Viktoria's Shadow: Jael

by Ysobella Black

  Antero shook his head and sat up in his grave, poking at the wounds in his face and stomach. They healed as she watched. He pretended to lift something to his mouth and leaned his head back.

  “You’re thirsty? I know just where to go.” Viktoria turned, looking for large shadows.

  “What are you doing? Can I he —”

  “No!” Viktoria whirled in horror. “I can do it.”

  The giant frowned. “I need to do something to repay your kindness.”

  “Vellamo sent me to find you. I’ll take you to her after I take Surma home and get you your drink. You can help her as repayment for what I’ve done.” She followed the pull of shadows to a boulder in the forest. That shadow would work.

  Tuonela, ever in night and lit by Soul Paths, didn’t offer many shadows. But her grandmother was probably in her brewery. There was always a fire there, and thus, shadows.

  A skeletal woman with long silvery hair sat with her back to a round wooden table full of half empty tankards, mugs and cups. Long sleeves of her grey robe pushed up over her elbows, she stirred a boiling cauldron.

  Viktoria made sure to keep her voice soft — in case of a hangover. “Hello, Grandmother. I hope you're feeling well.”

  Tuonetar straightened, and a genuine smile lit her face. “Shadow, my girl. You’re not giving up on your bargain already, are you? I bet quite a sum you wouldn’t fail.”

  “You did?” Hope, pride, and gratitude swelled in Viktoria’s heart at this unexpected vote of confidence.

  “Of course I did.” Grandmother examined the half empty tankards, chose one, and took a swig. “I know you’re behind that little rebellion, what with your sisters wearing bright colors and boots. Louhi has become complacent. She could do with some shaking up.” She slammed the mug on the tabletop, bouncing the rest of them. “So don’t tell me you’re giving up.”

  “No, I came to bring Surma home. He ate several of Vellamo’s cows. She's quite cross.”

  “I’ll tell you who's the cow. Like a bear shot in the ass, that woman.”

  “Grandmother!” Viktoria tried to sound scandalized, but grinned. “I’ve brought a guest. He needs a drink.” She reached for her magic and reshaped the shadow, enlarging it so Surma could bound out and the giant didn’t have to crawl. The dog sprinted out the door at Grandmother’s emphatic finger pointing.

  Antero ducked into the room and took a seat. “Tuonetar.”

  “Antero. You’ve looked better.” His injuries had healed more, leaving holes rather than gaping wounds.

  “That Väinämöinen stuck me with spears. He’s missing three words to a spell and demanded my help.”

  “Ha! He tried that here, too, and jumped into the river when he realized I was onto his tricks. We cast nets, but he turned into a snake and slipped through the mesh. Fitting. Wish we had caught that snake. I’d have ground him into my beer.” She sipped from another tankard. “We caught that bumbling hero Lemming instead. Why he was here and what he was doing in the river, I don’t know. The nets tore him to pieces! His mother is here now, searching for all his... parts. Such a noise that woman makes! She’s worse than Surma! All the wailing. She’ll wake everyone in the underworld.”

  Poor Lemming! Did Dream know? Väinämöinen caused trouble wherever he went, thinking he was entitled to whatever he wanted. I should have kicked him harder when I let him try to kidnap me. The vague sense of guilt nagging at her for using him evaporated. He deserved worse.

  Antero picked a mug and examined its contents. "I can't do anything about her noise, but Väinämöinen didn't get what he wanted from me, either. I gave him three words to a spell, but not the ones he wanted."

  Tuonetar cackled, dipped two cups into her cauldron, and held one out to the giant. Viktoria wasn’t offered a beverage. Maidens of Pohjola didn’t drink Beer of Oblivion. When he accepted the beer, she smacked their drinks together. “Kippis!”

  They drank.

  The giant peered into his mug. “You’ve changed something. Added newt instead of spiders?”

  “Excellent palate. That’s it exactly. I'm trying to find something to quiet that wailing woman.”

  Viktoria shifted in her seat, anxious to get the day over with. If she said she was in a hurry and they acted to accommodate her, would that be considered helping her? Probably.

