The Ice People 1 - Spellbound (The Legend of the Ice People) (12 page)

“Yes,” Silje answered quietly. “Is it an injury?”

“No, it’s not. My shoulders were what what killed my mother. She bled to death.”

“Oh!”

“Yes, and I don’t want it to happen to … a woman again.” He finished the sentence quickly.

“Do you mean to say that … it can be inherited?”

“Yes, you never know with something like this.”

He went over to the table and placed several things on it. It was a splendid table in the end.

Our Christmas dinner,” smiled Silje with a lump in her throat. They sat at either end of the table. Tengel poured brandy for both of them.

She hesitated. “I normally don’t drink anything that strong. I don’t know how it’ll affect me.”

“It’s Christmas, Silje. And you don’t have to be afraid of me. You know that now.”

“I know this very well. But it wasn’t you I was thinking of. It was mmm…”

She was silent and startled.

She put the kettle down.”You’re certainly a strange girl. A mixture of almost exaggerated virtuousness and very powerful sexual appeal. I don’t know which of the two you are.”

Silje had to think it over. This about having sex appeal made her embarrassed but she didn’t dare to ask any further.

“I would have loved very much to have somebody to talk with … about myself. Actually, I haven’t had anybody I could do this with. Mr. Benedikt was very easy to talk with but all he would talk about was art and himself …”

For the first time since Silje had turned up, Tengel smiled. Perhaps it was the solemn atmosphere at the table that had softened him. “You can confide in me.”

She looked down. “If you, sir … if you would like to listen to me?”

“I’d love to.”

She could feel that he meant it. “I was brought up to be shy, almost timid. Dad was very severe and mum very faithful. She condemned everything that had to do with love and … the other thing you mentioned.”

“Sex?”

She nodded. “All of that was sin, a great sin. It became instilled in me. When I was forced to fend for myself on my own, I was often assaulted, especially in Trondheim. I had nowhere to live so I was forced to live in gateways and such places. This was when I learned to defend myself and I’m still a virgin.”

Tengel took a crafty swig of the brandy.

Silje went on: “Although it wasn’t easy for me in the beginning, this was where I learned to be tough. I saw such awful things. No … I don’t want to say any anymore.”

“Come on. It’s now that you’ve arrived at what’s essential.”

“No, I’m unable to.”

Tengel was angry. “You just said that you’ve confidence in me.”

“This is something you haven’t exactly encouraged me to have today,” she said with her head bent down.

“I
want
to hear it,” he insisted. “Your words are safe with me.”

The room was warm now, or perhaps this was just how she felt? No, the warmth didn’t just come from her.

“But it’s so difficult, Tengel,” She turned and twisted on the bench. “It’s about … sex.”

“Yes, I’ve grasped that.”

“How it … was awakened. I’d no idea that I …. had those kinds of ... emotions.”

His eyes radiated towards her. There were deep shadows underneath his high cheekbones.

“It’s best that nothing is said about it.”

“Has anybody influenced you, tried to come to bed with you so that you were aroused?”

“No, no,” she said, startled. “No, it was you and you know this perfectly well.”

Now she had said it. She discovered too late that she’d fallen in the trap. If only she could sink through the floor!

For a long time, there was an awkward silence in the room.

Something was handed to her. As far as she could see, it was a mug. Tengel forced her to accept the brandy. She wrinkled her nose and coughed, but it warmed her.

She noticed that his hand trembled as he held the mug.

“On the horse?” he asked in a low voice.

Silje look at him in surprise. “Why do you think so?”

“You found it difficult to sit still.”

She felt sick with shame but shook her head.

“A long time before.”

“Well, that figure in the church …” he said thoughtfully.

“Please don’t mention it.” Silje started up and began to weep. “I dreamed. Two horrible dreams – but you won’t make me talk about them. Now you’ve humiliated me enough. Was this what you wanted?”

He breathed so heavily that she realized that he’d held his breath for quite some time. “Silje, please don’t feel humiliated. This was never my intention. I’ve behaved selfishly, which I can see now, but since I’m lonely I needed to hear … This is also unfamiliar for me, so it was not my intention to treat you badly. Thank you for coming! I’ll follow you home through the forest.”

“But we haven’t finished eating!”

He’d already got up. “It’s best that you leave now, straightaway.”

She looked him in the face and discovered how he was struggling with himself. She understood.

“Thank you,” she said. She was confused.

They were both startled when they saw that it was bright outside.

