by Stina Leicht
“Why is this tunnel here?” he asked with a shudder.
Suvi entered, wielding a second lantern. Piritta’s blood stained her clothes. “It leads to a crack in the world. A place where the—”
Their father cleared his throat as if in warning.
“Father, he needs to know,” Suvi said.
“These things are secret for a reason,” their father said.
“Those reasons are all dead,” Suvi said. “We must be practical. I don’t even understand why we hid from the truth in the first place. We must be honest with ourselves and our people.”
Their father seemed ready to order her into silence. “It isn’t right. He isn’t—”
Suvi asked, “What happens if something happens to you? What if something happens to us both? Someone has to know what to do. It’s too important.” She moved farther into the cave. “Come on. I know the way.”
Nels paused. What if the Acrasians break through from upstairs? “Private Kulmala.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You’re a pyrotechnic?”
“I have some small power, sir.”
“Stay here. Corporal Lumme, second squad supports Kulmala. If the Acrasians break through the door above, I don’t care what you have to do to stop them. You blow this end of the tunnel if you can.”
“There isn’t much powder, sir,” Corporal Lumme said. “Not enough to do what you want and leave ammunition for the guns. Kulmala is good enough to light a campfire in the rain, but he’s not as powerful as Jarvi.”
“Do what you have to do. Just keep the Acrasians from attacking our rear. It’s possible the end of this tunnel is being held against us, in which case we’ll be back. And we’ll have to fight our way back into the palace. But keep the Acrasians off our backs. Whatever it takes. If you do have to blow it,” Nels said, “then do so and join us. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Corporal Lumme said, and turned to his squad. “You heard the colonel. Get on with it.” Lumme and his squad went back inside the keep.
“Corporal Mustonen, your squad is with me,” Nels said. “Larsson, Moller, let’s go.”
Moller nodded. “Yes, sir.” From his expression, he clearly didn’t like the cave any more than Nels did.
Nels said, “All right, Suvi. Where do we go from here?”
Suvi moved to the front of the line, leaving their father with those assigned to guard him. “It’s five miles long. This way.”
“Five miles?” Nels asked.
“We’ll have to keep the noise down,” Suvi said. “Sound carries in here.”
After a mile, the tunnel narrowed, and continued to do so until it was only ten feet wide. The carvings seemed to stretch the entire length. From the snatches of text that Nels could translate as they rushed past, all were blessings and prayers. Oddly, there were no branches, no alcoves. The cave traced a nearly straight path northwest, following along a fissure. He worried about how much time it would take to reach the end, and the distance between himself and the remainder of his platoon. Behind them, an explosion signaled the arrival of the Acrasians to the rear. Anxiety hit. How quickly did General Marcellus and Uncle Sakari make the journey? Will we meet Acrasian reinforcements at the other end? Are we trapped? Are the troops holding the city? I’ve abandoned them. Again. Was it stupid of me to come here? Is Viktor still alive? Ilta! Ilta is at the hospital!
Eventually, light filtered in, casting the tunnel in dim grays. He set down his lantern lest its light betray their presence, and motioned for Suvi and his father to stay back. Leaving several soldiers to guard them, he led Moller and the rest to the tunnel mouth until the telltale clank of troop movement brought Nels up short.
How many are there? he thought. Looking about him, he searched for any advantage. The tunnel had formed a bottleneck. It would have to do. He signaled for the others to find advantageous positions. Together, they waited in silence for the Acrasians. Nels’s heart slammed against his breastbone like a drummer’s mallet. His mouth was dry. Still, he felt calm.
He shot the first Acrasian to show himself. The others fired as well. The sound of the gunfire was huge in the small space. The Acrasians fell back, vanishing in the powder smoke. Nels and his troops inched forward in pursuit. Within a few hundred feet, he had an answer to at least one of his questions. There were a little over fifty Acrasians stationed at the end of the tunnel. A full platoon. He had half that many to hand, and a few were wounded. They were outnumbered, and they had no way of holding. He signaled a fighting withdrawal. They might be able to keep the Acrasians back at the bottleneck. Desperate for the odds to even out, he counted every Acrasian who fell as they fought. Three. Four. Five—
“Second squad is on the way,” Moller said.
