Daughter of the Heavenly Spirit

Metro 2033: Daughter of the Heavenly Spirit is the third novel by Russian science fiction writer Andrey Butorin, written as part of the Metro 2033 universe and his Peninsula of Hope trilogy. It went on sale in January 2013.
In this story, the main characters from the previous novels of the trilogy - Nanas and Nadia - together with the expedition, equipped by Polyarnye Zori, go to Vidyayevo (where Nadia grew up) to fulfill her cherished wish - on the way back to visit the site of her father's death, located in the neighborhood of the Sami village (in which Nanas was born and raised). The heroes, together with Seid who joins them, become separated from the Polyarnye Zori caravan, overcome a road full of dangers or obstacles towards the Sámi village, and experience at the end of the road not at all what they could have imagined. 
==Story==
===The Beginning of the Journey===
The novel is set in the summer of 2033 - four months after the events of Siege of Paradise. The authorities of Polyarnye Zori outfit an expedition to Vidyayevo, which, after reaching the abandoned town, takes the weapons and other supplies stored there.
The action of the novel begins on the journey back, with the narrative told from Nadia's perspective. Nanas, Nadezhda, and Gore, who are with the expedition, hope to leave the caravan and travel to the Sami village where Nanas used to live. Nadezhda wants to visit the site of her father's death, while Gore wants to begin a new life in the village. But the head of the garrison of Polyarnye Zori, Oleg Yarchuk, who is in love with Nadezhda and also participating in the expedition, doesn't want to let his love interest go and repeatedly offers her to return to Polyarnye Zori with him. Nadezhda ignores his attempts at love and reacts very negatively. On the way, the travelers are joined by Seid, who, learning of Nanas, Nadezhda, and Gore's intentions, decides on escorting them to the site.
When the motorcycle offered to the travelers for their trip to the site breaks down, Nadezhda manages to beg Yarchuk for his car. To do this, she has to fulfill Yarchuk's request - to kiss him - and this kiss is remembered for a long time as a very good one, although her attitude to the garrison commander remains negative. Yarchuk gives the travelers a car, his driver Selivanov, and a firearm. Before the caravan and the main characters disperse, Yarchuk instructs Selivanov about something in secret. 
===The Chase===
The travelers, while on their way to the village, hear the sounds of gunfire from the direction of the caravan which left them. Seid goes out to investigate, and, when he returns, reports that the caravan was attacked by bandits from Olenegorsk. However, with all appearances, they suffered heavy losses, and their pursuit is more of a symbolic nature. The travelers reach the abandoned village of Lovozero. Nanas recognizes the type of terrain ahead of them and understands that the travelers won't be able to cross even with an off-road vehicle. Gore suggests traveling across the lake in a boat, which might have remained in Lovozero. Seid smells the armed men pursuing the travelers. The comrades reach one of the boat garages, find a well-preserved boat inside, and Gore assembles the motor. After sailing some distance, the travelers see some bandits on the shore, who fire at them. However, the heroes manage to escape, delaying their standoff with the bandits for some time. They soon notice a mutant in the lake, which the members of Nanas' tribe call the Great Fish, and decide to continue their journey on land rather than by water.
At night, Nanas is awakened by the Giant, an old acquaintance of his. The Giant foretells Nanas something alarming, but the latter conceals it from all but Seid, and Seid promises not to tell anyone about it.
The travelers visit the site of the plane crash, as well as the encounter between Nanas and Semyon Budin. However, Semyon's body is nowhere to be seen, and Nadezhda decides on going to the site to speak with a noyd named Sziladan. She assumes that the noyd may know what has become of her father's body. In the meantime, the comrades are overtaken by bandits. Nanas saves Selivanov's life from a stray bullet. Afterwards, the Giant helps the travelers escape the bandits by detaining them.
During a routine stop, Selivanov talks to Nadezhda secretly from the others. Since Selivanov sees no other way to reach any kind of civilization, he suggests that Nadezhda surrender to the bandits as a group and then come up with a further plan to reach Polyarnye Zori. The girl refuses and offers Selivanov to go with them to the village. Abandoning any attempts to persuade Nadezhda to return to Polyarnye Zori, he tells her the truth about the purpose of his presence in their company: it turns out that Yarchuk gave him an order to return Nadezhda to Polyarnye Zori at any cost, otherwise he threaten Nanas with death. Meeting Nadia's recent refusal, Selivanov, following Yarchuk's orders, shoots Nanas in the head. The bullet lodges itself in his skull, but Nanas remains alive, though he slips into a coma. Enraged by this act of betrayal, Gore kills Selivanov with a machine gun.
