The Winter Spirits

by E. C. Hibbs

  They didn’t even stop to pitch a shelter for the night. Elin simply took over the reins while Tuomas slept. Enska tethered his own reindeer to the back of Tuomas’s sleigh so it wouldn’t wander and, making sure Lilja was securely bound, pulled his hat over his eyes.

  They travelled hard and fast. The stars rolled overhead: the only way to track time. But already she could feel a shift in the air. Midwinter was gone; the Golden One had passed her furthest distance from the Northlands. Now she was waxing, preparing for her return. The Long Dark would pass, and following that, spring would come. The snow beneath them would melt away, leaving nothing to mark it ever having been there.

  After two days, they passed the bank where she and Tuomas had faced off against the wolves. She had to stop for a moment, overcome with alarm. To her, a Spirit, time was almost meaningless; centuries could pass as quickly as seconds. Yet she found herself unable to believe that it was here that the two of them had stood, just weeks before, angry and fearful and barely tolerating each other’s presence.

  The river became narrower, more erratic in its frozen formations, and the sleighs were forced to abandon it in favour of solid ground. Then the ice spread into a huge body, stretching out as far as the eye could see, flanked by the sheer sides of towering mountains and cliffs.

  She had never set foot here, but she had seen this place from the sky. She knew exactly where they were.

  This was the great fjord which opened out into the sea. Where her dear brother, when he first descended into a physical body, had died.

  And there, tucked away on its shore, she saw it: Akerfjorden. It looked just like all the other villages; a little larger, perhaps. But as soon as it came into view, she sensed Tuomas’s heart speed up; heard it in her ears as keenly as a drumbeat. His relief and happiness flooded into her as though they were her own emotions.

  She understood: he was coming home.

  Water washed down her face and her ears drooped. She let out a whine of pain and lowered her head, deliberately not looking at the sky.

  The sight of Akerfjorden lifted Tuomas’s mood in a way he’d have never thought possible. After all he had been through, to be coming back here was the sweetest feeling.

  He glanced at Elin. She was fast asleep, exhausted from her latest turn at the reins. Her head was resting against his shoulder, one eye hidden by the thick fur of his coat.

  A smile traced his lips. She looked so peaceful, her eyes fluttering as she dreamed.

  He wasn’t sure if he had expected her to come this far with him. She had fallen into all this madness; she never would have been involved if he and Lilja had put up their shelter quicker in that blizzard.

  Funny, he thought, how one little action can impact everything.

  His eyes strayed over the edge of the sleigh. The ice on the Mustafjord was covered by a thick layer of snow, but he couldn’t help but be aware that beneath it lay the Black Water. Down there, sometime long ago, he had drifted, gasping for air, felt his lungs straining as the life was choked out of him… only to come back now, in this body, as this short-tempered orphan.

  He wondered, what would it have been like to drown? To lose all those memories of another life? To have my life-soul ripped out…

  Movement stirred on the bank as people emerged from their huts to see who was coming. They would have heard the reindeer bells by now.

  Tuomas looked at Lumi, still perched in the back of the sleigh. It was strange to see her like this, after so long spent with her in human form. But the celestial fox suited her, and he could still recognise certain facial features even behind the thick fur and pointed snout. The ears and tail were unchanged, but so were her eyes. The otherworldly colours were still there.

  He felt like saying something to her, but held back. No words were needed.

  Instead, he jostled Elin to wake her. She let out a groggy moan.

  “Are we close?” she asked.

  “We’re here,” Tuomas replied, and steered the reindeer up the bank.

  A crowd of people instantly swarmed forward, grinning widely as they recognised who it was. Tuomas kept one eye on Lumi as she ducked behind the sleigh, concealing herself as best she could between the runners. Then he climbed out and fell into the arms of his neighbours.

  He breathed the old familiar smell of them, almost brought to tears. There was Aslak, Sisu, Maiken, Anssi, Henrik…

  He almost fell over in shock.

