With a rustle, the trees part and I don’t let myself think before running through the gap in the foliage. Whatever power controls this world is letting me go.

Spitting me out, really.

One minute, I’m sprinting along the snowy path between ragged trees, swatting away dangling eyeballs, and the next I’m skidding down a muddy embankment of a river nowhere near the tonttukivi. It’s midmorning and weak sunlight streams through ordinary trees in an ordinary forest without any sinister eyeballs.

Having successfully stopped myself from falling into the water by catching hold of some tree roots, I fish Morgan’s phone out of my pocket. The battery is dead. Perhaps a trip to a magical realm has fried its electronics. Without GPS, I have no way of telling where I am. Not in Lumikuuro at least. I think.

Pathetic, the little voice berates me. The others could be dying and here you are feeling sorry for yourself!

“Can you help me?” I call out to the trees, feeling rather silly. What am I expecting? Some magical elk or bear to appear and solve my problems? Still, if the forest beyond the stones listened, maybe the trees here will too.

All is quiet except for the murmur of the river and the occasional croak of a crow.

Crows!

“I’m here! Musti, Rekku, Kamu. I’m over here!” I yell until my voice cracks.

Another croak! It could be any crow, but moving toward the sound is as good a plan as any and certainly beats doing nothing. I stomp the mud from my boots then set off in the direction of the birds. I keep the river on my left, navigating my way over slippery roots with careful steps. Last thing I need now is to fall in.

A crow flies into view, sitting on a low branch, fluffing up its chest where it has a smudge of white.

“Musti! You came!”

The bird caws, as if reprimanding me for leaving him behind at the tonttukivi.

“I’m sorry,” I say as more crows gather in the trees above, ruffling glossy feathers. Rekku and Kamu are among them.

“Don’t just sit there,” I shout up at the mangy corvids. “Show me the way home. Come on!”

Musti and the others take off in a flurry of black feathers.

“Wait! Slow down!” I run after them, slipping and falling and not caring about the bruises that’ll no doubt litter my legs.

So tired.

So cold.

So hungry.

But I keep going.

A black cat with four white socks drops from a branch a few meters ahead and stares at me with yellow eyes.

“Kalma? What are you doing here?” I study the cat, not sure if I’m really looking at Emmi’s familiar.

The cat meows and stalks forward, bashing her head against my hand and purring loudly. It must be Kalma.

“Okay, kitty. Can you show me the way?”