Rise of the Firebird (48 page)

“If I could use my hands I’d be applauding your effort.
Hyvä ilta
little cousin, it is so nice to see you.”

“That’s debatable,” Eldon said behind her. “What the hell are you thinking, Anyanka?” She turned to confront him but balked when she saw his furious face.

“Louhi lied, she had Kullervo all along,” she said defensively.

“So you believe releasing him is wise? Don’t you remember the stories about him?”

“I haven’t read them,” Kullervo said from the floor. “Sounds like they made me the villain though.”

“Don’t worry, they blamed it all on your bad upbringing,” said Anya.

Kullervo chuckled huskily, “Of course they did.”

“We can’t leave him like this, Eldon,” Anya placed a hand on his arm. “He’s our only chance to find the sword. Louhi has been trying to kill him. You know her capacity for cruelty better than anyone.”

“The skinning was interesting,” Kullervo muttered.

“And what will stop him from betraying you, Anya?”

“Honour of course,” claimed Kullervo. Eldon snorted in disbelief. “I always keep my vows and my promises, even the bad ones that I should never make. Free me from this place, get me out of Pohjola, and I’ll give you the sword. Freedom for Ukko’s Sword is a bargain.”

Anya squatted down next to him so she could look him in the eyes.

“What’s the matter? Are you worried I’ll try to go back to my evil ways?” Kullervo mocked. “It was all how I was raised, don’t you know?”

“You cannot blame your upbringing for turning you into an asshole. Just so we are clear, if you decide to betray me, misbehave, or back out of our bargain, I
will
be the one that kills you.”

Kullervo’s broken face managed a smile, “I’m going to enjoy our partnership, little cousin. I swear on the blood and memory of my clan that I’ll take you to the Sword of Heaven. I’ll place it in your hands if you free me from this place.”

“That’ll be easier said than done,” groaned Eldon.

“Just shut up and help me, Blaise, unless you can think of a better plan.”

“So much for making peace with Louhi,” he said as he leant down to examine the chains that bound Kullervo.

“Louhi would get what she needed from you then betray you. There can be no such thing as peace with Louhi, because it’s as strange a concept to her as flying is to an earth worm,” Kullervo said.

“When we get out of here we are going to have a very long talk about why and how you came to be here,” Eldon stated. “In the meantime, shut up and let me concentrate.”

Kullervo smiled up at him innocently, “As you wish, Bard. Little cousin, can you get these blankets off me? They have been woven with iron and soaked in salt. They dampen my magic and make me terribly itchy.” Anya lifted the layers off him, stiff and crackly with age. Underneath, he was dressed in a raggedy tunic that came to his knees. He sighed as he stretched out his arms and legs, his joints snapping and cracking. A small burst of power rippled from him.

“Put your shields up, you amateur,” snapped Eldon. “If you don’t want Louhi to wake up you’ll refrain from flashing your power. Anya, try to get a message to Aleki, Katya, or the firebird. Wake them up. We’ll need to get out of here as soon as he is free.” He went back to the chains, twisting them over in his hands. Anya tried to connect with Aleksandra and Katya but they were too deeply asleep.

Kokko Lintu? Are you there?

Where are you?
Asked the firebird.

Doesn’t matter. Wake Yvan and the others, we need to leave now.

Betrayal?

Yes, but not Louhi. Wake them and have them meet us in the hall.

The guards?

Killed. Just do it!
Anya snapped the connection off.

Eldon had his knife out, scratching something into where the chains were bolted on the wall. He said a word that Anya’s mind scrambled in a series of sounds that wouldn’t retain in her memory. The chains turned to ash and crumbled onto the ground.

“Help me get him up,” Anya said as she hooked her arm underneath Kullervo’s shoulders.

“Slowly, sweet cousin, I haven’t stood in a few years and I don’t want to scream.”

“Bite down on your tongue then. I’m sure it will grow back,” Eldon suggested unsympathetically as he reached down and put Kullervo’s arm about his shoulder. Despite his gruffness, they lifted Kullervo very slowly. He groaned but managed to keep his mouth shut. They were half way up the narrow stalls when there was a shuffling of feet above them and a familiar face appeared, wreathed in fire.

“Anya, is that you?”

“Yvan, thank God,” Anya exclaimed. “Quick, get down here and help us.” With Yvan’s help, Kullervo was up and out of the hole in moments.