  Surma barked, and a woman screamed, her voice rising to a high-pitched wail that made the poor dog whine. Maybe that’s why he ran off.

  Tuonetar groaned and gulped more of her drink. “That woman!”

  Jumping up, Viktoria rounded the table, scooped up a mug, and dipped it into the cauldron. “Let’s see if this works, shall we?” She slipped out the door before Grandmother could stop her.

  Outside, the Soul Paths overhead painted the desert sands in shades of green, and reflected off the inky black water of the winding river.

  A frail, elderly woman, wrinkled face creased in grief and fear, cowered in front of Surma. A pale kerchief covered the top of her head, but a tangled knot of grey hair spilled down the back of her white dress. Red-rimmed blue eyes, deep-set above dark circles, stared at Surma, who had her trapped with the dark river at her back.

  “It’s okay, Surma.” He relented, bounding to Viktoria.

  “Hello,” Viktoria called. “We won't hurt you. I brought you something to drink.”

  “No.” Lemminki's mother stopped wailing and held up her hands. “They want me to be quiet and forget, but I must find my son.” She stood and faced the river. “The water is too deep and fast. I can’t gather all of him before he’s swept away.”

  The water was deep. Too deep to search by reaching in from the shore. “You...you need a tool. Something long enough to reach the bottom of the river.”

  Hope brought life to the woman’s listless gaze. “Where can I get one?”

  Not here in Tuonela. Inspiration struck. “There’s a blacksmith who can make anything in Kalevala. His name is Ilmarinen.” Of course, before he’d finally created the Sampo, the man made several disastrous mistakes that had nearly destroyed Pohjola. Four times. But those could probably be chalked up to Rainbow. The smith wouldn’t have Viktoria’s sister to distract him in his homeland. “You should go to Kalevala and ask him to help you.”

  “Will he help me?”

  Viktoria nodded. “Tell him it will make Rainbow happy.” It would make Rainbow happy, because getting Lemmingki back would make Dream happy, and maybe make up for some of the hurt Ilmarinen and his vile brother Väinämöinen had caused. “He’ll help you. Then, when you return, you’ll be able to find all your —” Son’s parts sounded too grim. She cleared her throat. “Your son.”

  The woman flung herself at Viktoria and embraced her. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Viktoria held the woman at arm's length. “No more tears now. Surma will help you find your way out of Tuonela. Don’t be afraid. He’s really sweet.”

  She watched them depart and turned when clapping drew her attention. Grandmother and Antero stood at the entrance to the brewery.

  Tuonetar beamed a delighted grin and lifted her mug in a toast. “Well done, Shadow.” She slipped a flask from a pocket in her robe and handed it to Viktoria. “Take this.”

  At Viktoria’s shocked expression, Grandmother cackled again. “You’re growing up. You can handle a little strong drink. And you can help me with some market research in the human world.” She added an exaggerated wink. “Now take the giant and go. I have work to do now that there’s some peace and quiet around here.”

  Taking that as her cue to go, Viktoria folded shadows over herself and Antero, reached for wet, salty shadows to the north, and led the giant to the coast. The sea goddess waited atop the ocean, arms crossed, foot tapping, sending waves of agitation from her toe. “Finally! I was about to contact your mother.”

  “There are still hours left in the day!” Goddesses were changeable, though. Better to not waste time. Viktoria pointed at the boats full of statues. “Vellamo needs t
hose people returned to their flesh and blood selves.”

  “Hmmm.” Antero rubbed his chin as he stared at the problem.

  As Viktoria was about to fidget, the giant called out some words in a language Viktoria didn’t know. Her power didn’t need words. It was part of her, so she’d never learned the language of magic.

  The statues in the boats cracked, uneven fracture lines spreading like lightning through the stone. Pebbles, then stones, then larger chunks fell to the bottom of boats and into the sea, revealing flesh and cloth beneath.

  Confused voices shouted and swore as life returned. The fishermen sorted themselves out and departed.

  “If you don’t need anything, I’m going to find Väinämöinen.” Antero peered down at Viktoria. His friendly face iced over. “I have a few more magic words for him.”

  Viktoria shook her head. “I don’t need any help. Thank you.”

