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Chapter Fifty-Four: The Bell Will Toll and The Reds Will Win

"Ilmatar... Stop!" Väino commanded her to bring the sled dogs to a halt. Rising from his seat in the cargo bed, he took up his spyglass to peer at the distant horizon.

"Someone is approaching," he said, passing the telescope to the doll, Ilmatar.

"It's Joukahainen," she said.

Väino's brow furrowed. "Do you think he's still upset with us?" he asked, but the doll offered no response.

With the sled dogs at rest, they continued to observe the newcomer as he closed the gap, reaching them in less than ten minutes.

Joukahainen, or Jouka, was a green-eyed, twenty-three-year-old Sami man. He donned a red coat and a blue knit cap, carrying a wooden staff to probe the ground for safe passage. A hunting rifle was strapped to his back as he rode on a reindeer, its dark brown fur and prominent crest drawing Ilmatar's attention.

"Reindeer can be ridden?" Ilmatar asked, tilting her head.

Jouka, seemingly ignoring her, said, "Louhi sent me."

An aura of tension hung between the two men, and Ilmatar observed the situation with indifference. Despite understanding the source of their dispute, she remained baffled by their longstanding grudge.

"A few days ago, Pohjola was ravaged by a storm. The signs are either destroyed or buried in snow. Louhi thought that, after six years of no visiting her, you might not remember the way."

"How considerate of her! But you're right, we've stopped to check the way every five minutes," Ilmatar quipped.

Jouka led the way on his reindeer for at least five miles until they arrived at a small Sami town, boasting no more than fifty wooden houses.

Louhi's residence sat at the far end of the village. The village exuded a cozy charm, its houses arranged in two parallel columns along the main road. They were greeted by several villagers, one of whom was heading out with his son to tend to the reindeer.

"Why do we raise dogs when reindeer is more profitable?" Ilmatar asked, her question sharp and tactless, conveyed through her sarcastic but emotionless voice.

"I hate reindeer! Dogs are loyal and appreciative. Reindeer are like... politicians. They eat and eat and give you nothing... if you know what I mean," Väino said.

"But reindeer can be eaten! You can't dine on politicians; your argument is invalid!"

Väino held his mouth open for a few seconds as he struggled to articulate an answer. Jouka couldn't help but laugh. Once they reached Louhi's cabin, Ilmatar took charge of securing the dogs and feeding them while the two men stepped into the house.

Louhi, a sixty-year-old woman with graying black hair and striking blue eyes, wore black trousers and a reindeer leather coat. She limped with the aid of a cane as she walked toward Väino, her eyes widening in surprise.

"After all these years, you still come to ask for advice!" she said, smirking. She limped back to the kitchen and brought a kettle with her to the table in the living room. She served a steaming beverage in a cup and extended it to Väino, who accepted it gratefully.

Jouka, who had been a silent presence the whole time, left to retrieve some food from the supply storage. He brought it back, then wordlessly departed again, leaving Väino and Louhi to talk.

Väino stared at the cup for seconds. Louhi, however, didn’t say anything. She was not of Sami descent but rather born to Swedish parents who had settled in Paasilinna, and had once chosen a different path. She had forsaken the life in that city and ventured to Pohjola with her lover. Although she never married, she had a daughter.

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"Is Jouka still harboring resentment toward me?" Väino asked.

"I don't believe so," Louhi said. "But there's a lingering wariness. You know, you didn't want to marry his sister, Aino, and because of that, she..."

"It wasn't my fault," Väino interrupted, closing his eyes.

"I know, and he knows it too. He doesn't wish to rub it in your face," Louhi said as she went on her feet to approach the heater, dragging her wooden chair beside it.

“Come,” she said. “It’s too cold for my old bones.”

“Let me call Ilmatar,” He opened the front door and found the doll waiting outside. “Bring it,” he said.

Ilmatar carried the Sampo and placed it in the center of the living on a carpet and then settled in another chair, gazing out the window, her eyes unwavering and her demeanor serene.

Väino lost in thought, pondered their safety in Pohjola. Louhi noticed his contemplative expression and asked, "Do you believe the mill will be safer here in Pohjola?"

Väino glanced at the cold, wooden walls before responding, "I'll stay here until things in Paasilinna settle."

"He's never had so many before. I'm unsure of their exact number, but it's likely more than a dozen." Louhi shifted the conversation.

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean Völundr's new recruits.”

"Oh! He does have a few aces up his sleeve."

"Ah! You mean that bold girl, Alice? He's finally found someone with potential. However, that child is no more than that—a naive girl who still plays with dolls. She lacks the necessary preparation," Louhi said, sipping from her mug.

“How do you even know her name?”

“A dream told me about her.”

“That’s a little concerning,” he sighed.

"I suppose I don't need to tell you, but Ilmarinen was here."

Väino sipped hastily, a sense of urgency hanging in the air. He leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "What was he looking for?"

Louhi chuckled, a mix of amusement and unease in her eyes. "He came to say hello... He wanted me to read his fortune. I must admit, though, that I did that fortune reading with some prejudice. I was not as impartial as I should have been."

Väino furrowed his brow, seeking clarification. "What do you mean?"

Louhi paused, her expression growing more serious. "Something very, very bad is brewing in Paasilinna. There will be an unprecedented confrontation; a global catastrophe that not only involves Ilmarinen and his people, but also that intrepid little brat... Ilmarinen has changed since the last time I saw him more than a decade ago. I'm afraid it's not for good."

She took a deep breath, her voice carrying a weight of foreboding. "You know the Eternal Chess Board, right?"

Väino nodded, his knowledge of the legendary chess set clear. "The chess board whose matches are endless?"

Louhi continued, delving into the mysterious history of the chessboard. "The chessboard’s creation can be traced to the ancient Sassanid Empire. Nobody knows who crafted it, but it was given to an emperor, I don’t remember his name. That doesn’t matter, it was a board made with some strange Thaumaturgy; it allowed for elaborate matches that, once finished, another would begin anew. It ended up in Rome where someone melted the copper of its pieces, made new ones with ivory, and adapted it to medieval rules. In Renaissance Italy, the chess board belonged to the papacy. The Borja lineage remade it by recycling its materials. Finally, it came to Paasilinna as a gift from the Vatican itself after a truce.”

“Yeah, I know that story,” Väino whispered.

“This is not the most interesting part of the board's history. Once, the Red faction won and days later the Goths sacked Rome, the Red side would win a few other times until the last Roman emperor. Since then, the superstitious ones created a kind of bell which would sound when the red faction wins,” She paused. “I imagine you already know why.”

"Because every time the red side wins, there is a conflict that will change history. The Reds won one game when Napoleon won in Waterloo, for example."

As their conversation continued, two sharp whistles pierced the air, followed by a resounding crash and a tremor beneath their feet. The sudden noise and disturbance spurred them into action. Väino left the cabin and Louhi limped after him. However, Ilmatar remained sitting motionless, unaffected by the chaos around her.

Outside, the villagers gathered, and their astonished gazes fixed on an unexpected sight—a Jeibaa. It lay lifeless, harpoons impaled in its neck and head, marking it as the target of a harrowing battle. Jouka was nearby, breathing heavily, an oversized spear gun beside him.

"I hope vehemently to be wrong," Louhi muttered, her voice laced with concern.

"Louhi? What do you mean?" He frowned, turning his head to her.

"I predicted that the bell would break the silence... for the first time in centuries," She confessed, his fear intensifying as the implications of her prophecy weighed heavily on his mind.