Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

TUONEN

It’s impossible to measure time in this godsforsaken cave. I know days have passed because I feel it in my bones, a numb ache in my ankles from pacing, a dull throb in my head from the stale air. Vipunen’s cavern is vast and dripping with echoes, but it has no markers of day or night. The only light comes from bioluminescent lichen that glows faintly along the walls. I’ve counted their patterns until madness lurks at the edges of my mind.

Did I say lurks?

I meant to say the madness has already overtaken me for I am going fucking stir crazy .

Rauta, the best of all dogs, lies curled at my feet, whining occasionally. He’s restless too. He misses the Library of the Veils and the steady supply of dog bones at Shadow’s End. I run a hand over his wiry fur, grateful he’s here to ground me, my only friend. Without him, I might have lost track of reality altogether, drifting into the murk of memory and fear. I’m worried about Sarvi, about my father, about Lovia, about Hanna, about the war raging aboveground. Waiting here feels like betrayal. I want to move, to do something, instead of sitting on my haunches and twiddling my damn thumbs.

Vipunen, the giant, remains as cracks of light in the stone, his hidden form blurring with the darkness. When he does speak, it’s always cryptic riddles and vague admonitions. He insists we must stay. He claims the Creator has a plan. He insists that deviating leads to unpredictable ends. I’ve tried reasoning with him, begging for more information, but his light only dims in response, as if I’m a child with no grasp of destiny.

But I’m not a child and I don’t want to believe in destiny anymore.

I rise to my feet, Rauta stirring at my movement. My spine cracks as I stretch. I’ve had enough of this waiting. My father is out there facing who knows what horrors and I’m stuck in this cave with riddles and silence. Every hour here feels like a blade twisting in my gut. I can’t stand it. Either I go forward and join my father in his war, or go backward and try to save Sarvi, but either way I have to go .

Rauta stands too, ears perked as if sensing my resolve. He’s waited patiently, only dozing fitfully. At least we’ve had some meager food—dried bitter strips of fungi, and water dripping from stalactites, gathered in briny pools. But it’s not enough to blunt my hunger for change. I pace toward the lights in the stone, fists clenched.

“Vipunen,” I say, voice echoing. “I’m leaving.”

Silence fills the cavern. The water drips and echoes.

“You must stay,” he intones, voice like distant thunder. “The Creator has set their pieces on the board. Your role here is essential.”

I bare my teeth, frustration boiling over. “Essential? I’m doing nothing but rotting in the dark. My family needs me. The war outside might be spinning out of control, and I can’t just sit here waiting for your cryptic approval.”

Rauta growls softly, as if agreeing. I place a hand on the dog’s back to calm him, not that it helps me much.

The light dances. “Deviations from the plan bring uncertainty. The more you stray, the less certain the outcome. The tapestry frays with every thread pulled.”

I laugh, a harsh sound. “You think I care about your tapestry? I care about my father, my sister, about Sarvi. If staying put was so crucial, then why isn’t the world safer yet? Why do I feel like everything is unraveling while I waste time here?”

“Impatience leads to ruin,” he says.

“I’m already ruined!” I snap, voice cracking. “My horns have been butchered! My mind is being torn apart waiting here! I need to act.” I shake my head, resolve flooding through me. “I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”

I know I sound like a child, but I don’t care.

Vipunen sighs, a gust of wind that blows back my hair. “If you go north through these caves, you follow paths not meant for you yet. You risk meeting fates unplanned.” He sounds almost sorrowful.

“Then I go south.”

“A worse path yet.”

I turn away, refusing to engage further with his nonsense. I pick up my sword and beckon Rauta. The dog follows, tail low but determined. Together, we work our way toward the northern tunnels. Vipunen says nothing more. Maybe he knows I won’t listen. Good. I’m done with his fucking riddles.

The passage narrows as I head deeper. The ground becomes uneven, stones jutting at sharp angles. Water drips, a steady plink that marks my progress. Rauta sniffs at the walls, ears twitching, sometimes pausing to look back as if expecting Vipunen to thunder down the passage after us in a ball of lightning. But no one comes. The giant remains behind with his mysteries.

