by J. L. Murray
Hati was standing now, weaving slightly, but standing. He was uglier than he had been. Loki felt nothing for the death of Skoll. He knew he should feel something for family, but they weren't really family. They were useful abominations.
“I have one more task for you,” said Loki. He looked back at Eleni. “One more task and you may return to the North. Do you understand?”
Hati nodded slowly, the motion making him flinch.
Loki leaned toward him and whispered in his ear. Then he used every last ounce of energy to change his body. The cracking and reordering of bones was nothing compared to what he had just done. The pain of shifting was almost like a warm caress compared to the torturous power that had been given to him. He gripped the flask in his talons and with a flap of wings he was soaring in the air, toward home. At last.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eleni slept. She didn't know how long. She dreamed of a handsome, thin man with hair the color of the stars who opened his ribcage like two doors and took out his still-beating heart. “It's yours,” the man said. Just as she took the heart and was raising it to her lips, her teeth puncturing the warmth, the taste of blood in her mouth, she woke with a start.
There were ravens everywhere. They stared at her with their odd, fishy eyes. Eleni recognized them as Magda's ravens. The ravens had surprised her so much that it took a moment before she realized that she was no longer outside by the riverbank. She was in a cot, inside a house. A familiar house. She was in her village. She looked over to see Fin lying on another cot. He was sleeping, his arms and chest bandaged. There was a poultice on one side of his face. Guilt burned in her stomach and bile rose in her throat. She had done this to him. She suddenly felt as though she might be sick, but the hollow weakness she felt told her that she had no food in her body.
She stood up shakily. She wasn't wearing anything under her quilt, so she wrapped it around herself. The raven closest to her bobbed its head left and right at her. She took a step, but the raven hopped in front of her. “Caw!” it screeched at her, making her jump. She sidestepped the raven and another one jumped in her path. Caw! it screamed. In moments every single one of the ravens were shrieking at her, advancing toward her. The noise was piercing in the small room. Eleni covered her ears with her hands, trying to hold the quilt in place under her arms.
The door swung open and Magda walked in. But it wasn't the same Magda Eleni knew. This Magda, though still a crone, was straight-backed. Her good eye was no longer cloudy and the hands at her sides clenched and unclenched with no sign of gnarled fingers.
“Silence,” Magda said quietly. The room was instantly, eerily quiet. The birds closed their beaks and resorted back to staring at Eleni. “I wasn't sure you'd make it, child.”
“I feel fine,” Eleni lied. Her eyes darted to Fin.
“He'll heal. Don't worry,” Magda said. She walked the few steps across the cottage and picked up a bundle from atop a small table. “Iren sent these for you,” she said, handing it to Eleni.
“Iren?” said Eleni. “Iren is here?” She unraveled the bundle to find a dress; red with orange flames sewn into the hem. It reminded Eleni of the robe of the man she and Fin had met in the forest. Cotiso. She wondered if his people had caused her surge of power in the forest. Eleni pulled the dress over her head. There were slits on either side to make for easy movement.
“They're all here,” said Magda gravely. “All the women. We lost one of the old men, and another stayed behind rather than set out with a bunch of women.” There was acid in Magda's tone. “So we have one old man that keeps ordering the girls to undress. They've been putting sleeping herbs in his tea.”
“Magda,” said Eleni, putting a hand on her arm. “In the forest, I...”
Magda frowned. “Let's get some food in you first, girl. Then you can tell me all about it.” Eleni nodded weakly.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Three days. As far as I can tell, anyway. It's not so easy to tell anymore. You must be famished.”
They stepped out of the hut to a confusing sight. There were women everywhere. There was a crowd building a makeshift house over the blackened earth. The frame was tall and long, as if for a great deal of people rather than just a small family. They had their skirts hiked up and tucked into woven leggings as they worked. There was a large fire in the center of town where several women were fixing food, one chopping meat, another stirring the great iron pot over the fire, and another adding wood to the flames. Two women walked by, staring at Eleni, with falxes on their backs. Eleni watched them heading to the ladder that led to the lookout perch at the top of the wall. A dejected group sat with a group of children just out of the glow of the fire, glowering at everyone moving around them. But the most confusing thing of all wasn't the women. It was that it was nighttime.
