The thought of standing on the pilot house and feeling the sea roll beneath his feet drove Leif on.
■ ■ ■ ■
Leif ordered the group to stop. Kanute set Bjarte down. Kanute sat on the floor and tried to catch his breath. Halvar leaned his pack against the wall and slid to the floor. He let the straps slide off then stretched his shoulders back. Jarl unslung his pack and sat on it. As soon as Halvar was free of his pack he walked to a corner of the cavern. He retched violently until he spit up yellow stomach bile. Nogwinto removed his pack. He sat on a ledge and propped his feet up on the pack. Draskawindit slumped down next to Leif.
Leif called for another vision. Nogwinto set Miakmoo on the ledge beside him. The vision Miakmoo cast showed Carathuk standing before the Ice Wall. The bear man touched a tablet buried in the wall. A staircase grew out of the sheer face of the Ice Wall then continued to the top.
Carathuk turned. In the vision, a white bear crouched low. Surf broke on the shore of the narrows between the sea and the wall.
“It looks like Miakmoo’s vision is seeing Carathuk through the guide tablet,” Bjarte said.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Leif said. “Eluf, take over for Kanute.” Leif turned to Draskawindit. “Tell Nogwinto to keep Miakmoo out of the sack. Miakmoo will cast Carathuk’s vision.”
The group pushed on. Bjarte kept the stylus close to his forehead. The vision of Carathuk and the white bear climbing the staircase in the Ice Wall filled the ceiling of the cavern.
As the group moved forward, the distance closed. It opened up again as Carathuk and the white bear made their way up the Ice Wall.
The party reached a solid wall of ice just as Carathuk and the bear reached the top. “This is it,” Bjarte said. “The caverns at this level end here.”
“What’s beyond this wall?” Leif asked.
“The strip of land that lies between the Ice Wall and the water, Captain Erikson,” Bjarte said, climbing off Eluf’s back. “We are standing across from the staircase Carathuk extruded from the wall.”
“Can we go up?”
“No, the caves are designed to be flooded and navigated under the water.” Bjarte answered.
“What are we looking at here?” Leif asked. If he could get the monk to explain what they were dealing with they may be able to find a way to solve the problem.
“This section of the ice, like many others, is an extrusion point. Under certain conditions the ice will take the form of a staircase. When it is done being used, it can be recessed back into the face of the wall.” Bjarte looked up. “As you can see, Carathuk has given the command to bring the stairs to be part of the wall.”
Reflections of sunlight glinting off the steps and sides of the stairs disappeared in an instant.
“Stay back,” Bjarte said. He knelt down before the Ice Wall. “If I had time to say a prayer I would.” Bjarte held one end of the white stone stylus right between his eyes. With his free hand he rubbed his temple with three fingers.
Flame came out of the stylus. The colors of the flame transformed as the air around Bjarte shimmered. As the flame turned blue, the monk’s form could be seen through a cone of color.
This must be the flame that burns under what the monk calls the condition of low natural attraction, Leif thought. The cone faded. The flame died. A hole led to the outside. Leif heard the surf crashing on the shore.
The group stepped out of the Ice Wall.
Thirty-nine
Riding the Cone
LEIF led the party the only way they could go — back the way they came. On one side, the narrow strip of land continued to shrink until merging with the wall. On the other side, the land widened.
The party rounded the point where the Ice Wall Began. Gently rolling dunes of sand lay before them.
By evening they made camp at a freshwater pool. Bjarte commanded the stylus. Light brightened a moonless night. Heat took the chill out of the air.
After a meal of dried fish and water, the party fell asleep.
Leif, sitting with his back propped up against a fallen log, took the first watch. He was just about to fall asleep when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Jarl. He’d come to take the second watch. “Is everything all right, skipper?” Jarl asked.
“Yes,” Leif replied, getting to his feet. “I must have dozed off. I was dreaming of strange lights dancing in the sky and sounds like voices being carried on the wind.”
“You had the same dream?” Jarl asked.
Then it hit Leif — perhaps this was no dream. Leif woke Nogwinto. He motioned to the sack containing the skull of Miakmoo. Nogwinto pulled the skull out and set it on the sand.
Leif pointed upward.
While Nogwinto raised the skull Leif woke Bjarte. “Tell the skull to cast its gaze,” Leif said. He added, “Pinpoint the position of the bear man,” as Bjarte got to his feet.
Bjarte spoke in Norse. Light flooded out of the skull. The vision showed Carathuk standing on the top of the Ice Wall. Cupping his hands over his mouth, the bear man howled into the night. His voice reverberated and echoed down the face of the wall.
“What’s that crazy bastard doing?” Leif asked.
Bjarte asked Miakmoo a question. He hesitated after hearing the answer.
“Well,” Leif prompted the monk.
“Carathuk is calling to the spirits of the dead to join him,” Bjarte said.
“We have to move,” Leif said. “Jarl, wake everybody. Tell them to leave their packs and fill their pockets with food.”
Nogwinto led the group, holding Miakmoo over his head. The skull honed in on water holes. It showed lines of figures moving toward the Ice Wall. “The blue visions you see are the spirits of the dead,” Bjarte told Leif.
