At the end of the block, we took a right turn onto a poorly kept path. It had obviously been shoveled at some point in the winter, since it had less snow than the areas around it, but it was covered in snow.
“Why doesn’t Kate like visitors?” I asked as we walked out of town.
“Nobody likes visitors here.” Ulla spoke loudly so her voice would carry through the thick scarf she’d wrapped around her face.
“It seems like a lonely place,” I said.
Ulla looked at me with a snowflake stuck to her eyelash. “You have no idea.”
We’d walked for quite a while before Ulla pointed at what appeared to be a heap of snow on the ground, claiming that it was Kate’s place. As we got closer, it finally began to take shape. It was so low to the ground that it had to be built like Ridley’s house, with most of it below the surface. Snow covered it, probably both to camouflage it and to help insulate it during the harsh winters.
Dirty snow appeared to move near the front of the house, but when two gray and white drifts began charging toward us, I quickly realized it wasn’t snow. Two massive wolves had been lying outside, but now they were running toward Ulla and me, snarling and barking.
“I forgot she had wolves,” Ulla said.
I started backing away, since the wolves were rapidly approaching us. “We should get out of here.”
“No, don’t run!” Ulla snapped. “That’ll only make them chase you.”
“Well, I’m not exactly an expert in fighting wolves in hand-to-hand combat, so what do you suggest we do?”
The front door of the hut was thrown open, and a dark figure stepped out wielding a large shotgun.
“Magni! Modi,” she shouted, and the wolves halted mere feet from pouncing on us. “Get back here!”
The wolf closest to me hesitated, growling at me once more, before turning back and running with the other one toward the hut. The home owner was still holding a gun, but she’d called the dogs off, so I took that as a good sign. I slowly stepped closer to the hut, and a second later, Ulla followed me.
“Who are you? What do you want?” the woman barked at us.
“I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. If that’d be okay.”
She was cloaked in thick fur, and a hood hung low over her face, so I could only see her mouth, scowling at me. As she considered my proposal, it seemed to take forever, with the two wolves standing by her side.
Finally, she said, “You’ve walked all this way. I might as well let you in.” Without waiting for us, she went back into the hut, and the wolves trailed behind her.
Since I wasn’t actually sure how safe any of this would be, I turned to Ulla. “You can head back to town if you want. I can handle this from here.”
“No way. This is better than anything that happens in town.”
I didn’t want to stand out here and argue with her, especially not when someone with a shotgun and wolves was waiting on me. So I nodded and went on.
Inside the hut, the walls were made of gray exposed wood, and there was a wood-burning stove, small kitchen table, and bed all in the same room.
It was surprisingly warm inside, and the woman had already taken off her fur and tossed it on the bed. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a frizzy braid that went to her knees. She wore a loose-fitting black dress with wool leggings, and, much like Ulla, she wore many pieces of wood and ivory jewelry.
When Ulla and I came in, she was busying herself filling up two metal dishes with chunks of meat from an ice chest. I took off my hat and scarf while I waited for her to finish. The wolves whimpered excitedly until she set the bowls down before them, and then she turned her attention to us.
Her eyes were dark gray, with thick lashes framing them, and without all the fur she appeared rather petite. She looked to be in her early twenties, but with her arms crossed over her chest, she gazed at me with the severity of someone much older and much more hardened by life.
“What do you want?” she demanded.
“Are you Kate Kissipsi?” I asked.
“That’s what they call me,” she replied noncommittally.
“I was just looking for someone, and Ulla Tulin”—I motioned to Ulla beside me, and she gave Kate a small wave—“thought you might know something.”
“I live alone with nothing but Magni and Modi.” Kate looked over to where the wolves were chomping down on the semi-frozen red meat. “I don’t think I can help you.”
“Do you know anything about a Mina Arvinge?” I asked, almost desperately. “Anything at all?”
Her eyes widened for a moment, but her expression remained hard. Finally, she let out a heavy breath. “Ayuh. You mean my sister?”
My jaw dropped. “She’s your sister?”
“I suppose I should make us some tea, then.” She turned her back to us and went over to the stove. “Come in and sit down. You’ll probably have a lot you want to talk about.”
TWENTY-NINE
relation
Sorry about the gun,” Kate said, glancing over to where the shotgun rested by the door.