C7 Chapter 7

A huge shudder shook Tova as they put Dovre behind them and made their way towards South Tröndelag. She was approaching her final destination. She herself had never been to the Valley of the Ice People but she knew the directions to it by heart.

Tova had originally had a very clear plan for getting herself there. She was going to make sure that the fatally ill Morahan was hospitalized in Oppdal – she hoped there was a hospital there – and then she would continue the journey on her own. It had never been her intention to drag him into the misery of the Valley of the Ice People, and he was so ill now that he had to get professional help whether he wanted it or not.

She had thought about acquiring an ordinary bicycle in Oppdal and continuing the journey on that, because she couldn’t possibly manage the motorbike. Or taking a bus and walking into the mountains.

But she had never encountered the stubborness of the Irish before.

“Tova,” said Ian in a persuasive voice while they were resting at the roadside just outside Oppdal. They had been forced to take many breaks today so that he could rest. “Tova, when my time comes I don’t want you to be burdened with having to deal with a dead body. I won’t die in your company, I promise. Because I know this illness and I know how much I can withstand, and right now I seem to be able to manage. Please let me continue on the journey for as long as possible; I promise I won’t get in the way.”

You’re already in the way, she thought, touched. A trip that was only supposed to take us a few hours has now stretched to half a day. It’s already afternoon thanks to all the breaks you’ve had to take.

On the other hand, Tova desperately needed his technical know-how and riding abilities. So how well would she have fared without him?

“But at least let a doctor have a look at you,” she said to him.

“Tova, I know that my lungs are practically entirely blocked. I know that many of my other organs have been attacked. Do I really need to have my sentence told to me one more time?”

“But Oppdal will be the last big place that we go through. Soon I’ll be venturing into the wilderness!”

But all her arguments were of no use. He kept telling her that he would make sure he was not a burden to her. He just wanted to experience the end of this bizarre drama she had dragged him into.

Tova sighed. “I give up. But it’s now six in the evening. How about if we stay in Oppdal, check into a hotel and have a proper meal? And then get an early start in the morning?”

His dead tired face, with the distinct white furrows, lit up, and she realized just how exhausted he really was.

“If you’ll allow me to pay for us,” he said, smiling.

No man had ever offered Tova anything like that.

“Thank you very much,” she said lightly in order to conceal her shyness.

She didn’t add what she was thinking: had it not been for Marco she might well have become much too interested in Ian Morahan. But then, Marco made all other men pale next to him.

Perhaps the wisest thing was for Marco not to socialize with humans as much as he did. There were enough women in the world with broken hearts.

Of course, Tova had to make a hopeless comment at the dinner table in the very elegant hotel dining room! She was enjoying the moment to the full, with all the food, the wine and the pleasantness of the situation. So, of course, she had to say: “Aren’t you embarrassed to be seen with such an ugly girl as me?”

Ian’s face looked stern, and had he not been so well bred he would have slammed his fist on the table and roared. Instead, his eyes sparkled as he hissed at her: “If you don’t stop all your self-criticism and lack of self-confidence you’ll scare everybody off.”

I will anyway, she thought to herself, but she merely looked down at her plate and apologized.

The mood was ruined, and they didn’t say much more. But Ian refilled her glass and ordered another bottle of wine to take with them up to their room when they left the dining room.

There had been a little confusion when they arrived at the hotel. The receptionist had assumed that they were married and had given them a double bedroom. Before Ian had a chance to correct her, Tova had shaken her head warningly, and when the receptionist turned away he gave her a quizzical glance.

“You’re in no condition to be alone,” she whispered. “But don’t worry, I won’t accost you.”

“It was more you I had in mind,” he whispered back. “But thank you, I’ll be very grateful to have someone with me.”

She understood him. The last few hours had been terrible for him. It was as though he had been holding on to the motorbike out of sheer defiance. The mountain winds on Dovre had also tormented his lungs too much and he had been so tired that when they stopped to rest he had barely been able to stand on his feet.

Anyone else in his condition would have taken to their bed weeks ago to receive food and care. But he apparently had an iron will.

Damn, she was beginning to like him more and more.

They were back up in the room.

