After the Fire (After the Fire: Book the First) (13 page)

Fin
blinked. “That's very poetic,” he said.

“Something
my mother used to say,” she said. “I never understood
it.”

When
Eleni was dressing Fin turned his back to her. He heard the rustle of
fabric as she struggled into her dress. The wolf stood apart, shaking
the water from her fur.

“You
said the men in your village had good reason to hate you,” said
Fin. “What did you mean by that?”

Eleni
was silent for a long moment, her hesitation hanging heavy in the
air. “Not all the men,” she said. There was something
wrong with her voice. There was almost a note of tremulousness in it.
“Just Rastin.”

“Why?”
said Fin, then shook his head. “You don't have to tell me.”

“I'll
tell you,” said Eleni. She was quiet again and Fin began to
think she had meant she'd tell him at a different time. But finally
she cleared her throat. “I burned his son,” she said.

“Oh,”
said Fin. “Well I'm sure it was an accident.”

“It
was not an accident,” she said forcefully, making Fin turn to
look at her. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. “It
wasn't an accident. I did it on purpose. And then they began building
the box.”

“What
did he do to you?” said Fin quietly. He knew better than to
touch her, especially when she was like this. He hadn't seen such
emotion from her since they had met. Her nostrils were flared and her
wet hair hung around her face like heavy ropes. She was once again
the wild woman that he had first seen in the glade.

She
pursed her lips and shook her head, looking to the wolf, who in turn
turned her gold eyes on Fin. Fin looked back to Eleni. “They
said I shouldn't have hurt him,” she said. “That he was
just learning to be a man. But I told him that if he tried to hurt me
again, I would hurt him back. He laughed at me. But the next time...”
she trailed off, staring into the darkness of the forest.

Fin
felt he couldn't move. Eleni was opening up to him. She looked at
him, and he could feel the energy coming from her. He could feel the
grief from where he stood, two arm-lengths away. The grief, and a lot
of anger.

“Eleni,”
he said. “You were only a child.”

“Yes,”
said Eleni, her voice thick. Fin didn't think it was possible for
this woman to cry. She was strong and powerful and seemingly
impervious to anything the world could throw at her. And yet, here
she was. She carried her pain around with her just like everyone
else. She had to be strong because she had so much more pain than
everyone else. Fin couldn't fathom how much agony she felt.
Made a
prisoner in her own village, losing her mother, and being assaulted
by a young man. It was unacceptable. He wanted to put his arms around
her, to accompany her to the West Islands, where she would never be
hurt again, to take care of her. She would never allow that. So he
would listen, and ensure that no one ever hurt her again. Not that
they would have much of a chance against her now.

Fin
looked away while she composed herself. After a while she spoke
again. “I burned it off. All of it. I took away his manhood. I
made him less than a woman. Rastin never forgot.”

Fin
swallowed. There was much he wanted to say to her. “I'm glad
he's dead,” said Fin.

“Rastin?”
said Eleni. “Yes, I am happy as well. His seed was rotten.”

“I
mean the son,” said Fin. “What was his name?”

“Tarbus?”
said Eleni. “He is not dead.”

Fin
frowned. “Was he not in the village when the Reivers
came?”

“No
one has seen Tarbus for many years,” said Eleni. “He left
without telling anyone the following summer. No one saw him go. And
he has never returned that I know of.” She spat on the ground.

“So
he's probably alive, then,” said Fin. “That's good.”

Eleni
looked sharply at him. “What is good about that?”

Fin
looked at her, her pale skin luminescent in the pitch darkness.
“Because then I have a chance of finding him,” he said.
“And killing him myself.”

She
stared at him for a moment, then she nodded. “We should go
back,” she said.

“You
lead, I'll follow,” said Fin. And as Eleni walked by him, her
hand brushed against his own.

They
walked in comfortable silence, the wolf panting at Eleni's side. They
were nearly back to camp when the wolf's ears perked up. The animal
stopped, and Eleni stopped with her, as though they were one.

“What
is it?” whispered Fin.

“A
noise,” said Eleni. “What is that? Badger?”

