“And is it true?”
Thoke chuckled. “Hardly,” he said. “They spread lies in order to put the gods in a bad light. A few weeks ago a small village was attacked by demons. The brotherhood promptly stated that it was the fault of some gods who had carried out some experiments nearby.” Thoke rolled his eyes. “Nothing but lies; besides, it’s outrageous. Just how can people be so ungrateful?”
Arvid did not say anything. She had learned that Thoke and Falla’s reactions could be boisterous whenever someone dared say something negative about the gods. Nevertheless, Arvid could not resist a touch of malicious joy at the thought that these stories probably clouded the noble and infallible image of the gods a lot of people seemed to have. She hadn’t overcome her grudge against Asgard, which was not able to bring her back into the Light World. The “Brotherhood of the Seeing” claimed the gods had experimented with ominous spells. Arvid wasn’t so sure it was all lies. Had it not been something very similar that brought her here?
Later that evening they sat down at a lake surrounded by a wall, located at the southern end of the town. In the tall grass on the shore gleamed occasionally with lightning bugs. Here and there you could see the outlines of greenish fish in the water.
“Why do the demons attack people anyway?” said Arvid. “From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem as if they behave like wild animals, just trying to hunt down their prey.”
“No,” Thoke said, “they are not just trying to find prey. Some say that they’re simply evil. They like to kill, especially people. Just like the devil, you know?”
“I don’t believe in the devil,” said Arvid. “Besides… Isn’t the devil someone who works with cunning plans? He leads people into temptation and lures them into their own destruction, without having to get his hands dirty.”
“Maybe,” Thoke conceded. “I don’t know much about the demons. Actually, no one does. Everyone knows, however, that they are attracted by the world transitions.”
“Really?” said Arvid.
“Like moths to a flame. And they make them aggressive. Therefore the City Guard moves out as soon as a transition is spotted.”
“The circle of protection seemed to work quite well.”
“If they are particularly incited or hungry, they still break it,” Thoke said gloomily. “Then they simply bear with the pain. The City Guard has enough to do, believe me. That’s why it enjoys such a good reputation. People have a strong need for security.”
“And for light,” muttered Arvid.
“Yes,” Thoke said with a fleeting smile. “Those who can afford it move to the Temple City. There they get plenty of both.”
“What’s that, the Temple City?” said Arvid.
“Oh, that’s… the city around Asgard,” Thoke replied. “When Asgard was founded, it attracted a lot of people, because they felt protected by the gods. Over time Asgard turned into a pure city of gods, like an island surrounded by a new settlement. Today the outer city is called Temple City, because people have built countless temples in honor of the gods. They say there are over forty different ones.”
“Are there so many gods?” asked Arvid. She threw a stone into the black water, and the greenish glowing fish scattered.
“Even more,” Thoke answered. “I don’t know how many there are at the moment, but I think about two hundred. Not all are equally powerful. Usually their power grows with their age. And most gods get very old.”
“How old is very old?”
“Hard to say. It’s very different, but… Odin is over six hundred years old.”
“What?” Arvid said incredulously. “You mean… Odin is still alive?”
“Yes, of course,” Thoke said, obviously amused by Arvid’s reaction. “But he is the oldest of them all. It’s uncertain for how much longer he will live. His body is weakened by age. He rarely leaves Asgard.”
The thought was incredible. If Odin was so old and time passed more slowly here, he almost could have witnessed the construction of the Great Pyramids in the Light World, had he been there at that time.
Considering that the gods had previously traveled between the worlds regularly, it became clear that many of the crazy-sounding stories from the mythology of Arvid’s world possibly contained more truth than she had thought. Since she arrived here, Arvid had often wished she had read more of those stories in the Light World. They had never been something that had interested her, and except Odin and Thor, she didn’t seem to know any of the gods, even if some of the names Thoke mentioned seemed vaguely familiar.
“How old are you, Thoke?” said Arvid, who suddenly realized that she never asked him. She had always assumed that he was about twenty, but after what she had just heard, this assumption could prove to be completely wrong.
Thoke did not reply immediately, but after some hesitation he said, “I’m not sure how to answer that. When I left the Light World, I was twenty-three.”
Arvid nodded slowly. “So you’re thirty-six…” she murmured thoughtfully.
“If you just add up the years, yes,” he said with a slight smile. “But I never really know whether this makes sense.”
“Hmm. How old do… normal people get?”
“That’s very different. Most live for something around one hundred and fifty to three hundred years.”
“It’s a long time,” Arvid said, impressed. “Do you think this is also true for you?”
“You mean for us? I think so. After all, only our souls are from the Light World.”
Arvid looked thoughtfully out onto the dark lake. The brilliant schools of fish had approached again and swam around with quiet, smooth motions. Where the water surface was glassy, the radiant light of the stars, which again were clearly visible after two cloudy days with light snowfall, reflected. She was not sure whether she liked the thought of such a long life.
“Never mind,” she said lightly. “I won’t stay in the Shadow World for long anyway.”
When they came back to Falla’s house, the old woman opened the door for them, even before they had reached it. She looked very upset.
“Gjell was here,” she said. “He waited for nearly three hours, but then he left again.”
“Did the letter arrive?” asked Thoke and stormed past her into the house, closely followed by Arvid.
“On the table,” Falla said.
Even Arvid felt her heart began to pound rapidly. She had waited so long for this day, but now seeing the letter on the table in front of her filled her with a certain uneasiness. It was a nondescript white envelope, which was sealed with red sealing wax.
