The Ice People 45 - The Legend. Margit Sandemo

to Lucifer: “I suppose it’s about the eternal struggle between good and evil, isn’t it, Master?”

      “Yes, you’re absolutely right,” replied the angel of light, turning his fantastic eyes towards Ian so that he felt dazzled. “But you should know that everything isn’t black as soot or white as snow.”

      “I realize that, Your Highness,” Ian said. He wondered if Lucifer was thinking of himself and his black angels. Ian knew that demons aren’t evil and that spirits of light aren’t all nice and kind. He had learned a lot since meeting the Ice People. He had had to change his view of black and white a very great deal.

      Far, far out on the ice, Tengel the Evil was roaring in despair.

      Lucifer glanced at him sideways over his shoulder. “He’s stuck. But you never know with him. It’s impossible to know what powers he can collaborate with. We should be on our guard.”

      The angel of light got up and the others followed immediately.

      “The fog has lifted,” said Lucifer. “It’s almost up here now, and there’s good visibility down below. But the sun has set so I advise you to wait until dawn, as I said earlier. Tarjei, Rune and I will leave you before long, but first there are some precautions I must give you.”

      They were grateful for that. To be honest, they weren’t exactly thrilled at having to walk down into the unknown valley.

      Lucifer looked at his son. His eyes were sad. “Marco, my dearest, beloved son, it was with a heavy heart that we decided that you were the only one who could fight the enigmatic Lynx.”

      They saw Marco’s face stiffen. Not from fear but rather disappointment. “But I have one of the bottles!”

      “It’s important that you carry the bottle with you in your struggle with that abominable man. For we believe that he’s under the influence of the black water – otherwise he wouldn’t be so frightened of getting close to those of you who carry the bottles.”

      “But Father, do you mean that I should get close to him with the bottle of Shira’s water and then spray it on him? Because, if so, we will have one bottle less!”

      “That can’t be helped. Lynx is a danger to you all. Right now, Lynx is the biggest challenge. We have no idea what can break him. This theory about the clear water is merely guesswork. If only we knew his identity.”

      Now Rune raised his creaky voice: “I know a little more about him now.”

      Everybody turned to look at the mandrake boy.

      “Please tell us, Rune!” said Lucifer.

      “He’s German, his first name is Fritz and he probably lived in the early 1920s.”

      “How do you know that?” asked Tova.

      Rune told them how he felt he could recognize Lynx’s slightly formal dress and the glistening pomade on his hair, which was typical of the 1920s, and how he had recognized many Germanic traits in Lynx.

      Nataniel interrupted. “That’s what I’ve felt intuitively all along.”

      “So just as a test, I blurted out the name Fritz. German soldiers were often called Fritz or Jerry. But both Lynx and Tan-ghil reacted with near panic and shock when I pronounced the name. That was when I realized that Lynx’s real name must be Fritz.”

      Marcel looked at Rune attentively. “Are you sure? What I mean is, did they really react so strongly?”

      “Absolutely. I was shocked myself. Tengel yelled something. He was hysterical. But at that very moment, the earth began to shake. That was the very moment when Your Highness broke through the crust of the earth, wasn’t it?”

      “Yes.”

      Marcel-Lucifer was distracted. He stood lost in his own thoughts, while his eyes radiated inner agitation. Then he returned to the present. They all pondered what Rune had said, turning it over this way and that.

      So Lynx was one of the dead. Yet he didn’t seem dead at all. It was quite obvious that he was neither a spirit nor a ghost.

      At last Marcel spoke. “What you’ve just told us is very important. That Lynx and Tan-ghil were so horrified when you happened to pronounce his name shows that we’re faced with name-magic.”

      “Name-magic?” echoed Gabriel.

      “Yes,” replied Lucifer, regarding Gabriel absent-mindedly. “And in this case it’s probably about the magic that has to do with hiding your true name.”

      “I know about that,” Marco said eagerly. “I’ve read about it. The ancient Celts used it, and the Red Indians in certain forms. And voodooism ...”

      Marco’s father nodded. “Many traditional cultures knew of this type of magic, and Tan-ghil probably picked it up in East Asia. So ... to know Lynx’s identity is the most important thing now. For you, Marco, in order to have any power over him, you need to know his name and who he is. This is the first commandment of name-magic.”

      “I understand.”

      “This is precisely why you’ve been chosen to fight Lynx, who is rather too much of a mystery, even for us. If you have to perform magic, you are groping in the dark if you don’t know who is to be conjured. Actually, this is the rule for all kinds of magic, but here it seems to be more important than ever. If Marco can use Lynx’s real name, his work, place of origin and other vital information, then he will have the upper hand immediately. Do you understand?”

      “Yes, we don’t know much about name-magic,” said Tova. “But that sounds right.”

      “Yes,” smiled Lucifer. “You must feel you have the advantage, Marco, when you stand and face Lynx. Since we’re talking about name-magic, remember that your name means ‘the brave one’! You may need all your courage now, because Lynx won’t mince his words. If you get too close, he’ll hurl the strange sling, or whatever we are to call it, at you.”

      Marco nodded. “And if I don’t get close enough to him, I can’t sprinkle the clear water on him. It’s a dilemma. I can see that.”

      “Precisely. This is exactly why I want to invoke name-magic. It could weaken his judgment and strength. How much, we don’t know.”

      “Wait a minute,” said Nataniel. “There’s something I don’t understand. Tengel the Evil has to drink from the black water in this valley so that he can reach his full strength and deadly dangerousness. But if he has done something with Lynx by means of that water, he must have some of it with him, mustn’t he?”

      Lucifer thought for a while. Then he smiled. “To be honest, I don’t know what he’s done with Lynx. We have just assumed that it had something to do with the evil force of the black water. But it’s a wise thought, Nataniel. We’ll bear it in mind. Yes, you’ve every reason to be proud of yourself!”

      Then Lucifer went over to his son and put his hands on his shoulders. “You mustn’t think that I’m asking you to do this light-heartedly. But you’re the only one who can do it. Nataniel would probably be able to, but he must be spared for his assignment. I trust and rely on you, Marco!”

      Marco thanked his father with a slight bow of the head. “Surely it’s not enough to know that his name is Fritz and he’s German?”

      “No, it’s not enough. We must find someone among the Ice People who can tease out more information about him.”

      They looked inquisitively at Marcel.

      “Of course, it can’t be any of you. We need to get in touch with one of the ordinary members of the clan.”

      “André?” Nataniel suggested. “After all, he’s a genealogist.”

      “André has always had more skill in his hands than in his head,” Lucifer replied. “Besides, he’s too old. We can’t risk anything happening to him.”

      “Might