after him. “We’re not safe out here. It’s too exposed. Väinämöinen’s not safe either. We’ll be leading her right to him—”
From behind us, at the top of the hill, wolves howl. The sound raises all the fine hairs on my arms. Their song is a war cry. They’re coming for us.
I look to Kal. “Tell me she doesn’t have wolves.”
He just grunts, his breath coming in a puff of white mist.
The wolves howl again, closer now, moving quickly.
Taking a deep breath, I shoulder my pack. “Kal,run!”
We take off at a sprint. All we can do is try to make it to the trees. And I’m so tired, so weak. I want to surrender. I want to sleep for a thousand years. But Kal needs me. Aina needs me. Nothing is finished yet.
Behind us, the wolves break through the trees, yipping and howling with excitement, knowing the hunt is on. Over my shoulder is a haunting sight—Lumi has four of the wolves harnessed to a massive sled. Her staff casts a moon-white glow all around. They’re gaining ground. We’ll never outrun them.
Lumi is a powerful witch, but she’s not powerful enough to find Väinämöinen on her own. If the gods were on her side, would they not help her? Could she not call on them to come to her aid? The thought makes the flame of hope in my chest burn brighter. They don’t want to help her. She’s not worthy of finding him.
But you are, comes Aina’s soft voice in my mind.
You can do anything you set your mind to, says Milja.
You were born to love with your whole heart, Mummi whispers, her hand soft on my brow.
Love guides my steps. Love of my friend, of my family, my people. Lumi wants to find the shaman for herself. Undoubtedly, she means to abuse his power for her own ends. I want to find the shaman for the good of others.