Nadia wants to see Sziladan and ask for his help in saving Nanas. However, Gore and Seid decide on hiding Nanas, temporarily, in one of the caves doting the Lovozero Tundra. After reaching one of the caves, Gore and Nadia take the injured Nanas inside, while Said serves as their lookout. Seid finds out that the Giant nevertheless apprehended the bandits, but he himself seemingly was killed because of it, and the bandits are still on their tail. The travelers decide to go deeper into the cave so that the bandits won't notice them at once. The cave turns out to be large with many branches. In one of the branches, Gore is attacked by some mutant worms. While Seid chases the mutants dragging Gore away, Nadia experiences a hallucination and begins speaking with her dead mother. When Seid, with Nadia's help, drives off the worms and frees Gore, the travelers continue on through the cave. 
===Sziladan's Plan===
Although it seem they have only traveled a short distance, the travelers find themselves at the very same Sámi village were Nanas grew up, and the cave served as a shortcut. Seid and Nadezhda head for Sziladan. The pair first encounter a group of people, who turn out to be members of the Karelian barbarians who attacked Polyarnye Zori during the winter. Seid goes into hiding, while Nadezhda presents herself as the daughter of a celestial spirit and demands to be taken to the chief.
As it turns out, Sziladan is absent from the village, and Kostya Parsykin, who has seized power, now serves as the leader. Nadezhda, having met him, tells Kostya that she came here alone, and Kostya decides to make the girl his wife, despite her objections. He sends her to one of their Lappish buildings for the night, and without any guards.
Nadezhda decides to go find Sziladan, realizing the noyd is only one who can cure Nanas of his condition. Knowing that Sziladan's associate, Arodan, is still in the village, Nadezdha offers to help overthrow Parsykyn (using the travelers' firearms) and bring Sziladan back to power in exchange for curing Nanas. Arodan agrees on bringing Nadia to the former noyd.
As it turns out, Sziladan is hiding in the same cave where Nanas and Gore were left at by Nadia. Sziladan orders them to stand down, confiscating their weapons. Unfortunately, Sziladan, hearing the call of the elder, is killed by Arodan, who targets Nadia and Seid in the crosshairs of the machine gun the noyd brought, ordering them to lead him to the promised weapons. Seid finds the trail left by Nanas and Gore before locating them. Arodan tries to shoot the travelers, but Nadia, with what she believes to be her mother's help, knocks the machine gun out of his hands by throwing a torch at the elder. The two quickly tackle Arodan.
Next, Nadezhda learns from Arodan that her father, Semyon Budin, is alive and has been hiding in this cave all along. Though both his legs are broken, he has managed to find shelter somewhere. Seid goes in search of him. With the help of the restrained Arodan, Nedezhda concludes that Sziladan somehow hypnotized Semyon, so that after the Noyd's death he would ignite the natural gas deposits beneath the Lovozero Tundra, which rose close to the Earth's surface after the nuclear war. Thus, they are all now in danger. The travelers free Arodan, before fleeing to the Sami village to warn the inhabitants about the threat to their region. Gore stays behind to guard the entrance from uninvited guests, while Nanas and Nadezhda go looking for Semyon and Seid.
At a fork between two passages, Nadezhda and Nanas decide to take separate passages before returning to said fork. Nadia's passage turns out to be mottled with numerous forks, and she becomes lost in them, not even knowing how to get back. Nadia sees her mother again, who somehow tells her the way, as a result of which the girl already knows where to go. And it turns out to be so close that getting lost seems impossible. Nadia reaches Semyon and Seid, who have inhaled some of the gas and lost consciousness. Eventually, she too loses consciousness. Seid is brought back to the cave by Nanas, while Nanas and Gore go back for Semyon.
Semyon is relieved of the effects of hypnosis by Seid. The pilot's long-cherished dream comes true: he's reunited with Nadezhda. Boudin and his daughter tell each other their stories. Afterwards, Nanas touches a stone into which he believes the power of the now dead Sziladan has gone. 
===Confrontation===
Seid notices a large group of people heading for the cave and informs his comrades. The group of Lapps and barbarians are led by Kostya Parsykin. Arodan tries to detain them, speaking of the immediate danger presented by the natural gas deposit, but Kostya doesn't believe him, and orders Arodan to be killed. Nanas and Kostya exchange verbal harshness, eventually agreeing to a fair one-on-one fight. The fight happens, and when Kostya gains an undeniable advantage over Nanas, Parsykin is killed by Semyon Budin with a pistol. Wearing a flight helmet, he pretends to be an unknown being, a heavenly spirit, in front of the Sami, before introducing his daughter Nadezhda to the people, and at her request appoints Nanas as the noyd. Nanas considers Parsykin's murder dishonest and quarrels with Semyon. Nadezhda also quarrels with Nanas and she eventually leaves for the cave. The barbarians take the remaining travelers at gunpoint with their bows, but a sudden thunderstorm saves Nadezhda, Semyon, and Seid - they manage to take refuge in the cave. Semyon tells Nadezhda that while all his comrades were at the cave entrance, he had a vision of Svetlana Budina, who told him of the danger below the Sami's village. Suddenly, he somehow made it to the exit on his own feet, despite the fact that they were paralyzed.
