Icebound

Chapter 14

"No," Kano gasped out, incredulous. Denigi nodded solemnly, and Kano's face split into a shameless grin. "Then there is still hope!"

Anyu was too baffled by the sudden information to even attempt to understand his excitement. Spirits, indwellers- whatever they were called, they were real. Anyu's entire world, the icy tundra that she had grown up fighting against for any chance of survival, was nothing but a fabrication, a corrupted version of the way things really were. Anyu didn't know how to feel: upset that it was a lie, or happy because of it.

And on top of that, she'd been carrying around a magic item forged from the bones of the woman responsible for that lie all her life, without even realizing it. Who had given the tamga to her? Try as she might, Anyu couldn't remember. It was like trying to recall her own first words; in her mind, she had always been able to speak perfectly.

"How does this change anything?" Anyu asked irritably. When would she be able to stop asking questions?

"Siku is incredibly powerful," Denigi answered patiently. "As is her magic. The place she has trapped our fellow indwellers... well, it was designed to let no one escape." Her gaze slid to Kano momentarily, as if she expected him to jump in, but he only frowned at her until she continued. "But a tamga is the great weakness of any indweller, the one thing that can undo any magic that they cast. And the more powerful the indweller, the more powerful the tamga. This certainly explains how Nanuk was easily bested by it."

"It had never even occurred to me that Siku could have had a tamga somewhere out there," Kano murmured to himself. "I wonder how she ever could have allowed that to happen..."

Anyu was about to ask how one created a tamga, but thought better of it. If it required taking a bone from someone, then it couldn't be pleasant. She didn't feel the need to know all of the painful details.

"Whatever the reason, this is excellent," Kano said, some of his cheer returning to his voice. He turned to Denigi expectantly. "We should begin planning immediately. We will need to gather as many indwellers as possible to join us. Then we can-"

"I'm afraid you're letting your optimism cloud your judgment again," Denigi interrupted. "There are no others."

Kano opened his mouth, then closed it again. He was completely caught off guard. It took him a minute to overcome his speechlessness.

"Surely you can't mean-"

"Not dead," Denigi said before Kano could panic. "Although Siku has disposed of some of them since your imprisonment. No, for most of us, the fear of her is simply too overwhelming. No one would dare go against her, for risk of the consequences."

Kano narrowed his eyes. "When you say 'us'..."

Denigi collected the cups, hers and Kano's empty, Anyu's full, to avoid meeting his stare. "Myself included," She said softly. "I'm sorry. I've given you all the help you require, but I cannot directly disobey her."

Anyu turned to gauge his reaction. Instead of the expected anger, he just looked scared. Like a little boy finally realizing that he was all alone in a forest with no one to guide him. Anyu wondered who this Siku woman was, to inspire such fear in these people who were themselves almost like gods.

Kano inhaled slowly through his nose and let out a lengthy sigh. "I understand," He said finally. "And I thank you for the help you've given us. But is there no one left willing to fight against her?" Desperation and hope warred with each other in his voice.

Denigi was silent for a moment, thinking. "Tavra," She said. "I don't even know if he is still alive, but if anyone were to be willing, it would be him."

Kano barked out a harsh laugh. "Of course," He said, and Anyu detected a note of exasperation in the words. "Of course it would be him. Well, at least it won't be difficult to find him." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room, where a full seal skin pack rested. He began to put in some last minute supplies while talking to them over his shoulder. "I'll see if Tavra is willing to join me, then take the tamga to Yahal."

"No you won't."

Both Kano and Denigi stopped what they were doing to look at Anyu. She had been so quiet for the last few minutes of the conversation that it seemed they had forgotten she even had a say in the matter. It only made Anyu angrier and more determined to get her way.

"It's mine," She said. "I won't let you just take it from me."

Kano frowned. "I wasn't asking." He said, clearly annoyed. "I need it to free the summer indwellers. I'll take it by force if I have to." He held out his hand to her palm up and raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to disagree.

"Because using force worked so well for you against Nanuk, right?" She couldn't help the insult and it had slipped through her lips before she could think better of it. "But regardless, you won't be taking it to Yahal." Even though she had no idea where this Yahal place was. "I will. I'm coming with you."

Kano's brows shot up even higher at that. "Not that I particularly care what you do," He ventured. "But why would you want to come?"

"If doing this would bring warmth back into the world, then I have to see that you succeed." Her people had suffered enough in the ice due to nothing but this power hungry woman's selfishness. To live a life without the frost seeping into your bones, worming its way into your soul, a life without the constant threat of death... It was something she couldn't imagine, but even the idea that it was possible lit a blazing fire of hope inside of her. Anyu missed her tribe, her brother and grandmother so much that it was like a physical ache, but she was doing this for them. And you can't leave without getting more answers, a voice deeper down whispered in her ear. The tamga for instance... How did it come to be in your possession?

Kano regarded her for a moment. Perhaps he was deciding whether to let her come or to simply take the tamga and leave. Not that she would let him. Anyu felt confident in her ability to fight him off. After all, he hadn't exactly shown a prowess for fighting from what she'd seen of him. But having him willingly agree to her accompanying him would certainly make things a lot easier.

After a short while, he merely shrugged and swung the pack over his shoulders. "Better get ready then," He said. "We have a hard journey ahead of us."