“I’ve never enjoyed a meal so much!” she sighed happily as she threw herself into the armchair.

Ian sat down in the other armchair and poured them some wine.

“Thanks, but I don’t think I’m going to have any more now,” she laughed. “I’m in a perfect frame of mind right now.”

But she drank when he proposed a toast with her.

Suddenly they both froze and stared at one another quizzically.

There was a faint knocking on the door.

Tova automatically tip-toed over to him and stood next to his chair. Whether she was seeking protection or wished to protect Ian wasn’t clear. Presumably it was a mixture of both.

The trip in the semi-trailer didn’t take long.

Marco, Rune and Halkatla had crossed the Dovre plateau at breakneck speed in the big vehicle. But they were in a hurry, knowing that they had Tengel the Evil and his Number One at their heels. Whether their pursuers had found the mountain hut and the macabre scene surrounding it they didn’t know. All they knew was that Tengel the Evil would be after them.

And Tengel couldn’t possibly be in a good mood right now.

Marco didn’t know how the men who had arrived in the semi-trailer had timed their purchase of petrol but just as the plateau ended the car died. The tank was empty.

“Can we roll down?” Rune wanted to know.

“That would be much too risky with this heavy tractor unit and the trailer,” said Marco. “We don’t know whether there are any sharp turns ahead. We’ll have to walk.”

Rune looked around. “May I suggest that we take the old track that you can just see over there? What does the sign say? ‘Vårstien’ – spring path?”

“That name sounds familiar,” said Marco “Wasn’t that where Tengel and Silje and Charlotte walked with the child? But back then they were going south.”

“I was there then,” said Rune quietly. “Back then I was just a root, but I recall a sense of fear and horror among the walkers. The spring path had to be taken seriously.”

“But now it’s just a hiking trail, and presumably it’s protected against landslides. Come on! Let’s take it! We can’t take the main road anyway, or our pursuers’ cars will catch up with us in no time!”

They quickly clambered up the slope across the road. Far below they saw the semi-trailer parked by the kerb.

“Thanks for the assistance you gave us,” Marco muttered.

Halkatla found the excursion utterly exciting. “How could anyone have travelled here in a horse and carriage,” she gasped. “They must have been out of their minds!”

They had expected to see Number One’s cars go speeding past them, but the group hadn’t got nearly that far yet. The spring path didn’t go on forever. Eventually they had to go back down to the road. Which they did with great reluctance.

Marco knew that the other two could move unhindered by time and space. But for his sake they stayed with him.

He often felt irritated at being mostly human and missed the freedom he had had earlier. Then he could also have moved just as he pleased. Not until now did he realize how good life had been for him then, and he wanted to ask the black angels if he could go back to being the way he had been before.

But if he did that he wouldn’t be able to locate the basin containing the water of evil.

After a while Rune shouted: “Look, a station! And the train is coming up the hill!”

“Run!” said Marco.

They grabbed hold of Rune’s arms because he was still limping badly, understandably. A pair of wooden ladles and a shirt was probably too primitive a support for his broken leg.

They managed to get there in time, for the train had stopped for a little while.

Happily, they got a compartment to themselves.

“Yes, well,” said Rune, smiling stiffly and tensely. “The last time I took a train was with Karine during the war. And back then no one had even thought of Gabriel.”

“I wonder how they are,” Marco said quietly. “Nataniel and Gabriel.”

“They are being protected,” Rune answered, “By the black angels and Ulvhedin.”

“Yes, but I was wondering how they were doing mentally. Nataniel has lost his father and Gabriel his grandmother and grandfather. They were both proud to be chosen for this particular mission. And now they are just lying there, Gabriel who was supposed to record it all and Nataniel who was the specially chosen one.”

“Yes, of course it must be hard for them,” said the witch. “Oh no, the train is starting to move. Imagine if it derails!”

“It won’t,” Marco assured her, but Hatkatla nevertheless held on tightly with both hands. She cheered loudly with enthusiasm.

“Rune, aren’t you Jonathan’s protector? Shouldn’t you be with him?”

“Jonathan has a new guardian – Benedikte, which means I am free to assist you here. But so far all I’ve managed to do is break my leg.”

