Page 99 of North Is the Night
“You will be hunted and despised, and you will die a fool’s death,” Riina replies.
“Then I die at peace knowing others I love will live.”
“Could you not ask him now to free you too?” Satu whispers.
As she speaks, I feel his fingers pluck at the threads of our blood bond, reminding me of how completely I am bound. “My place is here now. Oh, do not weep for me,” I add, wiping Satu’s cheek. “I’ll be happy in the knowledge that you’re safe. But there is something you must do for me.”
“What?” asks Satu.
“I want my family to know I’m alive. I need you to find them for me. They live on the southwest shore of Lake Päijänne. My mother is the wisewoman of our village. Her name is Milja. My father is Taavi; he’s a woodworker. And my best friend, Siiri. You must find them and tell them what happened to us here. Tell them—tell Siiri—” I wipe away my tears with a sniff, my heart breaking as I picture her anguished face. “Tell her I love her. Tell her this wasn’t her fault. Tell her I am at peace. You tell her that.”
Satu and Helmi nod.
“I’ll find them or die trying,” Riina says, her hand on my shoulder.
“It is time,” Tuoni calls from behind us.
The other girls jump, their gazes darting over my shoulders to the death god striding towards us. His thick boots thunk on the boards of the dock. He sweeps to my side, his black cloak trailing on the ground. The girls shrink back as he places an arm around my shoulders.
“I am bound by sacred oath to my wife to return you to the land of the living,” he declares.
Satu and Helmi flinch again at hearing his voice, spoken directly to them. I feel so small, tucked in at his side, my shoulders fitting under the spread of his arm, a great black raven guarding over his little dove.
“W-we thank you, my lord,” Satu murmurs.
Trembling like a leaf, Helmi dares to step forward. “Could you not find it in your heart to release Aina as well?”
Tuoni’s arm stiffens around me. “The Queen of Tuonela belongs in Tuonela,” he replies tonelessly.
Helmi and Satu cry anew. Riina simply shakes her head. But I don’t let myself feel despair at his response. I never expected he would set me free. Our bargain is struck, my fate sealed.
“You should know that no oath was required,” Tuoni goes on, surprising us all. “You have suffered enough under Tuonetar’s schemes. You go now under my protection, and with my blessing. The hand of Tuoni shall be a guide upon your heart. Where it is in my power, I shall bless you with long lives and peaceful, painless deaths.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“As a token of my goodwill, you shall take these with you.” With a wave of his hand, three horses appear in the boat. Their saddles are strapped with large packs. The contents rattle and clank as the horses toss their heads and paw their hooves. “Each horse carries gold and silver that equals you in weight,” Tuoni explains. “You also have a sack of barley grain blessed by Päivätär herself. So long as you pray to her daily, it will never empty.”
The girls exchange surprised glances, and my heart races. Päivätär, goddess of the sun. He is giving them each a dowry fit for a queen.
Tuoni gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Say your last farewells, wife. They must go.”
Stepping out of his embrace, I cross the few short steps to their sides and wrap my arms around Satu again. Helmi steps in too. “You saved us,” she whispers.
“You would have done the same,” I reply.
“Come with us,” Satu pleads again.
I pull away, cupping first her cheek, then Helmi’s. “Find my family. Find my mother and Siiri. You tell them where I am,” I say, looking to Riina. “You tell them not to worry. Tell them I love them, and I would be with them if I could.”
Riina nods, a look of determination set on her face.
Four dead guards step forward, flanking us on the dock.
“It is time,” Tuoni calls.
“No,” Helmi whimpers, holding to me.
My heart drops, even as I try to keep smiling. This is what I wanted. This is what I fought for. This is the bargain I made. The dead step closer, ready to force the girls into the waiting boat.
