Margit Sandemo: The Ice People 42 - The Calm Before the Storm

Inu bowed deeply to Rune. “Your excellency, I heard a lot about you when you lived in Taran-gai. You were already a legend then, and we grieved that you left us in the company of those that migrated westwards.”

“Thank you for those words, Inu,” said Rune gravely. “Of course, you only knew me as a root with magical properties, nothing else?”

“Yes, master. We also knew your master, the one who owned you. He was a good man, who left a good reputation. However, there’s something else I would like to mention ...”

“Go ahead, Inu, we’re all listening.”

“In your account, you said something that caught our particular interest. Shama – may he not hear me mention his name now – had said to Tan-ghil that he and his descendants were to give human beings a sudden, evil death. This is absolutely right, your highness. We, Tan-ghil’s descendants, were chosen to be Shama’s henchmen in order to procure black flowers for his garden.”

“There, you see,” said Shira. “We mustn’t underestimate Shama’s influence.”

“No, that’s right,” said Heike. “Did you do that, Inu? Did you make your fellow human beings die suddenly?”

“Not us, we who had been spared evil hearts. But Tan-ghil’s son and his grandson and his great-grandson – Winter Sorrow, Kat and Kat-ghil – did what they could to fulfil the promise. I know that they assembled an army to kill other tribes. They were evil, evil! After them, I think the terrible custom died out.”

Tula exclaimed: “He-who-was-born-in-the-door, you who were born two hundred years later, can you tell me what happened to our relatives afterwards?”

The short man with the long name rose and said solemnly: “Honoured audience, it’s my opinion that by then nobody knew any longer that we were meant to procure flowers for Shama.”

“You don’t say, you don’t say!” said Heike emphatically. “That’s good to hear. Thank you for letting us know, Inu. Have you anything more to tell us?”

“No, now I’ve said my piece.”

“Thank you,” said Rune. “Then I’ll continue. Of course, I took note of the loud roar under the ground, which occurred when Tan-ghil reached the source of evil. I also heard the scream. Since nobody could tell me what it was, I didn’t know it at the time. You must remember that I wasn’t a fully developed human being, merely an attempt to be one. My senses weren’t like yours, they were somehow more introverted. I hope you understand what I mean. I was able to sense rather than being able to see and hear and feel.”

Tengel the Good said: “We understand. But you had thoughts, didn’t you?”

Rune thought for a moment. “Yes, I’ll call them thoughts, although I’m sure professors would say that they were instincts. The sort of dismissive expression you use to explain the behaviour of animals.”

“But you were no animal,” said Mari.

“No, but I wouldn’t be humiliated to be called one.”

The audience burst out in spontaneous applause. The Ice People had always been known to appreciate and respect animals.

“So you don’t know anything about his walk through the grottos?” Mari said. “Nothing about what happened at the source of evil?”

Rune gave her a knowing look: “I’m coming to that now.”

Many straightened themselves up in their chairs.

Now Rune was speaking to Shira: “On the night when you were born, four spirits came to your grandfather and predicted that you would fight against the human creep, didn’t they?”

“Yes, that was what Grandfather said,” she replied.

With a smile as gentle as his wooden face would allow, Rune said: “You see, the spirits also came to me.”

“Did they?”

“Yes, remember what was said about the time when Tan-ghil was there? About how the Taran-gai had heard the boom of a distant gong, which was repeated no less than eleven times during the night. That wasn’t quite true because we’re speaking of many nights and days ...”

Shira nodded. “I know. I spent several nights and days on reaching the source.”

“Tan-ghil spent at least as long. Then a final boom from a gong was heard. The Mountain of the Four Winds shook in its foundations, the sea was in turmoil and a shout as from an animal in very extreme distress echoed over the water, spreading with a moan and a sigh under the earth and under the feet of humans.”

Shira nodded in agreement.

“Everybody in Taran-gai was shaken and frightened, because the earth and the waves were in turmoil, so they congregated in each other’s homes. My master was with his neighbour, so I was alone in his yurt. I was hanging on the wall, relieved and grateful to be at home once more, away from Tan-ghil’s stinking cave which had been so full of horrible, occult brews and objects. Like hell on earth ... Never did I want to go back to it! Nobody would be allowed to steal me anymore.

“This was when I sensed four diffuse creatures entering. One flamed like fire, one was clear as air, one a beautiful blue-green like the sea and one brown as earth. They walked over to me and touched me, inspected me as if they were very baffled, but they clearly showed that they had confidence in me. Then they took a step back and spoke to me in commanding tones, as if they didn’t really know where they stood with me so were hiding behind authority.

“Earth said to me: ‘Shama has defied the gods again.’

“‘He has lured a human creep into the grotto of evil,’ said Air.

“‘And that creep has succeeded,’ continued Fire. ‘We never thought that a human being would be wicked enough to make it.’

“‘We have no one but you to turn to,’ said Water. ‘You must defeat him. Don’t let him seize power over the world!’

“I couldn’t speak at the time, but I could convey a question to them because they understood my thoughts.

“Earth replied. ‘The human creep had a very arduous journey through the grottos. Only his immense lust for power and immortality saved him. Oh, and the flute, which the damned Shama gave him. Twice the creep was almost devoured by death, but he managed to put the flute to his mouth and returned to life again ...’”

“Wait a minute,” Heike broke in. “How did Tan-ghil know the tune that led to his awakening? Did you get to know it when Shama was in the cave?”

“I’m sorry,” Rune said. “I forgot to mention that Shama told Tan-ghil that the flute would play the right tones by itself.”

“I see,” said Heike, shuddering. “Then thank goodness you all tied me to that birch tree, to prevent me from playing on the right flute, the one we found in Eldafiord. Go on, Rune.”

“The spirits said that Tan-ghil’s walk through the grottos was twice as difficult because he didn’t have a torchbearer to guide him. He had to walk alone. They told me everything they knew. I’ll try to tell you, maybe not exactly word for word, but ... Water explained to me that the first hall Tan-ghil came to was that of modesty.”

Shira jumped up: “Exactly! Because the first I came to was vanity. They are exact opposites.”

Rune nodded. “Of course, everything was the complete opposite. There wasn’t to be the least bit of arrogance in your character. He wasn’t to possess a trace of humility in his. He tackled that hall well: Tengel has never been bothered by such traits. The eleven halls he had to pass through were all tests of his human coldness. Shira, it would be better if you came up here with me so that we can go over this together ...”

Shira walked up the dais immediately. Gabriel saw the warm look of solidarity they gave one another, which made him happy. We’re such good friends, he thought for the umpteenth time that night. Is there anything better than friendship?