The Winter Spirits

by E. C. Hibbs

  “So what did you do? Nurse him back to health, so the two of you could come after me again?”

  “Shut up and let me talk,” Lilja snapped.

  She shuddered again and collapsed onto her knees. Her hands curled into pained fists.

  “Father, get the boy away from me,” she groaned. “Now!”

  Enska put a hand on Tuomas’s shoulder and steered him behind Elin.

  “Why are you so concerned?” Enska asked.

  Lilja’s breathing rattled.

  “Listen… I went to perform funeral rites on Kari, but he was still alive. Just alive enough to pull his life-soul back, and force it into me.”

  Tuomas stared at her. Was she saying that Kari had somehow bound her to him, the same way he had done with the demon?

  “Is that even possible?” he whispered to Enska.

  “I don’t know,” Enska said warily.

  Lilja searched the mage’s face.

  “Please, help. He’s inside me. If you can’t get him out, then kill me. I don’t know what I’ll do if this carries on.”

  Enska’s face paled.

  “Did he send you here?” Tuomas asked. “Did he tell you to come here for me? Where is he?”

  “Tuomas, please,” Lilja whimpered. “Someone, get him away!”

  Tuomas stood his ground. “Where is he? Tell me!”

  He strained to see Lilja’s eyes in the low light. They were normal, not hollow like Kari’s, but that brought little relief. For a moment, it even crossed his mind that this might not be Lilja at all – it could be Kari, wearing her skin like he’d worn Paavo’s, trying to trick him.

  No, he thought. Kari would know that wouldn’t work. He was the one who told you about Lilja in the first place.

  Before he could ponder any more, Lilja screamed.

  The sound was bloodcurdling. Everyone stepped back in horror.

  “Get him… away from me!” Lilja bellowed through gritted teeth.

  She ran forward in great loping leaps, jaw straining, the scar on her throat red and angry.

  Tuomas cried out. It was like the demon all over again.

  Elin released her arrow. It hit Lilja’s shoulder and she crashed into the snow.

  Enska ran over and snatched Lilja’s arms, pinning her where she landed. She thrashed and kicked like an incensed wolf. A few other men hurried to grab her legs.

  After a several horrible seconds, the struggle flowed out of her. She lay still, struggling for breath.

  “I told you to get him away,” she murmured.

  Enska looked up, his grip not slackening for an instant.

  “Go back to your business, everyone,” he said firmly. “And Tuomas, you go to my hut. Now!”

  Elin took Tuomas by the elbow and steered him away, shouldering her bow with her free hand.

  She led him to the mage’s hut and pushed him inside before he could protest. The fire was low and what little light was left threw strange shadows across the walls.

  Tuomas sat on the reindeer skins. Beneath his coat, his heart hammered.

  “Are you alright?” Elin asked.

  “I’m fine,” he assured.

  “What was that all about?”

  “You heard her. Kari’s inside her.”

  Elin went to the log pile and threw a new batch on the fire. It spat noisily, the wood not catching. To help it, she took another log and stripped the bark off before wedging that close to the embers.

  It was a while before she spoke again.

  “Why all this fuss over you?” she asked. “If Kari wanted anything, I would have imagined Lumi was more tempting. She’s a Spirit, after all.”

  Tuomas swallowed nervously. It was now or never.

  “She’s not the only Spirit,” he said in a small voice.

  Elin stared at him. A frown creased her brow.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you remember the story about the Great Mage? The one who was the Son of the Sun? A Spirit in a human body?”

  “Yes… why?”

  “Well… that was me.”

  Tuomas kept his attention on the floor. He knew that if he looked at Elin now, saw her reaction, he wouldn’t finish what he had to say.

  “Up on the mountain, Kari tried to cut out my heart, because that’s where a mage’s taika is. He was going to eat it, to take my power for himself. When he realised who Lumi was, he decided to go after her too. We’re equals, her and me. I’m the only one who was able to withstand her Lights.”

  He took a deep breath and glanced at Elin.

