Page 91 of North Is the Night
Suddenly, I see the truth so clearly. All this time, she’s been helping Tuoni. She kept bringing us here in the hopes that one of us would finally free her father. In her chaos, I suppose Tuonetar chose to see only what she wanted to see. She saw Kalma aiding her in torturing him. What fun they had together, scaring us, hurting us, killing us.
But it was Kalma in the forest who directed me to Lilja and Inari. It was Kalma who raised Inari from the dead. Kalma dragged the girls away. Did she hide them? Did she put them to rest? Her methods were cruel and misguided, but whatever kind of monster Kalma is, she’s loyal to her father. She loves him in her way. For now, that’s enough.
I offer her a soft smile. “Thank you, Kalma. You’ve made your father very happy. Would you now be so kind as to remove Tuonetar from my chair?”
“You little witch,” Tuonetar shrieks, her fingers clawing at Kalma’s bony hand. “You will not commandmydaughter. You—” She sputters and chokes as Kalma squeezes tighter, lifting her by the throat. “I’ll kill you—wretched snake in my garden—”
Kalma lifts the Witch Queen off her throne. Tuonetar’s feet dangle in the air, kicking helplessly as she tries to gain purchase. Her beautiful copper robes trail along the floor as Kalma steps back. As soon as Tuonetar is lifted away, the throne transforms. The skulls and bones are replaced with ornate silver.
“No—unhand me—” Tuonetar struggles and shrieks, fighting Kalma’s iron grip as the death witch drags her back, pulling her into the shadows of the room.
Tuoni steps up behind me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. “Come, wife.”
Hearing that word, the other girls gasp. “Wife?” Riina whispers. “Did he just call her wife?” They look to me with wide eyes, shocked and confused.
Tuoni offers his hand, and I take it, letting him guide me up onto the dais. It’s a surreal moment, watched by everyone—living and dead—as I take a seat on my silver throne. Beside me, Tuoni sits, taking my hand in his own. We face an odd crowd of assembled dead, the death witches, and three terrified mortal women.
“All here now must bear witness,” he calls to the room. “Tuonetar is forthwith stripped of her titles and power in this realm.” Turning to me, he smiles. “You will show all due deference to my wife. Kneel before Aina, Queen of Tuonela!”
As one, the dead in the room drop to one knee, their heads bowed. I fight my own trembling as I glance to where Tuoni’s daughters sit. Vammatar stiffly inclines her head, a deep scowl on her face, but the twins do nothing.
“Bring forth Tuonetar,” Tuoni calls with a raise of his hand.
I hold to the arms of my silver chair as Kalma sweeps out of the shadows, dragging a struggling Tuonetar along with her.
“You’re all a bunch of faithless—” Tuonetar shrieks as Kalma’s other hand rises to cover her mouth. She kicks and squirms, biting at her daughter’s bony hand. Blood drips between Kalma’s fingers, but her hand remains still, stopping the Witch Queen’s poisonous words.
Tuoni rises from his golden chair. All light in the room seems to dim. I fight the urge to lean away as shadows creep outward from him. Flames flicker on his tongue as he speaks, his words laced with deep magic. “Tuonetar, I remove you from your seat of power and banish you from this court.” He holds out his hands, showing the broken, dangling chains on his wrists. “These chains were once my prison. At long last, they shall be yours.”
I gasp, leaning back in my throne, as the chains disappear. In another moment, Tuonetar shrieks and wails behind her gag, her body going limp in Kalma’s arms. The chains are now on her wrists.
“I sentence you to a life without magic,” Tuoni declares. “The chains that held me so well shall now hold you. From this day, you shall not conjure so much as a drop of jam for your porridge.”
Kalma drops her mother to the floor. Tuonetar sinks like a stone to her knees, the chains rattling on the floor as she scrambles forward like a panicked spider. “My lord, no,” she begs. “Anything but this—”
But Tuoni is unyielding. “A life without magic seems a fair trade for the chaos you’ve wrought, the mortal lives you’ve destroyed, the horrors you’ve unleashed!”
Tuonetar pushes up off the floor, her shackled hands shaking. Her body goes still, her eyes shut tight. I lean away, heart racing, as she tries to spin her magic. Then the Witch Queen screams, her body convulsing as the manacles creak and tighten. Blood like thick, black tar drips from her wrists. “Noooo,” she wails. Falling forward, she pounds her fists on the stone floor, the chains rattling. She looks up, panting like a dog, her eyes locked on the king. “Do not take my magic. I will do anything, my lord. Anything you ask of me—”
Down the bond, I feel Tuoni’s rage surge and break upon the rocks. He sweeps forward off the dais, the fires surging higher. They blaze with the heat of a thousand suns. I wince, blinking back tears of pain. He grabs the Witch Queen by the throat. “I asked for nothing but your fealty!” he bellows, his face inches from hers. “I have always given you a long leash, Tuonetar, but then youchokedme with it!” He lowers his voice. “I will never take you at your word again. All friendship between us is now severed. All love, all loyalty. Was it worth it, Queen of the Ashes? Shall you now be content to rule over the worms?”
Her manacled hands wrap around his wrist as she gazes up at him with those bloodshot eyes. The blazing fires twist both their faces with flickering shadows. “Give me the chance to prove myself—”
He shoves her away in disgust. “You had a thousand chances. You’ve left me no choice, Tuonetar. Your chaos must now be contained.”
“My chaos is the only worth I have to you,” she cries from her knees. “For what am I if not a foil for your obstinate, ludicrous notions of a peaceful death?”
“You take your chaos too far,” he counters, turning back towards his throne. “You always have. There must be order! This is something you could never understand.”
“You’re a fanciful child,” she hisses, crawling after him. “There must be more to death than this tedious fade to nothing. There must be games and intrigue, surprises and shocks. For what is life without the dreadful threat of an unexpected death? You need me! Youallneed me!”
Tuoni sighs. I can feel the weariness in him. Slowly, he turns, peering down at the witch. “Why do you think I’m letting you live?”
She blinks up at him, holding out her hands. “Take off these chains. I swear I’ll do better. Tuoni, my old friend,please—”
He holds her gaze. “Fear not, Tuonetar. You will still be a goddess. Your continued existence guarantees that at least a little chaos shall remain in death. But at long last, it will be tempered by order and justice.” After a moment, he waves a tired hand. “Guards, take her.”
Tuonetar shrinks back, shaking her head. “Don’t do this. Tuoni, don’t—”