Marco gave him a little smile. “We’ve needed you, Rune, you know that. And we still need you. I myself am Tova’s protector, but I’ve had to hand that responsibility over to others.”

“Yes, who?”

“Actually I don’t know who Tengel the Good has selected. He hasn’t mentioned any names.”

“How far do we have to go?” asked Halkatla, who was hoping it was going to be very far.

“To Oppdal. And from there we go west.”

“Without a car?”

“We can probably get hold of one in Oppdal.”

Rune looked a little concerned.

“What’s bothering you, Rune?” Marco asked kindly.

“They are much too close to us. Not that I know their exact whereabouts, but they can’t be all that far ...”

“You’re right. Well, if they can put up traps along the way, so can we. I’ll ask my friends to take care of it.”

Whereupon the other two nodded, relieved.

Below them roared the River Driva, wild now because of the seasonal thaw. The view from the train was fantastic, and Halkatla enjoyed it to the full. Of all of them, she was probably the one who found it easiest to allow her thoughts to be filled with something other than the fight against Tengel the Evil. And yet she should have been the one most on her guard. Once Tengel discovered that she was no longer his slave she wouldn’t be worth much in his eyes.

He still couldn’t fathom that anyone would leave him of their own accord.

All at once Marco had a clear plan in his mind. He would give Halkatla a little breathing space before Tengel the Evil struck out at her. She needed to re-establish her credibility with him – and at the same time they needed to get rid of the greatest threat he was now posing them.

“Halkatla,” he said breathlessly, “Can you be very courageous?”

“In what way?” she responded quickly.

“Are you good at acting?”

“You bet. What do you want me to do?”

Marco explained it to her. Halkatla swallowed and nodded.

“You have great faith in me,” she said, touched.

“Yes, I have.”

“Then I’ll do my very best.”

Number One and Tengel the Evil had stopped by the semi-trailer.

“So, they didn’t get any farther,” said “Per Olav Winger”, his eyes narrow in his angular face. The lurking glow in his eyes that belonged to Tengel the Evil was something he was able to conceal from the men. They still didn’t know who he really was.

All they saw was a businessman with an exceptional amount of authority and power, one who promised them anything they wanted if they obeyed his orders. Which they did willingly because he gave them carte blanche to act with brutality, committing murder, betrayal and every conceivable vile action.

“But that means the miserable vermin must be close by,” continued the abominable man. “Find them, find them, if it’s the last thing you do!” he told Number One and the driver. “We’ll continue on this road. If they think they can escape on foot they have another think coming! And if they aren’t walking, we’ll still go on to the final destination. I have to get there first. The men will have to see to my enemies.”

They got back into the car while the men scattered along the mountain slope.

For a while the journey went well. The driver drove so fast around the narrow bends in the road that it made “Per Olav Winger” wince. He was sitting nearest to the edge of the slope and he didn’t like it in the least. But he couldn’t let on how he felt. He had to avoid losing face at all costs.

Suddenly the car made an unexpected turn and crashed into one of the ancient kerbstones along the edge of the slope. The crash was so violent that the driver was hurled through the windscreen and lay in the road with the steering column in his stomach. Winger and Number One, who had both been sitting in the back, had landed virtually on top of him.

Furious, they struggled laboriously onto their feet.

“What kind of driving is that, you clumsy fool?” shouted Winger/Tengel. “We don’t have time for that sort of thing!”

But the driver would never be able to defend himself again.

“Take over the wheel,” Tengel commanded.

Number One clenched his teeth. “I’ve never been able to drive a car. I’ll get one of the men.”

“Get a move on,” said Tengel, still fuming with rage. “No, stop, wait! Who’s that coming this way?” They saw a young girl running along the road in their direction.

“Halkatla” said Tengel the Evil, his voice dripping with devilish triumph. “One of my best helpers. Let’s see what she has to say!”

Halkatla’s heart was in her mouth from fear. At the same time, she was looking at her work with pride. She had managed to distort the driver’s vision, making him think that the road made a sharp left turn. And that had led to his death.