Nels nodded. At least we made it to the bottleneck without any more casualties.
Moller said, “We can hold out, sir. I know we can.”
How long will it take Lumme’s squad to get here? Nels felt a firm hand on his shoulder.
“You have to stop this,” his father said.
“I plan on it,” Nels said. “You should get back.”
“You don’t understand,” his father said. “This is where I take over. If you continue the fight, no one will survive. You’ve done everything you could. I must step in now.”
“The Acrasians don’t take prisoners,” Nels said.
“For what it’s worth,” his father said. “I’m … sorry.”
Nels blinked. “For what?”
“I’m proud of you. Your mother was too. I should’ve believed in you as she did.” His father stood with his back to the wall.
Frantically signaling to his own troops, Nels ordered a cease-fire before his father was accidentally hit.
“Kar! Stop this! Now! Do it before I do.”
“What do you want, Henrik?” It was Uncle Sakari.
“Let’s settle this between the two of us,” the king said. “There’s no need for further bloodshed.”
“All right,” Uncle Sakari said. “You first.”
“Father, please don’t,” Nels said.
“I can’t risk you or your sister,” his father whispered. He turned and shouted, “Tell the Acrasians to lay down their weapons. Once I’m assured it’s safe, I’ll come out.”
“Will you do the same with that whelp’s troops?” Uncle Sakari asked.
“Of course I will.”
Magic-infused orders were issued. Nels looked on as everyone disarmed. He paused, not sure what to do. Did they forget that I’d be unaffected? One look at his father, and Nels knew that wasn’t so—at least in his father’s case. The king seemed to be saying, I’m relying on you to protect me. Nels nodded in acknowledgment and acceptance.
And with that, King Henrik stepped into the middle of the tunnel. “What do you think you’ll gain by all this violence?”
“The kingdom,” Uncle Sakari said.
“You’ll only have destroyed it in the process of acquiring it,” the king said.
“I beg to differ,” Uncle Sakari said.
“I made mistakes,” the king said. “I see that now.”
Nels saw his uncle move to the middle of the tunnel. His face was set in a mask of anger and frustration.
“I served you loyally! I did all the things you should have and didn’t because you found them unpleasant! I took on all the kingdom’s responsibilities while you played with your toys!”
The king nodded. “You’re right. I should’ve paid more attention to my duty. I will now do what I should’ve all along.”
“It’s too late.”
“It isn’t. Not if you help me one last time.”
“And why should I do that?” Uncle Sakari asked. “You’ll only turn it over to—”
“My rightful heir?”
“That Ytlainen whore influenced you against me. She plotted with that guardsman she cuckolded you with. She would’ve made Eledore into a protectorate of Ytlain!”
“That isn’t true,” the king said. “She
was my queen. We had our differences, but she only did what she felt was best for the people. She loved Eledore as much as I. Maybe she was right, after all. Maybe it is time for things to change.”
“You can’t mean to turn the kingdom over to a mere girl!”
The king shook his head. “That mere girl will make a better leader than either of us, Kar. Can’t you see that?”
“She isn’t even your daughter! Her father was that guardsman! A foreigner!”
The king paused. “I am her father. I don’t care about Karpanen. Suvi is my chosen heir, and you will abide by my wishes. You don’t have to do it out of a brother’s love. Do it because it’s what is best for the kingdom. Because if you don’t, Eledore won’t survive.”
“You’re a fool,” Uncle Sakari said. “You’ve always been a fool.”
Nels edged closer to his father so that he might get a better view of the situation. He kept his pistols out of sight. There was no point in reminding anyone of his immunity. At the same time, he needed to see the Acrasians. They were unarmed, but that didn’t mean they would stay so.
“I’m not the only fool,” the king said. “Tell me, what were you planning to do about the Acrasians once Nels, Suvi, and I were gone? Pat them on the head and tell them to go away like nice little automatons? It won’t work.”