  Even in the low light, he could see her face had turned white. He couldn’t tell whether she believed him or not.

  “Let me get this straight,” she said shakily. “You’re a Spirit too?”

  “I think so. My life-soul is from the World Above. It’s not a normal soul, like everyone else’s. It’s not really a soul at all. It’s a Spirit.”

  “The Son of the Sun?”

  Elin stared at him. He worried that he’d said too much. What would she think of him now? It had been difficult enough for him to take in, let alone anyone else.

  Unable to bear her eyes any longer, he got to his feet.

  “I’m sorry. Forget it,” he muttered, heading for the door.

  “Tuomas,” Elin said. “Wait. Please.”

  She snatched his wrist. Her silhouette cut sharply against the orange glow of the fire.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asked.

  Relief washed through Tuomas’s veins. This was a much better response than he had expected.

  “I didn’t believe it myself. Not at first,” he replied. “And I only really believed it after we got here.”

  “Is that why you were so long with Enska?”

  “Yes. Please don’t tell anyone. Not yet, anyway.”

  “I promise, I won’t.”

  She pulled him around to face her fully.

  “Son of the Sun or not,” she said, “it will take more than that to drive me off. I’m still helping you. We’ll save Mihka, get Lumi home. If anyone tries to stop us, they’ll have to go through me.”

  “Through your arrows, you mean?” Tuomas grinned.

  The two of them chuckled, then he stepped close and hugged her. The soft fur of her coat tickled his nose.

  Footsteps crunched outside. It was a group of people, walking close together – and there were pained groans and gasps for air.

  Tuomas let go of Elin and inched the door open.

  Three men had Lilja restrained between them, her hands tied behind her back. Her coat had been pulled back, revealing a bandage around the shoulder where Elin had shot her.

  Lilja’s eyes whipped around and locked onto him. She bared her teeth and her nostrils flared, as though she was sniffing him.

  She leapt towards the hut, but the men kept tight hold of her and bundled her away.

  A hand appeared on the door. Tuomas stumbled backwards as Enska entered. The mage was wide-eyed and flustered, but otherwise seemed unhurt.

  He trudged to the other side of the hearth, pulled off his hat and threw it into a corner. He put a pot on the flames and began making tea, his hands trembling as he worked.

  Tuomas and Elin looked at each other uncertainly, but didn’t press him.

  When the water was simmering, he finally spoke.

  “What Lilja said is true. Kari has somehow gotten his life-soul into her.”

  “How?” Elin asked. “I shot his demon. I killed it myself.”

  “I saw the life-soul go into the sky,” added Tuomas.

  “He must have found a way to hold onto it. He won’t have been able to recover the blood he put into a demon, but my son is powerful. Such a feat obviously isn’t beyond him.”

  Tuomas stared at Enska.

  “So what do we do?”

  “Lumi can take souls, can’t she?” Elin suggested. “She could pull his life-soul out of Lilja.”

  Tuomas shook his head. “She’s too weak.”


  Enska jabbed the fire fiercely with another piece of wood.

  “Well, we’re putting Lilja in a hut at the other end of the village for now. And I’ve confiscated her drum.”

  Tuomas’s eyes went to Enska’s side. For the first time he noticed the mage had brought in another drum alongside his own. The smear of blood on the skin looked black in the firelight.

  “What if we destroy it?” Elin suggested. “Would that do anything? Strip her of her power?”

  “No,” Tuomas said immediately. “Henrik told me that’s the worst thing to do. A drum can be passed on, but you can’t destroy it.”

  “That’s true,” said Enska as he stirred the tea. “Stripping her taika away will only leave more room for Kari to control her. It would be like stripping one of her souls. She’s fighting against it enough now.”

  Tuomas shuddered as he said that. It made sense – after all, Mihka had fallen into a deathlike sleep without his life-soul. Without her taika, Lilja would simply become an empty husk.

  Then he frowned.

  “Wait, she’s fighting it?” he repeated. “Kari didn’t send her here?”

