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)
“That’s the only way we’ll be able to survive this and get to Hanna. You don’t want to give up on your daughter, do you?”
“Of course not, but what can we do?”
“We take care of the first problem at hand before we take on the second one and then the third. First, let’s see if we can make our way back to the surface. We don’t know if the whole tunnel collapsed or just here, where it counted. Then, I dismember the Shamans, and then, we get back to Tuonela and Hanna.”
He stares at me, clearly not believing anything I’m saying.
“I am a god, Torben,” I remind him. “I have advantages mortals don’t, and I don’t give up easily. Now, come on.”
I turn around and start digging my way through the dirt and rocks that come up to my waist, trying to clear a path for Torben to follow through. It’s slow going, with some boulders hard to squeeze past, but eventually, we make our way out of the rubble and back into the regular tunnel.
“From now on, we’ll be as quiet as possible,” I tell him in a hush, brushing the excess dirt from my body. I reach down and pull out the knife from my boot, the very one I used to stab Noora’s eyes out. If we’re correct in thinking no one can die while I’m here, then we’re about to get a very unpleasant surprise once we make it to the surface.
Soon, light starts to faintly glow at the end of the tunnel, and we’re below the rocks that lead out of the fissure. I can see a slice of the northern lights still dancing in the far away sky.
Then, I see a silhouette of a head.
Hear a gurgling cry.
Feel sticky wet liquid drop on my face.
Her endless blood.
“They’re waiting for us,” I mutter to Torben. “Stay behind until I give you the all clear, or until I think your magic might come in handy.”
I take a deep breath, stick my knife in my mouth, and quickly start climbing up the rocks.
Noora is already at me by the time I reach the surface, her hands grabbing my hair and trying to bash my head against the rocks. I push forward, the strength of a god no match for hers, and then burst out on the cave, throwing her off me.
She screams, blood spraying from her open throat as she does so. Eero tackles me from the side, as I predicted he might.
He doesn’t take me down, his strength from earlier thwarted slightly, perhaps from using all their magic to try and take down the portal, or because his head is hanging on by a thread. I swing him around, and he goes flying into the snow, though this time, he gets up much quicker.
I take my knife out of my mouth and wave it in front of them, wishing I had my sword for this.
“You really want to do this?” I ask them as Noora gets to her feet as well, walking blindly toward me. “Do you really want to live in the agony of a thousand pieces while you dream of death? You won’t be able to die until I return to my kingdom. Perhaps if you play nice with me and tell me where the next closest portal is, I can at least show you mercy, mercy that you most definitely won’t receive when you step into Inmost.”
Noora laughs, more blood spraying, and even though she can’t talk, I have a feeling I know what she’s laughing at. I have no doubt they were waiting in the tunnels in the event that we showed up, sent there by Louhi or one of her many minions. They know there is an uprising happening in Tuonela, and Louhi has probably promised them a seat at the table. They don’t fear death either way.
And therefore, I must show no mercy.
I go for Noora first, grab her by the hair and bend her neck back even more. I take the knife and start sawing through her flesh and muscle and bone as quickly as I can.
Meanwhile, Eero is running forward to stop me.
“Torben, you’re needed!” I yell toward the cave, keeping the knife working through the cartilage in her throat until I meet the bones of her vertebrae.
Out of my peripherals, I see Torben appear from the cave and start running toward Eero. He throws out his hands, and I see a green spark before Eero goes flying backward. I really need that man to show me his magic tricks.
I quickly finish up, severing Noora’s head before tossing it far away over the rocks, where it lands with a thump. Then, as her headless body squirms beneath mine, I quickly cut off her hands and then kick her in the side until she’s down.