The Mist Children

by E. C. Hibbs

  It paused to look straight at him.

  That is why they pulled you under the ice, Son of the Sun. They wanted you. They will want you until the end of time, and with every generation, children will sicken while they search for you.

  Can I stop them? Tuomas asked. You wouldn’t tell me this if I couldn’t, somehow.

  And now we come to the task I give you, said the Bear. There is only one way to stop them. Go to the Northern Edge and cross into the World Below. The Earth Spirits will help you to draw the draugars out so I can restrain them, as I did with Kari.

  Tuomas shivered as he saw Kari’s face in his mind, but the Bear noticed his discomfort and swept the image away.

  Won’t that rip the Worlds more? he asked.

  Only if you pass between here and the World Between, said Lumi. This skin is always more delicate than the other, because here is formless. The World Below is not – for the most part.

  The Bear stared at him with its bottomless gaze. Will you do as I have instructed?

  It wasn’t a request. Tuomas threw a glance at Lumi, took a deep breath, and then said, Yes.

  Something jolted him far below. Both the Bear and Lumi disappeared into darkness. He spun away, back down towards the earth. Hands were grabbing at his body, pulling him out of the trance. He opened his eyes, but his limbs were dead and his flesh felt like cold meat.

  He was bundled into someone’s arms, then the wind disappeared and the air became warm. He dropped onto a reindeer skin and lay on his back. This body was his, but he was somewhere else; still too far away…

  A face appeared in front of him, very close, shouting.

  “What were you doing, you idiot? Do you want to get frostbite again? Want to lose the rest of your fingers? Stupid boy!”

  His chin lolled, arms lying useless at his sides. If he concentrated, he was able to twitch his fingers, but not much else.

  He forced himself to look at the face. Slowly, details swam into place: two long sandy plaits, a woman’s features, blue eyes, a scar across her neck.

  “Lilja?” he managed to blurt. He sounded as though he was drunk.

  “Yes, it’s me,” she snapped. “What were you thinking? It’s a good thing you decided to stop by the door, or we might never have found you!”

  “Ease off him, Lilja,” said another voice – a man… Tuomas vaguely recognised it as Enska. “He’s groggy. You pulled him out of the trance too quick.”

  “Well, tough. I’d rather him come out of it like this than have frozen himself to death,” she replied angrily.

  Tuomas noticed other people standing around him, further away, against the walls of the hut. He supposed it was Stellan, Ritva and Frode. Their faces were etched with worry. He heard mutterings about whether he had come down with the sickness too. He tried to shake his head, but everything swam before his eyes, so he stopped.

  “What’s he done?” he heard Elin asking. He couldn’t see her anywhere; he guessed she was still lying by the hearth. “Where is he? Tuomas?”

  “He’s right here,” Enska said. “Don’t worry, he’s not hurt.”

  “He’s a lucky fool,” Lilja snarled.

  Tuomas breathed deeply, filling his lungs with air, and immediately began to feel better. Then he let it all out in a massive sigh.

  There was a collective gasp of shock. Even Lilja moved away from him.

  He frowned. “What’s the matter?”

  “Look,” Lilja whispered, pointing at the air in front of him.

  Tuomas blinked hard and made himself concentrate. His breath had misted in the cold, but the cloud was twisting around itself, until it formed the shape of a bear’s head, nose turned skyward. Then, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared into nothing.

  Lilja was back at his side in a heartbeat.

  “You saw it again?” she asked, notably quieter.

  Tuomas nodded, still focusing on getting his limbs to work.

  “What did it say? No, tell me later. We need to get you warm.”

  “I’m fine,” Tuomas said.

  The sound of his own voice startled him. It was no longer slurred, and with every breath, he could feel the cold draining out of him, as though he had just drunk fire itself. He looked at his hands in alarm, and found the flesh pink and healthy, not chilled at all.

  Lilja pulled off his hat and felt his forehead. Her eyes widened.

  “You are fine,” she said in amazement. “You’re actually warm. In a good way.”

