54

Siiri

“Come on, girl. Wake up,” V?in?moinen shouts. “Gods, why did I ever let you talk me into this?”

I rouse, groaning as I feel the familiar weight of the drum on my chest. My nostrils fill with the smell of pungent smoke, making me cough. My eyes shoot open, and I bolt upright.

“Finally,” the shaman shouts with relief. “What took you so long? I was about to have to drag your body out of here, girl or no girl. We’ve only got moments to spare.”

“What’s happening? Where’s Aina?”

The shaman is already kneeling at her side, his rune-marked hands cupping her face. Her gives her cheeks a light tap. “Come on there, girl. Cross over. Wake up now.” He’s gentle, but insistent.

In moments, Aina stirs.

V?in?moinen chuckles. “So, you’re what all the fuss has been about, eh? Well, you’re pretty enough, I suppose. Right now, you look like a drowned rabbit. Up you go, lovely.”

She groans, barely able to roll to her side.

He glances over his shoulder, flashing me a knowing look. “You did it.”

It doesn’t feel like a victory. It won’t until I know she can be safer in life than she was in death. “What’s happening?” I say again.

“Lumi is here,” he replies. “She’s trying to burn the damn roof down over our heads. It’s taken all my magic to hold her back. We have to get out.”

I push up to my feet. “I’ve had enough of meddling witches today. Step aside, old man, and I will tear her rotten black heart out.”

“Siiri?” Behind me, Aina sits up, her eyes panicked as she coughs. “Siiri!”

I hurry to her side. She’s weak and disoriented. I awoke in my body, which has been kept safe and warm here in V?in?moinen’s hut. Aina wears what she wore in death—layers of soaking wet clothes and no cloak.

V?in?moinen is busy rushing around the hut. His eyes glow blue-white as he hums low in his throat, speaking words of strength and resilience to the roof. The heat from the walls is so intense, I’m sure one touch would burn my hand to cinders.

Aina looks wildly around, her eyes locking on the shaman. “Is that—”

“V?in?moinen, yes,” I reply.

She coughs in the smoke. “Are we—”

“On fire?” V?in?moinen supplies for her. “Yes. So, it would be a rather good idea for you to get up now.” He tosses me my axe. Then he picks up his massive broadsword. Reaching for the hooks by the door, he grabs his jacket and shoves it at me. “You need to get her ready to move.”

“Where are you going?” I say, tossing the massive coat over to Aina.

“Get the girl, get the drums, and get outside,” he shouts over the roaring fire.

“V?in?moinen,” I call after him. “What are you going to do?”

He crosses the room to me, gripping me by the vest. “You remember what I told you? You remember my curse? Do you ? ” He shakes me hard, nearly lifting me off the ground.

“Gods—yes,” I grunt, coughing. “You can’t die, you can only be killed. Lumi means to be the one to kill you, so we’ve got to kill her first. This ends tonight.”

“We’ll end it together,” he says. “You’re ready. Now, come on. Grab the drums.” Without another word, he pulls Aina up with one hand, slinging her over his shoulder. With his sword in the other hand, he kicks open his front door. The flames blast out over the snow as we run from the hut.

I fill my lungs with the fresh winter air, but my relief is soon eclipsed by the sight that greets me. The clearing echoes with the howls of wolves. There must be three dozen, maybe more. Behind us, the flames from the cabin’s roof burn high into the night sky. On the far side of the clearing, Lumi waits next to her sled, a ball of white flame glowing at the top of her magical staff. When she catches sight of V?in?moinen, her eyes grow large with excitement.

“Get her out of here,” he grunts, depositing Aina into the snow at my feet.

“I’m not leaving you—”

“Of course not! I need your help, fool girl. But we didn’t go through all of that for you to lose Aina. Make sure she’s good and safe.” Without another word, he charges towards the wolves.

With a muttered curse, I help Aina away from the burning hut. Lumi torched the barn too. The whole roof is ablaze. The doors are shut, trapping the dogs inside. They yip and cry, desperate to be set free.