“Where is everyone?” Eldon whispered.

“They’ve gone to find a stable to get us some horses. Should I ask how you convinced Anya to help you steal one of Louhi’s prisoners?”

“Me! It’s your lady love that’s breaking people out in the middle of the night!” Eldon picked up his pack that Yvan had brought with him. Kullervo flopped down onto Louhi’s throne.

“No time to argue, Vanya,” Anya said, “we need to move.”

“Are you even going to tell me who this is?”

“It might be better if that was saved for later. Trust me. Eldon, you know your way around, lead us to the stables.”

“Gladly,” he hefted Kullervo up again and Yvan took the other side. “You can deal with the
hiisi
if they find us.”

“But Anya can’t -” Yvan stopped and stared from her to the rubble at the doors.

“No time for that either, Vanya,” Kullervo said in a perfect mimicry of Anya’s voice.

“Shut up,” Anya and Eldon said together and Kullervo smiled infuriatingly.

Eldon cast a silence spell around them as they shuffled a slow moving Kullervo. Yvan groaned with frustration before slinging him over a shoulder like a sack and carrying him.

Outside, cold snow and ice hit them like a wet sucker punch. “Anya, what the hell is going on?” Izrayl asked nervously.

“Doesn’t matter. Did you find any horses?”

“Argh…sort of?”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Anya said when she saw what was behind him. They had hitched a black and silver sleigh to four black reindeer. It was Louhi’s own personal transport that they’d be stealing to add insult to injury. They seated Kullervo down in the back of it and covered him with blankets. Katya sat perched on the side of the sleigh, next to where a grey Aramis sat in his blue coat. Mychal was at the reins with Aleksandra sitting beside him.

“I’m going to morph and run,” Izrayl said. “I’m looking forward to stretching my legs and maybe killing a few things.”

“Yvan?”

“The firebird wants to fly and I’m going to allow it. Louhi’s creatures fear fire.” Anya didn’t argue but she wasn’t comfortable with the idea.

“I’m staying with you, Anya, in case you decide to do anything else ridiculous,” Eldon said sitting down beside her. “You’ll need help protecting our guest anyway.” Izrayl and Yvan stripped out of their clothes, the firebird launching itself into the sky with a wave of heat and scorching ozone.

“That was unexpected,” Kullervo said, his eyes watching the bird fly about them.

“Get used to it hitch hiker,” Katya said as she strung her bow. “Let’s go, Mychal!”

“You don’t want to know who I am?” Kullervo asked.

“I don’t really give a shit. Anya has risked starting another war for you so you must be important to her. Keep your head down and stay out of my way.”

Mychal got the reindeer into a quick canter over the fresh snow. Izrayl ran in a lopping pace beside the sled as it headed across the plain between Pohjola and the forest.

“
Hiisi
are coming!” Kullervo shouted and pointed. Tall figures could be made out in the faint light of the dawn. A hunting horn sounded over the ice.

“Louhi is awake,” Eldon shouted. Black winged creatures were rising into the sky and heading for them. Anya moved close to Eldon at the back of the sleigh. “Any ideas?” he said through the cloud of raven hair that flew about his face.

“I have a few,” Anya said as she felt anger welling up inside of her. The firebird screeched over head as the black creatures caught up to them.

“They are hags, leave them to the firebird,” Eldon said. Anya tore her eyes away from the fight overhead to the
hiisi
that were barely a hundred metres behind them. Anya shut down the distractions and her emotions. She saw the light glowing in them and she dropped her shields. Hot power lashed out of her and she ripped out the knots of their spells with one hand and raised a wall of ice with the other, trapping the unmade
hiisi
pieces inside of it.

“Well done, little cousin!” Kullervo cheered. Aramis was looking at Anya in surprise and horror.

“I can sense a door out of Pohjola not too far ahead,” Aleksandra shouted.

A screaming cry sounded above as a hag larger than the others joined the battle. It had a large wingspan, long curving claws, and streaks of white hair.

“Louhi,” said Eldon. “Anya you need to call Yvan back now! He isn’t strong enough to take her on. We need to cross over and he must be with us!” Anya relayed the message to Yvan and tried to keep the anxiety for him out of her voice. The firebird exploded into flames and dove back towards the earth amid the cries of agony and frustration from his attackers.