I press on. My mind reels, though moving is better than sitting. My feet are sore, my stomach hollow. I keep going, using anger and worry as fuel. I imagine my father’s face—that stoic determination. He wouldn’t wait idle while I was in danger. He’d move mountains to find me. The thought strengthens my resolve, knowing that I’m acting as he would.

Eventually, I hear something. Voices. At first, I think it’s a trick of echoing water, but as I move forward, it grows clearer. Voices, human voices, and the faint flicker of torchlight beyond a curve. My heart quickens. Could it be allies?

Or enemies?

Rauta stiffens, ears forward. He looks up at me, tail wagging uncertainly. I slow my steps, pressing against the damp cavern wall, creeping closer. The tunnel widens, opening into a huge space. I step through a rocky arch and stop dead in my tracks.

A gaping hole in the cavern’s ceiling lets in a shaft of grayish light. Snow must be falling somewhere high above, though I see only swirling mist. The cavern is enormous, large enough to hold an army. And on the opposite end, where torches and lanterns cluster on one side, that’s just what I see.

A mass of silhouettes—then a few familiar shapes.

My eyes sting as I realize who they are. My father’s tall, looming figure, Lovia’s warrior form, Hanna…who seems to be glowing? I keep looking, my mouth agape as I take in the Magician’s hooded shape, Vellamo’s proud stance, Hanna’s father Torben leaning on a staff, Tellervo with her antlers, plus five trolls and hundreds of soldiers—mortals!—gathered in tired clusters.

They made it here, into the mountain’s heart.

They made it to me.

Relief floods me so intense my knees almost give way. I found them. Against all odds, I found them.

“Father!” I call, voice echoing sharply. Heads turn, weapons raise briefly in alarm. I rush forward, Rauta at my heels, barking happily. I see Lovia’s astonished face, see Hanna’s eyes widen, see my father’s stern features melt into shock and joy.

“Tuonen!” his voice cracks as he strides across the cavern. The others part for him. I run to meet him, tears blurring my vision. When we collide, my sword clatters to the ground, and he pulls me into a fierce embrace. I cling to him, feeling like I’m a child again, sobbing into his cloak. It’s been so fucking long with so much uncertainty. His hand palms the back of my head, respectful of my horns, his strength holding me together.

“Son,” he says to me warmly, pulling away, his own eyes wet.

Lovia steps close, tears glistening on her cheeks as she pulls me into another boisterous hug.

“We found you,” she cries into me. “Oh Gods, I had hoped you were alright.” She pulls away and that’s when I notice how beat up and broken she looks, one shoulder bandaged and soaked with blood. “We were coming to get you.”

Vellamo, Tellervo, and others hover nearby, unsure but hopeful. We embrace, a huddle of worn gods reunited.

We have only a moment’s grace. The cavern feels too still, as if holding its breath, and there’s urgency in the air. I pull back to look at them, scanning faces. Everyone is thinner, more worn. They carry visible wounds and invisible scars. My father’s eyes flick past me. “How did you escape?”

“It wasn’t easy,” I admit. I look down at Rauta who wags his tail proudly. “I had help.”

My father gives his dog a proud smile before his grin fades. “And Sarvi?” he asks, fragile hope in his tone.

I shake my head. “My mother…she took both our horns for her magic. To unleash the saints and conjure Rangaista.”

“Shhhhh,” Tellervo says, a finger to her mouth, looking around warily. “Don’t utter that name here.”

“Why not?” Hanna asks. Her tone sounds strange and I notice her hair is lighter, her eyes burning like liquid metal. What the hell happened to her?

“Because we’re too close to Shadow’s End,” Tellervo says, whispering frantically. “Can’t you feel it? We should leave this place.”

I frown at her. “Where is Tapio and the rest of your family? I know you left Shadow’s End in the middle of the night before Louhi could get to you. I hoped you all…”

I trail off. Her eyes brim with tears and when I look at everyone else, they look equally haunted.

“What happened to them?” I ask quietly.

“Slaughtered by the Old Gods,” my father says, his teeth grinding together.

“Fuck,” I gasp, feeling sick with sorrow. “Was it?—?”

“Not the one we shouldn’t speak of,” he says quickly, then nods at Tellervo. “You’re right, we shouldn’t say his name. Not here, under the ground from which the Old Gods used to slumber.” He eyes me up and down. “Where did you come from, anyway?”

