AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, my good mortal,” Death says without a hint of awareness of what he’s saying. “Do you have any furs or pelts,or perhaps a good pair of trousers that might fit a man of godly stature?”
Somehow, I manage to swallow down my laughter, watching as the employee tries to take it all in stride.
“Uh, let me check with the manager,” he says before walking quickly to the back.
“Such expedient service,” Death comments, holding up a Hawaiian shirt and then snarling at it before he shoves it back in the rack. “Perhaps they recognize me as a god.”
“Or just a customer,” I tell him. I pull out the Hawaiian shirt again and hold it up to him. “This could actually fit you, but you’d look like a partying, surfing playboy.”
Or Jason Momoa.
“Surfing?” he asks with a brow raise. “Like in the Elvis movies?” He stares at the shirt as if considering it, then shakes his head. “I can’t. I have an image to uphold. I’ll save the partying for when we return to Shadow’s End.”
Return to Shadow’s End.
Just like that, I had forgotten our plan: to find our way to a portal back to Tuonela, to return to the world and life I had there.
A strange look comes across his pewter eyes as he stares at me, and his brows come together in a frown, as if he knew I’d forgotten our plan already.
Just then, the employee comes back, carrying a bunch of pelts and furs in his skinny arms. “Will any of these do?”
“Wow, yes,” I say, clearing my throat and taking some of the furs from the guy’s arms. They all smell like a grandmother’s musty closet.
“There’s a mirror over there,” the employee says as he places the rest of the items into Death’s arms. “And if you want trousers, they’ll be in the next aisle.”
Then, the guy scurries off to the other employee at the register, as if he thinks Death is going to toss him clear across the store for bringing him the wrong things.
But Death looks happy with his lot. He brings the pelts over to the mirrors and piles them on top of an old, embroidered armchair for sale, bringing them up to his neck and draping them over his shoulders. Most of the pieces look like they’re supposed to be rugs or something to hang from the wall, but a couple of them look good on his shoulders, and a few more actually tie together at the collar like a proper fur cape.
“What do you think?” he asks, eyeing me in the mirror as he strikes a very noble pose.
Honestly, it looks no different than what he wears back in Tuonela. “Looks fit for a king,” I tell him. “And the God of Death, since you’re wearing dead animals around your shoulders like that.”
“Perhaps you should look more like a Goddess of Death,” he says, taking one of the furs and putting it over my shoulders. He nods his approval. “There you go. This should be in your wardrobe when we return.”
I stroke the soft fur, knowing I shouldn’t be so hypocritical when I’m wearing leather boots. At least these foxes or minks died a long time ago and are probably running around the Hiisi Forest as we speak. Providing there’s still a forest left, if Louhi hasn’t raised the Old Gods and released a world of chaos yet.
He reaches out and adjusts it at my collarbones. “You forgot, didn’t you? About where we need to get back to. About your life there by my side.”
I give him a placating smile, not wanting him to think that. “No, I didn’t forget. We’ll get back there no matter what. I know what’s at stake.”
His eyes soften, looking almost melancholy. I don’t like that expression at all. He looks resigned.
“Let’s find you some more things, and we’ll be on our way,” I quickly add, taking off the fur and placing it on the chair. “The sooner we can get a phone and transport to Helsinki, the better.”
“Don’t forget the coffee,” he adds.
“You won’t let me forget,” I tell him. Lucky for him, even if we get to Helsinki late, the cafés will still be open. The Finns drink the stuff at all hours.
I head over with him to the next aisle, find a pair of large black jeans that should fit him; even if the inseam is too short, his boots will hide it. Then, I grab a gray Henley that will be too tight for his otherworldly muscles but might work as an undershirt, plus a black knitted sweater that’s been overstretched. I want to find more, but he says one outfit is all he needs until he gets back. With his gauntlets and the furs, I’m sure he’ll be warm enough here.
I grab a leather purse and a couple of nice duffel bags to carry everything in. Then, I pay for everything with the cash and ask the nervous employee the best way for us to get to Helsinki. He tells me that there’s a railway station a few blocks away with trains leaving to the city often.
“Farewell, dutiful mortal,” Death says as we leave the store, and then we head across the street to the convenience store that sells Nokia phones and cards. It’s not long before I’m loaded up with a good internet plan, and we’re making our way down the street to the train station. We still don’t have any ID, but at least with the train, that’s not an issue when it comes to getting tickets.
It’s only when I sit down on the bench at the station, waiting for the next train to come in, that I unlock the phone to look at the internet.
I stare at the date, not blinking.
