Rise of the Firebird

by Amy K Kuivalainen

  “Don’t bother, it’s already healing.” Cerise waved her away before unbuttoning her shirt. “This was a brand new top too,” she muttered as she dumped it into the bin with the brujo head. Lovelace groaned from where she had landed. With an impatient sigh, Cerise snatched the rag from Fox’s hand and strode over to Lovelace.

  “Stay still and give me none of your attitude, you stupid woman,” Cerise snapped as she dabbed at the wound on Lovelace’s hairline. The hunter stilled with shock at getting first aid from a keres dressed in Victoria Secret lingerie. “I’m not going to be drinking your blood today, hunter, although, I would be if you weren’t wearing such a fabulous outfit. Smart tailoring saved your life.”

  “As I tried to tell you,” Isabelle said as she stood over them, “this is Cerise, she is our friend and nurse. She’s also a keres and none of us will tolerate racism, sexism, or speciesism here. Understand?”

  “I apologise. The last keres I met was not as polite,” Lovelace lifted up a corner of her waistcoat and shirt to reveal fresh scars.

  “Did you try to kill her without provocation as well?” Cerise asked.

  “Not at all. She was one of the Darkness and she was killing hunters in London. She got through five before I stopped her.”

  “Sounds like she was a bitch and had it coming,” replied Cerise with no remorse for the fate of another of her kind. “Does it hurt anywhere?”

  “Only my pride, dear lady,” admitted Lovelace. “I beg your pardon and forgiveness.”

  “You have it,” said Cerise. “If I had a penny for every time someone tried to kill me, I wouldn’t be so upset about my ruined top.”

  “Will you help me stand?” Lovelace asked with a charming smile. Isabelle shook her head at Lovelace’s audacity to first try to kill Cerise and then flirt with her. Cerise helped Lovelace back to her seat on the old recliner.

  “Harley, I’m going to need to borrow a shirt,” Cerise said and Harley hurried away.

  “Is this Barthélémy what the city needs?” Lovelace asked quietly as she watched her go.

  “She loves this city and wants to protect its people,” Isabelle replied.

  “I don’t think you need to concern yourself with not having enough allies, Isabelle. The ones that can come are coming, the rest are keeping Europe stable as much as is in their power.”

  “Who are ‘they’?” Cerise asked suspiciously. Lovelace reached into her breast pocket and tossed a scrap of cloth at Isabelle. She unfolded the red fabric to reveal a yellow and black firebird painted on it.

  “Holy fuck,” muttered Cerise.

  “Indeed, welcome to the resistance ladies,” Lovelace sighed.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Gap Toothed Hag

  Wind roared around Anya as she fell through the aurora and into Pohjola. The air was cold and she gasped at the sudden change. She stumbled out of the way, as Yvan appeared behind her.

  “You are going to kill me one day with your recklessness,” he said. Anya tried to laugh but the landscape around her seemed to suck it out of the air. The forest was similar to the one that they had left, birch, oak, fir and pine, but the vibrancy of colour had disappeared as if the brightness had been sapped out of it.

  “What a drag of a place,” Katya commented as she looked around. The sky above them was over cast and looked like at any moment it was going to dump water or snow onto them.

  “Just as thrilling as I remember,” Eldon commented. “We should move. This is Louhi’s realm and she’ll already know we are here.”

  “Aramis? What is it?” Anya asked. Their connection fluttered and she came to stand next to him.

  “I’m fine, only a little nauseous. It will pass quickly,” he assured.

  “This place feels sad,” Mychal muttered. “I’m with Eldon, we must get moving.” The flapping of wings had him reaching for his spear in the blink of an eye. A screech, like that of an eagle, echoed through the air above them.

  “I don’t think that’s a bird,” Anya said as the creature circled high above them. It was black, a flash of red on the underside of the body.

  “It isn’t a bird. It’s a shifter servant of Louhi’s. I told you she would know as soon as we came through.”

  “They feel wrong. Not like demons, but close,” Mychal watched it circle and slowly moved to place Aleksandra behind him.