  Standing next to the old mage was Paavo.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Tuomas forgot to breathe. He grabbed the sleigh to steady himself.

  Paavo’s smile dimmed into a frown.

  “Hey, What’s the matter?”

  Tuomas swallowed hard, trying to get his tongue to work.

  “You’re… you’re alive?” he managed to blurt out.

  Paavo glanced at Aslak in confusion.

  “Uh… yes,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Tuomas struggled to compose himself. He looked at Elin, then at Lilja. She was still tied in Enska’s sleigh, but she had her head raised, watching the exchange with eyes glazed by fatigue.

  “I told you I didn’t have any part in it,” she snapped.

  Tuomas turned back to Paavo and tentatively approached him. He pulled off one of his mittens and held out his hand. Paavo gave him a perplexed look, but stayed still as Tuomas touched his cheek.

  It was warm, not an illusion at all. There was a small scar on his temple, freshly healed from the night Lumi had struck Mihka.

  He was alive.

  Barely able to contain himself, Tuomas leapt into his brother’s arms.

  The force of his jump sent them both flying into the snow. Paavo let out a winded gasp, and the impact sent pain through Tuomas’s chest, but he didn’t let go. He buried his face in Paavo’s shoulder, not even trying to hold back his tears.

  “I thought you were dead!” he whimpered. “Kari had your skin… I thought…”

  “Wait, what are you talking about?” asked Paavo, trying unsuccessfully to dislodge him. “I’m fine. Is this because I missed you leaving? I was out fetching reindeer moss for the herd – I didn’t think you’d be gone by the time I got back! And what happened to your hands?”

  It all made perfect sense. Kari admitted on the mountain that he had been spying on Tuomas long before he even made the demon. He would have known about Paavo from that – seen enough to be able to make a convincing illusion. The show in the World Below had all been a trick. And Tuomas barely cared anymore that it had worked to horrifying effect. None of it had been real.

  But Paavo… he was real. He was here. Still breathing.

  He eased himself away so he could see Paavo’s face, but didn’t let go of him. Part of him worried that if he did, his brother would somehow fall apart in front of him, and it would all have been a dream.

  “So, nothing happened?” he asked. “Nobody came here?”

  “No, everything’s been the same as normal, except the lack of Lights,” Sisu said. “What’s going on? Should we be concerned?”

  “No, nothing to worry about,” Enska said as he dislodged himself from the sleigh. “Just an unfortunate misunderstanding.”

  Tuomas lowered his eyes in shame. He had been proven wrong, after all. Lilja had never said anything but the truth.

  He released Paavo and wandered back to the sleighs. He had to apologise to Lilja.

  But when she saw him coming, she wrenched herself away so fast, the reindeer snorted in alarm.

  “Stay back!” she warned. “I’m serious, boy! The closer you get, the harder it is for me not to come after you.”

  Tuomas stopped in mid-step.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He meant it. He had wronged her and cast her out, when she was innocent in all this. And now, because of that, Kari truly had got his hooks in her.

  Behind him, Enska strode up to Henrik, and the two mages embraced fondly.

  “Hello, old friend,” Henrik smiled. “W
hat trouble are you bringing to my door today?”

  “I’m sure you recognise my daughter?” said Enska, motioning to Lilja.

  Henrik followed his gaze, and his grey brows lowered when he saw who was in the sleigh. Tuomas remembered how distastefully he had spoken of Lilja and Kari’s power, how he felt they had too much of it.

  Now, Tuomas finally understood why. Henrik hadn’t said that out of any jealousy, or because she was a woman, but because of how easy it could be to slip into darkness.

  The two mages muttered between each other, discussing the predicament. Tuomas left them to it and returned to the sleigh. He released his reindeer from the poles and Aslak looped a lasso around its neck, offering to take it back to the Akerfjorden herd. Then Tuomas freed Enska’s reindeer, but tied it to a nearby tree so it couldn’t mingle with the other animals. Trying to find one reindeer with a single different earmark among hundreds of others would be a nightmare.

