December, two thousand eighteen, in Rallsburg.

Natalie had been asleep for at least an hour now. Riley—or was it Rook, or Tessa, or Likki, or one of a half-dozen names she'd used while working for Malton—leaned against the wall, polishing her rifle in silence.

She didn't expect any more movement that night. The attack had been repelled, and Brian Hendricks was likely sleeping inside the library, still waiting for his daughter to appear. His men were scattered to the winds, and even the National Guard had given up their search for the night, though they were still casting a net wide around the entire region to catch anyone they could.

The Olympic Forest was finally quiet.

Riley watched Natalie carefully, and she wondered. The girl was thirteen as of this year… Riley remembered all too well what her life had been like at thirteen. If their fates took the same path, Natalie would have the worst experience of her life soon, and everything would change forever, even more than the young girl already believed. Her life could become far more painful and broken than it was.

She wouldn't let that happen. Riley already saw too much of herself in the girl. There would not be another Aulikki Häyhä.

Natalie was asleep, well covered, and out of sight from the surrounding region. The walls were thick enough to prevent any sudden attacks of the natural variety. As for magic… Riley still didn't want to use it if she could avoid it. Besides, if Natalie's exertion was anything to go by, there wasn't a chance Riley could repel any mystical assault that might come their way.

She got up and climbed back down the half-burned staircase into the bookshop. Scattered pages still fluttered around occasionally as wind drifted into the room. The wolf lifted its head as Riley entered, eyeing her suspiciously. Riley waited, stock still, and eventually the wolf laid back down again, ignoring her.

Riley walked into the back room. She'd noticed a secret room she'd never been aware of before, though of course, she hadn't exactly had the chance to examine Boris' shop during her original reconnaissance of the town. The wiley old man had kept a close eye on her in both personas she'd adopted, and she was certain he'd known it was her in disguise. Riley wasn't easily spotted by most, but Boris was an expert, as the whole world had learned.

His back room had supplies. Not much, after the fires and the magnetic storm, and some were damaged beyond repair, but there was still a good supply. She started to gather what she might need, mostly medical supplies, a few surgical tools.

"What are you doing?"

Riley spun around, rifle in her hands immediately.

There wasn't anyone there.

The voice spoke a second time, somehow behind her again. "This isn't yours."

Riley shook her head, lowering her rifle. She turned, much more slowly, and found Grey-eyes leaning against the far cabinet. The witch wore a scarf and a thicker jacket than usual, and she'd changed her t-shirt to something else, but other than that, it was the same casual look she always adopted.

"Hello, harmaa noita," she murmured. Hello, grey witch.

Grey-eyes frowned. "Do you really want to call me that?"

"Is it not what you are?"

"I mean…" Grey-eyes shuffled uneasily. "Your boss is the one who attacked me, and now you're acting like there's nothing wrong here."

Riley shook her head. "He was never my boss."

"He wasn't?"

"Kukaan ei omista minua." Nobody owns me.

Grey-eyes took a second, cocking her head to the side just slightly. Riley guessed she was casting a spell, some sort of magic which let her understand and speak any language. She fully expected the witch to be able to understand her, no matter what language she spoke, so she used the language of her heart—that which she found the most strength in, the most control.

"So if nobody owns you…" she asked quietly, "why did you do all those things for him?"

"I did not do them for him."

"For Stefen, then?"

Riley was a little surprised to hear her call him by his name—it wasn't unknown, but most of Rallsburg had always referred to him by his callsign anyway, as he preferred. Still, she shook her head. "For someone else."

"...I can tell when you're lying, you know," she said, frowning a little. "You're not totally lying, but it's still… I don't know."

"Why must you know?"

"Because I…"

Grey-eyes trailed off. She fidgeted a little, and Riley was reminded of just how young and inexperienced this woman with unimaginable power probably was. Now that they all understood the Gods weren't truly otherworldly, merely humans who'd awakened like the rest of them, Grey-eyes seemed like an overwhelmed child.

"I did it for no one," said Riley finally. "I did it for myself."

"...Why?"

"To stay alive," she answered honestly. "Because I'm not brave enough yet."

Grey-eyes hesitated again, even more confused. Riley knew she understood just fine, and whatever magic Grey-eyes wielded confirmed the truth of her words, but still, Riley had only introduced more questions. Finally, just as Riley was thinking to start collecting again, Grey-eyes spoke up.

"Who are you?"

Riley shook her head. "I will not lie to you, grey witch, but neither will I offer up my life to you. Do as you will, but know this—I will protect them, even if it means facing against you."

"Who's 'them'?"

Riley didn't answer, but in her head, their faces flashed through her mind.

Viper. Natalie.

The faceless daughter I left behind. Esteri.

Grey-eyes disappeared a moment later. Riley assumed she was off to awaken another individual, probably someone who had waited until the night's activity died down. She briefly wondered what Grey-eyes did during times like this, when no one was being awakened and everyone was focused on some major event.

Perhaps she talks to people like me. Broken people. Maybe she intends to fix them.

Riley knew no one else could fix her. Even a goddess had her limits, and magic was no tool to fix what was broken inside Riley—inside Aulikki Häyhä.

When she was done with Boris' store room, Riley examined the rest of the small store. Satisfied, she went back upstairs, where Natalie was still fast asleep. Her mountain lion had come up to join her, taking up a guard while Riley had been away. As she returned, he shot her a look, and Riley got the distinct impression he was annoyed she'd left her alone.

Riley carefully shook her head, and the mountain lion relented. He curled back up next to the girl, lending his warmth to her, keeping her company through the night.

Maybe that's her escape. She has others. She has her friends, she has her pets. She will not break as I broke.

She laid back down in her position, set her rifle back into its spot, and settled in. The vibrating alarm on her watch was set for an hour and a half. She would take short naps, checking for an update every so often, while she relied upon the wolf, the cat, and the hawk to keep them safe. A wolf and a cat were far better at sensing an intruder, even above her.

Likki gazed up at the stars one more time before she went to sleep. They were more vivid this December than she had seen in years—too many years spent in the thick lights of military bases, or the city illumination of London.

The last time the stars shone so clearly, Likki had been back in her village in Afghanistan, preparing to protect a whole group of people from an invading force who believed they were in the right, who had the force of God on their side and were coming to right their wrongs, by any means necessary.

Tonight, she protected a single girl, but Likki would not fail this time.

Esteri's star shone in the sky. Likki made her wish, the earliest she had ever made it—only fifty minutes into the month of December, but still, it seemed fitting. She closed her eyes and went to sleep, in the quiet whispering Olympic Forest, further away from her home than she'd ever been.

She wished, as she had done every year since she'd abandoned Esteri on the doorstep of an orphanage in Helsinki twenty-two years ago, that her daughter would have a better December than the previous one.