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)
I slip through a side corridor, my footsteps echoing softly. Torches sputter, casting trembling light on pale banners adorned with wings and ram horns, Louhi’s crest and emblem. Synti Castle is foreign to me, a place I never intended to use as a command center, but we are refugees in our own realm now, forced into corners we never imagined. My mind churns with strategies, half-formed plans, desperate hopes. I feel the weight of this looming war pressing down on me like a heavy mantle.
I step onto a narrow balcony high above the Star Swamp. Night drapes the world in quiet darkness, the swamp a blanket of white. A hush has settled over the landscape, the only sound the gently falling snow. Far beyond the swamp lies the Hiisi Forest, still reeling from the horrors that happened there. Beyond that, distant mountains rise as jagged silhouettes against pale skies, barely visible even to my far-reaching eyes. Shadow’s End waits beyond those peaks, my former stronghold, now Louhi’s lair.
My throat tightens; that was my domain, my seat of power. To think that my enemies roam its halls—her laughter echoing where once my quiet rule held sway—is enraging. But I must not give in to blind fury. I must remain calm, controlled, even when all I want to do is exact my revenge and make it rain blood.
I press my palms against the balcony’s stone rail. I remember Ahto’s laughter, how he guided the seas of Tuonela, how we would discuss the nature of existence over cups of bitter elixir he procured from clams and seagrass. He never liked the sweetvine wines. Now, he’s dead, and I bear that failure like a scar. I was supposed to protect this realm, maintain balance. Instead, Kaaos reigns.
I worry about Hanna. Is she becoming something more, someone capable of aiding us? Or will she remain absent, lost to the realm of light, never to return? I can’t depend on her, and it hurts me to the core to admit that. I know I said she would return, but I have been wrong before. I’m not sure what I would do if I was.
A flutter of wings startles me, and I glance to my left, surprised to see a small white bird land on the balcony rail. My breath catches. This bird is no random creature—it’s my snowbird, now out of its cage. I thought the damn thing hated me, yet here it is, feathers pure as snow, head cocked, regarding me with bright, curious eyes.
The bird hops closer, as if testing my reaction. Slowly, I extend a hand. It eyes me then takes a small leap and settles on my hand before it flaps up to my shoulder, its tiny claws gentle against my cloak. I stand utterly still, stunned.
In its presence, something in my chest loosens. The snowbird is a sign, is it not? That hope is not lost? That I still have a hold on this land that’s supposed to be mine? I feel my eyes sting with emotion I shouldn’t show, but here, in the dark, I do.
I close my eyes, focusing on the bird’s soft breathing. For a moment, I let myself feel all the sorrow, the guilt, the worry. I let it rise and then settle. I am the God of Death and King of the Underworld. I have endured eons before, and I can endure this too. I must. My people need me. Lovia looks to me with defiance and loyalty. Tapio, Tellervo, and Vellamo grieve but have not yielded. Torben, the Magician, the generals, even Rasmus and Ilmarinen—all pieces on a board I must arrange.
When I open my eyes again, I survey the land spread beneath the starlight.
My land.
I lift my chin. The bird remains on my shoulder in silent support. I will not fail. I will form a plan, strike at their weaknesses, and reclaim my throne. If I have to forge uneasy alliances, so be it. If I must fight without Hanna, I will. My remorse and guilt do not vanish, but they harden into resolve. I may be humbled, grieving, and unsure, but I am still a God. This is my realm. I will not let them extinguish the light of what we have built here.
All of humanity depends on it.
And I refuse to let them down.
I will turn helplessness into strength, guilt into purpose. Let the enemy prepare; let the Old Gods prowl.
We will take Tuonela back.
The snowbird shifts, and I smile grimly into the darkness.
They will learn to fear Death again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LOVIA
After checking in with the Magician, I happened to catch a glimpse of my father on the balcony, the image of that snowbird on his shoulder lingering in my mind. For a moment, I’d caught a rare, unguarded expression on his face. Relief? Hope? Even just a spark of something other than worry. That gives me comfort as I step back into the castle’s dank corridors. He’s trying to be strong for everyone, but I know how much pain and worry he carries. Hanna’s absence, the loss of Ahto, the realm in disorder, and here I am, his daughter, now wearing the mantle of a general.