“So all we have to do is avoid them?”
“Theoretically …,” Bjarte paused then added, “… yes.”
Leif wasn’t interested in theories. He needed to know what to do to get his crew out of here alive. Not knowing what to say, Lief insisted again, “We have to move.”
“I have a plan,” Bjarte said.
“Let’s hear it.”
“I think I can manipulate the properties of the sand to replicate the properties of the ice,” Bjarte said. “Packing the skull with sand and reducing the natural attraction field around the skull may block Carathuk’s mind waves.”
“If it does that, won’t it block Miakmoo’s ability to cast visions?” Leif asked. They needed the skull to guide them out of this.
“No,” Bjarte replied. “I’ve run through the calculations three times.”
Leif patted Bjarte on the shoulder. “Very well, let’s do this,” he said.
Under Bjarte’s orders, Leif scooped up a pile of sand while Bjarte held the stylus against his forehead and rubbed his temples. Shimmering air became a cone if light. Bjarte turned the stylus toward the sand. Blue flame enveloped the sand. The cone of light faded. Blue flame receded into the stylus.
The sand cooled the moment the blue flame was taken away. Leif packed the crystallized granules into Miakmoo’s skull quickly.
Bjarte was right. The droning sound emanating from the skull stopped. “Carathuk can no longer focus his mind wave to the skull.”
“The bear man will not know our position?” Leif asked.
“No.”
This was not enough. There had to be a faster way to get back to the ship. Leif remembered something Draskawindit had told him. It had something to do with Bjarte and his first contact with the power cylinder. Draskawindit had placed her hand through the field separating the low natural attraction area surrounding Bjarte. When she did this her hand raised. Perhaps this could be put to use?
“Bjarte, what happens when the blue flame is used?” Leif asked.
“As I explained before, Captain Erikson,” Bjarte said. “The blue flame is subjected to altered conditions of the natural attraction of the earth’s core.”
“And what happens in this altered condition?”
“The force holding objects to the surface of the earth is reduced.”
“So,” Leif said. “As you say, theoretically, an object not secured to the earth would float away under these conditions.”
“Theoretically …,” Bjarte paused, “… yes,” he nodded.
■ ■ ■ ■
Bjarte held the stylus against his forehead. A length of line looped around his waist. The four Vikings were tied on the line. Draskawindit and Nogwinto followed. Leif tied himself off last.
Blue flame shot into the air as Bjarte pointed the tip of the stylus skyward. The air around the group shimmered and flexed until becoming a pulsating blue glow.
Bjarte raised one hand in the air. When he lowered it he jumped off the ground, releasing his hold on the sand with the other hand.
Bjarte lifted off the ground. One by one the line lifted the rest of the party off the ground. Leif looked up through the blue light. He could see the crew hovering above him. Leif pushed off. The cone of blue light continued to rise in the air.
The blue cone rose in the darkness. Overhead, stars twinkled in a black sky. Below, the earth appeared in shadows.
Leif looked through the pulsations of the blue light. He saw a flashes of light in the distance. Acting on a hunch, Leif passed the word onto Bjarte to steer toward the lights.
Bjarte moved the base of the stylus to the side of his head and faced it forward. The cone turned and stopped rising.
Leif heard Halvar say, “What? More demon’s work?” as the lights grew nearer.
Leif ignored the superstitious Viking. He passed the word to turn and keep the lights on the port side when they reached the edge.
Soon, Bjarte used the stylus to steer the cone directly above the dividing line between deep shadows and flashing light.
The first rays of sunlight revealed the ocean on the port side and the coastline on the starboard side. Leif had been right in guessing the lights seen from above were the same lights that make the ocean come alive at night.
The morning wore on. Leif passed the word to stop forward motion and rise straight up.
Bjarte brought the cone higher. While the blue light pulsated Leif strained his eyes. It was when the cone had surpassed a league in height Leif saw a wide inlet narrowing as it moved inland. If his reckoning was right, the Ormr in langi would be beached at the narrow end of the inlet.
Leif passed the word to steer toward the end of the inlet and resume forward motion.
Forty
Back on the Ship
LEIF loosened the line. As he fed the slack forward, he drifted up and away. From this vantage point Leif saw the body of the cone containing the party leading to the front. Bjarte steered the cone while adjusting for speed and height.
It’s as though I’m back on the ship, Leif thought. He could see what lay ahead. Leif passed the word for more speed.
From his perch on the stern of the flying boat, Leif looked from side to side. Blue light stretched out from the edges of the cone. Clouds whipped by.
Leif glanced down. Below, through the pulsations, the inlet narrowed. At this height and speed the cone may fly right past the Ormr in langi. It was time to adjust the course of the flying boat.
Leif passed the order to cut speed and lower height. Bjarte made the adjustments. The nose of the cone angled toward the earth. The ground seemed to rush up to meet the cone as it went into a steep dive.
The wispy tail decreased as the cone leveled off. The tops of trees flew by at what Leif judged to be two lengths of a long ship beneath the cone. If the Ormr in langi was on this path there would no chance of missing it.
