HALIA'S POV
Wotan, astound by the sudden turn of events, rose up from the floor on which Phi had thrown him, and whirled around to our people in a rage.
"Take them back to their room!" he ordered to his slaves.
I ran to Tönx and grabbed his arm just as the thralls captured the others, and dragged him into the room where Domovoy was waiting.
"Shouldn't we try to help everyone else?" Tönx asked.
I shook my head. No time.
"We can do nothing for them now," I said. Tönx frowned. He would know everything soon enough.
"You dug up a way out," I said to Domovoy, clapping my hands together as we entered the hole in the wall and crawled in farther and farther, Tönx muttering behind me.
"I did," Domovoy replied. "I worked on this last night. I couldn't sleep."
"Despite your nervous bladder." I chuckled before turning to Tönx. "This is Domovoy, a house spirit," I explained in a serious voice. "He dug this tunnel to get in and out of Phi's room, but it used to go only from the room to outside of the main house."
"Did you see Phi's eyes?" Tönx asked. "They were red."
"I saw," I replied. Can we change the subject please? I turned to Domovoy. "Can we even go out? With the shield . . ."
"I got that covered. Don't worry," Domovoy said. "But we have to hurry. It won't be long before the guards follow us out."
I crept my way as fast as I could in the dark. Our only source of light was the candle Domovoy had taken out from his pouch. I followed the light, without knowing where we were going. I trusted the hairy little man, and as long as I was moving away from the guards I had no reason not to believe him.
The ceiling of the cave began to crumble around us. The guards. They were trying to dig their way in, while others were approaching.
"We are almost at the end of the tunnel," I told Tönx, seeing the fading light of the sunset, so that he would crawl faster. I felt a breath of fresh air.
"I am still wondering how we will get out," I cried, out of breath. "The protective shield will kill us if we go through it."
Domovoy didn't reply. Instead, he took something out of his pouch. It was a hand. A severed hand.
"Is that Siegfried's hand?" I asked, in horror.
Tönx screamed, and then clasped his hand over his mouth.
"It is now a hand of glory," Domovoy replied. "I picked it off the battle field and pickled it to use later."
A hand of glory. I remembered Grannie's stories and I knew Tönx did too. The disembodied hand of a magical king that can then be used to open any door and help the bearer go through any shield.
"Well, I think now would be a good time to use it," I said.
Securing the hand in his own, Domovoy crossed over to the other side. Outside the fortress. Into the surrounding forest. He threw the hand back at me and I followed. I threw the gruesome hand back at Tönx and he appeared in the forest as well.
"You've had the hand this whole time?" I asked Domovoy. "We could have escaped before Phi went through the ceremony!" I felt my anger rising.
"I only finished digging the tunnel during the ceremony," he replied. "And to be honest I was not sure the hand was going to work at all."
I studied his eyes, but I think even Tönx could see he was being truthful. I nodded, accepting his words.
"We better get going before the guards get to us," I added, remembering the guards were still after us, probably heading to the fortress's doors as we spoke.
"Go find Phi," Domovoy said. "She needs to come back if she wants to save her people."
"You're not coming?" I asked, frowning.
"I will stay here," he replied. "To help the others."
"Be careful," I said, hugging my furry friend.
"You too, dear."
He turned around, and grabbing the gruesome hand Tönx had absent-mindedly been clinging on to, he went back into the hole, back into the fortress.
*
I led Tönx into the forest and its protective shadow. I was as agile as a deer, reminding me that I was not only a nymph, but also part green fairy. The woods were my element and we quickly outran the guards.
"What do you think happened to Phi?" Tönx asked, to break the silence.
"She acquired some of the king's dark powers," I answered, my stomach dropping as I processed what had happened.
"Obviously! Her eyes went red! But is that why she left us? She didn't even try to save us," Tönx insisted. "I mean, I know she loved to preen and buck the system, but there were people there she loved. You, and her grandmother, for instance. Yet she did nothing to help."
"She wasn't herself," I snapped. "She was afraid. That's why we have to find her and tell her everything will be fine." Of course, I doubted it was going to be that easy.
"Marriage is an exchange of powers," Tönx said. "Phi got some of his, but do you think Wotan get some of her powers too?"
"Hard to say. He didn't show any sign of it, but it's too early to tell. What I am sure of, is that now they have some sort of bound, a connection. They probably know what each other feels." My heart almost broke into a million pieces at the thought. Only Phi and I had that connection. Not anymore.
"How do you know which way to go?" Tönx asked. To him, I knew the forest seemed the same. The same fallen or standing trees, the same mountains and streams.
"I don't," I replied. "Phi is flying. She can cover more ground than us in less time. I have been out of the water too long. I need to be submerged in water to feel her, to feel her thoughts."
Tönx looked at me strangely. He followed me anyway until we reached a lake. I began to undress and threw my gray dress on the shore near Tönx.
"You can come in too," I said upon seeing Tönx staring.
He seemed to be hesitant to enter the water. Maybe since Tönx was unable to breathe under water, like me, he was afraid of it. But he was a water spirit, and I knew he was obsessed with all things liquid. Then it dawned on me. It was the first time he'd seen my nakedness after our coming of age.
I blushed.