Fin
listened, then smiled. “No,” he said. “That is
someone crying.”

“Oh,”
said Eleni, looking disappointed.

“Come,”
said Fin. “Let's go see.”

They
followed the sound of sobs, the trees thinning out in front of them.
There was something in the air. Something wet that had never quite
left the air since the frigid creek. There was the smell of snow to
the air. Even stronger than it had been.

They
finally came to the source of the sound. A terrified-looking girl
that Fin recognized from the camp.

“Iren,”
said Eleni, approaching her. “What are you doing?”

“I'm
sorry,” Iren blubbered. “I tried to follow you, but I
lost you right away. And now I'm lost and I don't know how to get
back.”

“Eleni,”
said Fin. Eleni turned to look at him. Fin nodded to the girl. “She's
carrying a bow.”

Eleni
looked at the girl's hand. She looked back at Fin. “What of
it?”

“She
can be put to death for even touching a weapon.”

Eleni
snorted. “Ridiculous,” she said. “I told her I
would help her learn to hunt.”

“You
what?” said Fin. He looked at the girl who was gazing at Eleni
with rapture. “Eleni, you have seen how these Reivers
treat their women. How could you make such a promise?”

“Because
she does not wish to get married,” said Eleni. “She
should have a right to learn to take care of herself. She should have
a choice.”

“Girl,”
said Fin. Iren's face turned to him, almost reluctantly. “Do
you realize what you're doing? You could be killed or abandoned by
your people for this. Is that a choice you're willing to risk?”

“I'd
rather die than marry,” Iren said, her voice clear and earnest.
“And I'd rather be thrown out of camp knowing how to hunt than
starve quietly with the women. Like my mother.”

Eleni
looked at Fin. “You see? She wants to learn.”

Fin
exhaled through his nose. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, who
looked nervous under his gaze. “Fair enough,” he said.
“Can you use that bow, or are you just going to hold it all
night?”

Iren
smiled broadly.

“You
know how to shoot?” Eleni asked Fin, sounding dubious.

“Of
course I know,” he said. “Everyone knows where I come
from. Do you know?”

“No,”
said Eleni defensively. “I don't need a weapon. I am a weapon.”

“Well,
then I will have two students today,” said Fin. He looked at
Iren. “Show me what you can do, girl.”

Chapter
Eleven

Magda longed to add wood to the fire. She shivered under her shawl.
She had enough power to hide a roaring bonfire. She would be
recovering for days, but it would almost be worth it. She would have
done it, if not for what she had seen through Mati's eyes. She could
still feel the raven, even now. She could feel the wind surging
through his feathers like the wings were her own, could see the tops
of the roofs over the village. No, she could stand the cold. She
would need her strength.

She
remembered the days when she didn't have to ration her power. She
couldn't even call it power any more, but when she and Danai and Anja
had been together, they had been feared by all. Even Odin, the
all-father, had feared them. Zeus obeyed their every whim. The fire
seemed so long ago. In the path of time, it was an eye-blink. But
now, to Magda, it seemed they had been separated thousands of years
ago. Danai had disappeared first. Anja later. Then they had lost
contact. That had never happened before. Not even one day had passed
and Magda couldn't feel Danai. It had taken longer with Anja. Three
full moons, maybe, and then she had been lost as well. The last place
Magda had felt her was here, in this forest.

She
had waited too long to search for her sisters. She kept hoping that
if she waited, they would come back to her. They always came back
together. But the longer she waited, the weaker she became, until she
was nothing but what she was now: A withered old crone who couldn't
even stand a little cold.

Anja
had
been here, Magda
knew that now. Eleni was proof of that. In a way, Eleni had been the
catalyst that had separated them in the first place. And Fin had not
simply stumbled across Eleni on his way to see Magda.
Every
shaking leaf has meaning,
as
Anja would say
.
Anja
wasn't always right, but Magda would wager she was right about that.

Zaric,
though, Magda thought. Eleni. The new goddess. Anja had tried to tell
Magda, had said that they had to stop looking for Danai, had to run
away, but Magda had dismissed her. She had tried to tell Magda she
was the vessel, but Magda had thought she was just broken down after
the disappearance of Danai. But Anja had been trying to tell her
about Eleni.