“And why not?”
“Because they outnumber you, Kar. Wake up. Your Acrasian general is far more intelligent than you give him credit for. He plans to kill every Eledorean in this country, including you.”
“I’ve been manipulating dim-witted animals like him all my life.” Sakari didn’t sound as confident as his words would imply.
“You don’t believe me?” the king asked. “All you need do is look into his eyes and ask.”
Snow swirled in the cavern entrance, and the sunlight—what little of it filtered through the storm—made the now-docile Acrasians into dim silhouettes. However, Nels’s gaze kept drifting back to the general. Something wasn’t right about Marcellus.
“All our lives, you’ve won. You’re more intelligent than I am. You’re stronger. More athletic. You always have been. So, I retreated into books and art. That’s the way it’s always been. Hasn’t it? But you aren’t going to win this time. You can’t control your Acrasians without my help,” the king said. “Admit it.”
Sakari said, “You need me, not the other way around.”
“You’re wrong.”
“You’re going to stop me?”
“Actually, I am. I’m going to do something I should’ve done a long time ago,” the king said. “Sakari Ilmari, for the sake of the Eledorean Kingdom, you will bend your knee to me, the rightful king of Eledore.”
The tunnel was flooded with an overwhelming amount of magical energy. Nels winced under the weight of it. When he looked up, he saw that Uncle Sakari had dropped to his knees with a stunned expression pinned to his face.
“You will now—”
Pistol fire echoed down the tunnel. Nels gasped as his father was hit and fell. A fresh bloodstain formed in the middle back of the teal silk bed jacket. Suvi screamed.
“Noooo!” Sakari whirled on his knees to face General Marcellus. “You will place that pistol under your chin, now!”
Marcellus stepped into a patch of light. Nels could see that the general had followed orders. However, Nels also registered Marcellus’s ploy. Telltale cotton fluff was wedged into his ears.
Time slowed. Nels reached for his own weapons and staggered to his feet. It seemed to take forever. “Uncle, stop! He can’t hear—”
The gunshot filled the tunnel. Nels reached his uncle only in time to catch him.
“Time to finally offer up that surrender, boy,” Marcellus said, pointing a saber at Nels. “You’re beaten.”
Suvi said, “Nels, do as he says.”
Nels gritted his teeth and lifted his chin. “No.” If Marcellus’s jibe was meant to get to him, it’d struck home.
“We have to,” Suvi said. “He’ll kill you.”
“You’d best listen to your sister,” Marcellus said.
Shadows moved just outside the cave entrance in the swirling snow. There came a shout. Sounds of a scuffle reached the tunnel. Three shots rang out.
Marcellus frowned. “Lucanus? Report!” When the fresh silence wasn’t broken with an answer, he shouted for Lucanus again.
“I’m afraid Lucanus isn’t available,” a familiar female voice answered. “Will I do? Never mind; I’m not a soldier. I am an advisor, however. And I would advise using the word ‘surrender’ about now.”
Nels’s jaw dropped. It can’t be. “Ilta?”
“Suvi? Nels? I knew you’d need reinforcements,” Ilta said. “Am I too late?”
EIGHT
“You have a choice, Your Grace,” Ilta said, her voice momentarily carrying above the steady fall of snow and strengthening wind.
Suvi said, “It’s already been taken care of this year. Remember?”
“Grandmother has passed to the other side,” Ilta said. “And now your father has as well. The Old Ones will know. They’ll see an opportunity. They won’t wait for us to gather strength. We must prove to them that we have the power. Now.”
While Nels had collected the last of his platoon and secured the Acrasian prisoners, Ilta had pulled Suvi into a private conversation just outside the cavern. Dressed as she was, in only her silk bed gown and night dress, he noticed Suvi was shivering. So, he sent a corporal with the coat, jacket, and boots from a dead comrade. Nels fully expected her to refuse them. However, to his relief, she didn’t. She wouldn’t allow him to post a guard nearby. Therefore, he kept Suvi and Ilta in sight. Intent on their arguing, they seemed unaware of anything else. He fought to keep from showing his impatience. If they were to get back inside the city, they’d have to do so before it was too late. With the weather, the walk was going to prove difficult. If it got much worse, he’d risk losing what few troops he had left. Based on the expression on Suvi’s face, he didn’t have a good feeling about what was to come next.