Nanas returns, leading the mutants who previously attacked Gore. The mutants obey Nanas and submit to his will. Nanas reveals that he, too, had a vision of Nadia's mother, from whom he learned that his comrades were in danger. Nanas decides to prove, through the mutant worms, that he is Noah. The boy thus succeeds in subjugating the barbarians to himself. He decides to let them go without the right to stay in the village, giving them Sami edged weapons, but, for safety reasons, in disassembled form. 
===Subversion===
Gore, along with Nanas and Nadia, notices bandits approaching along the lakeside, among whom they believe Yarchuk is present. Nanas, using the self-defense tactic he learned in Polyarnye Zori, repels an attempt on his life by his former tribesmen. He then declares Nadia their chief. He instructs the Sami to go as far away as possible with his comrades. The barbarians express their desire to participate in the battle. Nanas intends to blow up the natural gas deposit of the Lovozero Tundra, ridding the Sámi of the threat the bandits pose and sacrificing himself.
Nadezhda is against such a decision, and she decides to spare Nanas from sacrificing himself by talking to Yarchuk, along with the bandits, out of going further into the the cave. Nadezhda asks Seid, who wants to accompany Nanas until their final moments together, to prevent the boy from completing his plan at the last moment, leaving the Sami to the care of Goru and Semyon, and herself meeting with the leader of the barbarian group Buzz. The girl asks the barbarian to back her up when she heads for Yarchuk and, at her signal, sends a messenger to Seid, who will inform him that the gas can be blown up. The barbarians, to whom the travelers had previously given two machine guns, agree to her plan.
Nadya meets Yarchuk, who turns out to have been captured by the Olenegorsk bandits. Yarchuk tries to escape with Nadia, but she prevents it. The girl learns that Yarchuk has promised the bandits sanctuary in Polyarnye Zori if they help him find Nadezhda and, as Budina later finds out, kill Nanas. Yarchuk's attempts to escape are noticed by the bandits. Nadezhda, now disgusted with Yarchuk, tells the man everything she thinks of him and punches Yarchuk in the face. The bandits, eager to fulfill their promise with the prisoner, set out to kill Nanas. Buzz gives the signal to his barbarians, and the two sides begin the battle, but they don't send out a messenger to Nanas and Seid.
During the fight, Nadia bumps into the wounded Buzz, who, realizing he will die in battle with his fellow barbarians, asks the girl to kiss him. Nadia agrees to the last word of a man willingly going to his death. The girl then runs to Nanas, intending to signal Seid and die with her husband in an explosion.
It turns out that Seid himself wants to destroy the gas reserve, sparing Nanas from such a fate. Through trickery, Seid forces Nanas to remove the pin from the grenade in his teeth. Seid demands that Nadezhda and Nanas flee from the cave entrance as quickly as possible. He will not listen to his friends' objections. Seid runs towards the cave, with Nadezhda and Nanas having no other choice but to flee into dangerous territory.
An explosion occurs. Nadezhda and Nanas both survive with relatively minor injuries. After bandaging their wounds, they go out to make sure that all the bandits are dead. Nadia explains to Nanas the reasons for her return, mentioning that she wanted to leave to save his life. This infuriates Nanas, and the couple quarrel, but continue on their journey. They become convinced that the bandits are dead. The couple find Yarchuk crushed by a boulder, but still alive, and Nanas understands who Nadia wanted to leave with. He is about to leave Nadia and Yarchuk, but Nadia stops him and the couple make peace. The freed Yarchuk tries to sail away in a boat, but is eaten by the Great Fish.
The couple return to the Sami village, which has also survived the explosion with insignificant damage. Nanas fixes a damaged roof, while Nadya gathers from under some rubble the food prepared for her and Nanas' wedding. The two have lunch, and in the meantime, everyone in Nanas' tribe return to the village, accompanied by Gore and Semyon Budin. 
===Epilogue===
The Sámi recognize Nanas as a noida, Nadia as a chieftainess, and Gore as an elder. In order to tell the tribe about the outside world, a school is opened in the village. The friends try to cure Semyon Budin's legs with minerals from the Lovozero Tundras, a piece of which was left in Sziladan's vezha, but it has no significant result. Semyon is burning with the idea of returning to Polyarnye Zori to see Svetlana Smirnova again, and the two find such a way. Semyon sets off in December and the whole community sees him leave. Nanas doesn't give up trying to find Seid in the Lovozero Tundra. He hopes that his best friend survived the explosion. Meanwhile, it's revealed that the Giant, whom Nanas befriended in The North, survived his encounter with the bandits. In a grove somewhere far from the Lovozero Tundra, he comforts Seid, who is recovering from a broken leg, before telling the Giant how he'll be reunited with Nanas again someday.
==Interesting Facts==
*The final part of the Peninsula of Hope trilogy.
*Features the Lovozero Tundra - or rather, a complex of caves in their depths.
*Unlike the first two books, this one takes place during the brief polar summer of 2033.
*The fate of the characters in the final part of the book is offered to the reader.
ru:Дочь_небесного_духа 
Category:Russian Books
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