I leave Aina halfway between the hut and the woodland edge. Racing across the clearing, I wrench open the door of the barn. A massive plume of smoke billows out, choking me. I drop to my knees, covering my face with my arms as I cough. All around me, the dogs leap out the open door, panting and rolling in the snow.

“Help him,” I cry. “Help V?in?moinen.”

The sled dogs all take off, barking in a frenzy at their first sight of the wolves.

“Aina, I need you to get up.” I pull her up with me. “Remember what I said? The fight isn’t over. It’s barely begun. Move, Aina. Run to the trees.”

It’s all she can do to stand on her shaky legs, blinking in the bright lights of the fire.

“Take this,” I say, thrusting a knife into her hand. “And these.” I shove the straps of the shaman drums at her. “Do not lose them.”

“Where are you going?” she cries through chattering teeth. V?in?moinen’s coat hangs on her. It’s comically large on her slender frame.

“I have to help V?in?moinen. I need you to fend for yourself. Can you do that?”

She nods, trying to control her trembling.

I cup her head and pull her close, planting a quick kiss on her frozen lips. “Die, and I’ll kill you.”

She nods again, stepping back. “Go, be a hero.”

Turning away, I run back across the snow, axe in hand. I come around the side of the burning hut. V?in?moinen stands in the middle of the clearing, swinging his sword in graceful arcs, swiping at any wolf that dares to get too close. All around him, his sled dogs grapple with the other wolves. They’re no match for the larger beasts, but they’re a good distraction. Several wolves already lie dead in the snow.

Lumi has yet to join the fray. She stands back, lobbing balls of fire, keeping V?in?moinen’s movements contained as he ducks and bobs, fending off flame and fang. Tucking my axe in at my belt, I race over to the shaman’s pack, unrolling a stockpile of all his other weapons from the hut. I take the full quiver and belt it at my waist. Then I grab the bow and stand. I nock an arrow and pull back on the string.

Twang.

The arrow whizzes through the air, landing with a squelch in the eye of a large white wolf. It yips in pain and crumples at V?in?moinen’s feet. The shaman follows the direction of the arrow to where I stand, framed by his burning hut. Smiling, he swings wide with his sword, spinning just in time to knock a leaping wolf from the air.

“Come on, you witch,” he shouts across the snow at Lumi. “You came here for me, so kill me if you can! Stop sending these mongrels to do your work for you.”

I loose another arrow. This time it sails over the shaman’s head, landing with a thud next to Lumi’s hand on the rail of her sled. The witch jerks her hand away, scowling at me. I loose another arrow.

Lumi snarls, batting it from the air with a swipe of her magical staff. With eyes only for V?in?moinen, the witch jams the end of her staff deep into the snow. Flipping the edges of her white cape off her shoulders, she strides forward, unsheathing a pair of short swords. Her intention is clear: she doesn’t need magic to best the shaman in a sword fight. “It’s over, V?in?moinen,” she calls. “Great hero of Kalevala. Surrender yourself to me, and maybe I’ll let the meddlesome girl live.”

Before the shaman can respond, a trio of wolves descend on him. I loose an arrow, felling one, but two more close in. I take off at a run and loose another arrow, but it flies wide, barely grazing the beast’s hip. It’s just enough to make him angry. He turns on me with a guttural snarl, fangs bared.

Racing to the shaman’s side, I scare the two wolves back. Dropping my bow at my feet, I pull my axe, and swing wide. A russet wolf dodges and circles back in front of me. I back several paces, facing the burning hut, until I’m back-to-back with V?in?moinen. The wolves continue to circle us as Lumi crosses the snow, her swords raised.

“Take care of the wolves,” he grunts at me, pulling a shorter sword out of the scabbard hidden at his back and handing it to me. I barely get my fingers around the hilt before he’s slamming a dark wolf in the ribs with a blast of blue light. He strides across the open snow, daring the witch to face him.