***

They went downwards without saying a word. Silje couldn’t resist sending sideways glances towards the figure at her side. The broad shoulders made the hips seem small, quite disproportionate. He wasn’t wearing his wolf-skin cloak, only a short tunica with a belt. He had a grim expression on his face.

She wanted to divert the thoughts to something else. “Tengel, how did you come to know Heming the Bailiff Killer?”

“Heming? Surely you have understood, haven’t you, that he is also of the Ice People.”

“Really? But you’re very different.”

“He’s not of the evil Tengel’s stock. As you know, we were several families to begin with. Heming’s never wanted to mix with us. They’ve married outside of the Ice People or with pure stocks among the Ice People.”

“You once said that he was valuable for you. At the time I believed that he belonged to the insurgents, and that this was also the case with you.”

“Heming is the son of the chief of the Ice People. We have a chief in our small realm.

“I thought that
you
were the chief.”

“A descendant of Tengel’s stock will never become a chief simply because we’re too unpredictable for that. When I left to search for my sister, Heming’s father gave me the task of keeping an eye on his son.”

“So you meant the Ice People when you said that he would be able to betray you all?”

“Yes, this is one of the things I meant. In order to save his own life he might want to betray the entire insurgency army – and also the secret routes to the realm of the Ice People.”

“He was afraid of you.”

“Of course. He’s unsure of me. He believes that I have the power to hurt him and I let him believe that.”

“Is that the case?”

“I don’t want to find out.”

“Has he any reason at all to be afraid of you? It’s quite grotesque,” she said fiercely.

“You haven’t seen the other members of my family,” he mumbled with clenched teeth. “Then you wouldn’t talk like that.”

Silje just shook her head in despair.

“But … you and Heming … it seems that you have both received some education. You have a great vocabulary. Why is this so?”

“About in the same way as with you,” Tengel said with a wry smile. “I also received some kind of education at second hand.”

“How did you know?”

“From Benedikt.”

Silje clenched her teeth. “What a gossip!”

Tengel admitted: “Yes, he’s talked quite a lot about you.”

“And you soaked it all up?”

Tengel didn’t reply to that.

“Well, what was your education then like?”

It seemed that Tengel was interested in talking. It occurred to her that he probably didn’t have so many to talk with.

“One of our men left the mountains about fifty years ago in order to study in Trondheim. He was very intelligent. When he was an old man, he returned to the mountains – and since then we’ve had a kind of school. I for one learned a lot from him because he seemed to think that I had a good aptitude.”

“I think he was right.”

“And, of course, Heming also attended school. After all, he was the chief’s son. But he was taught by the old man’s pupils because the old man died at some point in time. But, of course, not everybody among the Ice People is interested in this kind of learning.”

“How old are you?”

Silje’s heart pounded because she would like to know.

“Is this important to you?”

“Perhaps not but I’ve often given it a thought. Guessing is so difficult.”

“I’m … I don’t think I really know. Somewhere between thirty-two and thirty-five, I believe. Thirty-two is probably a good guess. Maybe thirty-three.”

“And I’ve turned seventeen now,” Silje said hurriedly.

He turned away so that she couldn’t see his face.

Shortly afterwards they’d reached the edge of the forest. They both stopped and looked over the village. “Silje, I must return to my people now …”

“No, please don’t leave,” she blurted before she’d even thought of what she’d just said. Now she could have bit her tongue off herself.

“I have to. I’ve been away for far too long. All roads up to the mountains will be closed when the thaw sets it. I must return before then. By the way, I’ve thought of Benedikt. Perhaps you should marry him after all. You’re fond of him and then you and the children would feel safe. And I would feel safe with it. He’s old, and he wouldn’t try to have something from you which you … don’t want to give him.”

“But this is precisely what he
has
tried to.”

“Tried what?”

He’s a wonderful man when he’s sober. But he was drunk … and he tried …”

“To go to bed with you?”

Yes,” Silje said shamefully.

Tengel held his belt so hard that his knuckles turned white. He stared down at the farm.

“Tengel, I’ll see to it that it won’t happen again,” she said anxiously. What’s more, Mr. Benedikt has no idea of what he did. He’s forgotten it all. He was so awfully drunk. But I … can’t marry him.”

“No, you can’t,” he said in an urgent tone of voice. “And the woman who’s come … And Sol, my little niece … I would love to stay. But I must leave now. Take good care of Sol for me, Silje! She’s better off with you than with me, so it’s best that you keep her. Will you do that?”

Silje nodded.

“Thank you,” he said straightforwardly. “I’ll return in the fall to see you all.”

