Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
He lifts a shoulder and gives him a fleeting smile. “You’re the God of Death. I’m sure you could arrange something. We can bring more than a few people through the portal. Perhaps make a bargain with them. You seem to like bargains. Promise them immortality, and if you can’t do that, at least guarantee their return.”
“No,” Tuoni says. “That wouldn’t work.”
I twist in my seat to look at him. “Why not?”
He raises his brows at me, a gleam in his eyes. “Oh, so now you’re no longer the morality police?”
“What does that mean?”
“You think I should use the powers that be to command mortals into Tuonela to fight in an army they’ll most certainly die for?”
I let out a huff of air through my nose. “Look, this is war. Tough decisions have to be made.”
He grins at me, both carnal and sinister, and it sends a shiver down my spine. “You’re talking like a queen again, a ruthless one. You know how much I like that.”
He deliberately runs his hand over his crotch, and I give my head a violent shake.
Not here, I say, pleading with my eyes. Not with my dad in the car.
But he just stares at me with all that molten heat, that cunning curve of his lips.
My father clears his throat. “I suppose there isn’t time to find an army either way. That would take a lot of time and effort, and we need to get to the portal as quickly as we can.”
I give Tuoni one last warning look and then turn around in my seat. “You’re right. There’s no time.” I glance at my father. “And like you said, we may have dangers on this side.”
“So tell me again, Torben,” Tuoni says. “How did these Shamans try and kill you, and how do you know they’re still trying to kill you?”
“I don’t know if they still are, but I don’t want to take that chance,” he explains. “As I told you last night, I don’t remember much. I don’t remember when I left Tuonela. Suddenly, I was back at my cabin by the resort, waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of the door opening. It felt like I’d been asleep for days, weeks. I didn’t really know where in time it was. By the time I was on my feet, Noora and Eero attacked me.”
“With weapons or with magic?” Tuoni asks.
“Noora had a knife,” he says, his knuckles going white as he grips the wheel. “But Eero had magic. It doesn’t matter, though. They didn’t get far. My own magic was far more powerful. Of course, now I know why. Though my memories of going into Tuonela for magic or to prolong my life were gone, the magic I had gleaned over the years was still in me, and it came in handy right when I needed it.” He sighs. “I didn’t kill them, though perhaps I should have. I merely stunned them enough for me to leave. All my instincts told me to get the hell away from them; perhaps it was you guiding me in some way, Hanna. I knew I had to go into hiding. I used a spell to cloak myself, found my father’s old cabin, and watched the fallout in secret. The only person I talked to was Osmo, since he owns the cabin.”
“So even my mother, the mortal one, didn’t know what happened to you?” I ask.
“No,” he says. “And therefore, she doesn’t know what happened to you. Have you contacted her yet?”
I shake my head, my lips pressed hard together, trying to ignore the guilt.
“You probably should,” he says. “Just to let her know you’re alive.”
“It will only raise more questions. It will only make her worry more,” I say.
“Believe me, sweetie, your mother is worrying every day of her life. She is in hell with no escape. I know you had a complicated relationship, perhaps even more complicated than ours, but you are still the daughter she raised. Send her an email if that’s all you can do, but make sure you do it. She deserves some sort of peace, even if she doesn’t believe it.”
Fuck. I know he’s right. I should probably do it right now, though I’ll be afraid of the reply. Maybe I’ll send it just before we go into the portal; that way, I don’t have to worry about it afterwards.
“Must be strange, missing a year of your life,” my father comments after a moment. “I’d say the same happened to me, but I was here living it. I just didn’t really know it.”
“It’s been a real trip, that’s for sure,” I admit with a sigh. “In some ways, I haven’t really missed anything. The world still looks the same. Same two-faced people still in power. Same atrocities being committed. Same war. Same ignorance. Same late-stage capitalism slowly killing people.”