“Why is everyone out here in the middle of the night?” said Eleni, as she dodged a small child that ran across her path laughing.
“It isn't night,” said Magda slowly.
“Of course it is,” said Eleni. “Just look around.”
“No,” said Magda with a sigh. “The sun has not risen since you left the encampment.”
“Oh,” said Eleni. She looked up at the sky. The stars shone, but she couldn't see the moon.
“Come,” said Magda, taking her arm gently. Eleni felt she was walking through a dream. This couldn't be real. Perhaps the gray nightmare god was playing tricks on her. Magda led her to the fire and one of the girls filled an iron bowl with a hot stew from the pot. Eleni raised it to her lips. She ate hungrily, barely tasting the thick, meaty soup. The girl refilled her bowl when she emptied it, smiling shyly. Eleni ate three bowls of stew before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She nodded at the girls tending to the fire and stealing looks at Eleni out of the corners of their eyes. Eleni turned away from them.
A figure was descending the ladder that led up the iron wall. A thick dark braid swayed as she moved down to the ground. She had a bow slung over her shoulder. She was wearing a man's trousers. She turned round and her eyes widened when she saw Eleni.
“You're awake,” she said happily.
“Hello, Iren,” said Eleni.
“The women listen to Iren,” Magda said in a low voice.
“Why?” said Eleni. The girl didn't look offended, she simply straightened proudly and smiled a small smile.
“Because without her, they would all be dead,” said Magda. Curious eyes were watching them. Eleni could feel them all around her. The hammering of construction had stopped, the sound of chopping ingredients had stopped. “Let us go somewhere private,” said Magda.
“This way,” said Iren, leading them toward one of the few cottages still standing. She opened the door and let Eleni and Magda pass. Eleni looked round. There was a small pile of falxes on one side of the room, and several bows leaned up against the wall. There was an old cot littered with hundreds of newly-made, crude arrows. They sat around an old table in the center of the room.
“I'm teaching some of the women how to shoot,” said Iren when she saw Eleni staring at the arrows. Eleni looked at her and nodded woodenly.
“That's good,” she said. “It will help them survive.”
“Iren,” said Magda. “Would you go have the girls make Eleni some tea? I think it would help her greatly.” Iren nodded, looking disappointed, but went out the door quietly. Magda was staring at Eleni with her good eye. A glow came from under the collar of Magda's dress. Eleni realized she was still wearing the necklace. She looked away from the old woman.
“Tell me,” Magda said at last, her tone demanding. “Please,” she said more gently. “What happened, child?”
“He got away,” said Eleni. Her voice didn't sound like her own. It sounded like it came from far away. “It was Loki. He turned into a falcon and flew away. I couldn't stop him. I wasn't strong enough.”
Magda laid a cool hand over her own. “Eleni, what happened to the gods? To the Reivers? We couldn't find thei
r bodies.”
“There were no bodies,” said Eleni softly. “I don't understand what happened. It couldn't have been real. The wolf...Daja...” Eleni put a hand over her mouth.
“Daja?” said Magda. “Daja the sun goddess? She was there? I have never even seen her.”
“She has always been here,” said Eleni. She could feel her eyes filling with tears. She felt weak and ashamed for crying, but she couldn't stop it. “Daja was the wolf.”
“The wolf? Of course. The wolf,” said Magda.
“She was my friend,” said Eleni. “My only friend. She took care of me as a child. And he just killed her. I didn't care that she was a god. Or whatever she was. She glowed so brightly.”
“Eleni,” said Magda. “Daja is the goddess of the sun. If Loki killed her, then he killed the sun. How did he do it?”
“He had a strange knife. I think it was made of bone. Is that possible?”
Magda was staring at her, shocked. “There is only one thing that could have killed Daja like that. The bones of her former body. But Loki couldn't have had them.”
“Why?” said Eleni.
“Because they are in the Underworld,” said Magda.
