Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Still, I don’t know the Sun Goddess like I do the ones of this realm. I worry she might inadvertently hurt Hanna in some way, particularly with Hanna still being mostly mortal. I know she can handle anything thrown her way—she has proven that time and time again—and yet, I can’t imagine how she might feel in the realm of the sun, being so far away from everything she’s ever known.
Then again, she might be thriving, wielding her powers and testing out her golden wings. She never ceases to surprise me, my little bird.
“There are the trolls,” Tellervo suggests. “Vellamo was going to find them.”
“The Keskelli,” I muse. “Yes, I suppose they could be of help if they are still alive. I haven’t seen any in a very long time.”
“There are also my mermaids and the sea serpents,” Vellamo says.
“They will come in handy, especially around the waters of Shadow’s End,” I tell her.
“Speaking of Hanna, Päivätär and Kuutar might be of help,” Tapio says.
“I wouldn’t count on them. And even though Hanna will return, I wouldn’t count on her either,” I muse. “Oh, Hanna will fight by our side, but I don’t want to leave things to chance when it comes to any newfound power.”
“What about your sister?” Vellamo asks me.
“Ilmatar?” I say with a sigh. The Goddess of the Air is as flakey as her name. “Perhaps. We’ll see.”
“Auringotar?” Tapio asks.
“Another one who won’t bother with our realm.”
“Akka? Ukko?” suggests Lovia.
I let out a caustic snort. “My parents have pretended we don’t exist for a very long time. They’re off in some other dimension, most likely watching this like some reality TV show.”
“Reality TV show?” Tellervo repeats, confused.
“Then Vipunen,” Lovia suggests. “The giant is the one who practically raised you.”
I nod, running my hand over my beard. “Yes, I have thought about Vipunen many times. But he’s no better than the Magician over here when it comes to knowing how things will go and standing back and letting it happen.”
“I’m still here,” the Magician says quietly. “If I truly just let things happen, I wouldn’t have stopped you from killing Rasmus.”
“Then tell me, oh wise one,” I say bitterly. “Who are our allies? Can we depend on Vipunen?”
The Magician stares at me for a moment. The room hums with such silence that when Tellervo coughs, it sounds like a gunshot.
“We must try to find Vipunen,” he eventually says, “when the time is right.”
“And you’ll be the one to tell us, huh?” Torben says wryly.
“I will,” he says flatly. “But you’ll also know yourself.”
I shake my head, annoyed again. “Fine. So there are our allies. Are they, plus everyone here and a thousand troops, enough to fight against everything between the Star Swamp and Shadow’s End?”
Silence again.
Then, the Magician says, “It’s a start.”
“Oh, fuck off with that,” I tell him. I run my hands down my face and sigh. “All right. So we gather our allies when we can. Then, we must plan our attack. We head for Shadow’s End.”
A general raises his hand. “My lord, we could go back through the portal and rally more troops from the Upper World. Gather them here at Synti Castle—”
I shake my head. “No,” I say firmly. “The portal would require a shaman to go with you, to ensure it is open for your return, and I can’t spare any of them. We have to make do with the troops we have. Besides, drawing too many soldiers here would give away our position. We must stay hidden if we expect to survive this, at least for now.”
I don’t add that any more mortals brought here would only compound my guilt at having dragged them into this mess against their will.
General Pekka, who has been studying a faded map of Tuonela in his hands, speaks up. “Shadow’s End is heavily fortified. Seems the only way in is through Death’s Passage. We might be sitting ducks.”
“It’s not the only way in. We can go by sea as well.”
“And there’s the underground cave system,” Lovia says. “There are access points all along the realm.”
“You’re correct,” I tell her. “But I would approach that with caution. It would be a terrible place to get stuck.”
I look around, hoping for more input, but all I see is uncertainty in their eyes and feel the pressure mounting behind my ribs. I wish I had all the answers.
“We must know their weaknesses,” Vellamo says. “Their strength is not just in soldiers, or the savagery of the Old Gods, but in twisted magic.”
“Ley lines,” Torben muses. “This world has them, as does the world above, right?”
“There are ley lines here,” I say slowly. “But to be honest, I’ve never paid them much attention. I know in the Upper World, they are conduits for magic, but here, everything is a conduit. They aren’t anything special.”