C2 Chapter 2

The scene out on the ice had left Nataniel and his friends speechless.

They saw the newly arrived stranger changing right in front of Tengel until he was eight or ten metres tall. He was jet-black, like a winter’s night, with black, shimmering wings. It was a sight that Gabriel, Tova, Nataniel and Ian would never forget.

After all, they had seen black angels before. But this was something so extraordinary that Gabriel had to sit down and Tova nearly passed out.

“You knew all along what was going to happen,” Nataniel said quietly. “That’s why you waited to summon us to the meeting in the Demon’s Mountain. That’s why Tova and I had to wait for years before we could try to enter the Valley of the Ice People.”

“Yes,” replied Marco.

“Oh, I see!” said Tova. “Now I understand! It’s 1960 ...”

Gabriel finished her sentence: “And he met Saga of the Ice People in 1860. The legend about Lucifer’s love. He’s only allowed to visit earth once in every century.”

“I suppose he’s no longer on the lookout for his lost love?” Tova said bluntly.

“No!” answered Marco, his eyes radiating relief and joy. “He stopped searching thousands of years ago. And after he met Saga, my mother, he never gave other women a thought. He told me so himself.”

They gazed pensively at Marco. There was much they didn’t know about him and his life.

Marco stood stock-still, with his eyes focused on the tableau out on the ice. His voice lowered as if he had almost forgotten those who stood around him. He whispered: “For the sake of all mercy, save Rune, our dearest friend. He’s suffered so much.”

Ahriman had sneaked away with his tail between his legs. Lucifer was a complete contrast to him, and his arch enemy. Just at this moment, Ahriman didn’t feel that Tan-ghil the Evil was worth fighting for. He thought that he would rather flee than fight, because the enormous former angel of light was very angry right now. Everybody could see that.

Lynx retreated as well. He did so behind Lucifer’s back, because then he would be able to take the route that led up towards the pass to the Valley of the Ice People.

“Stop, you timid wretch,” shouted Tengel the Evil. “This is nothing to be afraid of. Just a spot of magic. That’s all. Illusions. I’m capable of much more, and I can teach you.”

“No, thank you,” Ahriman shouted back. “I don’t want to fight against Lucifer.”

“Lucifer?” Tengel repeated softly, his eyes narrowing. “But naturally, Lucifer is on my side. He belongs to the domains of evil. Come back, Lynx! He’s our man!”

“Let him go,” said Lucifer to the gnome on the ice. “He won’t get far. I’m afraid I can’t do him any harm because you have protected him with your black magic. But his slayer has already been selected.”

Slayer? Who on earth did this giant think he was? Tengel the Evil was so angry that he was astounded. “Lynx is my right hand ...” was what he managed to say. Then he smirked ingratiatingly. “But of course, you can always replace him!”

Lucifer’s fascinating eyes flashed. “I don’t think you’ve understood who I am,” he said slowly. “I am the fallen angel of light and no human being has the right to call me evil. It’s true that I was banished from Paradise, but that doesn’t mean that I crossed over to Satan’s side. The Black Halls are my realm, and my wife is a descendant of the Ice People. The one you have hated and feared and tried to identify is my son!”

“Marco?” Tengel snorted. He was green with envy.

“Yes, Marco! I’m very fond and very proud of him. Don’t imagine for a moment that I’m on your side. But you’ve drunk water from the dangerous source, which means that I can’t kill you.”

“If you try that I’ll send you straight to the Great Abyss!”

Lucifer allowed himself to laugh quietly. “Well, you can try.”

Tengel the Evil had to lean back so that he could look the angel of light in the face. He wouldn’t admit it even to himself, but never in his sinful life had he ever seen such a splendid sight. Even if his eyes were filled with hatred and envy, this was an undeniable fact.

Lucifer was certainly impressive in all his might. The enormous wings, which seemed to reach right up to the sky and whose edges brushed the earth, glistened like black silk in many nuances. His hair fell curly and jet-black over his shoulders, and his eyes, which had an undefinable colour, shone with an intoxicating effect. His face was perfect, serious and yet kind, and his complexion was like polished ivory. He wore only a loincloth, which was also black, and the muscles in his chest and arms played under his skin.

