“Good heavens!” said the Swede, staring just as baffled.
“Mikael,” said Tancred, moved. “You are really Mikael!”
The other man wrinkled his forehead.
Tancred walked forward stretching out his hand. “I’m Tancred Paladin. You don’t know me but I also have the blood of the Ice People in my veins.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, we’ve all been searching for you, Mikael! And grieved that we couldn’t find you! You see, my grandma and your grandpa are siblings. Both of them are still alive.”
The other lit up in a smile and his eyes were moist. “And I, who thought I was completely alone in the world.”
He spontaneously embraced his relative, and both of them laughed.
“And I’ve so little time,” complained Mikael. “I’m to be posted back to Sweden already this evening.”
“Sweden? So this is where you live?”
“Yes, I traveled to Sweden with my foster sister, Marca Christiana, when she married the son of our guardian. But please tell me something about my relatives!”
“Well, we originate from Norway.”
“That I know. Marca Christiana has told me that my grandpa visited Löwenstein together with a young couple when I was three years old.”
“They were my parents,” said Tancred eagerly. “We live in Denmark.”
“I can see that the family is scattered. Do I have any close relatives in Norway?”
“Yes, my Grandpa Are. And your uncle Brand and his son, your cousin Andreas Lind of the Ice People. Oh, your grandpa will be over the moon when he hears this!”
Mikael’s eyes looked sad. “I hope I’ll be able to see him – before it’s too late.”
“Yes. You must visit Norway. Soon! And afterwards you must visit us.”
“As soon as I’m able to. But our two countries are not on the best of terms. And now I’ll be sent to Ingria. Tsar Nicolas wants access to the Baltic and threatens the Swedish provinces. But I’ll come as soon as there’s some peace.”
Now Tancred could see that this boy was considerably younger than he was himself. He could not be more than twenty years old. And the similarity between them was not as great as he had thought before. Mikael had arched eyebrows whereas his were straighter, and the smile was not the same. But nevertheless they were astonishingly alike. They did not know it themselves but they looked as Tengel the Good would have looked – if the curse of the Ice People had not made his appearance so grotesque.
A horn signal sounded from the field which was hidden from them.
“The transport will be on its way soon. I haven’t got much time,” said Mikael.
Their conversation was quite feverish.
“You’re young – and already a cadet?”
Mikael laughed. “Uncle Gabriel, Marca Christiana’s husband, has great influence. “
Because they were so tense, they were only able to talk about insignificant things instead of concentrating on the bigger things they should have thought about.
“Gabriel?” said Tancred, surprised. “It’s strange coming across that name here! Our estate is called Gabrielshus and my sister’s name is Gabriella!”
“How amusing! The name, Gabriel, repeats itself in my uncle’s family. His grandfather’s grandmother had twelve children, who never got to be more than one year old. Then she dreamed that an angel told her that she should give her next son the name Gabriel. So she did and he lived and became a grown-up. He was the only son she was allowed to keep. Since then, practically everyone in our family has been given the name Gabriel. But here I am standing and using precious time. Did you know my father?”
“Hardly. What a shame that you should meet me because I’m probably the one who knows the least about the Ice People. But your father, Tarjei, was said to be quite a remarkable person – immensely intelligent and a great personality. Unfortunately, he was killed by one of the accursed among the Ice People. My cousin. The legacy we have received is a bitter one, Mikael!”
“Yes, I must hear more about it later. Now the horn signal is sounding again. Oh, I wish I didn’t have to leave you now. I want to hear more! Where do you live?”
“Your relatives are at Linden Avenue and my branch of the family is at Graastensholm. Both are situated in Graastensholm parish close to Christiania, present-day Oslo. We ourselves live at Gabrielshus northwest of Copenhagen.”
The horn signal could be heard for the third time.
Mikael took Tancred’s hand in his. “I must leave now. But I’ll come to Linden Avenue. Say hello to my grandpa and tell him that I’ll come visit!”
“Where do you live, Mikael?” shouted Tancred as he suddenly remembered the important question.