  “How is that possible?” Frode asked. “How long was he outside?”

  “I don’t know,” Tuomas admitted. “But I’m not cold. Honestly.”

  “Get by the fire anyway,” Lilja said. She didn’t even wait for him to protest and bundled him closer to the hearth.

  He clutched at her sleeve. “Lilja, listen…”

  “You can barely keep your eyes open. Get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  “No… Lilja, please listen to me.”

  She glared at him. “I said, get some sleep.”

  She left him and went to Enska, the two of them drawing close together and speaking in hushed voices. Frode and Ritva threw Tuomas a distressed look before they settled back down with Eevi.

  Elin grasped Tuomas’s wrist.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  He turned over to face her. “The Great Bear Spirit came to me.”

  Elin blinked in alarm. “Well, what did it say?”

  “Hey,” Lilja snapped. “Sleep. Both of you.”

  Realising they weren’t going to get any peace, Tuomas gave Elin a small shrug and they lay down on the skins. But even though he closed his eyes, he was still wide awake. He couldn’t stop replaying the encounter in his mind.

  He shuddered, remembering swirling nothingness and dancing Lights.

  Lumi, he thought, I wish you were here.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Stellan rammed his shoulder against the door. Snow had piled up against it and wedged it shut during the night. Once the gap was wide enough, Tuomas shimmied outside with a shovel and began clearing a path as best he could.

  He looked around at an alarmingly quiet landscape. Overhead, the sky was pale and clear of any cloud, transforming an icy blue as the dawn lingered below the horizon. The snow was up to his knees; in places, it had banked so high, it was almost touching the sloping roofs of the huts.

  Now the storm had blown away, he could see the last of the mountains, standing like great monsters off to his left. Three jagged peaks, carved by generations of wind and ice, reached so high, he wouldn’t have been surprised if they could pierce straight through to the World Above.

  He shuddered. He thought of the tear between the Worlds, the gateway he had opened at the Northern Edge, the feeling of the draugars dragging him into the fjord…

  He looked at the way they had come, and his heart sank. The snow rose higher than the tallest man. Even if they’d wanted to go back, now it was impossible. The only way across was to climb, and go through the pass. Tuomas could just make it out from here: a narrow slit through the flank of the foremost mountain. The rock on either side of it was sheer, as though it had been cleaved straight with a giant knife. All through his childhood, it had reminded him of the Mustafjord, like the entire landform had been somehow lifted and recreated in the air.

  He took stock of the reindeer. The females were desperate to get to the coast now. Their bellies bulged and they bellowed in agitation. It wouldn’t be long before it was time to drop their calves, and to do it anywhere but the summer grounds was dangerous. On Anaar and its neighbouring islands, there were no land predators; no wolves or wolverines lurking in the shadows. And there, the three villages would be together, able to support and protect each other at last.

  He sighed sharply. The only chance he would have to reach the Northern Edge now was to continue to the coast and then rebound back on himself, the long way. But even so, his sleigh was taken and his own energy was drained from the long migration. The
re was no choice but to carry on.

  Enska emerged and whispered thanks to the Spirit of the Winter Winds. If the blizzard hadn’t dissipated so quickly, they might have been trapped here for days.

  “Come on, everybody,” he said. “We need to move quickly and get through the pass before it gets more dangerous. If we hurry, we’ll be at the coast tomorrow evening.”

  After a laborious morning, everyone managed to get out of the shelters and helped arrange things for moving on. The Sun Spirit had risen by the time all was done, and her glow transformed the land gold and blue. The reindeer were fed from the lichen sacks; the sleighs dug out and stripped of their tarp coverings. Firewood was fetched and piled into the backs, and when there was nothing more to do, the youngsters were finally allowed to leave the shelters.

  Many of them were too weak to walk even a few steps. Tuomas looked on as children were carried in their fathers’ arms, concealed by blankets, with only their pallid faces exposed. Their lips were chapped, their eyes bruised and dark. Some had a little blood at the corners of their mouths. The air filled with a horrid rattle as they snatched breaths from the thin air.