I’m distracted for a moment by a growling wolf. He’s young and overeager, hardly more than a pup. I make quick work of him.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” V?in?moinen calls out to the witch. As he walks, he blocks the lunges of two desperate wolves with more blasts of his light magic. “Ajatar is a poison in your mind. Stop letting her control you. There is still time for you to go in peace.”

The witch snarls, flicking her long hair off her shoulders. It flutters in the wintry wind like a banner. “You think my mother guides my steps? I want this for myself , shaman. Your magic is all I’ve ever wanted!”

“Possessing my magic won’t bring you what you seek,” he says calmly.

For the briefest of moments, Lumi pauses. Her face shifts from agony to sadness... then to rage. “You don’t know what I seek.” Her eyes flash with white-hot need. There will be no walking away from this. She’s set on her course. V?in?moinen knows it too. His shoulders dip in resignation. When Lumi starts running, he does too. As he runs, he grazes a hand up the blade of his sword from hilt to tip. Flames erupt down the metal.

The shaman and the witch meet in a clash of iron. Sparks fly off his flaming sword as she parries and lunges, cleaving the air with her two sharp blades. He ducks and spins in the ankle-deep snow to match her.

They’re both masters. Each time I think he has her, she dances away unscathed. Twice, Lumi’s blade connects to his skin at leg and elbow. Blood seeps from his wounds. He can’t get close enough to strike her, his long sword requiring wider strokes.

I do my best to reach him. I fight back a grey wolf, matching him snarl for snarl. Too late, I see another wolf leap from the darkness to take V?in?moinen from behind. But the wolf yelps in pain, crumpling to the ground with an arrow in its side.

I spin around to see Aina standing before the flaming hut in Tuoni’s crown and V?in?moinen’s too-large jacket, bow in hand. She lets another arrow loose. It goes wide, but close enough to scare a wolf away. It opens the space I need to break through and join V?in?moinen. He swings low again, forcing Lumi to dance back. Then he swings high with his powerful backhand. Lumi jumps to the left, escaping the blow.

It’s just the distraction I need.

Raising my axe, I plant my feet, square my shoulders, and throw. The axe spins haft over blade. Lumi screams in pain as it thuds into the meat of her shoulder. She drops her right-hand sword with a whimper and staggers back. I cover the distance, picking up her discarded sword. Now I have two, and she only has one.

With a panting breath, Lumi jerks the axe free from her shoulder. Blood runs freely from the wound, staining her pristine white clothes. Her right arm hangs uselessly at her side. “I’ll kill you for that, you irksome little insect.”

“You can try,” I taunt, daring to give her sword a twirl with my wrist.

Lumi raises her other sword and points imperiously at me. All around the clearing, the remaining wolves howl. They have a new order. Kill the girl .

V?in?moinen faces the injured snow witch while I fight the wolves. The clang of swords rings out across the snow. I block countless attacks. As I drop and spin, I slip on a patch of ice. It gives a bold russet wolf the opening he needs. He lunges for me, teeth bared. V?in?moinen lunges to the side, placing himself between me and the charging wolf.

“No!” I scream.

He can’t swing his weapon without hitting me, so he lets the wolf knock him to the snow. V?in?moinen’s sword falls from his hand as the wolf sinks its teeth into his shoulder, shaking its head to tear his flesh. V?in?moinen cries out, blue light glowing from his open mouth. He punches the wolf in the muzzle again and again.

I regain my footing, and swing at the wolf. “Get off him!”

Behind me, Lumi shrieks too. “No! The shaman is mine. Let him go!”

The massive russet wolf releases V?in?moinen, and the shaman pulls himself across the snow, trying to escape Lumi. He pushes up to his knees, his hand covering the gushing wound at his neck. He has no weapon. He needs time to recover. As much time as I can give him.

Rushing forward, I throw myself between V?in?moinen and the witch. She takes in the pair of swords I wield and smiles. The dance is on. We circle each other, parrying and jabbing. Lumi is so fast, even using only her left hand. I’m no match for her. But I don’t need to beat her. I just need to give V?in?moinen time to get to his feet and get his sword. He can use his magic. Together, we can finish the witch.