The
girl would be ruthless. Magda could see that right away in those pale
blue eyes that seemed to look straight through everything. She was
also fearless. She proved that when she went up against the Reivers.
But was she strong enough? Magda had no doubt of her physical
abilities. The girl had survived all these years in a forest filled
with the vilest of creatures. If the girl had any weakness, it was
her untrained mind. She
seemed so vulnerable. She wore a hard armor, but she had the heart of
a woman. A mortal. She risked everything with the Reivers
in order to feed a few hungry children. That wasn't the way of the
gods. Or perhaps it was the new way.

Magda
sighed. She needed her sisters. Anja would know what to do. She
always did. Magda had to believe that all this was for the best.
Being separated from her sisters had been like being cut into pieces,
but it would make it all the more sweet when they were finally
reunited.

She
heard voices coming from the forest. She did her best to straighten
her back, to loosen her grip on her shawl. She had to give some
semblance of power, even if she no longer possessed any. But she
couldn't help looking surprised when the voices emerged into the
clearing.

“Iren,”
she rasped. “What...”

Eleni
and Fin exchanged glances. This was something different. Eleni and an
Island god. And a powerful one, though he did his best to hide it.
Magda focused on the girl. “Iren, what are you doing?”
Her gaze fell down to what the girl held in her hand and Magda's
mouth fell open just a little. The child was carrying a weapon. Iren
didn't meet her eyes.

Eleni
stepped forward, something slung over her shoulder. She heaved it
down onto the ground next to the miniscule fire. Magda saw it was a
deer, the holes in its neck no doubt from arrows. “She has done
more on this night for these people than the men have done their
entire lives,” said Eleni.

“She
could be killed for doing this,” said Magda.

“She
knows the risks,” said Eleni.

“Iren,
get to bed before your mother finds you,” said Magda. Iren
nodded. “And do something with that weapon before Elek sees
you.” Iren ran in the direction of her mother's tent.

“Magda,”
said Fin, sitting next to her. “Surely you can't believe that
she shouldn't be able to choose between starving and feeding her
family. The girl is a natural. She's been practicing in secret for
years. And that rule is ridiculous.”

Eleni
sat next to Fin and said nothing.

“I'm
not arguing with that,” said Magda. “But the girl is not
what is important right now. I have been up all night. Something has
happened.”

Fin
and Eleni both looked expectantly at her. “What have you seen?”
said Fin.

Magda
looked into the fire. “Three. There were three of them,”
she said. She shook her head. “There should only be two, but
there were three.”

“Three
what?” said Eleni. She was looking intently at Magda.

“The
God-eaters,” said Magda. “I know who they are now.
Northerners. Children of a god. Terrible and monstrous.”

“Northerners?”
said Fin.

“Skoll
and Hati,” said Magda. “Wolves, if you can call them
that. More powerful than the Reivers
by far, and more cunning.”

“The
children of Fenrir,” said Fin. He looked at Eleni. “Fenrir
is
—
”

“The
son of Loki,” said Eleni. She frowned. “I knew that.”

“Of
course you did,” said Magda, giving her a watery smile. “You
are a goddess. You probably remember how strong they are, too. Skoll
and Hati.”

“They're
huge,” said Eleni.

“Surely
Odin isn't behind this,” said Fin.

Magda
coughed a dry laugh. “I think not. If I am right, Odin is in
trouble. And if Odin is in trouble, so are we all.” Magda took
a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold air. She breathed it
out in a cloud of vapor. “They are more cunning than the
Reivers,”
said Magda, “but they have always had help. Compared to us,
they are as dull as beasts.”

“Who
is the third, Magda?” said Fin. “Did you see?”

“Can
you think of no one that could be behind such a plot? Someone that
can fashion himself to look like others?”

“No,”
said Fin. “It's not possible. He was imprisoned. It cannot be
him.”

“I
hope not,” said Magda. “For all our sakes. Because if it
is Loki, it has suddenly become the utmost necessity that I find my
sisters.”

“Why?”
said Eleni.