  The giant left, and she faced Vellamo. “The kelpies?”

  A wave of the goddess’ hand dispelled the whirlpool, and the kelpies trotted over the ocean to the beach.

  VIKTORIA BROUGHT THE kelpies to a halt and reached through the world of Shadow, feeling for her sisters as the crystalline, icy palace came into view. She hoped the short nap she’d taken to reach out to Dream worked. She wasn’t always the most reliable messenger, easily distracted as she was. A gust of relief burst from her when she felt all of her sisters standing in a different shadow. They were ready.

  But was she? There would be no going back from this. Kidnapping all her sisters drew a line in the sand, a direct challenge not to her mother, but to Louhi, Goddess of Witchcraft and Death. There would be consequences.

  Well, there was a reason Viktoria was her chosen name. She loved her shadows, but would no longer live in them.

  Now or never. “All aboard.”

  She coiled magic in herself, building it thicker and more potent until her skin felt too tight and shadows danced in her vision. Releasing her power in a burst, Viktoria sent it in twelve directions at once.

  Her sisters didn’t fight, unlike the last time she’d caught them in her magic. The night she made her bargain for freedom. One by one, twelve Maidens of Pohjola emerged from Shadow into the bottom of the boat.

  As soon as her final sister was aboard, Viktoria urged the kelpies into a gallop, rushing away from Mother’s domain.

  A wind picked up, blowing hard into the horses’ faces. They strained in their harnesses, but couldn’t make any headway. The entire boat slid backward over the surface of the sea.

  “She knows!” Weather clung to the side of the boat, hair whipping around her face. “Mother brought her winds.”

  Mother, in her gryphon form, howled as she circled above them. Ice formed on the ocean, starting at the shoreline and expanding towards them.

  They’d be caught before they even made it out of Pohjola!

  Viktoria peered over the side of the boat, but inky black water hid all shadows. Maybe the kelpies could dive to the bottom. Mother would probably call that helping, though. Did it matter? If Viktoria was captured, she’d lose her freedom anyway. About to call out, she held her tongue as a roar carried over the wind.

  Bheithir, blue and green scales rippling with shadow, flapped powerful wings. She fought against the wind and roared again.

  A whirlpool spun in the ocean before them. Now what?

  “Shift and get inside!” She couldn’t risk the kelpies. They changed into human form and scrambled aboard.

  Vellamo burst from the ebony depths in a froth of blue sea-foam to stand in the center of the whirlpool. “Your dragon ate one of my cows! I will not tolerate these beasts in my domain!”

  “I do not need this right now!” Viktoria watched the ice creep ever closer to the barge. It was going to be close.

  “You do not need this!” Vellamo screeched. Winds to counter Mother’s pulled the boat forward, away from the grip of the ice about to snare it.

  There! Buffeted by the opposing gales, the dragon angled her flight downward. As Bheithir’s shadow crossed out of the black water onto white ice, Viktoria seized it with her magic and drew it over their transport.

  “What are you doing, Shadow?” Dream squealed as she pushed sea-spray bedraggled hair out of her face.

  “Hold on!” Viktoria shouted over the wind. “We’re getting out of here.”

  Her sisters screamed and clutched at each other as the watercraft left the surface and flew.

  Viktoria struggled to keep the only shadow available stretched enough to

  “And good riddance!” Vellamo’s voice carried to them.

  The dragon turned southwest and flapped her wings, carrying them toward Loch Ness.

  VIKTORIA FACED LOUHI as she lounged on her throne. This was more serious than a girl about to be lectured by her mother. Louhi, half in her hag form, was here as Queen of Pohjola, Goddess of Witchcraft and Death, and Viktoria was here as a kidnapper of a Maiden of Pohjola — or, rather, all of them.

  They’d had two weeks of freedom in which Viktoria and the Amazon had done their best to teach everyone about the human world — jobs, money, self-defense, what independence meant. At first she’d thought Mother was being kind, letting them all stay away from Pohjola for so long. But, called out like this, maybe it was so Louhi could come up with a suitably vindictive punishment instead.

  “Who helped you, Shadow?” There was no hint of the indulgence Mother usually used when she spoke to her daughters. Her tone grew icicles from the chandelier.