Overhearing Wiberg’s solemn prayers for the newly dead in the background, Nels was reminded of his other duties, and his most recent loss, with a pang. Father is dead. We’re orphans now.
Not only that, the fragile girl he’d known as Ilta seemed gone, and another more capable woman had taken her place. The new Ilta had more in common with Saara. There were subtle surface differences in her appearance—the small pox scar on her right cheek, the stern expression. Her long hair was bound in tight braids instead of being left in loose curls. Her mouth was set in a determined, narrow line. For the most part, he was glad of the change, and yet, at the same time, he worried that she no longer needed him.
She hasn’t spoken more than a few words to you since she arrived. Yet he didn’t want to believe his fears were finally realized. So, he tucked away that knowledge for future consideration, provided there would be a future in which to consider it.
“Moller,” Nels said.
“Yes, sir?”
“Take inventory,” Nels said. “I want to know how much ammunition we have left.” He glanced out at the snow. “Also, check how much cold-weather gear we have. Tents. Rope. Supplies, if any. Tell me what we have to work with.”
“Yes, sir.” Moller turned to the troops and issued orders.
Nels went to Suvi and Ilta. The argument appeared to have slowed to a lull.
Suvi replied loud enough for him to hear, “Nels won’t agree.”
“Of course he won’t,” Ilta said. “But you’re the queen. He is your soldier. You must command him.”
Frowning, Nels approached. “What won’t I agree to do?” He didn’t like the flash of guilt that passed over both their faces before they composed themselves.
Ilta turned away from him, unable to hold his gaze. It wrenched his heart.
He thought, She’s seen something—knows something I don’t.
“I’ve made a decision. And you’re not going to like it,” Su
vi said. “But we—we don’t have many options.”
“We can dig our way back into the palace. Private Kulmala isn’t powerful. So, the rubble can’t be that strong of a barrier. It’ll take time, but we can do it,” Nels said. He was strategizing on his feet, and it felt good. “If we can get a message through to Viktor, he can send a small unit to meet us. We can join the others. We’ve got Marcellus. We can use him for leverage. And—”
“No,” Suvi said.
He paused. Ilta’s emotional distance took on new meaning. “Oh.” He prepared himself for the news that he was to sacrifice himself and his men to get Suvi somewhere safe. He’d always known this day would come. It was nice that neither of them was comfortable with the idea, but it was his duty, after all.
Suvi glanced to Ilta, but the Silmaillia remained facing the winter storm. Her back was rigid.
“We must leave this place,” Suvi said.
“Agreed,” Nels said. “We can’t shelter here too long. It’s only a matter of time before the Acrasians will—”
“We must go up Keeper Mountain,” Suvi said.
“In this storm?” Nels asked. “You must be joking.”
“The storm ends less than a quarter of a mile from here,” Ilta said. “How do you think I was able to get through?”
“Fine,” Nels said. “You do whatever it is you need to do. We’ll stay. Dig our way back. I’ll hold the palace and wait for your return. We’ll make a last—”
Suvi said, “You must come with us to Keeper Mountain.”
“You can’t possibly be serious,” Nels said.
“I am,” Suvi said.
“You’re asking me to abandon Jalokivi,” Nels said. “Your people. The civilians. Your army. Five hundred troops. My troops. To the Acrasians.”
“I’m afraid so,” Suvi said.
“And Ilta advised this?” Nels said.
“I haven’t influenced her decision,” Ilta said. “The choice is hers, and hers alone. Either she chooses to remain and Eledore only survives one more season, or she returns to the World’s Pillar before it’s too late.”
“That’s a choice?” Nels asked. “That’s easy. Pick Eledore. The World’s whatever can piss off.”