Aras had taught me that nudity is simply the absence of clothing. A naked body is just limbs and flesh. It's a philosophy I always tried to abide to, but I remember how I felt when I saw Phi. Seeing someone without their clothes, just as they are, brings a sense of vulnerability, as well as a level of intimacy.
I could not help but think that perhapsTönx considered we had just reached a new degree of intimacy. It was not an invitation to anything, of course. I loved Phi. And regardless of what Tönx was thinking, I had to make a connection to Phi. I walked farther in until I had water to my hips and dove in. I felt the water splash behind me as Tönx swam in as well.
The clear liquid seemed to revive Tönx. And it gave me back strength. I felt lighter, different, now that we were far from the Evil King's fortress. It was like if even the air there was heavy, playing with your mind, making you lose all hope. In the lake, amidst the trees standing tall, it was different. I could have easily forgotten why we were there: to find Phi, to save our people.
I wiped the water off my face. "I realized during our last battle that every time I turned into an oracle, I was in contact with water," I explained. "The first time was here, with Nixie. I predicted that danger would come. The second time was on the battle field, when it started raining and rain drops fell onto my skin. I predicted Phi would marry the Evil King."
"I remember," Tönx replied. "I only witnessed the second, but Nixie ran to the community to tell everyone about your unexpected gift and warn us of the danger the day Wotan showed up. Unfortunately, she warned us too late."
"I needed to come here to see if we could use what the oracle will say to find Phi or know what will happen next."
"But you've never planned for this to happen before, correct?"
"No, not really. It just happened. Still, I have to try."
I closed my eyes and, after a long time, my mind finally went blank.
"You're doing it!" Tönx shouted excitedly. I could barely hear him.
My body merged with water, becoming translucent, and rose above the lake. I closed my eyes and wished that the oracle would tell us something good.
"A time of famine has arrived.
The queen of darkness will seduce
But the frontier between good and evil
Is no longer clear."
The forest echoed with the oracle's voice, scaring crows away, and fell silent again. I descended again in the lake and frowned.
"Did you understand what the oracle meant?" I asked.
Tönx shook his head. "It was rather vague. Can't you create another one to see if it gets any clearer?"
As if it was that easy. I sighed. "No, I can't. I cannot create another one until this one becomes true."
We were not any closer to finding Phi and helping our people. I was disappointed and returned to the shore to slip my gray dress back on.
"So what do we do now?" Tönx asked, joining me at the shore and putting on his dry clothes.
I looked at the trees around us, gigantic and greenâthe same color of jealousyâhit my gut. "I can't be sure," I said after a moment, "but she might have gone to the place where we met Feyn."
I knew Tönx was going to ask me who Feyn was, and I was not ready to talk about the subject. Too painful. Instead, I sprinted across the forest so fast Tönx yelled, "Slow down!"
"The night is almost upon us, we have to hurry."
I was right. Already, the sun was down and the sky displayed its last colors.
We ran until we could no longer see where we were setting foot. We had reached the borders of the Hidden Land, where two trees embraced each other and formed an entrance to our magic world, where our good king's shield still held to protect us from non-magical folks.
We arrived at a meadow. I was exhausted.
"Phi!" I shouted in the night, but my plea, my last attempt to find her, was met with the silence of stone.
I fell to my knees in the soft grass surrounding me and began to sob. Finding Phi and bringing her back to our people was the least of my worries. I just wanted to see her, to know if she was okay. I wanted to be re-united with her again and hold her in my arms.
Will I ever see her again? Maybe the Phi I know no longer exists and the marriage to the king really has changed her.
I needed her to tell me she was still the same. I wanted her to tell me she was still in there somewhere.
Tönx sat beside me and was quiet for a few moments.
"Want some?" he asked, holding an open hand full of flowers, clovers, and berries. "I picked them on the way."
I tried to smile and reached for a few petals. "Thanks," I said after putting a mouthful on my tongue.
I had been so obsessed with Phi I had forgotten about this basic need. I hadn't eaten since the early afternoon, before we gave Frida her mind back.
The night was fresh. My hair was still slightly wet and I was shivering. I glanced at Tönx who must have felt even colder, with his wet undergarments. Without thinking about it, I extended an arm and made a fire appear. I made sure it had no smoke, so as not to alert anyone of our presence.
"How did you do that?" asked Tönx, enjoying the warmth the flames offered. "Without wood!"
"I practiced," I replied, not in the mood to explain anything.
"Pretty cool!"
I shrugged. I didn't want him to know that I was also able to control fire now, that I had more powers than he had thought. I could now control all elements.
It's not that I was ashamed of having such powers or of my union with Phi. I liked both of those facts. The mere thought of the second sufficed to keep me warm and it lulled me somehow.
I just doubted people could understand. Marrying someone that is from the same gender as oneself, was unheard of. The Elders said it was against nature, against the Mother's will. But there is such warning, it must be because it has happened before. No?
I wonder who. Was my mother like me? And what would Tönx think of me if he knew?
I was lost in my thoughts. I didn't notice when Tönx leaned in closer to kiss me. His lips met mine and I drew back, as if I had been burned.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Sorry..." he murmured.
I bit my lips and the strange sensation still lingering on them. Had I been so blind? How did I not see before he had feelings for me? I thought of Phi, again. I felt guilty. Things would be much simpler if I liked him this way, the same way Phi liked Feyn. Why couldn't it be so?