  “From what I can gather, he did send her,” said Enska. “When she charged, she went for you. But she’s using all her energy to not obey him.”

  Tuomas exchanged a glance with Elin.

  “Does that mean she isn’t in league with him?” Elin asked tentatively.

  “No,” Tuomas snapped, more forcefully than he meant to. “Kari was wearing Paavo’s skin. She got that for him!”

  “And you believe what he said to you? Just before he tried to cut out your heart?”

  “Well, he had me right where he wanted me. It’s not like he had anything to hide.”

  “Or maybe he just said that to break down your defences and make you weaker,” Elin argued. “As far as I saw, Lilja never did anything to hurt you.”

  Tuomas opened his mouth to remind her how little she had actually seen, but quickly bit it back. The last thing he needed now was to lose Elin’s friendship.

  Enska watched him closely, waiting until he was calmer before speaking again.

  “Personally, I think she’s innocent in all this,” he insisted. “I don’t say that as a father hoping for the best, I say it as a mage. And I know her. She’s a good person. She knows sacrifices deeper than most will ever dream of.”

  “Are you sure you’re not biased?” Tuomas said coldly.

  Elin glared at him. A muscle twitched in Enska’s jaw.

  “Of course, I’m biased. But I resent the accusation that I don’t know what I’m talking about, boy.”

  Tuomas quickly lowered his head.

  “I’m sorry. That was very rude of me.”

  “Yes, it was,” said Enska. “But you’re forgiven. I can’t blame you for not trusting her. Even though she’s my daughter, I don’t trust her completely in these circumstances. She can barely control herself.”

  He loosened his belt and pulled his coat off with one hand, continuing to stir the tea with the other.

  As he looked at the intricate carvings on the ladle, Tuomas’s heart skipped a beat. It was practically identical to Lilja’s. Had she made that for him, years ago, before she and Kari abandoned their village for a life of solitude?

  “I believe she’s innocent,” continued Enska. “But if I’m wrong, and she has followed Kari’s lead, it ultimately makes no difference. Nobody should be subjected to what he is putting her through. We should get him out of her, before he does any permanent damage.”

  “Can you do that?” asked Elin.

  “I think so. I might need help.”

  Enska looked hopefully at Tuomas.

  “I’ll reserve my judgment for now,” Tuomas replied. “My main concerns are Lumi and Mihka. And to help them, I need to be in Akerfjorden. On the Mustafjord.”

  “Then let me come with you, and bring Lilja along,” suggested Enska. “I understand you not wanting to get involved after all you’ve been through, but perhaps Henrik will. Then you can put the Spirit of the Lights back, I can help Lilja, and we all accomplish something.”

  The two of them held the other’s gaze for a long moment. The very idea of travelling with Lilja again was enough to turn Tuomas’s stomach. But, he supposed, he should give her the benefit of the doubt. Elin was right: he had no solid proof. All he had to trust for her treachery was the word of her corrupted brother.

  The more he thought about it, he wondered if Paavo’s skin had just been a clever illusion by Kari, like Lilja had claimed. That would be incredible – it would mean his brother was alive after all. But at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to hope.

  He was surprised at his own spitefulness. Was he really eager to find Paavo dead, just to prove himself right about Lilja?

  He let out a long sigh of defeat.

  “Fine. But I’m not riding with her.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you to. She can come in my sleigh,” said Enska. “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow,” Tuomas agreed, running a tired hand over his face. “This was not how I imagined spending midwinter. I’m sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to apologise for,” Elin said. “But how about that tea?”

  In reply, Enska pulled the pot onto the hearth stones. He only paused in pouring it long enough to wipe the last of the ash off his face.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  She hung back as the humans celebrated the winter solstice. This was a time she always looked forward to. Every midwinter, she shone bright so they could gaze up at her in reverence, honour her and bow their heads.

  This was the first time she hadn’t done that, in hundreds of years. She didn’t even enter the village to receive their respect.

