“What is this?” Tellervo asks, staring in disgust at the bowl of rice as Tuonen passes it to Hanna. “Maggots?”
“It’s called rice,” Hanna says, trying not to laugh. “It’s from my world. We eat it with everything there, from seaweed and fish to cinnamon and sugar. It’s very good. Try it.”
Tellervo wrinkles her nose. “No thanks.”
“Tapio,” I say to Tellervo’s father, the God of the Forest. With his ram horns and gray beard peppered with moss, twigs and leaves, Tapio looks out of place at the table, surrounded by so much metal and darkness. “Your son,” I point my fork at him, “Nyyrikki. He wasn’t at the meeting and he’s not here. What does he do all day?”
A displeased look comes across his old face. “Nothing, as far as I know.”
“He hunts,” Mielikki says, though she doesn’t seem happy about that either. “All day. Kills precious animals. As you know, I am the protector of them, so it’s like he’s trying to rebel or something to that effect. He likens himself to the God of the Hunt. Says there’s already a God of the Forest.”
“Afraid to follow in his father’s footsteps,” Tapio grumbles.
“Not really your footsteps if you never plan to be out of the picture,” I point out. “Would he be interested in another role? Part-time. An honorary God of Death?”
Out of the corner of my eye I see Tuonen and Hanna exchange a look of surprise. Bet they thought I’d never even consider it. It feels rather good to catch them off-guard.
“Doing what?” Tapio asks, but he looks intrigued. So does his wife.
“Being a ferryman,” I tell him. “Sometimes Lovia and Tuonen are busy doing other things, helping me, and so forth. It would be a very prestigious position in the realm.” I’m not exaggerating either. Everyone has the highest respect for my children because they transport the dead to the afterlife. This world would not function without them.
“Well, I know we would be honored if you gave him that role,” Mielikki says, pressing her hands into the table with emphasis.
Tellervo snorts. “If you can convince him.”
“Hey,” Tuonen says sharply. “It’s an esteemed job. And you get to meet a lot of interesting people.” There’s a twinkle in his eye as he says that, and I know he’s thinking about the half-naked variety.
“I will talk to him about it,” Tapio says. “If there are extra privileges involved, he may take it. I know he does want a name for himself.”
“We can talk more about it another day,” I say, raising my glass of wine.
Everyone lapses into small talk, eating away, but I have to do a test. I close my eyes in the event that something looks amiss and I go searching inside my head, looking for my Shadow Self. I find him where I left him, up in the eastern wing of the library, lying down on the floor.
I open his eyes.
I am seeing through them.
Staring at the ceiling and the celestial designs etched above, star systems from worlds that don’t have names yet.
But while I am staring at the ceiling, I am also at the dinner. I can hear everyone’s conversation—Tuonen is talking about tonight’s match and the money he has riding on it, even though money is useless and he’s not supposed to do that as a referee—and when I open my eyes for a moment I can see Hanna at the end of the table, watching me with concern. She knows what I’m doing.
I also see the ceiling.
I see her and I see the library. The images aren’t superimposed on top of each other, rather they are happening side by side and all at once.
I am two different places at the same time, but my thoughts are as one.
I smile to myself, sitting at the dinner table, but the Shadow Self’s face remains impassive. Ever since I was inside myself, the union between my mind and the body’s has been perfected.
Tonight, though, I will put us to the test.
I will take Hanna to the Bone Match.
But my Shadow Self isn’t remaining behind here at Shadow’s End.
He’s coming with me.
Chapter 24
Hanna
“The Bone Match”
I saw my father last night.
While Death was in the library, doing some sort of bonding exercises with his Shadow Self, I took advantage of the dark to look for my father.
I took the portal glass from the jar of salt I keep beside my bedside (I’ve been in the library too, learning about portal glass and how to keep it), and I put it on the floor, the best place to spin it. I got on my hands and knees, and I watched it go.
I wanted to try it before, but when darkness falls on Shadow’s End, I’m never alone. Last night, however, I was sure that Death was preoccupied (probably giving himself a blow job for all I know).