Phasmoria was standing behind me, and she poked me in the ribs and whispered, “Say something.”
I stumbled forward and awkwardly curtseyed. “Merry meet.” I realized I had no idea what to call him—I didn’t know what title he used. But Kipa took care of that for me.
“Raven, Phasmoria,” he said, “I present you to Väinämöinen, keeper of the oldest kantele, Lord of the Runos. Lord Väinämöinen, this is Raven, my consort, and her mother Phasmoria, Queen of the Bean Sidhe.”
The old man looked up and his eyes flickered, a brilliant blue that was unclouded and untouched. His look alone told me that the wrinkles and the age were all the true illusion. Oh, the bard was as old as time, but magic kept him young, and it kept him going.
He slowly stood, and as he did so the magic in the room shifted, rising up as he stood to cloak him in a swath of sparkling energy.
“Well met, young daughter of the Ancient Verkko.” He smiled at me, then, and it felt like I had been blessed by some holy man. Being in Väinämöinen’s presence made me feel special.
“What’s Verkko?”
“The web,” Kipa said. “The energy that binds us all together.”
I turned back to Väinämöinen. “Thank you for seeing us.” Pausing, I turned to Kipa. I felt utterly tongue-tied and unsure of how to ask what I needed to ask.
Kipa stroked my back. “Ask your question.”
“It’s true, girl, I don’t bite,” the ancient bard said. “Unless you prefer it that way.”
I bit my lip again.
Right then, my mother stepped up. She inclined her head and said, “Lord Väinämöinen, my daughter is star-struck. But she needs a boon from you, Ancient Father.”
Väinämöinen glanced at her, his eyes glimmering. “So I gather, Queen of the Bean Sidhe.” Turning back to me, he said, “Ask, girl. What do you want? You never get anywhere in life if you don’t ask for what you want.”
I steeled my courage. “I need to know how to seal someone from being attacked by an astral predator.” I explained what had happened and what we had learned about the aztrophyllia. “So, even if we blast it back to the astral plane, that’s no guarantee it won’t try to reach Lenny again.”
Väinämöinen stroked his beard, which was down to his chest, and sat back down, motioning for us to join him. There were two loveseats as well as the rocking chair he was sitting in. “Let me think for a moment. There are several possibilities.”
As he leaned back and closed his eyes, we sat down to wait. I tried to curb my impatience, but honestly, just being in his presence made me calmer. I felt something akin with him—like we were connected by our love of magic. In an odd way, it felt like he was the Buddha and I was one of his disciples. And I had never felt that way about anybody before.
After a while, I began to feel sleepy. My mother was sitting beside me. She had taken off her boots and was now sitting cross-legged on the sofa. Kipa was on the other loveseat and he was stretched out, his eyes closed as well. I rested my head against the back of the cushion, and before I realized it, I had dropped off to sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
I was dreaming that Raj and I were goofing around in my backyard, playing in the snow. Raj kept kicking showers of it at me. I was freezing and getting irritated, wanting to go in but he kept urging me to stay. I was about to order him inside when a voice pierced the dream, echoing through the sky, asking me to wake up.
Blinking, I slowly pried my eyes open, and the images of Raj and the snow blended into my mother’s face as she shook me by the shoulders. “Wake up, Raven. Raven?”
I tried to fend off the cobwebs that came from taking a nap. I glanced around, trying to place where we were, and then I saw Väinämöinen, watching me. I thought he was smiling but it was hard to tell behind the trailing beard and mustache.
“I must have dozed off.” As I shifted, my neck protested with a sharp stab from sleeping all cockeyed. “Ow.” I rubbed my shoulder. “I must have turned into a pretzel. Sorry I fell asleep. That was rude.”
“We all took a nap,” Kipa said.
“Indeed,” said Väinämöinen. “Some of my best ideas come from when I’m out on the Dreamtime.” He stood, stretching and yawning. “I suggest you all follow suit and then we’ll discuss your request, Raven.”
I eased out of the tangle I’d apparently made of my body and hesitantly stretched, taking it easy until I finally felt like I’d unknotted myself. “How long were we asleep?”
“Time is relative,” the bard said. “But for practicality’s sake, around two hours.”
I rubbed my eyes. I could have sworn it was far longer, and I realized that I felt more rested than I had in a long while. “Well, then, shall we get on with it?”
“You’re a hasty one, aren’t you?” He chuckled. “Was she always like this?”
My mother snorted. “As far as I know, yes. But she’s still young in our world—barely off the leash, you might say, and impatience is a trait of youth.”
“True enough,” Väinämöinen said. “Very well, then. I will teach you the spell you need, but for a price.”
My heart sank. I didn’t have much money left, given I had tried to pay my mother back for giving my father the money he had spent on my house. And even if we became friends again, I wasn’t at all sure I’d ever trust him enough to accept another gift. At least, not anything like paying for my home.
“I’m afraid I’m broke at the moment—”
“No, not that kind of payment,” he said.
Instantly my mind went where it probably shouldn’t. “I don’t offer my services for—”
“Guess again,” Väinämöinen said. “I have no interest in you that way. No, my price is this—and it is unnegotiable. You will come back here and train with me for a year’s time. You have a spark in you, girl, which I checked out once you were asleep. And that spark portends greatness. But you’ll never reach that level without someone to train you.”
I stared at him. What he was offering was a priceless gift, one I’d never even dreamed of. The chance to train with one of the Force Majeure? There was no dollar figure you could place on it.
“You’re not joking, are you? You’re offering to train me?”
“Yes, but under these conditions: you obey my instructions. You don’t shirk the work. Once you begin the training, you will complete it. And when you complete your year’s training, you will then enter an internship with me for a period of one year, here, in Kalevala. Do you understand?”
I caught my breath. The price was steep, but the rewards would be incredible. “Can I bring my gargoyle Raj with me? I never go anywhere without him. And Kipa…” I glanced over at my Wolf Lord. “What about him?”
“Both are welcome, and you will be given breaks several times through the year where you may travel home and make certain everything is all right.” Väinämöinen sat back down in his chair and unconcernedly picked up a huge dark red apple from the end table next to him. He bit into it, waiting for my answer. “Take your time. We have all the time in the world, here.”