C14 Chapter 14

Tova’s and Nataniel’s escapades in the world of the psyche led to something good after all, as they had more pieces to help them solve the mystery of the origin of the Ice people. They now knew where Tengel the Evil came from and how his formative years had taken shape.

But there were still many missing pieces.

That winter, many members of the Ice People experienced anxiety. It wasn’t only to do with what Nataniel had told them about Tengel the Evil having grown strong in his last years in hibernation. There were many other things that concerned them.

Those who were chosen and stricken were fighting against an inner fear, and the others noticed that the ancestors were stepping in more and more. It wasn’t that they saw anything, but they felt that they were being observed. Watched and protected. It was as though something terrifying was lurking somewhere on the periphery. As though they were out on a great field full of tall grass. And around the field, at its outer edge, they could every so often discern creeping figures watching them as they slunk around, as though they were trying to approach them but didn’t exactly know how to attack.

Or didn’t dare to, because of the Ice People’s protectors.

It was a winter filled with fear and anxiety.

Vinnie, who was never given the whole truth about Tova’s journey into the past, was overjoyed to have such a mild, sweet and almost obedient girl back at home. But she could also sense Tova’s unease. The worst thing was the nightmares that the girl sometimes had. Whenever it happened, Vinnie would run into her daughter’s room and sit with her for a while. And Tova didn’t seem to mind that.

Vinnie could sense that her poor, beloved daughter needed her. Which was a good feeling for a mother who had constantly been rejected.

But it was worse seeing Tova stand in front of the mirror trying to make herself look more attractive, which she often did. And to hear her weeping on the other side of the wall when her attempts failed. Which they always did.

Then Vinnie’s maternal heart would wince with pain.

For what could she say to console her daughter? “As long as you are kind and friendly, no one will notice ...”

No, Tova had heard that line too many times in her life. Nor was it easy to say, “You are young now so it hurts even more; it will get better as you grow older.”

Better? Because you become resigned to it? Because you accept a life of loneliness?

No, Vinnie just couldn’t get herself to say that!

Rikard, on the other hand, had spoken to his relatives. He had heard what Tova had participated in. Rikard was a practical sort of man, so he passed it off as a mere “dream in a trance state”.

But he had to promise not to report Dr Sørensen to the police, because Tova’s exploits had not been the doctor’s doing. She had initiated them on her own. She or Hanna.

Rikard also had a feeling of being watched. A sense that something was brewing. It frightened him so much that he asked permission to employ his daughter as an office assistant or helper, just to have her close by.

“It’s all right, Father,” she had said. “Gand is watching over me, and you can’t ask for a better guardian angel, can you?”

Then Rikard had been worried by the glow in her eyes, and how it was quickly replaced by a more realistic resignation.

And he had felt very sad when one of his newer colleagues referred to her as “Brink’s little dullard”. The gentle Rikard closed his eyes in despair. If only he could do something that would make his daughter truly happy for once! She deserved it. She who had had such a hard start in life, both mentally and physically, and who had managed to turn the former, at least, into a personal triumph.

The Voldens felt the same anxiety as everyone else. Jonathan’s three unruly children were becoming so restless that the parents were almost desperate. The youngest one, Gro, spent hours on end in the kitchen that winter. At first Lisbeth and Jonathan were thrilled that she had become so domestic, but when Lisbeth’s best pots started to disappear she couldn’t help but wonder about it. Gro gave the innocent impression of being just as much at a loss as to their whereabouts, but finally Lisbeth managed to locate them, at the very back of the cabinet. That was after several days of a mysterious odour in the kitchen that they couldn’t get rid of.

On each bowl and dish there were meticulously written labels. “Potatoes” it said on one of them, “Onions” on another, “Bread,” and so on.

That was how Lisbeth discovered the stinking culprits. Gro entered the kitchen with a fearful cry and asked her not to ruin her mould cultures. Lisbeth wondered what she intended to do with them. Research, Gro replied. Because there were many different kinds of interesting mould.

Lisbeth would hear no more of it and with great difficulty managed to clean the pots and bowls. And on the day Gro attempted to put a cracker spread with butter and cheese in the toaster, she was chased out of the kitchen for good. She had just wanted to see whether it was possible.

It wasn’t. She had to pay with her own money to get the toaster fixed.

The boys wanted to buy a model aeroplane so they started a lottery to make some money. Among the prizes was Lisbeth’s newest, finest cushion, which she had spent many autumn evenings making, as well as Jonathan’s war medals. By the time the parents discovered what was going on, the prizes had already been distributed around the neighbourhood, and Jonathan had to go cap in hand to get them back.

Christa would often sit in the twilight looking out to the horizon, and she had an expression of fear and bewilderment in her eyes. She had only one child and she knew perfectly well that his fateful hour was approaching.

Karine was also afraid. She too had only one son, and he, Gabriel, had been selected to be part of the small group that was to stand at the front line.

Even Mari up in Tröndelag felt uneasy, although she and her big family of five were probably the best protected of them all.

The fear was at its greatest at Linden Avenue. Benedikte used to tell herself that it was a good thing her father hadn’t had a chance to witness it. But she forgot that she herself was getting on in years and that she was one of the stricken and in that way, rather vulnerable.

André and Mali were both descendants of the Ice People, so they had every reason to be tense.

Vetle Volden was approaching sixty. His fear encompassed both his children and grandchildren, of which he had many.

Knut Skogsrud, Ellen’s father and son of the terrible non-dead Erling Skogsrud, could sense the tension and uneasiness in his body. He was often at Linden Avenue, where they spoke in subdued voices about what it all meant.

But really they already knew.

And far away, in Western Norway, his daughter Ellen was longing terribly for Nataniel. And in her heart her sense of fear lay in wait. What was happening to them all? Was Nataniel in danger now? She wasn’t told anything.

Walpurgis night ... The night of witches ...

On 30 April 1960, a secret meeting took place.

It was Gand who gathered the most important of the ancestors: Tengel the Good, Sol, Dida, the Wanderer, Heike, Shira, Mar and Ulvhedin.

“Has the time come?” asked Tengel the Good.

“The hour has come,” Gand answered in a serious voice. “Gather your troops!”

“All our helpers,” said Dida.

“All,” said Gand. “And those who are living who will be taking part in this as well. For this meeting I want everyone to be present, not just those of us who will be fighting back.”

“Who are you thinking of?” asked the Wanderer.

“The living, ordinary members of the Ice People.”

“Them as well?”

“Yes, and the deceased. That’s a promise I’ve made to Henning Lind of the Ice People. And not just him, but also the other members of the family. Those who have always been on our side deserve to be allowed to attend tonight.”

Dida, the noblewoman from the misty past, nodded. “The boundary between the living and the dead will be lifted tonight.”

“Many truths will come to light,” said Ulvhedin.

“Many mysteries be solved,” Sol added.

“But what about the spouses who have followed the Ice People through all the years?” asked Heike.

Gand thought for a moment. “A few of them can be included,” he said finally.

“At least Silje,” Sol suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“And Elisa,” said Tengel the Good. “She has meant a lot to the family.”

Ulvhedin thought that was finely put and he included Alexander Paladin’s name on the list.

Heike turned to the Wanderer. “What is the situation with Tengel the Evil? Is he sleeping?”

“Not deeply enough.”

“Then there’s no time to lose.”

“Awaken them all,” said Gand. “The hour has finally come. The fateful hour of the Ice People.”