  They followed the road, keeping under the cover of the trees but the shifter didn’t seem inclined to swoop, only to watch their progress. Aramis stayed close to Anya, the nausea less when they were together. One day they would have a chance to explore the implications of their bond, but for the time being, Anya had shelved it in her mind.

  “Why don’t they do something?” Izrayl said as they screeched again.

  “They’re there for intimidation,” Eldon Blaise replied, “and are acting as Louhi’s eyes. If she thought that we were a malicious presence, she would have sent something more impressive.”

  “Like hiiisi?” Anya whispered.

  “Yes, exactly like…damn it,” Eldon cursed. Standing in front of them, almost completely blended in the rocks were three hiiisi trolls. “Good afternoon! We are here to seek an audience with the Mistress of Northland.”

  Anya stood still in fear and shock. Eikki had threatened her when she was a child that a hiiisi would come and eat her if she didn’t do her chores. Her imagination had never thought of what stood before her. They were humanoid but made of rock and ice with eyes that were black with a white pupil. They carried black spears tipped with flint blades and bound with strips of leather.

  “You follow,” the tallest one demanded, a voice like rocks smashing together underwater.

  “Of course,” Eldon Blaise’s charming smile was lost on them as they shuffled off down the path. The leader waited to walk behind the group and they herded them closer together. A growl reverberated through Izrayl, but Katya thumped him in the chest, bringing it up short.

  “They are guards, not threats,” Aramis said.

  “Exactly! And while they are with us, nothing else will be attempt to attack. This is a good thing,” Eldon said.

  “You’re a shit liar,” Anya whispered.

  “I’m an excellent liar. She wants to talk to you, Anya. Otherwise, we’d be dead right now. Louhi doesn’t get visitors often and if she likes you, she can be quite the hostess. She brews extraordinary beer.”

  “Is that why you were drunk enough to bed her?” Izrayl teased.

  “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you we’ve never shared a bed. She’s angry at me for other reasons.”

  “Sure.”

  “Easy, shalosť, I don’t think they are here to hurt us,” Yvan said as Anya gripped onto his arm.

  “You weren’t the one traumatised by hiiisi when you were a child. Eikki loved to bring them up and Grýla at bedtime. She was Icelandic and he still threatened she would steal me away and cook me up if I didn’t go to sleep.”

  “I wonder if her and Baba Yaga exchange recipes,” said Katya.

  “That’s not funny, Yakaterina,” Aleksandra reprimanded.

  “It’s kind of funny,” Izrayl murmured as he and Katya grinned at each other.

  “I’m glad you two can joke about it. You haven’t seen her house made of the bones of her victims,” Anya screwed her face up at the memory.

  “Hey, Katya, it’s a bone shack,” Izrayl snorted with laughter.

  The hiiisi trolls pulled out glowing stones as darkness fell. They gave off an eerie half-light that only succeeded in creating more shadows. Anya had been nervous in Tuonela but Pohjola set her nerves on edge. She wanted a fire to warm up to, something bright.

  Do not worry, Anya, the firebird brushed her mind unexpectedly. We won’t let the darkness take you. If Louhi tries to betray us, I will burn her like the last time she crossed me.

  You were the one that helped Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen?

  Of course. How do you think I met Tapio?

  “It would be wise not to men
tion the firebird to Louhi,” Eldon said softly behind her. Anya turned her head sharply to stare at him but his eyes were calm and golden, showing no signs that he had been eavesdropping on their telepathic conversation.

  “Oh, Anya, I’m not that good,” he smiled, “but I know it would be something that you are thinking about.”

  “But…” Anya wanted to point out she hadn’t said anything. So he could hear them after all.

  “Great.”

  Eldon simply smiled at her charmingly, “Look at that, Anya, lights ahead. We must be getting close.”

  Pohjola was positioned on a high ridge where Louhi could look down on the valley and the forest below. Much like her father’s, the great hall of Pohjola was built from timber and painted black. Torches had been lit to mark their way to the hall where more hiiisi stood on guard. The flying shifter sat on a large wrought iron perch.