  Yet again, she found herself secretive, keeping back from the heat and the festivity. No matter she had finally let them see her. It was too much to bear, coming too close to… was it a heart? Had Tuomas given her one of those when he summoned her?

  Now she thought about it, she wasn’t sure exactly what lay under this physical flesh. Were there bones? Did blood flow beneath the snowy skin?

  She refused to know. It didn’t matter. Soon she would be free of it all, never to come to the World Between again.

  More water flowed over her pointed nose and a small whine escaped her throat.

  The fox form was a little more freeing than that of the girl – still binding, but not as heavy. When she ran, her feet barely skimmed the snow. The air smelt crisper. She saw every flake of snow lying atop and beside its neighbours, sparkling in light so low it was barely noticeable. It was like she was floating somewhere between this realm and her own, barely held to the earth.

  The water was still flowing, making her fur damp, but it wasn’t as strong as when she had been a girl. Maybe because the human form was gone, she was less susceptible to their emotions. Maybe it was because it put her further away from Tuomas. Yet every time she thought of him, she felt herself weakening: a phantom pain which seemed to tear her from the inside out.

  It was that pain which had made her run. She wasn’t sure if he’d really had time to take in what he was seeing, to accept that the fox was still her. He was barely out of his trance when he’d looked at her.

  But she knew she needed to get away. She had heard what the Great Bear had said to him. She had to make sure she kept enough strength to reach Akerfjorden.

  She lay down, curling her bushy tail around herself, and closed her eyes. She had never been able to sleep – that was something for living creatures, with a body-soul which needed rest. But she still closed her eyes, let her mind be filled with the endless beauty of the World Above.

  And how endlessly empty it would seem when she returned.

  The next day, she hung back as Tuomas and Elin loaded the sleigh. Then the mage man, Enska, started walking towards them, pulling someone along by the arm.

  Was he coming too?

  She squinted, trying to make out who was with him, and let out an involuntary yip
of surprise.

  It was Lilja. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was snarling like a wolf.

  What was she doing there? Hadn’t she been driven away?

  The fur on her back stood on end. Lilja’s taika was still there, but it was tainted, fouled by the same wrongness which had been in the World Below.

  She wasn’t taking any chances. She trotted over to Tuomas and curled back her lips warningly.

  Lilja looked straight at her. Her eyes were heavy and bruised, the shine in them disappeared like stars behind a cloud.

  “Well, this is a change, White Fox One,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, as though she had been screaming. Or crying.

  That wicked mage had infected her somehow. She could tell Lilja was fighting it, but it was like struggling against a rushing river when its ice broke in the spring. How long could she hold on in the face of such power?

  Lilja was lifted into another sleigh by Enska, who then joined her and tied her down so she couldn’t jump out.

  “Lumi?” Tuomas said in an undertone. “You won’t be able to run all the way back to Akerfjorden.”

  Pride prickled her thin skin. It was terrible to admit, but he was right. She doubted she could have even run back to Einfjall, let alone across the entire tundra.

  She wished she could respond in the human words he had given her, but in this form, it was impossible. So instead, she swept her tail slowly in defeat.

  He understood though, because he bent down beside her.

  “Can I pick you up?”

  She dropped her snout: the closest to a nod she could manage.

  Tuomas was quick, remembering how much she disliked being touched. He slid his arms under her belly and lifted her into the back of the sleigh. Then he and Elin climbed in and took the lead, guiding the reindeer south.

  Even though she wasn’t on the ground, she let her tail dangle over the edge of the tent tarp. The tip touched the faint spray flung up by the runners, and a tiny trail of light drifted behind her.

  Yes, this was more like it. This was the closest she had felt to her formless self in weeks.

  They reached the forest and followed the treeline, staying clear so the sleighs wouldn’t catch in the bumps and hidden roots. Soon they arrived at the frozen river outside Poro. Tuomas urged his reindeer onto the ice and began a route down it, using it as a natural path which wound its way through the land.