Margit Sandemo - The Ice People 47 - Is There Anybody Out There?

Then they rushed upwards. The demons flew ahead of them, led by Typhoon, accompanied by many eager orders and suggestions from those among them who couldn’t move that easily.

The climb turned out to be rather difficult. The humans had to struggle for a long time, tried other routes, waited for each other, helped each other.

And time passed.

Nataniel, Nataniel, many of them quietly whispered to themselves. A painful feeling of impatience and an even worse sense of helplessness gripped them.

The demons returned.

“Only a big glacier,” Typhoon reported to Marco. “We saw a small depression in the valley with green grass and flowers right next to a massive mountain wall, but there was no one there.”

“What could that mean?” Marco interrupted him. “It would seem that Shira’s clear water was sprinkled there. But ...”

He gestured with his hands to show he didn’t understand

“We didn’t understand a thing, either,” said Typhoon. “Especially because there was nothing but snowdrifts, it was white everywhere.”

“There was nothing to see?”

“Nothing.”

They looked at one another. They lost their courage. How were they to search if there was nowhere to search and nothing to search for?

Ellen started to weep silently. Bitter tears of disappointment.

But none of them could avoid noticing the great sense of relief that emanated from the ground. Gabriel afterwards said that it was as if a huge giant had let out a slow, satisfied sigh under their feet.

Tan-ghil, the curse and fright of the whole world, was gone.

Chapter 4

Then they reached the top. Right before them lay the wide expanse where the wind whispered and whistled so sadly.

From where they stood they couldn’t see the little depression in the valley that Typhoon had mentioned. All they could see was the glacier, mighty and white.

The snowstorm had subsided considerably, which improved the visibility. But there was nothing to actually break the whiteness: the glacier seemed to merge with the sky, for the mountains on the opposite side were not visible.

They felt pathetically small and very sad.

“Take us to the flowery valley,” said Marco tiredly to Typhoon. “That’s the only thing we have left to go on.”

“I would be more than happy to do so. But we’ve already searched there. And below the ice sheet. We found nothing.”

Discouraged, they began to cross the ice.

“Do you think Nataniel has stayed inside the mountain?” Tova asked Marco in a very low voice so that Ellen wouldn’t hear.

“I’m afraid so,” he answered, just as quietly. “In which case it has completely closed around him. But then I don’t understand how he managed to defeat Tengel the Evil. Out here!”

“Shira might have done it,” said Tova, which wasn’t much consolation.

“Look!” Halkatla shouted. “Look up there! What is it?”

They could just discern some dark clouds approaching the snowy air. The shadows grew bigger and bigger. The group stood motionless just staring at them.

“Black angels,” whispered Gabriel. “And so many of them! Help!”

“All twenty, I think,” said Trond.

No one had had a chance to say another word before the gigantic creatures landed on the ice before them. Everyone greeted one another politely, for that sort of thing didn’t happen every day, especially not for the Ice People – that much they understood. They waited to see what the next move would be from the new arrivals.

One of the tall, black-winged men bowed deeply before Marco and said: “The valley is free, we can travel in it once more. All of you, and the chosen one in particular, have pleased our master greatly. Don’t ask any questions, just follow us right away!”

A few minutes later the black angels stopped in their tracks. They circled an elevation in the ice, which most resembled a molehill in the frozen expanse.

Ellen understood immediately. With a wail she sank to her knees and began brushing off the snow with agitated movements.

She was greatly assisted by the others. Nataniel was unearthed in no time.

Marco, who was on his knees, straightened up and asked the black angels: “Is it too late?”

They didn’t answer. They just waved humans, demons and spirits away with authority. Then they pointed their right hands at the frozen figure, making the air flash and spark so that the humans were forced to turn away.

“It’s not too late,” said one of the angels, turning to Ellen. “It was for your sake, Lady, that our lord bade us find the dying one. For he was as good as dead. He had three alarming injuries on his arm. There is nothing we can do about them. But he is abundantly endowed with special gifts. As well as being of our blood. Our lord has mercy on you both, you have suffered greatly. Take good care of him!”

“We will,” said Ellen with tears of joy.

The black angels concluded their work.

“We’ll see you again one day,” said one of them, and then they took off from the ice with a roaring boom.

“Did you hear what they said?” asked Gabriel, his eyes beaming. “We’ll see them again!”

Marco nodded. His face was very pale and stern-looking.

Nataniel, on the other hand, had regained his colour. He stretched, opened his eyes and smiled at Ellen, hampered by the pain in his arm.

They got him to his feet and gave him some clothes. Several of the living humans were rather scantily dressed by this time.

“Let’s get out of this cursed valley,” Tova muttered.

The only one who objected was Nataniel himself.

“Let’s first get hold of whatever we can of the treasure of the Ice People! Let’s go to Sunniva’s place.”

So they did. But it was merely an empty meadow. There were no tracks to find in the newly fallen snow, no flat stone with directions on how to get to the stairs leading to the catacombs and the Great Abyss.

Nataniel took a deep breath.

“Then we’ll have to assume that the treasure is gone.”

“Well, it served its purpose well,” said Marco. “But since we’re here anyway, I think I’ll summon some of our friends.”

They immediately knew to whom he was referring. No one was surprised to see Ulvhedin and Lilit heading towards them in the light, snowy mist.

“I know what you want,” said the beautiful Lilit, smiling bitterly. “It’s good to see you again, by the way, you’ve done a good job. Ulvhedin, let’s get started right away.”

Whereupon a ceremony was initiated of which they didn’t understand a word, but that didn’t matter because they understood its purpose all the better.

“It’s my responsibility,” Lilit explained. “And Ulvhedin was born with the ability to conjure. He’s done this before.”

Strange words echoed off the rocks as Lilit and Ulvhedin exorcised the bog men from the Valley of the Ice People, forcing them to go far away, deeper into the ground where they really belonged. Lilit locked all their paths leading up to the human world, and all engravings on flat rocks and stones were erased. As Lilit so acidly said: “If people dig too far down, they have only themselves to blame. The bog men have to live somewhere, too!”

The conjuration was over; the place was cleansed.

Lilit half-turned from the group of humans and animals while still addressing them. “And now I believe we are to receive a visit ...”

Into the meadow emerged all those who had taken part in the battle from the very beginning. The Taran-gais, who greeted Orin and Vassar like long-lost sons, and all the ancestors of the Ice People. The horrible female demons, the abandoned ones ...

Their joy at meeting again was great.

Of course, it was greatest for Tiili and her mother and brother. For a long time, many tears were shed and there were many clumsy attempts to explain what had happened before they could continue. But as had been agreed earlier, Dida and Targenor were never told exactly what Tiili had had to endure. Neither of them would have been able to bear knowing about her seven-century wait in fear and terror and the deepest loneliness.