  Elin appeared beside him, but he avoided looking at her. The last thing he needed was for her to say she told him so.

  But she didn’t. Instead, she said: “I’m glad your brother is alright.”

  Tuomas smiled.

  “I can’t believe it. I seriously thought…”

  “I know.” Elin drew close and whispered in his ear. “But he’s fine. And Lilja’s innocent. So… do you think you might help her now?”

  Tuomas gritted his teeth. He hated the way she said it, but she was right. He nodded and trudged over to Enska and Henrik.

  He cleared his throat. “I’ll help you get the life-soul out of her.”

  Henrik glanced at him. “You feel you can, boy?”

  “You know he can,” Enska muttered, so nobody else would hear. “Come on, Henrik. You know very well who he is. So do your leaders; you knew from the moment he was born.”

  Henrik’s eyes widened. “How do you know about it?”

  “It doesn’t matter. But you knew, and now he does as well. He had to find out the hard way; harder than you can imagine.”

  “How do you tell someone a thing like that, Enska? How can anyone reckon with such a legacy?”

  “He might be barely a man, but he’s not stupid. Why didn’t you tell him when you took him on as your apprentice?”

  Henrik flustered. “Well… there was never a right time.”

  Tuomas felt the old irritation boiling inside him, but he held it in check. There were more important matters to deal with now.

  “You know what, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I know now, you know; there’s no need to fuss. We need to help Lilja.”

  He paused, finding Sisu among the crowd. “And I’d like to see Mihka. How is he?”

  “The same as when you left,” Sisu replied, weariness tugging at his words. “Come with me.”

  He began leading Tuomas towards Henrik’s hut. Tuomas had barely taken a step when Lumi shot out from beneath the sleigh and hurried to his side. A small aurora appeared behind her as she ran.

  The villagers gasped when they saw her, and Henrik’s eyes grew so wide, Tuomas thought they might fall out.

  “What…?” he choked.

  “I’ll explain,” Enska said calmly. “You go, Tuomas.”

  Tuomas gave him a grateful smile, then followed Sisu through the door. Lumi pressed herself against the wall, walking as close to it as possible to keep away from the fire.

  The familiar smell of Henrik’s hut flew up Tuomas’s nose: a mixture of herbs, old man, and overly-brewed tea. Everything was exactly as he had left it.

  He knew, deep down, that shouldn’t surprise him – he had only been gone for a couple of months. But it felt like an entire lifetime. And he supposed, in a strange way, it was.

  Mihka was in the corner, lying on his back inside a sleeping sack. His face was thinner than before, his white hair standing out harshly. Tuomas knelt beside him and touched his forehead to feel his temperature. He was cold, but not uncomfortably so. That was a relief. He hadn’t deteriorated in the weeks since the attack.

  Lumi padded over, limping slightly as the heat worked through her. She regarded Mihka for a moment. Tuomas could almost see an expression of disdain on her face.

  She leaned in and pressed her nose to Mihka’s cheek, as though in apology. Tuomas could barely contain his shock. Was she actually finding it in herself to let her pride go?

  Before he could question her, she turned and ran back outside, clearly overwhelmed by the fire. Tuomas watched her leave, a small smile at the corner of his mouth, before whispering to his friend.

  “I’ll help Lilja first, so she can’t try and kidnap me. And then I’m bringing you back,” he said. “You’re going to be alright, you stupid idiot.”

  There wasn’t enough room for all of them in Henrik’s hut along with Lilja and Mihka, so Enska suggested they go to the shore of the Mustafjord. While Henrik fetched his supplies, Tuomas moved his belongings into his and Paavo’s hut.

  He regarded the space for a moment. His old sleeping sack lay in its usual spot on the left side of the hearth. The same birch twigs lined the floor; the familiar smell of damp reindeer fur and Paavo’s cooking lingered in the air.

  But it didn’t bring the respite he thought it would. After so long out in the Northlands, with his life turned upside down, could things ever really go back to the way they had been before?