Lumi’s blade flashes through the air. I overcorrect, and she jeers, cutting deep into my arm. I cry out, the sword loosening in my grip. I let it drop to the snow. Lumi steps forward, eyes flashing with victory. I stagger back, lifting my remaining sword to block her next blow.

The witch suddenly stumbles away with a shriek. An arrow sticks out from her injured right arm.

“Nice shot,” I call over my shoulder.

“I was aiming for her head,” comes Aina’s reply.

Lumi raises a shaky hand to the arrow, wincing in pain as she pulls on it. She looks from me to Aina, her eyes narrowing with rage.

V?in?moinen has found his feet. He bleeds freely from the neck. Placing a firm hand on my shoulder, he plants himself behind me. I square off to face Lumi with only one sword, ready to defend him to the death.

“Siiri.” His voice is quiet. “I’m ready.”

My eyes flash with rage as the witch approaches. “I won’t let her take you from me.”

He leans against me, his massive frame nearly three times my size. His breath is warm on my neck. “Siiri... I choose you.”

I look over my shoulder into his clear blue eyes. The color is draining from his face. In this moment, he looks truly ancient. His eyes are full of tears. They aren’t tears of sadness or anger. They’re tears of joy. Tears of peace.

“You saved me the day we met in that pit,” he says. “You brought light back to my life and made me whole. My fierce, wild Siiri.” He brushes my cheek with a bloody hand. “Take what I offer. Finish this witch, and keep your Aina safe. Keep the people safe.”

“Don’t you dare,” I cry, tears thick in my throat. “Don’t do this, old man—”

“I was never going south again,” he says. “I’ve been dying for years. So, finish the job. Become the new V?in?moinen. Set me free.”

Across the snow, Lumi jerks the arrow loose from her shoulder. “You’re mine, V?in?moinen! For so long, I’ve waited for the moment when you would be whole again. You and your little shamaness cannot thwart me now. I found your itse. I trapped it in that bear and drove it north. I’ve earned the right to claim your magic!”

“You’ll never take him from me!” Raising the witch’s sword, I flip the grip of my left hand on the hilt.

Lumi charges me, snarling like one of her rabid wolves. I hold my blade with both hands and swing high. Lumi has no choice but to lift her own and parry. But I shift direction mid-swing. Anchoring my foot in the snow, I plunge the blade backwards.

V?in?moinen is ready. He steps into it, bracing against me with both hands. I let out a sob as the blade meets resistance. The sword pierces him straight through. His hands tighten on my shoulders as he takes a gasping, pained breath.

“Nooooo!” Lumi releases a primal, haunting scream before she lunges for me.

Aina’s next arrow whizzes past my shoulder, piercing the witch in the chest. She stumbles, still screaming, and tries to jerk the arrow free.

“Siiri...” The shaman grunts against my ear. “Let me call you ‘daughter.’ Just once—let me—”

Closing my eyes, tears falling, I twist the blade in his gut. “I love you, Father.”

His hands weaken on my shoulders. I can feel the life leaving him. I jerk the blade free, and he sinks down to his knees. Blood pours from his neck and his gut, staining the snow red. He looks up at me, the light of his magic flickering in his eyes. “Daughter,” he says again, trying to raise his trembling, bloody hand. I take it in mine, pressing my cheek to his palm. “Needed—will we be—again—”

I nod. “I will go south,” I whisper. “I will return your wisdom to the people. I will fight for them, Father. I will fight to free the Finns.”

He nods, closing his eyes, relief washing across his face. Slowly, he falls back into the snow.

“No,” I cry, dropping to my knees. I close my eyes against the pain of watching him die, but a blinding white light has me opening them again. V?in?moinen’s whole body is glowing. I glance from the shaman to Lumi. The witch sways like a reed, blood pouring from her wounds. She blinks to keep her eyes focused. As we both watch, the ghostly form of V?in?moinen rises up from his body. He looks down at me and smiles, his mustache twitching.