“Your bow! Quickly!” Kullervo demanded. Katya handed it to him without argument. Kullervo ran his hands over the arrow whispering to it. Anya jolted backwards into Eldon as Kullervo crackled with power and energy. He notched the shining arrow and sent it flying before sending another after it.

The head of the first arrow hit Louhi’s wing, blowing it in half with a spray of blood and feathers. The second found her other wing and she screamed in pain as she fell in a downward spiral. Her hags gave up on chasing the firebird and plummeted after their Mistress, catching her in their claws before she was dashed to pieces on the ice.

I’m hurt, so watch out!
The firebird said as it sailed towards them. Anya caught it in a ball of flames and feathers.

“It’s okay. I have you, I have you,” she said as it flapped its wings.

“Where is Izrayl?” Katya shouted as the huge wolf jumped into the sleigh.

“Hang on!” Mychal shouted as they launched over a snow bank and through the grey aurora.

The sleigh and the reindeer vanished beneath them and they landed on a forest floor in piles of bodies, gear, and fire. Groans and mumbles of pain were drowned out by maniacal laughter that roared out of Kullervo.

“Awesome, you rescued another crazy person,” Katya said, brushing dirt and leaves from her clothes.

“Afraid so,” said Anya, “Aramis?” The Álfr was lying on his side not moving. Anya hurried over to check him for injuries. His head was bleeding but it didn’t look deep enough for him to have lost consciousness. “Wake up, Aramis!” she urged.

“Louhi has been sucking the light from him since the moment he stepped into Pohjola,” Kullervo said. “I saw what she did to the last Ljósálfar that crossed her path. It looks like she has been subtle in her approach this time.”

“Subtle! That -” Anya exclaimed with a long and hard a list of profanities that set Kullervo laughing madly once more. “Be damned if I’m going to let her steal anything of mine.” Anya put Aramis’s head in her lap and smoothed his hair back from his face.

“Be careful, Anya,” Eldon warned as she buried one hand into the dirt and placed her other on his chest. The firebird made a twittering noise of alarm. Anya felt the power rise up from the forest at her call, flooding her and transferring into Aramis. Colour swirled under his skin and his head wound closed. Black lines of his tattoo laced up his neck as his glamours stripped away and he started to pulse with white light. His blue eyes snapped open and he gasped for air. Anya quickly stopped the flow of power and lifted her hand away.

“Better?” she asked as she wiped the blood off his cheek.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I don’t know…”

“Louhi was behind it, but don’t worry, I fixed it.”

“Is it my turn now?” Kullervo asked hopefully.

“No time,” Mychal interrupted. “We need to keep going before Louhi rallies and comes after us.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Kullervo stated. “With what I hit her with that old sow won’t be leaving Pohjola anytime soon.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“Mychal’s right, we should go. You have a sword to take me to.”

The firebird cried out as it fluttered to the ground and transformed back into Yvan. He had deep cuts along his ribs but still managed to get his jeans on quickly.

“Aleki, I’m going to need bandages,” Anya said as Aleksandra produced a small first aid kit. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Anya, they’re only scratches.”

“Like Veruschka’s were scratches?” she asked angrily.

“Check them if you don’t believe me.” Anya held her hand over them for a few moments, searching for any contamination. “Satisfied?”

“For now,” she replied as she tied the bandage around him. “I don’t seeing you hurt.”

“I know,” Yvan smiled before he pulled a shirt over his head. “Are you going to tell us who this raggedy vagrant is now?”

“Vagrant!” Kullervo exclaimed, “I suppose that is the kind of manners you learn to expect from a Ruski.”

“Another Finn?”

“Everyone, this is Kullervo,” Anya said as the shaman curtsied in his tunic.

Yvan sighed, “I’ll find him some clothes.”

They walked until they found a quick flowing stream where they could refill their water bottles. Kullervo stripped off his rags and jumped into the freezing water, emerging with a shout of joy. Anya tossed him some soap as he splashed about happily.

“You do realise he is madder than an Irish cat with three legs,” Eldon commented as they watched him tackle his long hair with the soap.

“You would be too, if Louhi had spent the last five hundred years or so trying to find new ways to kill you.”

“You already have a lot of responsibility, Anya. A wayward shaman with too much power and a broken mind shouldn’t be another burden you bear.”

“You seem to be forgetting that I’m one of those too.”