Yet it was his sovereign authority that made the greatest impression. Once the foremost, created by flame, but banished when he had doubted the Lord’s judgement.

Tengel the Evil didn’t know much about all that, he only registered that he was faced with something immense.

And he didn’t care for that at all!

Why was it not true what humans asserted? he thought indignantly. Were Lucifer and Satan not one and the same person? Was the enormous, arrogant figure before him telling lies?

And the Ice People had him on their side! No wonder they had the audacity to oppose their great ancestor, Tan-ghil of the Source of Evil!

Lucifer lifted his hand. “You have many innocent lives on your conscience. I shan’t cause them more grief by involving them in my decision to delay your journey. You’ve also killed many of your like-minded people. You’ll become aware of them now.”

“You can’t touch me. I’m the Ruler of the World.”

“Not yet! Not until you’ve drunk of the water again and regained your full strength. And believe me: you’ll have problems reaching that!”

The dark hand made a movement and Tengel the Evil felt a pair of hands grab his ankle and hold it. He bent and looked down. There he saw a dead man lying on his stomach with both hands around Tengel’s ankle. Tengel was able to recognize the man: he was Number Two in his command.

He kicked his foot in order to shake off the man, but the man seemed as heavy as lead, and his body seemed to be made of stone.

“Ha,” he snorted at Lucifer. “Do you think that he can prevent me from entering the valley? I’ll drag him along very easily.”

Before he had so much as taken a step, a new man had tagged himself onto the first.

“You underestimate me,” said Tengel contemptuously. But as he spoke, another tagged onto the second one. Then another came, and now four men were stuck onto Tengel the Evil. They were as heavy as rock and immovable. Despite his terrible oaths and attempts at witchcraft, one after the other latched onto the feet of the man in front, making the burden even heavier. The lines grew until he had two long, long rows of dead men behind him.

“An axe!” Tengel yelled. “An axe! I’ll chop off the hands on my ankles!”

“No axe in the world can break through this metal,” said Lucifer calmly. “You can try until Doomsday, if you want.”

Tengel pulled and tugged trying to move forward, but he couldn’t.

“Nothing, nothing can prevent me from reaching my vessel of water,” he hissed. Then he shouted as loudly as he possibly could across the cold snow: “Lynx! Lynx! You must prevent those wretches from reaching the valley. Delay them until I get there and you’ll have a lovely time of leisure, in a paradise for somebody like you!”

Lucifer had now regained human size. His wings had gone and once again he wore his cloak. He turned his back on the furious Tan-ghil and placed his arm around Rune’s shoulders.

“Come, my friend from the Garden of Eden – and now from the forests of Finland. Come, let us help the wretched Ice People!”

Rune was completely speechless. He was utterly dumbfounded at meeting Lucifer and just walked with him to the mountain pass that led down into the valley.

When they were a long distance away from the bellowing Tengel, Lucifer stopped and turned Rune towards him. He laid his dark hands on the shoulders of the mandrake boy.

“I must say, whoever tried to make a human being out of you was a clumsy fool. You’re neither one thing nor the other, neither a root nor a human being.”

Rune looked down. He was sad.

Lucifer gently touched Rune’s hemp-like hair. “We haven’t got time now. But if we do at some point in the future, we will take a closer look at you and hear what you want to be yourself.”

Rune merely nodded. He didn’t know what he wanted.

Far behind them Tengel the Evil had turned silent.

The Garden of Eden? The mandrake?

It wasn’t until this very moment that he realized that he had once owned the very first mandrake. The one that was created as a pattern for all mankind.

And he hadn’t even discovered that! What wouldn’t he be able to carry out with that root? Or? Hadn’t it always opposed him with an incredible strength and will?

Now it was in the service of the Ice People. He wondered what they had promised it or paid for it?

Tengel the Evil didn’t know any other reasons for depending on something than what one could make out of it.

He could have screamed aloud in bitterness.

He tore at the hands that held his ankles. But they seemed to be a part of himself. He tried some witchcraft, but nothing worked.