“It’s a long time till fall.” Her voice sounded pathetic.

“You’re safe on Benedikt’s farm. Benedikt will put her in her place, you’ll see. Benedikt has always been his own master.”

“Surely you won’t be leaving straightaway?”

“No, I’ll stay for a short while – in order to see how things turn out with that woman. I’m a bit worried as to what she might do to Sol … and Dag. So I’ll stay for a few more days.”

“Can I come and …”

“No, you can’t. It was bad enough that you came today.”

Silje played with her foot in the snow. She was embarrassed and began to feel cold about the feet but she didn’t want to leave. Not yet.

“Silje,” he said quietly without looking at her. “Were those dreams as horrendous as you said they were?”

There was silence.

“Answer me, for heaven’s sake,” he said fiercely.

“I’m shaking my head,” mumbled Silje.

He spun and looked at the bent, blushing face.

“I couldn’t hear that, you little fool,” he laughed. Something in his voice sounded like joy.

But this was probably just mockery.

Without touching him and without so much as looking at him, she began to run.

It wasn’t until she’d had reached a bit into the meadow, that she turned round.

He was still standing there, strong, motionless, as a being from a pagan, pre-historic era.

For a moment, she raised her hand as a greeting – and he did the same. They stood there, gazing at each other. Then she turned abruptly and continued towards home.

Chapter 9

Life on the farm became increasingly unbearable. In the days between Christmas and New Year Abelone would keep company with the neighbours. This was when it emerged that the little children probably weren’t baptized.

“Silje’s baptism,” she almost screamed to Benedikt. “How much do you think it’s worth? Such a hussy – how did she dare perform such a holy act! And
my
children have lived under the same roof as two unbaptized children!”

“They don’t appear to have suffered at all,” Benedikt said dryly, glancing at the two well-fed young children.

Abelone screwed up her eyes. “You know perfectly well, my friend, that the number of small devils is two trillion, six hundred and sixty-five billion. Thus imagine that …”

“Fancy that you bother to store this figure in your head all the time. Do you check in the corners every day? What if there’s something you overlook? Or count something twice?”

But Abelone didn’t allow herself to be interrupted. “Just imagine how many could’ve come on this farm through those two children! They can be everywhere … they can …”

“Don’t be so agitated that you turn red in the face.”

“They must leave, both of them. At once!”

“No way,” said Benedikt. He stood opposite her, threateningly. “What’s more, the little girl was in all likelihood baptized a long time ago.”

“We know nothing about that. She was found on the street, right? Probably with a loose woman.”

Silje thought of Tengel’s sister and protested. She was appalled.

“You keep quiet,” Abelone snapped. “We all know what you’re driving at. Alright, then they must be baptized, right here and now!”

“We haven’t got a new priest yet,” said Marie.

“Then we must get one in the neighbouring parish. “I just can’t get it into my head how you’ve been wasting your time until I arrived! I know that the Bekkmarks are expecting a visit from him today to see to the old man who’s on his deathbed. The foreman must fetch him.”

And so he did. The children were nicely dressed. Dag was wrapped in the shawl brocaded with gold thread and little Sol was ever so proud of her fine dress, which Grete had woven and embroidered for her.

Nobody could say that it was a successful baptism. They’d decorated the room so nicely with a white tablecloth and tallow candles and their best silverware served as a baptismal font. But Dag cried all the time and Sol ran out and tried to hide while she screamed in terror. Silje thought: “No wonder because the priest looked pretty awesome in his black cloak and cold dignity.

Finally, they managed to tempt her to sit close to the priest so that he could pour some water on her and baptize her Sol Angelica.

It was Silje who insisted that Sol was to be given two names, and since Angelica was such a pretty and Christian name, everybody agreed. But Silje didn’t so much as breathe a hint that Sol was of the Ice People.

Silje also believed that Dag was to be given two names since there were two letters on the shirt she’d found him in. She gave him the most pompous name she could think of: Dag Christian.

The worst thing was when they led Sol out of the room. She burst out in a loud and clear voice: “That devil of a priest poured water on my head.”

Fortunately, the priest was far too absorbed of the screaming Dag to register it so Silje, Benedikt and Marie were the only ones who heard it. Marie was shaken. “It’s the bad foreman,” she mumbled. “Sol apes him in everything.”

Silje was also shocked but Benedikt was the only one who had difficulties in keeping a straight face.

Abelone could relax now that the children had been placed in the hands of the church. Little devils would no longer hide underneath the beds.