I jerk my head back. “Vipunen. He kept me confined to his cave for who knows how long. I wanted to go back to rescue Sarvi, or come and find you but he told me I should stay. So I did until I couldn’t take it anymore.”

His eyes brighten. “So Sarvi is alive.”

“As far as I know. Captured by her . Used for her own gain. But we’ll get them back.”

My father puts his hand on my shoulder. “That we will.” He looks over the rest of the troops who stare at him as if waiting their next command. Who are these humans and where did they come from? I have so many questions.

“Alright,” my father says to the crowd. “We move forward and?—”

Before he can finish, Rauta growls.

We freeze before a sudden commotion makes us all jerk upward. The hole in the cavern’s roof darkens, shadows twisting through it. A foul stench fills the air, followed by a mounting pressure that makes my ears pop. There’s something familiar about the smell and with horror I realize why I recognize it.

“It’s him,” I whisper in horror. “It’s him .”

“Enemy incoming!” my father yells, thrusting his sword into the air. “Hold the line!”

Soldiers scramble, raising swords and spears. The Magician, whom I’ve never seen away from the City of Death, steps forward, hands raised, face a void. Hanna clenches her fists until they burst into flames—most unexpected—while Lovia gets into a fighting stance and readies her blade.

Something massive and malevolent appears at the lip of the hole above, peering down into our sanctuary with glowing crimson eyes. It’s the hulking outline and monstrous silhouette of none other than Rangaista.

So we meet at last.

A hiss, low and dreadful, reverberates through the cavern, filling it with the terrible smell that makes everyone cough, fragments of rock raining down. Rangaista’s burning eyes fix on us. Time slows. I see Hanna move closer to my father, Lovia stepping protectively near Torben and Tellervo. Vellamo’s hand tenses on her spear. The Magician’s stance shifts, readying some sort of magic. Soldiers form ranks despite the shock. Fear crackles in the air.

The demon’s presence sends waves of unease washing through me. I realize I left Vipunen’s cave because I couldn’t stand waiting. Now we’re trapped here under the gaze of this monstrous being. The irony isn’t lost on me. Vipunen warned about deviations leading to unpredictable outcomes. If I hadn’t left…would this confrontation be happening differently? It’s too late to question it now. We’ve been dealt these cards and now we have to play them.

Rauta snarls, hackles raised. I rest a calming hand on the dog’s back, though I can’t calm myself. My father’s grip on his sword is white-knuckled, his jaw set. Lovia stands tall, shoulders squared, no hesitation in her stance. I quickly pick up my sword and hold it firmly in my grip, adrenaline spiking through me.

Rangaista shifts, dislodging stones that clatter down. Its massive form partially blocks the opening, and I see flashes of a stormy sky beyond. The demon’s voice, if it can speak, hasn’t manifested yet. Instead, it watches, a predator toying with prey. I recall stories of this demon—how it’s the epitome of evil itself, how spell can fully contain its wrath.

It’s unbeatable. Unstoppable.

And my grandfather.

Lovia glances at me, a thousand words unspoken. I nod slightly, understanding. The blood of that beast runs in us. We must stand together, no matter what comes next. I left Vipunen’s cave to act, to stop waiting. Now action finds me in the form of a nightmare looming overhead.

Perhaps the final battle.

The one that might end us all.

Rangaista shifts, tendrils of darkness rippling around its form. A guttural rumble escapes it. Soldiers tighten their grips on weapons, and I feel Rauta tremble beside me. The air grows colder, as if the demon’s presence sucks warmth from the world.

Hanna steps forward, raising a hand that glows faintly. Whatever she’s become, whatever has happened to her, there is no doubt she’s powerful, the only one here that doesn’t seem to show any fear. My father aligns beside her, Lovia on the other side. I take my place next to my sister, shoulder to shoulder with my family, forging a line of defiance. We might be outmatched, but we are not alone.

Rangaista lets out a sound like distant thunder. The cavern’s silence breaks as soldiers swear under their breath. The Magician’s stars flicker, Torben’s staff hums faintly, and I think of Vipunen’s warnings.

Deviations and unpredictable ends. Maybe we are off-script now. Maybe destiny itself trembles, the same destiny I cast to the side.

Either way, the demon descends.

Coming for us all.