Now he would have liked to have had Ahriman here, because he knew the magic of his opponent, Lucifer. But the wretch had fled. He was a coward.

Damn, damn!

Tengel the Evil didn’t know very much about the relationship between Ahriman and Lucifer. They were contrasts, representing two sides of human nature. Ahriman stood for materialism and hence also for lies. Lucifer stood for spirit and light. Mostly under other names. The oldest were probably Angra Mainu for Ahriman and Ahura Mazda for Lucifer. But these old names were largely forgotten. The ancestor of the Ice People knew nothing about them.

Tan-ghil was livid as he watched the two strolling quietly away from him towards the Valley of the Ice People. With a superhuman effort, he actually managed to move one foot a few millimetres. He heard the scraping against the ice far behind him as the entire line of heavy corpses was pulled along.

The other foot.

It rattled nicely behind him.

Triumph!

He could manage it. It was bound to go slowly but he was able to move forward. A couple of millimetres at a time.

And ... they had probably forgotten his spiritual force, his shadow in the valley. It was unable to drink the water in the vessel, but it could set obstacles for them.

He signalled with his thoughts: “Lynx! Lynx, can you hear me? Stop those wretches! Send them to the Great Abyss. You’re my slave, remember that! I’ll forget your flight if you otherwise do as I order and send them all to the Abyss.”

“Lynx is coming,” Nataniel whispered. “Into the shadow of the mountain!”

They huddled close to the mountain wall to hide, because they respected Lynx’s power. They didn’t want to fall into his clutches.

“He’s fleeing,” Ian whispered. “He’s fled from Tengel the Evil. Look, he’s on his way into the Valley of the Ice People.”

“Damn,” Tova muttered. “What’s he doing here?”

“This was his only escape route.”

Marco said: “My father now looks the size of a human being once more. But what has he done to Tengel the Evil?”

“I can’t see it,” said Nataniel. “But something seems to be dragging after him. See, he was just about to stumble!

“Ahriman has disappeared,” said Marco. “I’m not surprised. He and my father can’t stand one another. What on earth is Tengel dragging after him?”

“Chains of the dead to hold the living back,” quoted Gabriel. “That was the dream I had. But then what about the other moment? Take the other thing first! Oh, dear, Marco: your father and Rune are coming in our direction!”

Lynx had come through the pass and was on his way down into the valley, entering the fog, which quite clearly was creeping up towards them. Soon it enveloped him.

“Oh dear,” Marco muttered.

“I’m glad he passed us at such a great distance,” said Tova. “He gives me the creeps.”

They stood up and waited for Lucifer and Rune. They looked in amazement at Marco’s father as he came nearer.

Now he was of normal height and was dressed as the Marcel Saga had once met – in a wide cloak and sandals. For a moment, Tova was worried that he would freeze on the cold glacier, but then she snorted at her stupid thoughts.

They walked towards them. Marco knelt before his father, who stretched out his hands and raised him to his feet. Instinctively, the other four also dropped to their knees.

The angel of light, with his dark complexion, greeted them in turn by calmly gazing at them and saying their names. He didn’t give any of them his hand. Later, Gabriel said that his gaze had filled him with amazing warmth. The others nodded in agreement.

“Marco, my son,” said Lucifer. “Your mother sends her greetings to you. She’s concerned about you, but I’ve told her not to worry.”

“I have good and loyal friends,” replied Marco.

“You’re right,” said 'Marcel' and turned to Nataniel. He smiled dreamily. “You’re also one of my descendants, young Nataniel. The grandchild of my grandchild. You know, don’t you, that you have great strength. No, none of you has succeeded in discovering this yet, but the time will come.”

Gabriel was thrilled when Lucifer then turned to him. He said kindly: “And here we have a brave young man. Our great storyteller in the time to come. Don’t forget to write something about me!”

Lucifer laughed heartily, but Tova felt that he meant what he had just said. There was more behind his wish that humankind should know more about him.

The fascinating man that they had just seen appear very tall with enormous wings, said: “Tova, you were born with a heavy burden, but you managed to extricate yourself from it. I really admire you for doing that!”

