Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
We burst into the library, and I stagger to a halt. The Library of the Veils is vast, its vaulted ceiling soaring above us. Shelves carved from black stone rise like jagged cliffs, crammed with ancient tomes and scrolls. Flickering orbs of blue light hover in the air, casting eerie shadows. Despite the grandeur, the space feels suffocating, the weight of Louhi’s magic pressing down on us.
And then I see them.
Sarvi and Lovia.
They’re chained to the far wall, their wrists bound by enchanted manacles glowing faintly with dark runes. Lovia hangs limply, her head tilted forward. Sarvi’s one white eye flickers open as we approach, its gaze frantic. The sight of the skeleton unicorn is enough to bring tears to my eyes, another wave of emotion that wants to pummel me into submission.
Hanna! Sarvi’s usually blasé voice is raw, trembling with relief and fear.
I don’t hesitate. I sprint across the room, the others fanning out to secure the space. Reaching Sarvi first, I grip the chains and summon my power. My hand glows faintly with sunlight, the heat biting against the cold iron. The manacles resist, the runes flaring angrily, but I push harder, my light searing through the darkness. The chains shatter with a metallic wail, and Sarvi stumbles forward. Its sawed off horn is a sorry sight, but otherwise the unicorn seems alright.
“Go!” I cry out. “Go! Tuoni followed Louhi into your room. He needs you.”
Sarvi doesn’t even hesitate, instead nods and immediately gallops off, its hooves striking the stone with a steady rhythm as it races out the door.
I turn to Lovia, crouching in front of her. Her eyes flutter open, clouded with pain but sharpening when she sees me. “Hanna…” she croaks.
“Hold on.” I work quickly, breaking her chains with the same heat and light. She slumps forward, and I catch her, pulling her into a brief embrace.
“You’re okay,” I say, brushing blood-matted hair from her face. “Stay with the others. You’ll be safe now.”
Before Lovia can answer, the air shifts. A wave of icy magic sweeps through the library, and I whirl around, pulling Lovia to her feet. Black mist gathers around us, curling like living tendrils. The temperature plummets, and my breath fogs in front of me.
“Hanna!” my father calls out, his voice sharp with warning.
The mist thickens, swallowing the faint blue light. Shadows twist and coil, separating me from the others. I can just make out Vellamo’s shout, the trolls’ roars, but their voices seem to come from a great distance. The darkness presses in until I’m alone.
And then she steps from the shadows.
Salainen.
She’s a mirror image of me, yet entirely wrong. Her features are identical, but her skin is ashen, her eyes pools of liquid darkness. She wears a mocking smile, her movements smooth and predatory.
“Hello, sister,” she purrs, her voice laced with venom. “Did you miss me?”
I draw my sword, its light flaring weakly in the oppressive gloom. “Salainen,” I say coldly. “We meet again,” I add, because it seems like the thing to say.
“How is it that you don’t die, dear sister? You’re like a cockroach. A cockroach that somehow gets everything she wants. A loving father? You have it. A powerful husband? He’ll kneel before you. Powers of the sun? Well…perhaps that one I’ll need you to prove.”
Before I can respond, she lunges. Her shadowy blade slices through the air, and I barely block in time, the force of her attack driving me back. Her strength is monstrous, her movements unnervingly fast. Our swords clash, light against shadow, sparks flying with every strike. What the fuck, has she been taking black magic steroids, or what?
Salainen’s laughter echoes as she presses her advantage. “What’s wrong, Hanna? Is the mighty Goddess of the Sun afraid of a little darkness?”
I’ll use the sun if I have to, but I know I can beat her even on mortal terms.
I grit my teeth and retaliate, slashing at her with quick, precise strikes. She dodges effortlessly, her form twisting like smoke. The shadows around us writhe, and then she steps back, raising a hand.
More shadows solidify, forming duplicates of her. Two, then three, then five. Each one wields a blade identical to hers, their eyes glowing with malice.
That bitch. She’s using Death’s shadow magic to fight me.
“That’s cheating,” I growl.
They attack as one, a storm of blades and shadow. I parry, block, dodge—every movement a desperate attempt to stay alive. My sword flashes in the dark, cutting through one duplicate, only for two more to take its place. Their blades are cold, their strikes relentless. One slashes across my arm, another catches my leg. Pain flares, but I push it aside, refusing to fall.
“You can’t win,” Salainen taunts, her voice coming from everywhere at once. “I’ve bested you before and that’s when there was only one of me.”