  “She reminds me of the gamayun from Skazki,” Yvan whispered. She had long black feathery wings instead of arms, her toes curling out into long black claws and everywhere small black feathers sprouted from her skin. Her stomach and small high breasts were covered in a soft red down, her glossy black and red hair falling in curling waves. She watched them coolly until her golden eyes rested on Yvan. A spark of interest went through her gaze and her feathers preened slightly.

  “Don’t, Anya,” Aramis whispered and gripped the back of her coat.

  “She looks like one of the crow slaves Völunder was making,” Katya shuddered.

  “Move,” the hiiisi guard commanded, waving his spear at them until they were inside the hall. It closed the heavy doors behind them with a slam of finality. Torches hung in iron sconces along the walls and pillars, the fire pit in the centre of the hall reduced to a fading glow.

  “Who dares enter my lands at so late an hour without an invitation?” Louhi sat on a great black throne piled high with arctic fox furs.

  The form Louhi wore was that of a sensually curved woman in her late thirties. She wore a simple low cut dress made of finely woven wool of white, pale blue and lilac. An elaborately pressed black leather corset held her waist in a bold contrast. Around her pale neck hung a magnificent silver necklace set with amethysts and onyx. Her long silvery white hair was pulled back in an elaborate braid, her lilac eyes stared down at them waiting for an answer.

  Anya swallowed. She had expected a hag. Louhi was frighteningly beautiful even if it was a glamour.

  “I’m Anyanka and I was sent by your father, Tuoni,” she stepped forward, feeling much diminished under the Mistress of Northland’s overwhelming stare.

  “Anyanka,” Louhi sneered. “So you are Ruski bitch that has spurned the Lord of the Dead. Tuoni’s mind must be going as soft as his manhood to think a weak, scared little child like you could be a suitable consort.”

  “I did not spurn Tuoni. I refused to be a bargaining chip in Baba Yaga’s game. Any pain or disappointment Tuoni is feeling is of his own making, not mine.”

  “You threatened him.”

  “Only after he threatened me.” Anya felt Louhi’s power running over her skin like pin pricks, searching out shields and defences.

  “What is it about you that begs for death, Anyanka? You attracted Tuoni and you chose a Thanatos as a lover. But a slave wouldn’t say no to its mistress, would he? Oh? You didn’t consider that? Why you must be as terrible at being a Shamanitsa as they all say if you haven’t figured that out. Ilya indebted that creature to his family and it made sure it serviced all of its masters in any way that it needed. It’s terribly hard to find such a good slave, what a shame Yanka killed him. I could’ve used one like that.”

  “What is your point?” Anya asked through clenched teeth. She would not give Louhi the satisfaction of crying in front of her.

  “You aren’t even going to deny it? You’re so terribly dull, child. What is it that you seek that my father would offer my help and hospitality? That you would risk your companions lives to…Eldon Blaise!” Louhi choked as he moved out from behind Izrayl. “How…dare-”

  “It is good to see you, glorious Queen of the North,” Eldon bowed deeply as she fought to contain her surprise and anger.

  “And where have you been hiding for the last century?” she demanded.

  “In a safe place. Did you go looking for me?”

  “I have no need to seek out those who insulted me.”

  “Anya hasn’t insulted you, so why not show her how magnificent and hospitable the Enchantress of Northland can be? I’ve been telling her the most wondrous tales of you, Lulu, and now you are making me look like a liar.”

  “Don’t you dare call me that name! What are these stories you have been telling her, Bard?”

  “Only the truthful kind, Louhi,” Eldon claimed as he approached the dais. “The ones about your beauty, devastating as a winter storm and the magic that is the envy of all the Powers in Europa. The tales of your mighty hall filled with merriment, music, and the finest beer brewed in both of the worlds.”

  “You always had such a pretty way with words,” Louhi said, the edges shaven off her tone, the faintest colour tinting her pale chest. “It’s a shame you refused to be my ally and yet here you are, out of retirement with this half breed Ruski whelp.”

  “Anya has great potential and she’s going to rid us of Baba Yaga and Yanka. I had to be there to see it. You know what damage they’ve caused over the years. It will be justice.”

  “Those stupid quarrelling Russian whores are not my concern. Potential! Ha! Anyanka cannot even see that the Álfr she travels with is suffering every minute that he’s in Pohjola.” Louhi got to her feet and walked down the stairs to stand in front of Aramis. “You are a creature of light and you have no place being here.”