It may have left her with a slight guilty conscience. Marco hadn’t planned that anyone should die as a result of his scheme ... But, pooh! he had been nothing but a villain, she cheerfully tried to console herself.

She reached the car. Ugh, Tengel the Evil looked horrifying! Weren’t the others able to see through that human skin he had borrowed? No, it seemed all they saw was a tall, skinny man.

And the other?

What in the world was it with him? How could an ordinary, mortal man have such a frightening demeanour?

She panted as though she had been running. But she hadn’t, of course. Halkatla was able to move about through space in any way she liked.

“I ran away,” she gasped. “I managed to escape them. And now I know everything, great Master!”

“Excellent, my child, excellent,” said Per Olav Winger heartily. “So, tell us, where are they?”

“They’ve split up, and I only know that a few of them are up ahead. They’ve got quite far away. But that’s not the most important thing.”

“Oh?”

“Master, you know about the clear water, don’t you?”

Tengel the Evil shuddered with nausea. “Yes,” he said sharply. “Do they have it with them?”

“No, not this time, they didn’t dare. They wanted to explore the valley first. But I know where they have hidden the clear water.”

He didn’t like having to talk about that abhorrent water, but he had no choice. “Well, out with it!”

“They hid it when they were halfway here,” Halkatla said. “All the way down at Mjøsen, in an old bunker from the days of the war. It would be easy to blow up.”

She gave him precise directions to the bunker.

“Yes, I know where it is,” said Number One. “We drove past it.”

Tengel was in a dilemma. Should he go on and try to reach the basin of evil before them? Or should he destroy the hated Shira’s jar once and for all?

His enemies hadn’t taken any of the water along with them. In other words, they wouldn’t pose any danger in the Valley for now. And he had always managed to guard it so that no one could approach his secret hiding place ...

“We have more time than we thought,” he said resolutely. “As they are harmless, we can go back and fetch a new car with a new driver immediately!”

“My men can’t be too far away,” answered Number One. “It’ll be seen to at once.”

“And Halkatla, you’re coming with us.”

She hesitated. “Wouldn’t it be better if I continue spying on them? Then I can report all their doings to you regularly, Master.”

Tengel the Evil gave her a sideways look.

“Who is he? Marco?”

“Marco?” said Halkatla innocently, in an attempt to play for time. “Indeed, who is he? I’m trying to find that out myself, Master, because I have been wondering about him, too. And I’ve been thinking ... if I can gain his confidence, perhaps in an intimate situation, then he might confide in me.”

“Excellent, Halkatla! I knew I could count on you! But what about the others?”

“Well, the girl is out of the picture. She fell in love with a mortal man and followed him to a hospital somewhere. There’s no need for us to worry about her anymore. Nor about the other two who are hospitalized in Lillehammer at the moment, so they can’t hurt a fly. As helpless as babies.”

“But the wood-like man?” Number One interjected sharply.

How horribly well-informed they were, Halkatla thought to herself. Out loud she said: “Oh him. He’s nothing but a poor soul who had a hard life from the start. His mother was frightened by a tree that toppled over when she was expecting him. That’s how he ended up that way.”

Tengel the Evil was superstitious enough to fall for an old wives’ tale like that. He came from a time when that sort of thing was reality for most people.

It was stranger that Number One should fall for the story. But she couldn’t quite make him out.

Didn’t he have a better name than Number One? It sounded ridiculous!

“Who is your friend, Master? What’s his name?”

“Him? Oh, he’s just called Number One. But, it’ll be all right if I tell you his real name, Halkatla. It’s Lynx. That’s all you need to know.”

Lynx? What a fine name for such an abhorrent person!

“Here comes one of our cars!” interrupted the aforementioned Lynx. “We’ll leave immediately!”

“And I’ll return to my spying,” said Halkatla with a smile. “I’m so happy to be serving you again, my Lord and Master!”

Per Olav gave her a quick nod and got into the car.

“Quite satisfied with you, Halkatla,” he said before the car door slammed shut.

She gave a sigh of relief as she saw the car heading south again.

She had managed that quite well, she had to admit. It was probably just Tengel the Evil’s conceitedness that had made it so easy for her.

