Page 31 of Goddess of Light
The short sword in one hand and the pearl-crusted knife sticking between her cleavage is more than proof of that.
“Ahto is dead,” she says bluntly.
Yesterday, I would have said it was impossible to kill a God, but after seeing what happened to Tapio’s family, I know that’s no longer true.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her. Ahto was my uncle, and though I didn’t know him well, given his predisposition to the sea, I know my father had deep affection for him. This will certainly hurt.
Vellamo nods and eyes Tapio and Tellervo. “You have lost loved ones too.”
“Mielikki and Nyyrikki,” Tapio says, his voice breaking. “They were killed by the Old Gods.”
“The same for Ahto and so many of my kind,” Vellamo says with a deep sigh. “I am very sorry for your loss. Did you witness it?”
Tellervo shakes her head. “We came across them. Perhaps it was a blessing we didn’t see it happen. If we had, I can promise you, we would have killed them.”
“They aren’t easy to kill,” Vellamo says tiredly. “I had my sea serpents to aid me, and even then, we couldn’t save him. I’ve never felt so powerless before…”
She trails off and looks away, her eyes glistening. It’s hard to see such a stoic, powerful woman feel like this, another fellowGod I need to be strong for, and yet I feel like strength is being leached from me by the minute.
Then, she looks at me and holds my gaze for a moment, as if reminding me to be strong. I square my shoulders in response.
“Have you seen Hanna?” she asks.
I blink at her in surprise. “No. We don’t know where she is—or my father, for that matter.”
“Ah,” she says, slowly walking toward us. “Then I at least have some good news for you. Your father is stuck in the Upper World.”
“Still?” I exclaim. “That’s not good news.”
“Perhaps not, but he should be finding a way back with Torben any time now.”
I glance over at Rasmus, who visibly stiffens at the mention of his father.
“And Hanna was here,” Vellamo goes on. “My mermaids pulled her from a portal at the bottom of the sea. She made it through when the others didn’t.”
“So where is she?” Rasmus asks, looking around nervously.
“Päivätär took Hanna to the sun realm to claim her powers,” she says simply.
“She did what now?” I ask.
“The sun?” Rasmus says in disbelief. “What powers? Hanna is mortal.”
Vellamo glares at him, her gaze sharp enough to cut glass. “You,” she spits, her voice steel. “Your presence here insults me. Why are you even still alive?”
“We have our reasons,” I explain, though I still wonder what they are. “What do you mean,Hanna is on the sun? What powers?”
“Hanna is Päivätär’s daughter.”
“Who is Päivätär again?” Rasmus asks, bewildered.
“She’s the Goddess of the Sun,” Tapio says gruffly. “And it would do you good to keep your questions to yourself. My patience for your existence is running low.”
I can’t help but shake my head. “I thought…I thought her mother lived in, like, America somewhere. Some mortal. Her father is Torben the Shaman.”
“It’s a long story,” Vellamo says. “One that explains how this Salainen has come into play, how she took Hanna’s place at Shadow’s End. For now, though, all you need to know is that Hanna has divine heritage. She’s even seen her powers begin to take flight here. But she can’t become who she needs to be unless she goes to the sun to grow her powers from the source.”
“So that means she’s coming back,” I say, “with powers that might help us fight.” The Magician had already said as much—yet another time I wish he could have just come out and said what he knew. Cryptic bastard.