Page 38 of Goddess of Light
“We cannot rely on Hanna’s return,” Tapio argues.
I give Tapio a sharp look. “We can and we must. Mark my word, she is coming back.”
After learning Hanna is on the sun with Päivätär, her mother, I have to admit, I’ve been more nervous than relieved. Her mother is a different breed of God. She and her sister, Kuutar, have always been distant and indifferent to our struggles, which is why what Vellamo told me was a surprise. I didn’t think Päivätär would care enough to give Hanna her powers, but I suppose she must have some stake in our world after all.
Still, I don’t know the Sun Goddess like I do the ones of this realm. I worry she might inadvertently hurt Hanna in some way, particularly with Hanna still being mostly mortal. I know she can handle anything thrown her way—she has proven that time and time again—and yet, I can’t imagine how she might feel in the realm of the sun, being so far away from everything she’s ever known.
Then again, she might be thriving, wielding her powers and testing out her golden wings. She never ceases to surprise me, my little bird.
“There are the trolls,” Tellervo suggests. “Vellamo was going to find them.”
“The Keskelli,” I muse. “Yes, I suppose they could be of help if they are still alive. I haven’t seen any in a very long time.”
“There are also my mermaids and the sea serpents,” Vellamo says.
“They will come in handy, especially around the waters of Shadow’s End,” I tell her.
“Speaking of Hanna, Päivätär and Kuutar might be of help,” Tapio says.
“I wouldn’t count on them. And even though Hanna will return, I wouldn’t count on her either,” I muse. “Oh, Hanna will fight by our side, but I don’t want to leave things to chance when it comes to any newfound power.”
“What about your sister?” Vellamo asks me.
“Ilmatar?” I say with a sigh. The Goddess of the Air is as flakey as her name. “Perhaps. We’ll see.”
“Auringotar?” Tapio asks.
“Another one who won’t bother with our realm.”
“Akka? Ukko?” suggests Lovia.
I let out a caustic snort. “My parents have pretended we don’t exist for a very long time. They’re off in some other dimension, most likely watching this like some reality TV show.”
“Reality TV show?” Tellervo repeats, confused.
“Then Vipunen,” Lovia suggests. “The giant is the one who practically raised you.”
I nod, running my hand over my beard. “Yes, I have thought about Vipunen many times. But he’s no better than the Magician over here when it comes to knowing how things will go and standing back and letting it happen.”
“I’m still here,” the Magician says quietly. “If I truly just let things happen, I wouldn’t have stopped you from killing Rasmus.”
“Then tell me, oh wise one,” I say bitterly. “Who are our allies? Can we depend on Vipunen?”
The Magician stares at me for a moment. The room hums with such silence that when Tellervo coughs, it sounds like a gunshot.
“We must try to find Vipunen,” he eventually says, “when the time is right.”
“And you’ll be the one to tell us, huh?” Torben says wryly.
“I will,” he says flatly. “But you’ll also know yourself.”
I shake my head, annoyed again. “Fine. So there are our allies. Are they, plus everyone here and a thousand troops, enough to fight against everything between the Star Swamp and Shadow’s End?”
Silence again.
Then, the Magician says, “It’s a start.”
“Oh, fuck off with that,” I tell him. I run my hands down my face and sigh. “All right. So we gather our allies when we can. Then, we must plan our attack. We head for Shadow’s End.”