But once he discovered the lie about the bunker she would be as worthless as a speck of dust on the road, she knew that. He would strike back at her, the traitor, with tremendous force!

Number One sat stiffly in his corner of the car. His face was inscrutable.

He was thinking back to the moment when they got to their feet again after the car drove into the kerbstone.

Never before had he seen his master look so furious! For a terrible instant it had seemed as if the tall, bony Per Olav Winger had transformed into a tiny, disgusting, dirty creature who managed to make even Number One feel nauseous.

But then the illusion had disappeared.

But the terrible sensation had returned. He carefully stole a glance at his boss. Who was he, really? Lynx had every reason to be grateful to him, for just about everything in his life! But now he was beginning to get cold feet.

In the meantime, Tengel the Evil was rather satisfied. He finally had a chance to destroy the clear water for good!

In Oppdal, Marco and his friends had just stepped off the train and were in search of a place where they could rent a car.

Halkatla had received all the praise she could have hoped for and was beaming with pride.

“Marco,” said Rune, grabbing him by the arm. “That motorbike over there ... over by that handsome big house.”

“That’s a hotel,” Marco explained to him. “Indeed, it does resemble my motorbike, but Tova must have got much farther than this. I expect she’s way up in the mountains by now.”

But it was his motorbike. He recognized the licence plate.

With great suspicion, they entered the hotel.

No, no one by the name of Tova Brink was staying there.

“What about Morahan?” asked Marco, and the receptionist almost forgot to answer him, she had become so fascinated by his eyes.

“What? Oh, yes. The Morahans are here. Room 202.”

The Morahans? The three of them exchanged inscrutable glances. And it was with the utmost discretion that they knocked on the door of room 202.

“Who is it?” asked Tova nervously.

“Marco, Rune and Halkatla.”

The door was quickly opened and they greeted one another with the greatest joy.

“But you haven’t got any farther?” Marco asked reproachfully.

“That’s my fault,” said Morahan. “I wasn’t as strong as I thought, so we had to make frequent stops.”

“And I thought it would be best if we rested here for the night,” Tova added.

“Then we’ll stay here, too,” said Marco. “They were at our heels but they’ve been held up now for a few hours. Up in the Driv Valley. So we can sleep peacefully tonight. But the motorbike wasn’t well enough concealed. We can’t have that!”

Crestfallen, Tova admitted that she hadn’t given it much thought. She and Marco went down to camouflage it better and to reserve more rooms for the others.

“Where did you park the car?” she asked when they were in the courtyard with the bike.

“We lost it. We came by train. How is Morahan?”

“Not so good. But he insists on continuing on the journey and I can’t prevent him. His last request, that sort of thing. Oh Marco, isn’t there anything you can do for him? I know you’re not strong enough now, but I so want him to live!”

“You seem to have grown quite fond of him,” Marco said, smiling.

“I could have ... but there are two things preventing me.”

“What are they?”

“For one thing, no one could ever fall for me, and I’m clear-sighted enough to remind myself of that constantly. For another, I have feelings for someone else.”

Marco had stopped in his tracks and took her face between both his warm hands. “Little Tova,” he said, “I’m your very, very best friend, I want you to know that. But I can never fall in love with anyone, it’s my destiny not to.”

“Your father could,” she reminded him, “But then Saga was so beautiful ...”

He slowly shook his head. His smile was so gentle and beautiful that it almost brought tears to Tova’s eyes. “I have a mission,” he said, “You know that perfectly well, just as you and Nataniel have. But mine is more seriously embedded than yours. I was born to do this. My whole life has revolved around the fact that I have to help you and Nataniel crush Tengel the Evil. Once I find the hiding place of the water of evil, I’ll regain my former power. But that won’t help, Tova. The love between a man and a woman doesn’t exist for me. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care for you deeply!”

And with that he pulled her a little closer to him and kissed her gently. Tova stood as still as a pillar of salt, forgetting to breathe. Then he let go of her.

“I can never go further than that. Come on, the others are waiting!”