  “My place is with my sister. I’m exactly where I need to be,” Aramis said. “Besides, I am happy for the sacrifice if only for this chance to gaze upon the infamous Louhi. The story tellers have failed to capture you, my lady.”

  “The Light Ones do have nice manners. It’s a pity the last one I met did not and I had to pull the light from him. If you cross me the same fate awaits you.” Aramis’s body tightened in anger but he nodded his head in agreement. “Fret not, you aren’t the one I’m concerned with. You, what is your name?” Her finger pointed accusingly.

  “Mychal.” His spear was resting easily in his right hand.

  “You’re a curiosity,” Louhi studied him slowly, “I can feel the darkness surrounding you like a thick cloak, but underneath it you are…” Louhi raised her hand and black shadows flowed from it. Mychal pushed Aleksandra out of the way as the shadows circled and wrapped around him. Mychal’s eyes flickered with a golden sheen and Anya instinctively took a step backwards.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to stop what you’re doing,” Mychal said as he stretched up to his full height.

  “Reveal yourself, creature!” Louhi screeched.

  Light started to flow out of Mychal and Louhi’s shadows burned up like paper. But the light increased brighter and hotter until Anya was on the ground covering her face, Yvan shielding her as Louhi shrieked.

  “Enough!” Eldon commanded, his voice booming like thunder. The light disappeared and Anya risked looking up. Mychal was still standing, his face shining with fury.

  “Mychal,” Aleksandra spoke gently. His eyes fixed on her and away from Louhi. They changed from anger to confusion. He knelt down beside her and held her tight.

  “Get out,” Louhi growled as she tried to sit up. Blood was dripping from her nose and ears.

  “You shouldn’t have pushed him,” Eldon said as he helped her up.

  “How dare you bring his kind into Pohjola, Blaise,” she hissed. Louhi was angry but anyone could see her fear of Mychal was greater.

  “One night, Louhi, that is all I ask,” Eldon held out his handkerchief for her and she took it to stop the blood dripping down her neck.

  “And what will I get in return for this? You didn’t help me last time.”

&nbs
p; “I didn’t help you because you sided with Morgan against me. If you give me a roof and answer one of Anya’s questions, then our old debts and betrayals will be wiped clean.”

  “I’ll answer a question for you, not for her. She’s brought dishonour to my father and dishonour to me by bringing these creatures into my lands. Ask your question, Blaise.”

  “Where is Kullervo’s sword? Now don’t get angry again. We need it to stop Yanka.”

  “Then you might as well throw yourself into the Lake of Tuonela because the sword is gone,” Louhi replied testily. “It hasn’t been seen since Kullervo had it.”

  “But wouldn’t he have been buried with it?” Anya asked. “Do you know where his grave is?”

  Louhi laughed and it was as tinkling and deadly as a dropped bag of razor blades. “Don’t you think I’ve looked? I’ve searched everywhere for that sword. Ukko has reclaimed it, if the sword was still in Karelia or in any of the realms, I would’ve found it. You wasted your time coming here.”

  “I don’t know about that. My heart feels lighter knowing that we are friends again,” Eldon said brightly.

  Louhi patted his cheek, “Oh, Blaise, we were never friends. I’m retiring for the evening. A servant will show you to your room shortly. My warning to you all, do not wander about my halls unescorted, and be gone before I wake or I’ll slaughter the lot of you.” She spared Eldon one last glance before she strode from the hall, the heavy door slamming behind her.

  “Well that could’ve gone worse,” Eldon said once they were alone in their rooms. Anya gave him a dubious look.

  They had been housed in one large room with goose feather mattresses and heavy woven blankets. Servants brought trays of fresh black bread, cheese and a jug of beer. There was no fireplace but metal braziers had been filled with coals to keep it warm.

  Anya sat huddled in her coat on the far side of a mattress, her knees tucked up to her chest. She hated Pohjola and Louhi’s sneering remarks. Aramis sat down beside her, looking drawn. Anya let her shields down low enough to let her power trickle out and touch his, feeding him some of her strength.