“I don't understand what that means,” said Eleni. “Did Loki go to the Underworld to find them?”
“Or someone gave them to him,” said Magda. She suddenly looked like her older, frailer self. They were silent for a long time. “Eleni, why did you say there were no bodies? What happened?”
“Loki. It looked like he opened his chest, and then there was a bright light and the ground cracked open.”
“He opened a chest?”
“No,” said Eleni. She met Magda's eyes. She was suddenly desperate to make her understand. “He opened up his own chest. His ribs spread apart and opened to reveal his organs. I could see his heart beating. And he screamed, he screamed so loudly. And when he stopped screaming, I could hear others screaming.”
“Others?” said Magda. “The gods? The Reivers?”
“No,” said Eleni. “They didn't have time to scream. The screaming came from the crack in the earth, from deep underground, as if there were hundreds of people beneath the earth. And then it just closed up. And after the Reivers were gone, he did it again to the gods. And then everyone was just gone. It was as if they were never there. And I couldn't stop him. I could barely move.”
“What happened to you?”
Eleni shook her head, bitterness filling her mouth. “I had this power. I didn't want to let it go. Fin said it was from mortals.”
“Your worshipers,” said Magda.
“Yes,” said Eleni. “That's what he said. But it was too strong. The wolf-man jumped and I let go. I told Fin to run, and he must have, but I didn't touch Loki. I only killed one of them. I injured the other one, but he walked away after Loki flew. I failed. Everything you wanted me to do, I failed.”
“We will find him, child,” said Magda. “You cannot blame yourself. It was a trap. The only thing we have to do is find my sisters. Understood?” Eleni nodded, looking down at her hands. Magda frowned. “Eleni, why did he let you live?”
“What?”
“You and Fin. Why did he spare you?”
“He was...strange. He kept saying he was sorry, that he had to.” Eleni's voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “He...” She looked up at Magda. “I don't know why, but he seemed to like me, even when I wanted to kill him. He told me I was beautiful. He wanted me to come with him, to be his...I don't know what. He was so sad.”
Magda was quiet for a long moment. “And Fin?” she said. “Why didn't he kill Alaunus?”
“I don't know,” said Eleni. “I laid on top of him when I found him injured. Loki didn't seem interested in killing him. He said he was being generous.”
“Perhaps he was more interested in not hurting you than he was in killing Fin,” said Magda.
“What does it mean?” said Eleni.
Magda looked at her, frowning. “Do you really not know?” Magda sighed. “Loki appears to find himself in love with you. Or at least, as much as he is able to love.”
There was a great clanging outside, muffled through the door. “Perhaps they are trying to pound out that gate again,” said Magda.
The sound came again and the door was thrown open. Iren stood there panting and looking at Eleni with wide eyes.
“What is it, Iren?” said Magda.
She shook her head. “The gate,” she said. “He's here.”
“Who's here?” said Eleni.
“Perun,” said Iren. “The lightning god is at the gate.”
He had pushed his way in through the gate that the Reivers had damaged. Women surrounded him, nervously holding hooked falx blades and thrusting them awkwardly at the unfazed god. Perun walked through them like they weren't even there and moved purposefully toward Eleni. He was immense in size, towering over the women and moving like a man that was used to getting what he wanted. His long white hair flowed behind him in the winter wind and his bushy beard hid his lower face, the only part visible was a full lower lip. His cheeks were pink and youthful-looking.
Iren stepped in front of Eleni, an arrow notched in her bow. “Don't come closer,” she said, pulling the taut string back.
Perun scowled at her. “Begone, gnat,” he said. “Or I'll send a bolt of lightning right through those pretty eyes. I didn't come to kill Zaric.”
Magda put a hand on Iren's arm and pulled her gently out of the way. “Why did you come?” she said. Eleni couldn't take her eyes from the man. Images flashed through her head. Perun's face smiling; Perun kneeling over a freshly-killed Kupalo, her brother; Perun angry with reddened face. And then the way he had killed her. His chest had opened up. Eleni's eyes widened at the memory. His chest had opened and he had screamed and then she had imploded. She had burned. Eleni took a step back.
