Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Up ahead, I spot a narrow crevice, just wide enough for someone to slip through. My heart—or whatever remains of it—tightens. A whisper curls through the air, faint and disjointed. I don’t catch the words, but I feel their weight and familiarity.
“Lovia!” I yell again.
I squeeze through the crevice, scraping my arms against the rough stone, but I feel no pain. I never do anymore. On the other side, the chamber opens up, dimly lit by veins of faint blue in the walls. My gaze lands on the ground first—a patch of disturbed dirt and moss, as if there was a struggle. Then I see it. A broken lantern and her sword.
Lovia never goes anywhere without her blade.
I rush forward and kneel, my fingers brushing the hilt. The whisper comes again, clearer this time.
Pick up the sword and try again.
My breath catches. The words are unmistakable. It’s what Vipunen used to say to me when I failed in training. I turn, searching the chamber for any sign of the giant, but it’s empty.
“Hanna!” Tuoni’s voice cuts through my thoughts. He appears in the crevice, his frame filling the narrow opening, his eyes scanning the room.
“She’s gone,” I say, holding up the sword as proof.
Tuoni strides forward, his movements sharp with urgency. He kneels beside me, his gloved hand brushing the dirt. His nostrils flare, and his face darkens.
“The air stinks of Louhi,” he growls.
Of course. Who else would be behind this? My stomach twists, a flicker of rage breaking through my detached calm.
Tuoni rises abruptly, moving toward the crevice. “I’ll follow her,” he says, his voice low and dangerous.
“No,” I say, standing and blocking his path. “It’s a trap. Louhi wants you to follow. She knows you’ll come for her.”
He glares at me, his silver eyes gleaming like storm clouds. “She has my daughter. The last of my children.”
“And she’ll have you too if you go,” I snap, my voice rising. “We don’t have time for this. Lovia wouldn’t want us to walk into her mother’s trap. She would want us to stay on course.”
Tuoni’s hands clench into fists, and for a moment, I think he’ll argue. But then he exhales sharply, his shoulders sagging. He nods, reluctantly.
Pick up the sword and try again, I hear the whisper once more.
I look down at Lovia’s blade, still in my hand. It feels heavy, but also right, as if it belongs with me now. I tighten my grip and slide it into the belt of my torn dress. “We’ll find her,” I say, my voice steady. “But not like this.”
We return to the main cavern where the others are waiting. They look up as we enter, their faces drawn and weary. Tuoni says nothing, but his expression is enough. They know Lovia is gone.
“We move,” Tuoni says after a long silence. His voice is hard, unyielding. “Vipunen isn’t here. Louhi has taken Lovia. The Crystal Caves are our only path now.”
No one argues.
We gather what little we have and head into the tunnel that leads to the Crystal Caves. The air grows colder as we descend, the walls glinting faintly with crystalline veins. The passage narrows, forcing us into single file, with Tuoni leading the way. He carries Tuonen’s body wrapped in a cloak, his steps measured but relentless, the weight of his grief making his movements heavier with each passing step.
I follow close behind, my father just ahead of me, his staff clicking softly against the stone floor. The others trail in silence, the echo of their footsteps the only sound. Even Rauta moves quietly, his ears pinned back.
When the tunnel opens up, the sight takes my breath away. I’ve been here before, but even so, it doesn’t fail to impress. The Crystal Caves are otherworldly, their walls shimmering with countless facets of light. It reminds me a lot of the sun, except here the crystals are cold and pastel. Waterways cut through the stone, their surfaces glittering like liquid diamonds. The air is crisp, filled with chimes and the faint sound of trickling water, as if the earth itself is whispering a melody.
Tuoni halts on the crystalline shore, his gaze sweeping over the scene. A small boat rests on the moss and sand, its hull battered but intact, as if waiting for us. With a sinking feeling I realize that this is the boat that Tuonen probably took to escape from Shadow’s End, and from the gravity on Tuoni’s brow, I know he realizes the same.
Without a word, he strides toward it, placing Tuonen’s body gently inside. For a moment, he lingers, his hand resting on the cloak that covers his son. Then he straightens, his expression hardening.
“Get in,” he says to us, his voice low but commanding. The boat is small, only able to fit a few of us. He looks to the troops behind us, still filing out into the cave. “The rest of you can stay behind and wait for further instructions from my scouts. You should be safe here,” he adds, though I can tell he doesn’t believe it. “Otherwise, if you’re a good swimmer, you’ll be taking a dip. Perhaps, Vellamo, you can provide some assistance?”