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“But you said we are still in danger,” Tuoni says.
“Yes. We are. They might not be here, but at my cabin? The portal? That could be another story entirely.”
The resort looms ahead of us at the end of the road, the tips of the buildings jutting out between the tall, narrow trees, a dusting of snow everywhere.
My father takes the closest entrance, one that looks like a service road, and then parks the car as far from the buildings as possible.
“Is this it?” Tuoni asks, leaning forward and peering out the window. The only light is coming from a streetlight in the parking lot a few meters away. The woods beyond are one dark shadow.
“This is the start of the walk,” my father says, getting out of the car. “I wish I could conjure up a sled to make the way easier, but the least I can do is call my reindeer.”
He stands a few feet away from the car and whistles into the darkness. At first, I think maybe he’s losing it a little, but by the time Tuoni and I get out of the car, throwing on our parkas and hats, I hear a shuffling sound in the forest. It grows louder and closer until suddenly, two reindeer come darting out from between the trees, heading straight for us.
“So what they say about the Shaman is true,” Tuoni says, sounding reluctantly impressed. “You really are the wardens of the forest.”
The reindeer look identical, and it’s impossible to tell if one of them is the one I met before when they were with Rasmus. They both go to my father and nuzzle him.
“Here,” he says. “This one is Sulo, and this one is Sula. Hanna, you’ll be riding Sulo. Sula will carry your gear.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
Sulo comes straight over to me and nudges me with his soft nose.
“Hi,” I say to him, looking into his deep dark eyes. “I guess you remember me.”
“Ah,” my father says. “Because of Rasmus. He was rather fond of the reindeer. If we ever get him back from Louhi’s clutches, I’m sure he’ll be happy to be reunited.”
“First things first,” Tuoni says gruffly, throwing our bags up on Sula’s back and fastening the handles together so they both hang over like saddlebags. “We get to Tuonela before we talk about what happens after. The quicker we’re out of any danger or disturbances on this side of the Veil, the better.”
My father nods, and then everything happens quickly. I’m hoisted up onto Sulo’s back, my father and Tuoni get themselves outfitted, and then we start walking off into the woods.
“I’d suggest we go to my cabin first,” my father says, walking ahead of me, with Tuoni right behind my reindeer. “Perhaps have some tea and biscuits and warm up by the fire. But?—”
“No time,” Tuoni grumbles.
“There’s no time,” he says with a sigh. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen it. I know it’s still destroyed from the fight, maybe even ransacked by the police, but it would be a lovely sight anyway. Then again, perhaps that’s where Eero and Noora are hiding, waiting in vain for me to come back.”
“What’s their deal anyway?” I ask. “If they’re Shamans, why do they hate you so much?”
“Jealousy, I suppose,” he says. “I was always able to do more than them.”
“Jealousy doesn’t explain all that they’ve done,” I say. “No one is that deranged, especially two of them.”
“Well, perhaps they’ve been infiltrated by Louhi,” he says. “When I knew her, she often talked about having influence in this world. She was obsessed with Shamans and their magic. That’s probably why she had the boy.”
“Itiswhy Louhi had Rasmus,” Tuoni explains. “He eventually became a weapon for her. She likes to play the long game, as they say.”
“So Noora and Eero are working for Louhi,” I muse as the reindeer sways back and forth underneath me. “It’s hard to know who isn’t connected to her.”
Tuoni exhales heavily. “I know. I should have done more due diligence with her, watched her more closely instead of looking the other way and wishing she’d take a wrong step into the Star Swamp.”
“We’ve all done things we regret, things we could’ve done better,” my father says tiredly. “I suppose the only good thing about hindsight is the ability to apply it to the future. Oh, would you look at that!”
I’d been staring at the lantern on the back of my father’s belt and the way it has been casting shadows over the snow, so when I look up to follow my father’s gaze, I gasp.
The northern lights are dancing above the treetops, casting the sky in slow moving shades of green and purple, twinkling stars appearing in the inky depths beyond.
“My stars,” I hear Tuoni, honest awe in his voice. “Is this the aurora borealis?”