Tova was overwhelmed and happy. “Thank you. May I ask you whether we’ll have the pleasure of your company in the Valley of the Ice People?”

Lucifer replied with regret: “I’m afraid not. I can’t enter this valley of evil. However, if you succeed in clearing it of evil, I shall be happy to return. Then I’ll also bring along your mother, Marco. She yearns to meet her relatives.”

They were thrilled. Saga was just about the only one who hadn’t taken part in the meeting in the Demon’s Mountain.

'Marcel' went on: “You’ve brought a stranger with you, Ian Morahan ... my black angels have followed your journey and they spoke warmly of you so I approved of their choice. They were quite right.”

Ian’s heart began to beat wildly at the thought of his name being mentioned in such circles. “It wasn’t difficult for me to decide to follow them, Sir,” he said. “Your black angels saved my life, and I shall never forget them for doing that. But by then, I’d already made up my mind.”

“Splendid!”

The angel of light let his eyes glide over the valley.

Nataniel said: “We’ve been wondering whether we should walk down into the fog or wait until it lifts.”

“The day will soon be over,” replied Lucifer. “Don’t enter the valley tonight. It’s not just Lynx who’s there. Tan-ghil the Evil hasn’t used all his resources. Not to mention his shadow. You mustn’t forget that!”

“I didn’t think he managed to get hold of more henchmen,” Marco said.

“He didn’t, but those in the valley were placed there before he came here.”

Gabriel grabbed Marco by the arm. “Look! One of them is coming. He’s approaching us!”

They looked down at the figure, who was slowly walking out of the fog.

Nataniel smiled. He was relieved. “No. This one isn’t a villain. It’s Tarjei!”

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

As he came close, Tarjei, for centuries the guardian of the Valley of the Ice People, waved to them. They went on standing there, waiting for him, and when he reached them, they greeted him cordially.

Tarjei said flatly: “The Valley of the Ice People has visitors.”

“Yes, and not exactly pleasant guests,” said Nataniel. “I suppose you have Lynx in mind?”

“Yes, he’s the most recent arrival. There are several you must be careful of. But he’s the worst of them.”

Now everybody looked at Lucifer. Tova was the one who spoke of their puzzlement: “Will we have Tarjei as our guide?”

The mighty angel of light shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. Tarjei’s time as a guard is now over. He’s a spirit. Only living human beings can set foot in the valley in this final, desperate attempt to rid it of all the evil it contains.”

“Well, what about Tan-ghil’s guards? Aren’t they spirits?

“Yes, but this is his valley, not ours. Actually, you’re the invaders in this valley of evil. Anyway, Tarjei can provide Nataniel with good advice on all the tracks and hiding places in the valley, and he can tell you where you should walk.”

“Splendid!” said the young man from the seventeenth century.

He instructed them for a while, warning them against dangerous places and giving them much invaluable information. They listened intently and promised that they would remember it all. Tarjei was also able to give them the names of Tan-ghil’s guards in the valley, and Gabriel certainly felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought. Would they never be able to free themselves of horrible underhand attacks?

When Tarjei had finished, Marco told him gravely: “Thank you for being a splendid guard during all these centuries. We would have liked you to join us, but it can’t be.”

Young, intelligent Tarjei, the ancestor of Marco, Nataniel and Tova, smiled sadly. “It’s always been my wish to assist Nataniel. In a way, he’s my successor. Just imagine that I once thought that I would conquer Tengel the Evil singlehandedly!”

“The Ice People didn’t know any better at the time,” said Lucifer. “But now I’ll tell you something you’ve never heard before. Sit down and listen ...”

They looked at him in amazement.

In the shape of the wandering monk, Marcel, he sat down with his back against the mountain wall and drew up his knees. He made a sweeping movement with his hand over the cliff and the hills around him and they saw how the insignificant snow that had been there melted away. When they sat down, they could feel that the earth and the rocks were warm. Marcel’s bare feet in his sandals no longer seemed out of place in this landscape.

They waited attentively.