Margit Sandemo - The Ice People 23 - Rituals

“Yes, and that’s why we must keep Gråstensholm.”

“And first and foremost get Snivel out of it.”

They stood up.

“But the grey people worry me, Heike. Is there really no other way to remove Snivel?”

“I’ve tried everything. Except murder. And that’s not something I intend to resort to.”

“No, for heaven’s sake. And we can’t wait for him to disappear of his own accord, either. We must get hold of the estate now. Before he gets a chance to destroy whatever is in the attic. In other words, we have to turn to the grey people! Should we risk it?”

“If you help me.”

“You know I will. And I’ve changed my mind. I’ll let them live there. For a little while. Well, we’d better start reading, then.”

They became absorbed in studying the ancient formulas. Heike knew in what order he was to take the concoctions, but Vinga wrote it all down to be on the safe side, shuddering every now and then at the ingredients.

The mandrake was an important detail. A tiny piece of it was to be included in every recipe, and Heike was actually a little concerned that they might take too much of it. But it was big and had some threads of root left, so if they were careful ...

“Heike, getting some soil from a cemetery is something you should deal with.”

“Yes, it’s going to be even harder when it comes to soil from a place of execution. People aren’t hanged so often nowadays.”

“I think there’s too much mention of graves in these instructions; I don’t like it! Graves and death and ... ugh!”

“Yes, but I do have to go over to the other side, you know.”

“Here! This is where it mentions the virgin. That’s me. No, how disgusting! Am I really expected to do all those things? With impure blood and ... No! Look at this!”

Heike, who couldn’t read but had been told by the other four what was going to happen, knew what it was. “Yes. You must be naked. And accept whatever it says there. Ingrid did not have a virgin with her, so it was much worse for her. But if it becomes too much for you, too, then I can do it alone. I think.”

“You know that I’ve never had a problem taking my clothes off.”

“Yes, I am perfectly aware of that, thank you very much.”

They went on reading. Vinga thought that what Heike would have to undergo was dreadful, but they had made their decision. It was either do or die.

“There is a risk, isn’t there?” she asked. “That they may gain power over you. That you are not strong enough, or old enough. And then ... then you’d disappear into their world, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I have been warned about that. Or they could take over all of Gråstensholm and transform it into the world’s most haunted castle, where no human could ever venture in. A lot happens in the shadow world, as I’m sure you’re discovering.”

Vinga looked at him and shook her head uneasily. She could take the destruction of Gråstensholm easily, even though it would grieve her deeply. But that Heike might disappear into another world forever, that was something she would not be able to bear! If that happened she would prefer not to go on living!

It was in connection with his search for the various ingredients for the magic potions that Heike met Nils. He knew right away that if Vinga were ever to fall for another young man it would have to be this chemist’s apprentice, with his wild blond hair, friendly blue eyes and winning smile. He was tall, handsome and pleasant and looked about the same age as Heike: twenty-one. He also seemed intelligent and alert. And then he also had the same sense of humour as Vinga, Heike thought to himself, as he and the young man laughed together at all his suggestions of what might be used instead of lily-of-the-valley root, which was out of season but one of the ingredients in the recipes.

Heike happened to know that lily-of-the-valley was a very toxic plant, and he trembled at the thought of what he would soon be consuming. There were only two weeks to go now. And that wasn’t the only poisonous substance in the potions – even the mandrake was dangerous. Heike wasn’t in the best of moods these days.

He and Nils became good friends. Of course, he didn’t tell Nils the nature of the potions they were concocting, but Nils was very helpful. So one day Heike invited him out to Elistrand ...

Nils wanted to come; he didn’t have a big circle of acquaintances, as he came from a small town and had recently moved to the capital city.

He was the only person who had acted naturally when meeting Heike for the first time, just as he would have behaved towards any other ordinary person. That alone made him very likable.

But Heike had a heavy heart as they sat in the carriage on their way from Christiania. Still, he knew it was the right thing for him to introduce Vinga and Nils to one another.

He had tried the same thing before with a few other young men he had met – young men from good families and of the same social class as Vinga. They had courted her in the most approved fashion, invited her to performances and dinners in Christiania, but the relationship would always gradually peter out. Vinga would explain to them that she did not have time to indulge in amusements and in a friendly but firm way would end the acquaintance. They simply did not interest her.

Now Heike was going to give Nils a try, a young man of a simpler background than the others. But most certainly more equal to Vinga in temperament.

As Vinga’s guardian, Heike had an obligation to make sure she was happily married. Her little infatuation with him would never last in the long run, she was much too immature. Besides, she had hardly met any other men. He clearly recalled how she had once turned around in the carriage and waved to a good-looking youth. And how flattered she was when others admired her. How was Heike to trust such a playful butterfly?

But Nils could very well be the right man for her.

Yet still Heike felt as though his heart was being pierced by arrows. It was an ordeal he would have to undergo, losing his beloved Vinga. It was better that it should happen now, before he and she grew too attached to one another. Or before he ended up violating her. She was constantly inviting him to do that.

Her eighteenth birthday? Of what was he trying to convince himself? That she would suddenly know what she wanted to do with her life? That he would then be able to trust her love? For the rest of their lives? And he was so repulsive to look at! Vinga was just curious, that was all. She wanted to sleep with him because he was a man and different from all the rest. The thought excited her! And whatever struck Vinga as exciting attracted her as well. And he was also well endowed, something that she had seen and never forgotten. It was something that turned her on, as far as he could tell. But once that hunger and desire was satisfied, what then? When he wasn’t so exciting any longer?

Then she would grow restless and unhappy. She wouldn’t want to hurt him, yet still she would long to get away from him. And go to other men who were more pleasant to look at.

Men like Nils.

Heike’s new friend was talking about his plans for the future and Heike listened just enough to enable him to say “yes” and “no” in the right places, but beyond that he wasn’t all that focused. He was thinking about his own life.

He had felt terribly lonely for the last few months. He lived in a little house where he could escape being stared at by strangers. But he had noticed faces peering through the windows every now and then during the evenings: little boys, who greatly feared the sorcerer who lived in the woods and would run away as soon as he turned towards the window; and old women, who wanted to see whether he practised witchcraft or was the Evil One himself.