  “No one.” Mouth dry, Viktoria stood straight and held her head high. “I planned and did everything myself. Surely your winds can tell you that. I know they spy on me.”

  Mother didn’t bother to deny it. She smirked. “The boat?”

  “Rented.”

  “Paid for with?”

  “Money I earned from my job.” Viktoria enjoyed tossing those words at her mother.

  That earned her an arched eyebrow. “The dragon picking up the boat and flying away? Either you wanted to go, meaning the dragon helped, or you didn’t, in which case you were kidnapped.”

  “The dragon didn’t pick us up. I stole her shadow, taking advantage of an opportunity. And anyway, it was an experiment to confirm her wings healed correctly. What better way to make sure the patches worked than to make sure she could fly?”

  Mother’s lips twitched. “The winds from Vellamo?”

  “Vellamo didn’t want a dragon hanging around her cows, especially after Surma ate some of them. The winds were to make the dragon leave faster, not to help me.”

  “It could be said whoever rented you the boat helped you.”

  Viktoria resisted the urge to fidget. Her jitters increased the longer this conversation went on. The more words she spoke, the higher the chance she’d make a mistake. “Except I didn’t tell anyone my plan. Each action was a business transaction. No one did anything to help me because they didn’t know what I was trying to do.”

  “Part of our deal was you could not return here, wasn’t it? Have you given up your quest for freedom?”

  “No, Mother.” Viktoria willed her heart to stop beating so wildly. Mother could hear that, especially in her hag form. “When you said I couldn’t return here, you... you didn’t say Pohjola. I thought you meant I wasn’t welcome to the refuge of my bedroom, since that’s where we made our agreement.”

  An unnerving sparkle entered Mother's eyes, and she drummed clawed fingertips on the arm of her throne. “I see you’ve picked up some courage and a fledgling talent for word games. Let us be perfectly clear about what happens if you are not able to uphold your end of our agreement, so there is no ambiguity about that. Each man who wants one of my daughters must prove he’s worthy. Since you had the audacity to take all of my daughters, your test of worthiness affects all of them. Your fates are bound.” She fixed her unwavering eyes on Viktoria.

  Her heart beat even more wildly. She should have known Mother would find a way to regain the upper hand. This w
as going to be bad.

  “If you fall one day, one hour, one minute, one second, short of the one thousand and one years we agreed on, you forfeit not only your freedom, but that of your sisters. No additional chances for any of you. If you fail, Viktoria, all of you will live in Pohjola forever.”

  Stomach twisting, Viktoria’s vision greyed and her head swam as the blood in her veins froze. The heavy weight of responsibility settled on her mind and bowed her shoulders. She’d known Mother wouldn’t appreciate the power play, but hadn’t imagined the consequences would make her sisters suffer if she failed. Was the possibility of a relationship for all of them out of the question now? Did this caveat to the deal mean if her sisters found someone to love them, they had to wait until Viktoria won before they could be with him? If she lost, would Mother really make them all stay forever?

  Yes. She would. Mother always kept her word, either in spirit or letter, as she chose.

  Did any of that matter? No. This remained the only way for all the Maidens of Pohjola to gain their independence, and with the stakes raised, Mother would be looking harder than ever for the slightest mistake.

  Maybe she should have named herself Vigilance.

  If she said anything, odds were the situation would worsen. The men brought before Mother never knew when to leave well enough alone. She’d never out-word-game Mother. Rather than risking even more, Viktoria stood straight and inclined her head, remaining silent. More determined than ever, she folded Shadow for an escape to Hiort.

  No. Viktoria chose the correct name.

  She wouldn’t, she couldn’t, let anything stand in her way.

  CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

  JAEL

  TENTACLES REMAINED wrapped around an underwater camera on one of Karov’s screens when Jael walked into the Ninja’s territory. A giant, round eye peered into another, blinking every few seconds.

  A second screen showed multiple images. One, a video of a woman with striking burgundy hair moving around a bakery. Her tank top revealed tan skin inked with dark tribal tattoos — including an octopus on her left shoulder with waving tentacles down her arm. Seemed to be a theme.