The Winter Spirits by E C Hibbs

Author:E C Hibbs [Hibbs, E C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Sigurd and Elin set about building the fire, and Tuomas fetched his drum from the pile in his sleigh. Lilja pointed to the other side of the hole, and he sat there, sinking a little into the snow until his knees came to rest on the ice beneath.

A shiver ran through his body. Usually he would lay a reindeer skin down to keep the worst of the cold coming through. But Lilja hadn’t done that, so he supposed they wouldn’t be here for long.

She looked at him. Her face was as stoic as ever, but her blue eyes shone, and Tuomas’s heart swelled. Even after everything he had done, she was actually trusting him to help her open the gateway.

Sigurd struck a flint over the tinder and Lumi instantly stepped back, away from the heat. The movement startled Elin, who was still stealing wide-eyed glances at the Spirit. But Lumi stared back each time, with her unbroken icy composure, and Elin would gulp and find something else to occupy herself. As the fire slowly spread over the wood, Tuomas noticed that her hands were shaking.

He managed to catch her eye.

“Are you alright?” he mouthed.

Elin nodded, but it was a jarred movement, stiff with nerves.

He couldn’t help feeling a little guilty for not telling her and Sigurd what – who – might be joining them on the journey. They had already seen Lumi, but not like this, not up close.

As though reading his thoughts, Lumi turned her eyes on him. Just a week ago, he wouldn’t have been able to read her face, but now, he thought he recognised a flash of relief.

But for what? That they were finally going to get help for sending her home? Or that they were unharmed by the demon?

Tuomas remembered the way she had fought it the night before. Despite being bound in human form, she had still moved like a Spirit; her body held no weight. Even though her Lights hadn’t been what eventually injured the creature, she hadn’t stopped attacking.

She took a step closer. Tuomas gulped, telling himself not to be afraid. Then he bowed his head.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Lumi didn’t blink. Her eyes fluttered with green fire.

“You are welcome,” she said, in a voice softer than falling snow.

A drop of water appeared at her hairline and ran down her face.

Tuomas frowned. Her skin looked different. There was a sheen over it, like liquid – not as firm as it had been when he first brought her out of the sky.

He went to ask her about it, but Lilja cleared her throat and the contact was broken. Lumi walked away, her ears slanting back at the sound. Tuomas turned his attention back to Lilja.

He noticed Elin and Sigurd watching from the side, and his stomach flipped. He’d never drummed in front of anyone before.

But there was no going back now. If he wanted to be a mage, and do this in front of an entire village, he had to start somewhere.

He closed his eyes and prayed to any Spirit who might hear him.

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