  Then Elin appeared. Her eyes were hard with determination, fixed on the nearest sleigh. But she barely managed to two strides in the loose snow before her knees wobbled and she tumbled over.

  Tuomas took a step forward, but Stellan reached her first and swept her into his arms. She kicked feebly.

  “I’m fine. I just lost my balance,” she protested.

  “Let me help anyway,” Stellan said, and carried her the rest of the way.

  The sight hurt Tuomas more than he had been expecting. The sickness had spread through her so fast – she had only started coughing a week ago. There was no way she could shoot an arrow now, no way she could even stand for longer than a few heartbeats.

  He fetched the bow from the sleigh she had been in the day before, handed it to her, then turned away so she wouldn’t see the fear on his face.

  When everyone was accounted for, they moved out. The herders let the reindeer go first, so their legs could flatten the snow and leave a path, but it was still difficult. Several times, they needed to stop and hurriedly dig out a sleigh when the runners became stuck. But they didn’t give in. They had to keep going. Even the animals moved faster, as though sensing the lost time.

  The bulk of the mountains grew more enormous. A few resilient trees and shrubs had managed to take root at their base, but they were soon lost as the height overpowered them. Not even halfway up the massive flanks, there wasn’t a single branch left to be seen.

  After several miles, the ascent truly began. It was gentle at first and Tuomas barely felt as though they were moving at all. But then he would look up, and see the peaks rising before them, dwarfing the herd in their colossal shadow. The earlier climb after the lake was nothing compared to this.

  His legs burned with the effort. He loosened his belt slightly to give himself more room to move inside his coat, and dug his ski poles deeper into the snow. Nobody had bothered wearing skis for this section, but the poles provided a wonderful extra grip.

  The Sun Spirit shone down from above; he could swear he felt a caress of heat in her rays. That brought a small smile to his face. Despite the ice and frozen skies, spring was definitely here. It would have already reached Anaar, and after the silence of winter, the sound of running water would be filling the air. It wouldn’t be long now before all this snow was gone completely, and all the Northlands would turn green, and he could wander the wilderness to gather cloudberries and mushrooms…

  His heart jolted at the thought. The shadow of the Great Bear Spirit’s words loomed back over him like a shadow. He couldn’t escape it, and it brought a fresh wave of terror. What was he supposed to do?

  He looked around for Lilja and was relieved when he saw her coming towards him, her strides long and awkward in the powdery snow.

  “Alright, then. Tell me what happened,” she said.

  Tuomas glanced around to make sure nobody else could hear them.

  “The Great Bear Spirit came to me,” he whispered.

  “I know, I saw,” Lilja said. “But that doesn’t explain why you decided to go outside in a blizzard. With no mittens on.”

  “I heard a noise. I thought it might have been greylegs.”

  “Even greylegs aren’t stupid enough to go out in weather like that.”

  “Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it? The point is, I went out, and the Bear was there. It pulled me into a trance. Lumi was there, too.”

  Lilja threw a sideways glance at him. “So now you’re not just the only one who can connect with the Spirits. You’re doing it without even trying.”

  Tuomas went to defend himself, but then realised by the half-smirk on her face that she was being sarcastic.

  “I’m sorry I snapped at you last night,” she added. “I only did because… I care. And at least one of us can connect with them. One is better than none.”

  Tuomas hesitated, touched by her honesty. If he’d been speaking to Henrik, he doubted the exchange would have been so civil. But he couldn’t dwell on it; the anxiety of the situation forced all other thoughts from his mind.

  He moved closer to her and lowered his voice.

  “That’s exactly the point. The reason why nobody else can go into trance is because I’ve torn the boundary to the World Above. It’s why the stars are falling.”

  Lilja turned to look at him fully, unable to hide the alarm on her face.

  “Why in the name of all the Spirits did you do that?” she snapped.

