For one second, there was nothing. And then, the pain. A blinding flash of agony that snaked down her arm and exploded at her severed wrist, burning and smoldering with an uncontrollable fury.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to writhe on the ground in agony. But she couldn't. Her breathing came out in shallow gasps as she tried to stay conscious through it, tried to stop her blood from spilling out onto the ground.
Without looking, she took the hand- it wasn't hers anymore- and flung it at Seqineq. The woman looked startled by her actions, but Anyu could see the embers of resolve sparking in her eyes.
"Take it," Anyu managed to gasp out. With her right hand, she clasped her wrist tightly to her chest, desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood. "Tamga."
Anyu saw the realization dawn in Seqineq's molten eyes. She looked at the hand with a hunger in her eyes, a revenge- they seemed to glow with it. Anyu didn't like it at all.
"Help her," Seqineq commanded. Her harsh words seemed to break the masked man's spell. In an instant, he shook off his shock and examined Anyu's wrist. She couldn't help the scream that escaped through her clenched teeth when he touched it. Pulses of pain crawled up her arm every moment, all emanating from her broken and bloody wrist. It felt like a crushing river was running under her skin, pulverizing her bones and muscles as it went.
The man used strips of cloth to bind her wrist tight, but even he was only half paying attention to his actions. He, like all of the other indwellers here, had their eyes trained on Seqineq and her triumphant smile as her fingers closed on Anyu's hand. Even Anyu couldn't look away. Seqineq was like the bright flame illuminating the darkness, and the rest of them were the insects helplessly drawn in.
"My brothers and sisters," Seqineq's voice boomed to the assembled indwellers, echoing in the wide chasm. Her voice was rough, powerful. "For eons we have lived in the yoke of exile, banished beneath the fires of Yahal. For lifetimes, we have endured this torture, never seeing our beloved sky. But now," She raised the severed hand high above her head. "Now a warrior of the Nenet has given us the key to our freedom!"
A chorus of cheers and roars rose up from the gathered crowd, the indwellers stamping their feet and howling towards the sky. It was an indescribable display of simultnaeous joy and rage, relief and vengeance, as the indwellers heard the news of their long awaited freedom. The sight was so overwhelming that Anyu couldn't be sure whether that or the blood loss was the cause of her dizziness.
When the cheering began to abate, Seqineq turned to Anyu and bowed. Anyu couldn't do more than nod her acknowledgement. She was sweating through her blood-soaked furs now, and shivers went down her spine.
"Igni." Seqineq nodded to the masked man. His shoulders stiffened in surprise once more, then squared in determination.
The masked man- Igni- removed one of the many necklaces strung about his neck. This one was smaller and less assuming than the others with only a single sharpened tooth strung on it. It was small, but Anyu didn't doubt that it was sharp enough to kill. He took the tooth into his palm and crushed it, sprinkling the white dust onto Anyu's wrist. The relief was instantaneous, a cold wave of numbness blessedly washing over the excruciating pain in her arm. Anyu sagged with relief.
Seqineq knelt before Anyu.
"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," She said gravely, head bowed.
It wasn't just me, she wanted to say. This was Kano and Tavra and Shesh's sacrifice too. But she was too dazed to reply.
Seqineq stood as the other indwellers gathered. There were so many of them, more than Anyu could count. They all stood before Seqineq expectantly, waiting for her command.
Seqineq raised her arms. For a moment nothing happened. Then the molten fire in the ground exploded. It snaked up and around the sides of the mountain like a snake coiling around its prey. When it had finished, the coils of fire froze and hardened into black stone- a staircase leading up to the top of the mountain.
The indwellers roared and cheered. Seqineq took the first steps up the staircase and the rest charged after her. They were moving fast. Anyu grit her teeth and stood on shaky legs.
A large hand fell on her shoulder. Anyu turned and was met with the sight of Igni's fearsome mask.
"You should not come," He warned.
Anyu ignored him and stumbled forward towards the stairs. She had to go. Had to see that her friends were okay, that Siku truly was defeated. With a start, she realized that returning home hadn't been her first thought, not even a priority. How could she think about going home now, when the lives of so many in this place were so uncertain?
She didn't look back, but Igni didn't try to stop her. She was swept up in the onslaught of indwellers, all pushing and running towards the top of the mountain, towards their freedom. Anyu couldn't imagine how it would feel to be trapped down here, imprisoned in the mountain for time untold. She looked at the faces of those around her, so desperate just to see a drop of sunlight, and decided that she was glad she didn't know.
The light grew brighter and brighter as they wound their way up. The chasm grew narrower as the peak came into sight.
Anyu's mind whirled, trying to picture the sight that would greet them at the top. Her mind immediately conjured an image that made her sick to her stomach: Siku and Sakari, hands bloodied, standing over the bodies of Tavra, Shesh, and Kano.
Anyu's pulse raced and she forced herself to move faster. No, she wouldn't kill them, she told herself forcefully. If she'd wanted them dead, she'd have done it already. She wants them alive.
Next another scenario emerged, one almost as horrible and much more likely. Siku and the others nowhere in sight and long gone, having run off to the far reaches of the tundra to imprison her friends and plan their revenge.
Anyu shuddered at the thought. If they really were gone already, then there would be nothing she could do.
No. Anyu grit her teeth and kept trudging forward, one stair at a time. I'd find them. I'd search the whole tundra if that's what it took, until I found them and killed Siku.
A loud cry erupted at the head of the group and Anyu was jarred from her thoughts. Seqineq had approached the wall of mist that formed the barrier between the summer indwellers and their freedom.
The mist trembled slightly, Anyu noticed, like the surface of still waters disturbed by a pebble. Seqineq turned to face the crowd of indwellers below her. She raised the tamga in her hand, and the roar that met her in response was deafening. Anyu herself only watched with wide eyes and bated breath. Please work, she prayed. Please.
Seqineq's mouth curled into a grim smile and she thrust the tamga against the mist. For a moment, all was silent. Anyu's heart sank.
A loud, clear crack echoed down into the chasm. From the spot where the tamga touched the mist, the smoke began to freeze into a thin skin of ice. Tendrils of ice spread out from it, freezing the entirety of the mist ceiling in an instant.
All was silent in Yahal. Then Seqineq closed her fingers into a fist and punched through the thin layer of ice. It shattered at the impact, Seqineq's hand going clean through it. Bits of snow fell around her, drifting down the dark maw of the mountain all the way back to the chasm floor.
A grin split Seqineq's face. The cavern shook, the walls quaking with power. Anyu stumbled and nearly fell down into that endless pit, but somehow managed to cling to the side of the wall. She craned her neck, peering down into the chasm. A soft glow emanated from it, growing brighter and brighter as she watched. Anyu squinted and leaned forward, trying to get a better look.
Her eyes widened in an instant and she leaned back just in time. Bursts of molten fire erupted from the depths, beckoned by Seqineq's call. They gathered in a circle around her, hovering in midair, waiting for something.
Seqineq thrust a hand forward and they rammed into the icy shell, destroying it in an instant. The strange flames raged for a minute more, obscuring Seqineq from their view.
Anyu wished she could have seen Siku's face the moment she saw those flames and realized what they meant. To see the confidence crumble in her eyes as she saw her end coming for her. But she would settle for seeing Seqineq obliterate Siku in a similar fashion.
The fires finally retreated, and fell back into the fiery pools below. The peak of Yahal was wide open, a gaping hole exposing them all to the clear blue sky.
An indweller next to Anyu began to sob openly. Then Seqineq at last left their ancient prison, and the exodus of indwellers rushed after her.