  He pushed that question to the back of his mind. It was too uncomfortable to address now. So instead, he grabbed his drum and headed outside.

  Elin and Paavo were waiting to walk him down to the shore. As they descended the slope, fat snowflakes began to drift from the sky, and stuck to his eyelashes like feathers.

  Henrik and Enska had made a fire at the edge of the ice. Lilja was sitting next to it, her wrists still tied together as a precaution.

  When she saw him, she stiffened, as though bracing herself for a blow. She began shaking with the effort of holding back the urge to attack him. Enska had given her back her drum, tied it to her belt, and her fingers grazed it, seeking comfort from its presence.

  She held up her bound hands.

  “This isn’t enough,” she breathed through gritted teeth. “You need to strap me to something. Please!”

  Enska wasted no time and quickly grabbed some more rope from his sleigh, which was sitting nearby. Then he wound it around her waist and tethered the other end to one of the runners. Tuomas sat opposite her, so he was furthest away, and would stay out of distance should she leap at him.

  He glanced at Henrik. The elderly mage had done as he said he would: on his lap was a brand-new drum, the symbols on its skin dark and bold from fresh paint. It was smaller than his old one, but Tuomas could still feel the taika. He remembered what Henrik had said: it will cross over to my new one. Drums can be passed on, just not destroyed.

  The two of them shared a knowing smile, and Tuomas took the antler hammer in his left hand. It was awkward to hold, but he managed well enough, and nodded to Enska to show he was ready.

  Enska drew a protective circle around the four of them, then settled on the other side of the fire.

  “Are you alright, Lilja?” he asked gently.

  Lilja whimpered. She was trembling. Tuomas could tell it was taking all her power to keep Kari at bay.

  She locked eyes with him.

  “You can do this, boy,” she said, her voice tight.

  Tuomas took a deep breath. “Please do your best to stay there.”

  Lilja raised a sarcastic eyebrow, but didn’t reply. She was too busy trying to keep control.

  He set his intention and began beating the drum steadily, allowing his heart to slow. The warmth of his power welled up and his eyes rolled back in his head. He felt Enska and Henrik beside him, hovering above their bodies, as the chanting and drumming became deeper and more powerful.

  His souls loosened. The taste of lingonberries and smell of summer flowers encircled his senses.

  This was so easy now. He wondered how he’d ever had trouble with it befor
e. This was who he was… what he was. Pure, unbridled taika, contained in a form of flesh and bone. And now it was free, it soared higher than any bird, leaving the two earthly mages in his wake. If he had only known this power from the first day, from the moment Henrik took him on as an apprentice…

  But you know it now.

  The voice inside him was strong; it vibrated straight through him, neither male nor female. He floated in the timeless void between Worlds, listening, searching.

  Then the stars and mist drew together, forming paws, fur, ears, eyes deeper than the deepest lake. The Great Bear Spirit appeared before him.

  Will you help Lilja? he asked.

  The Bear looked at him unblinkingly.

  I have helped her before. I brought her back from the edge of death. There was a task she had yet to do, and she needed power to do it. I bade her bring the Son of the Sun into his new body, and so she did.

  And now I need to help her. I have wronged her.

  You have wronged many in your time in the World Between, the Bear noted, swimming around him.

  So I want to fix it, he insisted. Please, help me. Give me the strength to help Lilja.

  The Bear surrounded him in its starry form. He spun like a fallen leaf caught in a river’s current, feeling himself fly everywhere and nowhere, completely unbound by physical laws. It was bliss… perfection.

  Her brother’s influence must be removed from her body, said the Bear. Two life-souls cannot exist together. It will tear her apart.

  I’ll get him out of her. Henrik and Enska are here too. We should be able to overpower Kari together.

  You can overpower him yourself. You are strong enough.

  He faltered. The Bear came so close, he could have reached out and touched its sparkling snout.

  All mages are tested. But only they know when they pass the test, it carried on. You know who you are. There are no limits anymore. And no time to lose. Free Lilja, and then put the White Fox One back where she belongs.