“Wait,” she said, laying her hand on his arm. “I just want to thank you. That was all I needed, Marco. I know now that the love I felt for you – because it was love – never demanded more than what you just gave me. Earthly eroticism was never a part of it. You are a dream to me, nothing but a dream. I will keep you as a fairytale hero, my Prince Charming on a black horse (a white one wouldn’t suit you). And hearing that you don’t care for any other women helps a lot. If I can just continue to admire you and worship you and be your friend then that’ll be enough for me. And that’s the truth!”

“I’ve always known that, Tova! We really understand one another now. And I truly hope that Morahan gets the chance to live!”

Suddenly she wasn’t able to see clearly – her eyes were full of tears. “I do, too. I know he doesn’t want me, but at least I feel free. I didn’t before, because you were in the way, you see.”

He squeezed her hand and gave her a warm smile. “It’s good that you are sharing a room, he shouldn’t be left alone. But for a shameful moment we all thought that you two wanted to share a room for different reasons.”

“You’re crazy,” said Tova disrespectfully. “Did you really think that he ... No, here I go again! According to Ian I manage to scare people off with my great lack of self-confidence.”

“That’s an acute observation on his part,” said Marco. “All your friends know that you consider yourself the ugliest person in the world, you don’t have to keep repeating it over and over. But you’re not ugly, by the way – you’re a character!”

“OK, thanks, I’ve heard that one far too many times before,” Tova interrupted him bitterly.

When the others had gone to find their rooms, Tova and Ian stayed sitting in their chairs. It felt utterly relaxing to do so. Their wine glasses had been refilled.

“Now you need to tell me the rest of the history of the Ice People,” he encouraged her.

“That would take an entire year,” she said. “But I can give you a few details here and there.”

So she did, and Morahan listened to her as darkness fell outside. Eventually she saw that he was struggling to keep his eyes open and the wine bottle was almost empty. Her own concentration had begun to dwindle.

She stopped talking and sat down by his feet and removed his shoes. He let her do it with a small smile. At the same time he laboriously pulled off his shirt. His movements were so slow that it was evident to her just how dead tired he was.

“Why don’t you go to the bathroom first,” he said sleepily, and she obeyed him.

When they each lay in their own bed it was as though Morahan woke up a little. Perhaps it had been caused by something as simple as a little water on his face? Tova often experienced that: she could be so dead tired that she would collapse on the bed, but she never skipped her evening wash, and she would often liven up to a terrible degree as a result and be unable to get back to sleep.

Now she sensed how her thoughts were deliberately revolving around these kinds of triviality. She encouraged Ian to tell her a little bit more about himself.

“There’s no more to tell,” he said slowly.

“Your thoughts. What you like and don’t like. Your dreams and goals. No, sorry, forget that last part.”

“How can I forget?” he asked with piercing bitterness. “Not until now have I realized what I want to do with my life, but now it’s too late, and we’ve talked about that a little too much.”

Since their beds were right next to each other, with a night table on each side, she took his hand where it lay on the duvet and held it in a warm grip.

They didn’t speak for a long time.

Finally she asked: “Tell me, anyway, what you had planned to do.”

At first he remained silent, making her think that her words had offended him, but then she heard his voice in the darkness.

“As I said, no one wants to disappear entirely from the face of the earth without a trace. As it stands now, that’s what I risk facing. Earlier I didn’t know how important it is to leave a part of oneself behind. You don’t think about that when you have oceans of time ahead of you.”

“What would you want to accomplish?”

“It doesn’t have to be much,” he said quietly, smiling. “Perhaps an object that I’ve created with my own hands, or an achievement people will remember. A child ... or a great achievement. And just how am I to create those now?”

“The great achievement may be something that you’ll get the chance to accomplish sooner than you think, especially if you join us for the rest of our journey. But ... even in the best of circumstances no outsiders will ever know of our feat, and in the worst-case scenario we’ll all go under. The latter is the more likely, in which case none of us will be left with any honour.”

Ian remained silent.

“And I suppose you can’t afford to establish a trust fund of any kind?”

He snorted.

It was quiet all around them. All the sounds of the night had faded. The darkness was soft and inviting.

Very quietly and slowly, Tova said, “It’s very seldom that a stricken child produces another stricken child.”