***

But even so, Abelone wasn’t any easier to get along with. Everybody on the farm knew that she looked for a pretext to throw Silje and the children out. In fact, Abelone’s son blurted it straight out one day. He sat in the best room, demanding more beer. Silje brought the jug and poured him some beer. He was cutting large chunks of the Christmas ham, giving her a mocking look as she poured the beer, which made Silje so nervous that she accidentally spilled a drop. He exploded immediately.

“For goodness sake, be careful, you hussy! Perhaps you intend to spoil my table?”

Silje mumbled “Sorry” while trying to curb the fury that arose in her.

“Surely you don’t imagine that all this will become yours one day, do you? I suppose this was what you counted on when you intruded? An old man – easy to twist round your little finger, eh?”

He’s picked up those words from his mother, Silje thought.

“But I can assure you that you and those bastards will have to leave, quicker than you can imagine. Ouch”

He let out a yell and held his left hand. Blood poured out between his fingers. Sol quickly left the room.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Silje asked surprised.

“Me?” he howled. “I didn’t do anything. It was this little brat that made it happen! I saw it! Honestly, I did!”

“Nonsense,” said Silje, her face turning slightly paler. “The girl stood right inside the door at a distance from you.”

“Yes, but she did it, I know! She looked at me and then the knife touched me.”

“I’ve never heard such rubbish,” Silje said angrily. “Grete, come in here and take care of this whimp before he passes out. He’s screaming like a baby, and looks like one too.

Grete came and Silje left the room. She ran after Sol and found her standing on her knees on a bench by the window.

When Silje entered the room, Sol turned towards her. Silje gasped for breath. Her eyes …

They were green with hatred – and of something else which Silje had never seen in her life before and which she hoped she would never see again. When Sol saw that it was just Silje, the hatred in her eyes vanished and she stretched up her arms towards her. Silje lifted her up.

“Sol,” she whispered with stiff lips. “Little Sol, you must never ever do this again.”

“Do what,” Sol asked innocently. “I didn’t do anything. That man’s stupid.”

“You’re right but …”

“I don’t want him to live here and nor the two strange ladies.”

“Dear Sol, none of us want that but we’ll have to put up with it. Promise me that you’ll be nice towards them, Sol. Please!”

The girl flung her small arms around Silje’s neck and laughed out loud. “Sol sweet,” she said.

Silje thought. “Oh God. Tengel, I need to talk to you. No … you needn’t listen to all this. What am I to do? Bringing up this unfortunate child will be an inhuman task!”

***

Benedikt was deeply depressed. Not even his church paintings could make him happy any longer.

“I’ll kill that damn woman,” he mumbled all the time to himself. “I’ll kill her!”

One day, he’d actually tried to throw out Abelone and her children. He’d begun to fling all her possessions out in the yard, shouting “OUT” at the top of his voice! But Abelone was too powerful for him. She threatened to report him to the bailiff for his link with the insurgents. This was something she said on the spur of the moment but it was absolutely spot on. Benedikt knew that he wouldn’t be innocent if they began to check him further. So they were allowed to stay. They ate an immense amount of food and yet they complained all the time. The food supply on the farm dwindled more and more. Nobody thrived there anymore and everybody felt helpless.

On New Year’s Eve, Benedikt took up the subject which Silje suspected would crop up. They were on their own in the kitchen.

“Marry me, Silje,” he asked insistently. “That will solve many problems. Then Abelone and her offspring will leave, and your and the children’s future will be secured.”

Silje took Benedikt’s hand, which was on the table. “I thank you for your kind offer and you know I’m very fond of you but I can’t.”

“Why not? I don’t think I have all that many years left and I’ll leave you in peace …”

She just
had
to tell him about that evening when he’d come to her bed.

“My God,” he whispered. “I thought it was just a dream.”

He sighed. “Well, Silje, I have to admit that I’ve lied to you. I’m an old man and I’ve desired you. I honestly thought that I could control my desire but I’m afraid the brandy brought me too far. At the bottom of my heart, I hoped that you would welcome me one day. I can see that now. And ... would it be possible for you … to be willing to … share your bed with me?”

Silje had tears in her eyes. “I’m very fond of you, Mr. Benedikt but not in that way.”

“No, I’m afraid that this would destroy our good friendship, and I don’t want that to happen for anything in the world.”

“Same here. Nobody can accuse
you
of being out after what I own. Others might have swallowed their disgust and gone along with it, but not you. And do you know what, Silje? In a sense I’d have felt slightly disappointed if you’d accepted. An artist doesn’t compromise with his conscience for the sake of comfort.”

