Margit Sandemo - The Ice People 28 - Ice and Fire

Ice and Fire

The Legend of the Ice People 28 - Ice and Fire

© Margit Sandemo 1985

© eBook in English: Jentas A/S, 2018

Series: The Legend of The Ice People

Title: Ice and Fire

Title number: 28

Original title: Is och eld

Translator: Nina Sokol

© Translation: Jentas A/S

ISBN: 978-87-7107-640-0

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchase.

All contracts and agreements regarding the work, translation, editing, and layout are owned by Jentas A/S.

Acknowledgement

The legend of the Ice People is dedicated with love and gratitude to the memory of my dear late husband Asbjorn Sandemo, who made my life a fairy tale.

Margit Sandemo

The Ice People - Reviews

‘Margit Sandemo is, simply, quite wonderful.’

- The Guardian

‘Full of convincing characters, well established in time and place, and enlightening ... will get your eyes popping, and quite possibly groins twitching ... these are graphic novels without pictures ... I want to know what happens next.’

- The Times

‘A mixure of myth and legend interwoven with historical events, this is imaginative creation that involves the reader from the first page to the last.’

- Historical Novels Review

‘Loved by the masses, the prolific Margit Sandemo has written over 172 novels to date and is Scandinavia's most widely read author...’

- Scanorama magazine

The Legend of the Ice People

The legend of the Ice People begins many centuries ago with Tengel the Evil. He was ruthless and greedy, and there was only one way to get everything that he wanted: he had to make a pact with the devil. He travelled far into the wilderness and summoned the devil with a magic potion that he had brewed in a pot. Tengel the Evil gained unlimited wealth and power but in exchange, he cursed his own family. One of his descendants in every generation would serve the Devil with evil deeds. When it was done, Tengel buried the pot. If anyone found it, the curse would be broken.

So the curse was passed down through Tengel’s descendants, the Ice People. One person in every generation was born with yellow cat’s eyes, a sign of the curse, and magical powers which they used to serve the Devil. One day the most powerful of all the cursed Ice People would be born.

This is what the legend says. Nobody knows whether it is true, but in the 16th century, a cursed child of the Ice People was born. He tried to turn evil into good, which is why they called him Tengel the Good. This legend is about his family. Actually, it is mostly about the women in his family – the women who held the fate of the Ice People in their hands.

Chapter 1

The sunset was a cool yellow under a shapeless mass of dark, leaden cloud. It was late in the evening and all colours had vanished from the landscape; only in the west was the sky lit by that distant, dim yellow that resembled highly polished brass.

“You should tread carefully here, Signe,” said Belinda, who was always considerate towards her sister. “I can barely see the ground beneath my feet.”

“Isn’t it all topsy-turvy, that you’re telling me to be careful?” smiled Signe. “You’re the one who’s always falling over.”

“Yes,” answered Belinda, laughing with delight, not sensing the sarcasm in her sister’s voice. “You’re right.”

Signe went on: “Goodness, how late it got at the priest’s house! He talks and talks, and you can’t very well interrupt him. But we will soon be home at Elistrand.”

She squeezed Belinda’s arm, which she was holding to support herself. “I’m so happy you’ve come to visit. I’m perfectly all right, of course, and Herbert is a good husband in his own way. And his mother is also living with us. Yet still it can be lonely sometimes.”

Belinda was so grateful to be of some help to her sister. She let out a trembling sigh at the memory of Signe’s wonderful wedding. Never before had she experienced anything so utterly beautiful or moving. Signe was the most beautiful bride imaginable and Herbert Abrahamsen had gazed at her with proud and loving eyes. And he was such a handsome man! Until now Belinda had been convinced that there was no one good enough for Signe, but she couldn’t have found a better husband! Belinda was completely happy for her sister.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t help feeling a slight sense of unease, which she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Signe was doing well here at Elistrand – very well indeed – and Herbert was extremely considerate towards her now that she was with child. “We have to take good care of Signe, isn’t that right, Belinda? We’re expecting a little Mr Abrahamsen, so nothing must happen to Signe!”

It was a good thing that Herbert’s mother lived in the house too. She was a lonely widow. So she would be able to keep Signe company. It was true that she didn’t appear all that often, but still, she lived there. That was the most important thing.

Signe said: “We just have to walk up that hill, then we’ll be able to see Elistrand ... Oh God, though, what’s that?”

Both the sisters started. At the top of the hill they could see a rider silhouetted against the deep yellow sunset. He had appeared out of the blue and now he and his horse stood motionless. Belinda tried to get a glimpse of the stranger. He was a rather young man with dark hair and a short cloak. His features were much harder to make out but they seemed to be dominated by dark, angry eyebrows and an inscrutable expression. If they expressed anything, it certainly wasn’t satisfaction.

He watched the two sisters for a moment, then he turned his horse and rode down to the crossroads and was swallowed up by the darkness.

Signe placed her hand on her chest. “My goodness, it wasn’t good for me to see that in my condition. Visions like that bring bad luck.”

Belinda grew cold with fear. Women who were expecting shouldn’t see frightening things. It meant bad luck if they did – everyone knew that.

“Who was it?” she asked faintly.

“The owner of Graastensholm, Viljar of the Ice People. They say he’s mad. Oh, Belinda, you don’t think my child will be mad, do you? I mean, Mother saw a fool before you were born.”

They clung to one another.

Then they continued on their way home, much faster now.

“He seemed much too young to be a landowner,” Belinda said.

“Actually his father’s parents, Heike and Vinga Lind of the Ice People, are really the landowners here. But they are getting old and have begun to hand over the responsibility to him.”

“But he must have parents too? What happened to them?”

“Eskil and Solveig Lind of the Ice People live on Linden Avenue. That’s the small farm you saw today.”

“Didn’t the Ice People also originally own Elistrand?” Belinda wanted to know.

“Yes, and Mrs Vinga did her best to keep it, but there was no one to inherit it and running it is a big job. So at last she came to realize that it was no use. Yes, well, I suppose you can deduce that I keep up with the village gossip. Please don’t grip my arm so tightly, Belinda, I am perfectly able to walk on my own. Yes, so Herbert got the opportunity to buy Elistrand. It is a magical house. It’s so distinguished. But there are far too many cold rooms. It’s not so strange that the Ice People had to give it up: they don’t have all that much money. We have made a lot of repairs to the house – you haven’t seen half of it yet.”