Margit Sandemo - The Ice People 46 - The Black Water

“It’s not at all exciting,” replied Marco. “It’s simply frightening.”

All five were silent again.

At last, Marco and Tova relaxed. “Thank you, Sigleik,” said Marco. “Now we have it.”

“Well?” asked Nataniel impatiently.

Tova sighed. Both she and Marco seemed very tired. Spiritually tired.

“As soon as we have a moment,” she said, “we must get in touch with Ulvhedin.”

“Ulvhedin? Why?”

“When you’ve heard Sigleik’s interpretation of the signs on the door, you’ll understand.”

“Well, what do they say?”

Marco sighed. “Don’t you remember what Sigleik told us in the Demon’s Mountain? About how Tengel the Evil had impressed upon him what he had to learn by heart?”

Gabriel shuddered violently. “No, not that again!”

“Yes, Gabriel. That’s what it says on the door: ‘Sgignat va pche urhosgat mnene ijstja vot.’”

Nobody spoke.

Then Nataniel said, matter-of-fact: “Well, now we know who is outside guarding us. The pale men dressed in black that we saw on the moor.”

“Yes,” said Tova. “The bog men. This is their realm. They are the ones who helped Tengel the Evil build these grottos.”

“So why didn’t they attack us?” Gabriel exclaimed.

“I think I can answer that,” said Nataniel. “They are beings of the earth, aren’t they? But we, the chosen ones, are protected by the spirit of Earth! They can’t strike us!”

“Blessed be the spirits of Taran-gai,” murmured Tova.

“Yes, but we have to get on,” said Nataniel urgently. “Time is moving fast for us and Tan-ghil is approaching. Hurry, help me with the treasure. I must follow the same procedure as Heike to get in here!”

They unpacked the treasure feverishly. While they dug out all the components needed, Ian asked: “What did you mean about Ulvhedin? Is he needed?”

“Ulvhedin conjured the bog men back down into the earth,” Tova explained. “He’ll need to do so again, because these are definitely not the same bog men as the ones in Denmark. But right now, they don’t pose a danger to us. We’ll have to summon him later on. If there is a ‘later on’.”

“Now, now. Don’t be pessimistic,” Nataniel warned. “We need to stay positive.”

“Don’t I know it! Sorry! Anyway, you’re right. Tan-ghil meant to teach Sigleik some signs, but nothing came of it.”

Marco held up a small book. “Here’s the description of Heike’s preparation. But as you know, Heike and Vinga spoiled all the descriptions of how to raise the grey people ...”

“They’re not the ones we need now,” said Nataniel. “What does it say in the book? What rituals have they left us?”

“Only which signs are to be inscribed on the body. They must be the ones that are necessary to traverse the border between the two worlds, the real and the parallel.”

“Good grief,” said Nataniel when he saw all the material they had to copy. “We’ll never have the time for that.”

“Yes we will,” said Tova. “I’ve got the colour ready. Take your clothes off now!”

Nataniel hesitated.

“Oh, hell,” hissed Tova. “Are you going to be shy?”

Nataniel sighed and pulled off his clothes from the upper part of his body.

“Are you the only one who ...?” asked Ian.

“We haven’t time for more,” answered Nataniel. “And you know that this is my task.”

Gabriel looked around the unpleasant grotto. Were they supposed to wait here? While they worried about Nataniel’s fate? He realised that this was beginning to be very much like Shira’s walk through the grottos. With others waiting in an outer grotto without knowing what happened inside.

But things weren’t about to happen exactly like that. Not this time.

They worked furiously at drawing the prescribed patterns on Nataniel’s body. This didn’t happen without quarrels. “Move, I can’t reach!” “For God’s sake, Tova, that bit doesn’t go there!” “Oh God, there’s so much missing!” “Shut up and keep working!”

And Nataniel lay there motionless and could do nothing. Nothing but feel stupid and useless and above all naked!

But that didn’t seem to embarrass the others. They took it completely in their stride. Only he himself was ashamed.

I’m not used to showing my body, he thought. I’ve no love stories to look back on. Apart from one, the one with Ellen. But we weren’t allowed to touch each other. And then I lost her.

No, mustn’t think of the pain now. Focus on your task, Nataniel! Finding the black water of evil.

“There,” said Marco, straightening up. “Now it’s done!”

“It looks a bit sloppy,” Tova admitted. “But every single sign is just about in place. Although I must say, Gabriel, your half-moons look more like gnawed cheese rinds.”

Gabriel was slightly offended. “What about my stars?”

“They look like wrecked starfish without arms.”

“That will do,” ordered Marco. “Now stand up, Nataniel!”

“Can’t I at least put my underpants on?”

“Those lovely spotty ones,” said Tova. “Surely he can be allowed to do that, can’t he, Marco?”

Marco hesitated. “I don’t really know. No, that would be ridiculous. Part of the point is his nakedness. I think he needs to be completely naked.”

Nataniel looked angrily at Marco but realized that he was right. He gave Marco his small bottle and other bits and pieces they might need. Nataniel wouldn’t be able to carry anything with him.

“Well, what happens now?” Ian asked.

Nataniel stood quietly and pensively in front of the inscriptions on the 'gate'. “I’m prepared now, protected by all these signs on my body,” he said. “I think I’ll try to shout the inscription out loud. Towards the door. I damn well expect it to open for me.”

“Try!” said Marco encouragingly.

In a loud voice, Nataniel pronounced the strange, unfathomable words, which had once brought a Danish professor in touch with the underworld.

When Nataniel’s voice ceased, everything was very quiet. They all felt that they were standing in a grave without dead bodies.

Perhaps it was their own grave?

Nothing happened except this expectant, rather eerie silence. It was so dense, and wasn’t there a hint of mockery, of disgust, in it?

“No,” said Nataniel. “That was clearly not enough.”

Tova felt despondent. Why are we standing here, she thought, making fools of ourselves? To begin with, we may be using completely the wrong technique, and anyway there may be no entrance in that wall.

Marco was more resolute. “We’ve been given the whole of the Ice People’s treasure, after all. What else did it say about Heike’s ritual?”

“Nothing,” said Tova. “They deleted it all so that the grey people wouldn’t get a grip on the Ice People again.”

But now Nataniel had another inspiration. “Maybe the formulas no longer exist. However, we know something about them!”

“No, we don’t,” protested Tova.

“Yes, we do,” said Nataniel, with a hint of triumph in his voice. “We know that all those horrible brews he drank up there in the mountains contained a particular ingredient.”

The others looked questioningly at him, thinking hard.

“Of course,” said Marco. “Tiny bits of the mandrake.”

Tova grew angry. “But Rune isn’t here! Anyway, I’ve no intention of chopping bits off him.”

“No, no,” said Nataniel gently. “There’s no need. Look what Gabriel is doing.”

He removed his small mandrake and pulled it over his head. “It’s been a great comfort and help to me,” he said, slightly sadly. “Still, I’m willing to sacrifice it. But cut into it gently because I don’t want it to feel any pain.”