Now he was speaking about art once more. That was really his hobbyhorse.

He sighed: “Silje, everything is just so sad, so extremely sad at the moment.”

“I know, and I’m scared, Mr. Benedikt. For everybody’s sake but mostly for the children’s.”

***

Then the year drew to a close. It was a year with great and radical upheavals in Silje’s young life, and she wondered what 1582 would bring.

This was something she was soon to discover. Three days later Abelone struck, hard and harshly.

The foreman came tearing into the kitchen where those who actually belonged in the living room were eating. He looked absolutely shell-shocked.

“Now we’re really in danger. “The … the … she … has ordered that I take her and her children for a ride. Then I heard that they’ll to go to the bailiff where they plan to report Silje.”

Benedikt jumped to his feet. “What? Why?”

“One of the neighbours told Abelone that Silje has been seen riding together with Tengel of the Ice People.”

“My God,” Benedikt moaned. “Now Silje’s to be accused of having a relationship with the Devil’s disciple, the immortal Tengel!”

“But this just isn’t true,” exclaimed Silje. Tengel isn’t the immortal. And I’m a virgin. This I can prove if necessary.”

“My dear child,” said Benedikt. “Virginity won’t help you, I’m afraid. If the bailiff’s men get a hold of you, you’re
dead
. They’ll torture you, slowly … and they’ll relish it. But first of all they’ll force
everything
you know about Tengel and the Ice People out of you, and you’ll drag others with you. They’ll even take the children because either you or Tengel can have influenced them. The authorities will regard you as a first class witch now because of your relationship with the human animal. I suppose you know how they punish witches, don’t you?”

“But what are we to do?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I’ve no idea. You must leave. But where ... And how? So that devil of a woman succeeded in her plot.”

He turned to the foreman. “You must go out immediately so that Abelone doesn’t smell a rat. Drive as slow as you can so that Silje and the children can win some time.”

The foreman nodded and went towards the door. Silje ran after him and embraced him. The tough foreman had tears in his eyes. Then he said goodbye to the children.

“You must be away when I return. This is an order!”

A hectic activity began as soon as the cart had left the farm. Everything that Silje and the children owned was packed in a couple of bundles and the others gave her all that they could do without in the way of clothes. Benedikt came with a small, leaded window pane which he’d made himself – quite impossible to bring along but Silje couldn’t take her eyes away from it. Benedikt secretly gave her a book which he’d bound himself with blank pages. He said that it was a sketch book in case she wanted to draw. He also gave her a fine pen and a few charcoal crayons that she could bring along as well. Silje tried to say thank you but both were so touched that it was just a tearful embrace.

They old sisters wept and embraced the children several times while they did the packing. Sol also cried a bit but it was evident that she didn’t really understand what was going on.

“Silje can’t possibly carry all this,” said a shocked Benedikt when they had finished packing.

They all gathered around him and looked at the bundles. Silje put her hand to her mouth.

“If it hadn’t been so tragic I’d have laughed out loud,” she said with a despondent glance at the enormous pile.

Grete and Marie began to burst into tears once more. Nobody could bear that they were to leave now.

“Where are you to go, my dear,” moaned Grete.

Silje hesitated. “Tengel was in the neighbourhood at Christmas. It was he that I visited with the food. I won’t tell where it was because that can bring you in difficulties if you’re interrogated. But I think he’s left the area. I haven’t seen any sign of life from there today.”

It felt strangely sad to think about.

“Can’t you and the children hide there on your own?”

She glanced out. “This was what I was considering. But I’m afraid that they’ll see our tracks in the new snow.”

“Yes, you’re right. My God, what are we to do? Hide you in the stable?”

“What if little Dag screams?” asked Grete.

Suddenly all of them were startled. A horse rode into the yard at a brisk trot.

“Are they here already?” cried Marie in surprise. “You must hide, you must hide yourselves.”

“No,” said Benedikt with a sigh of relief. “It’s not them.”

Tengel jumped off the horse and walked towards them as they came rushing out. The old women completely forgot how frightened they were of the Ice People.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Did you sense it?” asked Silje surprised but at the same time immensely relieved.

He laughed softly. “It was undoubtedly more down-to-earth this time. I was on my way over the ridge on my southward journey. I stood for a while up there and wondered whether or not I ought to drop by. I wanted to say goodbye once more, only I didn’t know whether it was wise to do so. Then I caught sight of the consternation out in the yard and then I made up my mind to look at it more closely.