The Ice People 41 - Demon's Mountain. Margit Sandemo

faces, far inside all the woolly dampness?

      The mist’s own faces, formed by the movements of the steaming clouds, formed and dissolved, and new ones appeared.

      Heavy, gloomy faces.

      The gravel no longer crunched under their feet. Had they left the road?

      No, there was the grass by the side of the road. What they were walking on now ... sounded like hard stones.

      Gabriel tried to look down, but now the fog was so dense that he could hardly see his knees.

      What were they walking on?

      Where were they? How did Ulvhedin and Niklas know that they were going in the right direction? There were no clues, only dense clouds of mist, dripping wet and cold, whirling slowly around them.

      What if they were walking in the wrong direction? And came to some horrible place, which you could only create in your own, macabre imagination?

      Gabriel was groping for his mother’s hand. This was something he hadn’t done for many years. He was almost grown-up. Twelve was an impressive age.

      Now he was walking between his mother and Ulvhedin, holding each of them by the hand. Of course, this was slightly embarrassing, but he needed it. His heart was beating so hard that he thought he might pass out.

      Niklas walked on the other side of his mother, as if the two spirits wanted to protect the mortals against invisible enemies inside the unknown.

      Quiet now! He mustn’t get worked up!

      All of a sudden, he heard voices, deadened by the mist.

      Christa – that was Christa’s voice, and he could also hear Nataniel. This made him relax a bit. He and Mum weren’t alone in this horrible, magical world.

      There they were, right next to them.

      “Oh, thank goodness!” murmured Karine.

      They greeted each other quietly. The other two also had two men with them. One of them was a young, kindly-looking man with eyes that radiated goodwill.

      “This is Linde-Lou,” Nataniel explained. “And this is Tarjei, the blessed,” he continued, pointing to the other man, a youth of middling height with pronounced features and a sharp, penetrating glance. But exceptionally friendly.

      Everything felt much better now.

      They walked for a long time. Gabriel felt miserably cold. It was the coldest mist he had ever experienced. Finally, he plucked up courage and asked: “Where are we?”

      In a deep voice that sounded quite jolly, Ulvhedin explained: “You’re crossing a threshold. We’re coming out in an entirely different place.”

      “Are we far from home?” asked Christa.

      “Well, yes and no. You haven’t walked that far. Nevertheless, you’re very far from home. You wouldn’t be able to find this place, even if you searched all over the earth.”

      “I can well imagine.”

      “We’ll get back home, won’t we?” asked Gabriel in a quivering voice. He was mostly thinking of Dad, who would be puzzled if they weren’t there.

      “Yes, definitely. You’ll be back tomorrow morning. Nobody will have time to miss you.”

      Their footsteps clattered in the quietness.

      Nataniel said pensively: “I thought ... the border could only be crossed up on the mountain ridge opposite old Gråstensholm? From the place where Heike conjured up the grey people and Vanja disappeared with Tamlin? But we’re walking on stony ground now, so ...?”

      “That route is just a portal that the Ice People created themselves. It’s an eerie way where you meet many undesirable creatures. This is the correct route.”

      “Are you ... are you... able to tell us where we’ll end up?”

      Ulvhedin smiled. “To be honest, I don’t really know myself. I know where we come out, and that’s about all. It was Gand who summoned us. We’re invited. That’s what he said. To a suitable meeting place for the living and the spirits.”

      “In the dark marble halls of the black angels?” Christa asked.

      “No, that’s what we thought as well, but Gand tells us that would never work. No, somebody else has invited us to their abode for this meeting. We’ve no idea who it is.”

      “That sounds exciting,” said Nataniel. “It seems we have a lot to thank Gand for, don’t we?”

      “Yes,” replied Tarjei. “Without him, this meeting would never have been arranged. Saga’s love story with Lucifer was a major triumph for the Ice People.”

      Nataniel nodded thoughtfully. “I believe the struggle would have been far more difficult if the blood of the black angels hadn’t been mixed with ours.”

      “Virtually hopeless,” agreed Ulvhedin.

      Dawn was breaking around them. The cold wasn’t quite so noticeable now.

      “We’re walking on a floor,” said Gabriel.

      “No, it’s not a floor,” answered Niklas, “but rock, as Nataniel said.”

      Suddenly, they came out of the mist. Around them rose tall, glistening mountains of black and anthracite with touches of deep green and dark violet. The mountain walls were so shiny that the light was reflected in a glaring, sparkling glow.

      The light? Yes, because they were engulfed in a peculiar light, as if they stood in a burning sunset. The sky was a flaming gold, orange, deep red and soft yellow, and it wasn’t unpleasant for the eyes.

      Gabriel told himself that he was dreaming.

      Big, black birds circled majestically around the summits of the mountains. Or perhaps they weren’t birds, after all? They were so high in the air that he couldn’t make out the details; but perhaps they were human beings with wings? Grotesque, humanoid creatures!

      A creature rose in front of them by the nearest cliff. It was almost as tall as the cliff itself and had a dragon-like head. It was just as dark and colourful as the mountain behind it. Actually, it was a bit difficult to make out at first.

      “Who’s that?” Gabriel whispered, and pulled back slightly.

      “Can you see it?” smiled Ulvhedin. “That’s good, because it means you’ve got imagination. This is a kind of test of your ability to identify problems. It’s the link to everything you dream about and weave into your fantasies. It makes everything real for you. Your relative, Mari, walked past it a little while ago. She didn’t see it at all. Christel had some difficulties, but she noticed it at last.”

      “Is it dangerous?”

      “Not at all. It’s the best friend you can have – provided you don’t allow it to seize control. Then things can go wrong. Now I can see that we’re going to meet somebody we know.”

      Gabriel was tense, but he relaxed a moment later.

      The Voldens and the large group from Linden Avenue were waiting for them. Nataniel explained to Gabriel, his nephew, that Heike and Dominic were among them. So was the Wanderer. He intimidated Gabriel a bit because he was so enigmatic. But only slightly. The dragon, that barely visible fantasy figure that brooded over them all, had instilled in Gabriel the courage that he needed. Now he could truly imagine that he was discovering all this in a wonderful dream world. He smiled at the dragon-like creature, which nodded its head almost imperceptibly in return.

      “Where will we be going now?” Gabriel asked Ulvhedin, his protector, because now he felt that Ulvhedin had become an ally, an old acquaintance. That wasn’t bad for a young boy who was meeting all the spirits of the Ice People for the first time.

      “We’ll be entering the mountain pass over there. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” said Ulvhedin,