Perun looked away. Magda looked at her, one sharp eye boring into her, bright even in the darkness. “What is it?” she demanded.
“Just like Loki,” said Eleni.
“What?” said Magda.
“That was how Perun killed me. He opened his chest, just like Loki did in the forest. It's why Loki didn't use that power on Daja. It would have destroyed everything before Ragnarok.”
Magda turned to Perun. She walked up to him and stared up at him. “You are here because you are terrified. All the gods are dead. Except you and Eleni.”
“Who?” he said.
“I am the goddess of fire,” said Eleni. “You killed me.”
“You look a little different,” Perun said, half of a smile on his face. “I'm sorry. I was deluded.” He frowned, becoming serious. “I honestly am sorry for the things I have done. I have come to atone.”
“You helped Loki,” said Eleni. “It started with you. I've seen it with my own eyes. Before we even knew of the god-eaters. It was you.”
“Loki is a lunatic,” said Perun scornfully. “I want nothing to do with him.”
“Lunatics often are far more truthful than certain others,” said Magda. “Eleni has worshipers now. She could easily kill you. Why should we let you live?”
“I'm the only family she has left,” Perun said. “Does that count for anything?”
“No,” said Magda.
Perun sneered at her. “Really, Crone? Because if you kill me, you will never know where to find your maiden sister.”
Magda was silent. Shock showed on her face, an expression Eleni had not seen before. “You know where Danai is?” she whispered.
“My safety in exchange for your sister,” said Perun. “You and the new Zaric, you'll keep me safe. And in return I'll tell you where she is.”
“Is she close?” said Magda.
Perun smiled. “Very.”
“Tell me,” said Magda. “Tell me!”
“Your word,” said Perun. He smiled at Eleni. “And yours, dear sister.”
“No,” said Eleni. She stepped toward him. “You are worse than Loki. It's all your fault. E
very single god, every single mortal. These women lost their husbands because of you. Their deaths are on your hands. My death, the fire. Why didn't you come to Magda before if you knew where Danai was?”
“Because I didn't need anything then,” said Perun.
“You are filth,” Eleni growled. She clenched her fists and felt the fire coursing through her.
“Wait,” Magda said, her voice low, squinting at Perun in the dark. Eleni stopped and looked at Magda, her teeth clenched.
“Magda, no,” Eleni said. “We'll find her on our own. She visited me in my dreams, she'll come again.”
“We don't have time,” said Magda, not taking her eyes from Perun. “To stop Loki I need my sisters. I've been looking for 25 winters. I don't have time to look any more. I don't have the will.” Magda glanced at Eleni. “Please, child. Agree to your brother's terms. ”
Eleni narrowed her eyes at Perun. His own hands had clenched and bright veins of electricity was coursing through his fists. “If we agree,” Eleni said, the words like bile in her mouth, “you will tell us everything.”
“Agreed,” said Perun happily. “But first, I would like very much to sleep. Is there somewhere I can lay my head? I haven't slept in days.”
“My sister,” Magda said, her voice low and taut. “Tell me now.”
“Gladly,” said Perun. “I imprisoned her in that necklace you're wearing. My bed?”
“The necklace?” said Eleni looking at the glowing orb around Magda's neck. The old woman reached up to touch it tentatively. “My mother gave me that necklace.”
Perun smiled. “Yes,” he said. “It was quite ingenious. Anja paid me well for a charm that could mask her from her sisters and from the gods. I gave her the necklace. I had imprisoned Danai in it only days earlier. You can't kill these damn Sudices, so I got creative.” He laughed. “She wore her own sister around her neck and didn't think twice about it. Of course, had I known she wanted it to protect you instead of saving her own skin, I would never have given it to her. It's funny, really. My life these long years has been hunting you down. My own brother. My downfall. And it was my own act that kept you hidden from me.” Perun was glaring at Eleni with a hard glint, and after a moment lightning flashed in his eyes, all the brighter in the permanent nighttime that had dawned on them.