“Your henki,” I say in awe. By the power of Tuonetar’s curse, it now belongs to me. The Witch Queen’s curse came with a cost she failed to calculate: she will never claim his soul. V?in?moinen’s henki places his hands on my shoulders and pulls himself forward, stepping inside me.

Lumi wails, hand falling away from the arrow still lodged in her chest.

All around us, the few remaining wolves howl with her in her grief.

The power of V?in?moinen’s magic courses through me, burning like a fire, even as it roots itself like a tree. It weaves into every part of me—my muscles, my bones. I feel it rising up my throat and shooting down to the tips of my fingers. The strength of twenty men courses through me. Lightning crackles at my fingertips. I am not the V?in?moinen who could barely lift a sword, ready to succumb to the long dying. His body lies next to me in the snow. I am young. I am strong. I am the V?in?moinen of the stories and songs. I am the shaman of the ages.

Bending down, I pick up my fallen sword. It feels like an extension of my arm. I face Lumi, taking in the witch’s many injuries. Her bloody fingers slacken on the hilt of her sword. I can see bone through the torn flesh of her shoulder. Her right arm hangs limp and useless. If she doesn’t use what power she still has to save herself, she’ll likely bleed out and die.

I lower my sword. “I’m done with killing for today,” I say, my voice rich and powerful. “V?in?moinen’s magic is safe. Take your wolves and go. Never return.”

“There is no honor in retreat!”

“There’s no death in it either, you rotten witch! I’ve seen enough of death for ten lifetimes. You don’t want to go to Tuonela. There’s no victory for you there.”

I can see the anguish etched on the beautiful lines of her face. “This was my path,” she says hopelessly. “You’ve taken everything from me. I can’t walk away. I can’t change course now. It’s not in my nature.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “You witches and your twisted natures. Why do you bring this pain on yourself? What dark power possesses you? Look around. Nature changes all the time. Dare to think your life could be more. It could be different.”

She glares at me, still swaying on her feet.

“I’m giving you one chance to walk away,” I call to her. “Take it, or perish, Lumi.”

For a moment, the witch considers. With tears in her eyes, she looks at the carnage in the clearing. So much blood. So much death. Her injured shoulder sags, and she drops her sword. “There is nothing left. I have nothing.”

“You were as much a slave to V?in?moinen’s curse as he was,” I say, realizing the truth of my words. “But you are more than this failed quest. You are powerful and beautiful, Lumi. Go live on your own terms.”

She swallows, her eyes shutting tight as she winces in pain. “And watch from afar as you wield my magic?”

I stiffen, my hand gripping my sword more tightly. “It was never yours. V?in?moinen chose his fate. He chose me . You cannot have this power. So, I repeat, leave now... or die.”

Lumi snarls at me, her face a mask of sorrow and rage. I can feel her wolves pacing in the darkness, waiting for the word from their mistress to strike again. The witch holds my gaze. “Give me a clean death, shamaness.”

My mind courses with all the memories I now share with V?in?moinen. I remember Lumi in all our past battles. I can feel Ajatar’s hand at my throat as she sealed Tuonetar’s curse on me. I fight a moan, biting my lip, as memories of the pain of the long dying make me want to weep. Gods, he was in so much pain for so long. I truly was his deliverance. I ended his suffering.

Just as V?in?moinen chose his death, I must now extend the same courtesy to Lumi. “So be it.” Stepping forward, I raise my sword. The snow witch stands her ground, determined to die on her feet. V?in?moinen’s light crackles over my shoulders and down my arms to my massive blade. “Lumi, daughter of Ajatar, I return you to the warm embrace of the All-Mother.”

I swing once, high and fast. Lumi’s knees buckle, and she drops. Her expression doesn’t change as blood from her neck pours down her chest, staining her white robes. It doesn’t change when her severed head topples from her neck. The witch now feels only relief. Tired, blessed relief. Her body falls forward into the snow next to her sword.