“I live nowhere. I’ve spent two years in the field in the Swedish war possessions. And my uncle has moved to and fro while rising in the ranks both as a military man and a civil servant. Goodbye, Tancred, this was an unforgettable meeting!”
“Good bye, and see you again! Soon!”
Both doubted that the threat of war would abate. On the contrary. Soon their nations would be bitter enemies.
Young Mikael Lind of the Ice People lifted his hand as a greeting. Then he was shrouded in the fog and became increasingly blurred – and then disappeared.
Tancred kept standing on the deserted heath, the world hidden in a grey blanket all round him.
He walked slowly back to the boat.
Shortly afterwards he thought to himself: Had it really happened? Or was it the blood of the Ice People that made its presence felt? The ability to see behind closed doors?
Far away could be heard the sound of a major transport, which left the heath – or whatever it was that was shrouded behind the blanket of fog. Squeaking cartwheels, shouts of command, the sound of hooves.
He pulled the boat up on Holstein’s bank and went ashore.
Soon the Elbe had also disappeared in the fog.
Next Book
The Ice People 8 - Under Suspicion
Rumour and suspicion continue to haunt the Ice People. When the bodies of four murdered women are found in the woods, the family with magical powers is immediately suspected. A young girl, Hilde, is also drawn into the investigation and accused of being a witch. She's lived alone with her cruel father for years, and is now threatened with death for witchcraft. But the Ice People are always kind to those in need. The family take Hilde in and protect her.
As the mystery of the murders unfolds, new threats – and new loyalties – emerge. The Ice People must once again pull together to survive.
The Legend of the Ice People
The Ice People 1 – Spellbound
The Ice People 2 – Witch Hunt
The Ice People 3 – The Step Daughter
The Ice People 4 – The Successor
The Ice People 5 – Friendship
The Ice People 6 – Evil Legacy
The Ice People 7 – Nemesis
The Ice People 8 – Under Suspicion
The Ice People 9 – Without Roots
The Ice People 10 – Winter Storm
The Ice People 11 – Blood Feud
The Ice People 12 – Yearning
The Ice People 13 – Footprints of Satan
The Ice People 14 – The Last Knight
The Ice People 15 - The Wind from the East
The Ice People 16 – The Mandrake
The Ice People 17 – The Garden of Death
The Ice People 18 – Behind the Facade
The Ice People 19 – Dragon’s Teeth
The Ice People 20 – Wings of the Raven
The Ice People 21 – Devils Canyon
The Ice People 22 – The Demon and the Maiden
The Ice People 23 – Rituals
The Ice People 24 – Deep in the ground
The Ice People 25 – The Angel
The Ice People 26 – The Secret
The Ice People 27 – The Scandal
The Ice People 28 – Ice and Fire
The Ice People 29 – Lucifer’s Love
The Ice People 30 – Brothers
The Ice People 31 – The Ferryman
The Ice People 32 – Hunger
The Ice People 33 – The Demon of the Nights
The Ice People 34 – The Woman on the Beach
The Ice People 35 – The Flute
The Ice People 36 – Magic Moon
The Ice People 37 - A Town in Fear
The Ice People 38 – Hidden Trails
The Ice People 39 – Silent Voices
The Ice People 40 – Imprisoned by time
The Ice People 41 – Demon Mountain
The Ice People 42 – The Calm Before the Storm
The Ice People 43 – A Glimpse of Tenderness
The Ice People 44 – An Evil Day
The Ice People 45 – The Legend
The Ice People 46 – The Black Water
The Ice People 47 – Is There Anybody Out There?
Margit Sandemo
Margit Sandemo was born on April 23 1924 in Norway. She was raised in Sweden but later moved to Norway. She made her début as an author in 1964. The legend about the Ice People, 47 volumes in all, appeared 1982-1989. Love and supernatural powers are the hallmark of her authorship.
Margit Sandemo’s books have sold more than 39 million copies worldwide. Margit Sandemo is thus the author in the Nordic countries with the greatest number of sold books.
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