■ ■ ■ ■
A dark object appeared ahead, breaking the featureless horizon. As the cone drew nearer Leif saw tall masts leading to a dark hull. Leif called for less speed.
Soon, the cone hovered above the deck. Leif ordered Bjarte to take the cone down.
The blue light faded. The party stood on the deck.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you coming out of that thing,” Ulf said. He put his long knife back in the sheath.
“I don’t have time to tell you about it,” Leif said. “We need to get underway now.”
Ulf barked out some orders. While oarsmen lifted anchors the sailing crew hoisted sails.
“We’re still blocked from the wind and current, skipper,” Ulf said. “We will need some time to row out of this.”
“How long?” Leif asked.
“We should be back in the tidal waters by the time the sun sets,” Ulf answered.
Leif looked around. “Have you seen the monk?” he asked Ulf.
“He’s in his cabin. He looked white as snow. He had to be carried to his mat,” Ulf shrugged.
“Hmm …” Leif grunted. “He probably needs some rest after what he’s been through.”
“You mean the blue star you rode inside of?”
“Yes.”
“We saw lights flashing to the north all during the night,” Ulf said. “Was that from the blue star?”
Leif hesitated. How could he tell Ulf about the Carathuk and the spirits of the dead without sounding like a crazy man. He decided to show Ulf.
■ ■ ■ ■
Nogwinto stood next to Leif on the pilot house. He set Miakmoo on a boathook and raised the skull high. Light flowed from the cracks and cavities. “Tell Nogwinto to cast a vision of the Carathuk and the spirits,” he told Draskawindit.
Light from the skull showed an army of skeletons crouching low to the ground as it made its way across the flats.
“What is this?” Ulf asked.
“Those are spirits of dead Beothuk who have returned to their bodies,” Leif answered.
“Do we know where these things are, skipper?”
Leif couldn’t cipher the exact distance. He did recognize the land the skeletons crawled across as the area where the party left the adothes. “About a full day’s journey,” Leif replied.
“Judging by the way those things move we should be out of the channel long before they reach us,” Ulf grinned.
Leif looked at the sun. He turned to Ulf and said, “The spirits move slowly in the daylight. When night falls they move quickly.”
“What are your orders, skipper?”
“Put every hand on the oars, including the Beothuk.” Just as Leif turned to walk away Leif added, “I’m going to wake the monk.”
■ ■ ■ ■
Leif shook Bjarte’s shoulder. When the monk didn’t wake up. Leif shook harder.
Bjarte opened his eyes. He stumbled off the mat. “What is it, Captain Erikson?” Bjarte asked, rubbing his eyes.
“I need you,” Leif said.
“I’m still feeling weak from piloting the blue light back to the ship,” Bjarte rubbed the back of his neck.
“I see that … darkness is approaching. The spirits may be on us before we can make it into open water. We must do something.”
“Very well, I’ll try to come up with a plan.”
Ulf returned, “Every hand is manning an oar,” he said. “Do you want the monk to join, skipper?”
“No. He’s trying to hatch a plan to get us out of here.”
“You mean away from the dead who live?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you just roast the bony bastards with the fire thrower,” Ulf shrugged.
“Will the fire be hot enough to kill a dead man?” Leif asked.
“It could be,” Bjarte said. Sleepiness had left his eyes. He stood steady on his feet. “Do you still have the white stone Draskawindit gave you, Captain Erikson?” he asked.
■ ■ ■ ■
Bjarte set the lower end of the stylus right between his eyes. A few rubs of his temple produced a small pinpoint of blue flame. Holding the white stone in a pair of tongs, Bjarte trained the flame at the center of the stone.
The flame drilled a hole into the stone. Bjarte backed off on the flame. He poured a single drop of the liquid buried at the core of the white stone into
a glass cup. The hole in the stone closed shut seconds after Bjarte poured the liquid.
Bjarte lifted the lid of the pot that fueled the fire thrower. He mixed pure water of flame with the pine resin and quicklime.
■ ■ ■ ■
The sun was sinking low. A feint glow of pale blue merged with the deep red of setting sunlight.
“The spirits are on the move,” Leif said.
Blue light grew stronger as daylight grew weaker. Then, from out of the trees, the sprits of the dead stepped onto the shore. “Hard to port,” Leif ordered. The bow of the Ormr in langi turned to face the shoreline.
Bjarte concentrated on the stylus. When the blue flame rose from the top he pointed it at the dragon prow. Bjarte opened the release valve on the fire thrower. Blue flame ignited the mixture as it poured out of the dragon’s mouth.
A great light, brighter than a handful of suns, lit up the night.
When the light faded, fallen trees, engulfed in flames, littered the ground and pointed away from the blast.
Not one spirit was left standing on the shore.
■ ■ ■ ■
Carathuk stood on the high ground just outside of the fallen trees. He howled into the night and hurled the long spear high.
■ ■ ■ ■
On the deck of the Ormr in langi Leif heard a howl echoing in the roar of the burning trees. A sound like a giant falcon swooping in from a dive followed.
As the as the sails billowed under a slight breeze, Leif thought he heard a splash as the Ormr in Langi got underway
Leif Erikson and the Frost Giant Page 13