  “I didn’t mean to!” he insisted. “It was an accident; I pulled away from Lumi too hard when I came back from the World Above. I… lost control.”

  Lilja snorted. “You don’t have the best record for control, do you?”

  Tuomas winced. “It was an accident…”

  “I heard you the first time. Did it say anything else?”

  “Yes,” he admitted, and relayed the entire experience as quietly as he could. When he was finished, Lilja’s eyes were completely round and all the blood had drained from her cheeks.

  “You unleashed the draugars?” she breathed. “And they killed you?”

  Tuomas looked at her warily. He couldn’t tell if she was going to hug him or hit him.

  “I’m scared, Lilja,” he said. “The Bear told me I need to draw them out – I think it wants me to use myself as bait in the World Below, but I can still feel them, trying to rip out my heart…”

  “Ssh!” Lilja hissed, but she slipped her poles into one hand so she could rest a hand on his shoulder. Even through her layers, he felt her shaking.

  “Are you mad at me?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m sure the Bear will have your back.”

  Her voice was tight. Tuomas pressed his lips together sullenly.

  “All this because I’m the Son of the Sun,” he spat. “It’s so unfair! I didn’t ask for any of this!”

  “But you’ve got it nevertheless,” Lilja countered. “Life isn’t fair. There’s no point complaining about something you can’t change.”

  She let go of him and gave him a soft smack with one of her poles.

  “We’ll try to make some sense of it all once we’re at the coast. You can’t go to the Northern Edge until we get there, anyway. And I’ll do my best to help you, if I can. You’re not in this alone. But in the meantime, let’s keep this between us. Everyone’s frightened enough right now.”

  Tuomas fell silent. Something about how she spoke made him remember the day they had left Akerfjorden, when Henrik had given him back the drum. Now he knew who he was, the old mage had warned him to be prepared.

  “You’re not in this alone, either,” he said. “I want to help you figure out how to reach Aki.”

  “I told you,” Lilja snapped, “that’s my problem to solve. And you promised me you wouldn’t say anything to anybody.”

  “I won’t. I haven’t –”


  “You also promised me you wouldn’t get involved. Should I not have told you about him? Can’t you understand? I don’t want to talk about him. It’s too painful.”

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  “I do, but I want you to stay out of this.”

  “We have to do something,” he argued. “Think about it, alright? If I can connect with the Spirits, I might be able to connect with him, too. Maybe we can find a way to save him before the Great Bear –”

  “Tuomas,” Lilja said, “leave it.”

  He knew better than to argue. He had spoken his piece, now the best thing to do was let Lilja consider it.

  It would be difficult for her to accept help after living as she had. For so long, she’d relied on nobody, save for herself and the two people who had, in their own ways, abandoned her. She reminded him of the Northlands itself: both beautiful and harsh, moulded by the very essence of what surrounded her. Even her eyes were like ice, warning away everybody so they wouldn’t fall through the surface and be drowned.

  Lilja cleared her throat, bringing him back into the present.

  “Are you cold?” she asked.

  Tuomas went to say no out of habit, but then paused when he realised he genuinely wasn’t. He was just comfortable. Even the exposed skin on his face was warm.

  Lilja noticed his hesitation. “I’ll take that as a no, then.”

  “How?” Tuomas asked. “It’s freezing. And last night…”

  “I think it’s another result of you accepting who you are,” she replied.

  “What do you mean? I’ve got the Sun in my blood, or something? Then how could I get frostbite?”

  “No, you fool. You might not be able to sense it, but I can. Your taika is growing. It’s stronger than any I’ve ever felt.” Lilja looked straight at him, her eyes shining. “It’s shielding you from the elements. Like how Lumi was always unharmed no matter how harsh the winter got.”

  Tuomas nodded to himself. She raised a good point.

  “Well, it would be nice to be able to walk on the snow like she could,” he said. “It would make climbing this mountain a lot easier!”

  Lilja smirked.

  “Actually, since you knew what my Spirit title was, do you know what I’m the Spirit of?” he asked.