Thoke took the letter, looked at it and then handed it to Arvid. “It’s for you,” he said simply.
Arvid took the envelope, then turned it in her hands hesitantly. “But I can’t even read it,” she said helplessly, holding the letter out to Thoke again.
A faint smile began to spread on Thoke’s face. “The seal,” he said. “It bears your name. I’m not allowed to break it.”
Arvid tensely looked at the red seal, which bore a number of illegible runes. She took a deep breath, then she broke it and opened the envelope with trembling hands. Inside she found a multi-folded sheet of paper, but as she had already expected the letter had been written in runes she could not read.
“I don’t understand a single word,” she said, and handed the paper to Thoke. After a moment he took it and scanned the text. Falla stepped closer, too, and looked down at the letter. Soon she started to furrow her brow.
“What does it say?” Arvid asked impatiently, but already by Thoke’s look she could tell that it wasn’t what he had expected. He looked puzzled and perhaps a little worried.
“Should I… just read it aloud?” he asked. “Or should I translate it?”
“Isn’t it written in Jördish?”
“Yes, it is,” replied Thoke. “But the formulations are quite odd. I’m not sure if you’ll understand it.”
“No matter. Just read it for me. I’ll understand the most important things.”
Thoke did. He was right about the formulations being complicated and strange, and it was not easy to grasp the contexts. Still, apart from the details, Arvid understood the main message.
First there was a formal-sounding salutation, then a long summary sheet with the day and the time of her arrival and some of the information Gjell had written down, together with a list of so-called fate symbols, which did not seem to make the slightest sense. It was assured that the Council of the Gods had thoroughly studied and discussed Arvid’s arrival and the related circumstances, and stated that she would, as stipulated in the Codex of Asgard, receive the appropriate support. Falla was awarded one hundred and thirty silver coins as compensation, and Arvid was instructed to report to Horalf, son of Gert, on the third day of the first week of the Month of Gray Cold. There she would receive food, a place to sleep and other necessities, in exchange for appropriate work. The letter was signed by Noldir, son of Noldir, on behalf of Asgard.
When Thoke had finished reading, they stood there in silence. Arvid was unsure what to make of it. Although the letter didn’t contain anything bad, it didn’t say anything that would have helped her either.
“What does that mean, Thoke?” Falla said finally. Arvid didn’t quite understand what she was alluding to.
Thoke dropped the letter on the table and sank into a chair. “I don’t know,” he said. “There must be a reason.”
“What’s wrong?” Arvid asked impatiently and sat down also. “What is so extraordinary?”
“The money, dear,” Falla said.
“One hundred and thirty silver coins are an incredible amount of money,” said Thoke. “We could buy food and wood for a quarter year, for all of us.”
“Well, that’s good, right?” Arvid asked uncertainly.
“Yes,” Thoke said, thoughtfully turning the letter in his hands. “But it makes no sense to pay such an exaggerated compensation. And why should you move to a farm, so far out in the countryside? There’s not even a village nearby.”
Slowly, a queasy feeling spread throughout Arvid. Did Thoke just tell her that she was to live in a secluded farm in the countryside, cut off from cities and people, without any opportunity to visit him?
“Do you think I’ll be able to study there?” said Arvid. “Learning to read and having access to books?”
“I don’t know,” Thoke said without looking at her.
“What if I refuse?” said Arvid, because right now she had a great desire to do just that. A secluded farmhouse wasn’t the kind of place she belonged. She was still determined to find a way home, and she wouldn’t allow anyone to thwart this plan, not even Asgard. If she had poleax someone to reach this goal, then she would do so without hesitation.
“Impossible,” Falla said firmly. “You can’t defy Asgard’s instructions. The gods send you to Horalf for a reason. They believe it is the best for you. You would do well to trust them.”
“Why should I?” asked Arvid. “They don’t know me; how would they know what’s best for me?”
“Falla’s right,” Thoke said. “Opposing Asgard’s wishes wouldn’t be very wise. One should not anger the gods. And where would you go? You can’t stay with us forever.”
“Thoke, I want to return to my world,” said Arvid urgently. “Do you think I’ll ever get any closer to my goal if I stay somewhere on a farm milking cows?”
Thoke sighed. “Everyone has to work to live, even if we have other plans and desires.”
“I’m not saying I don’t want to work. But there must be another way, so I can learn to read at the same time, maybe get access to a library or can talk to… scholars! How else should I ever find out more about the world transitions?”
“You have to do what the gods tell you to,” Falla said sternly. “I was happy to have you here as long as it was necessary, but you can’t stay. The gods have assigned you a new place.”
Arvid felt anger flaring up. She liked and respected Falla and she was grateful that she was allowed to live with her, but her unconditional devotion to the gods made her angry. She didn’t seem to think about whether this decision was good or useful for her, but accepted it as a commandment, no ifs or buts.
“I won’t let the gods push me around,” said Arvid with barely restrained rage. “They were the ones who created these transitions in the first place. It’s their fault that I ended up here, and obviously they even think they can just do whatever they please with my life!”
“But Arvid,” Thoke said, “that’s precisely why they want to…”
“I don’t care what they want!” Arvid interrupted him. “It’s their fault! I’ve been waiting for this letter because I thought the gods would give me answers. My mother might be sick with sorrow, and if I waste years on a farm, harvesting beets, one day all I will be able to return to is a grave!”
“Arvid, please. The gods are only trying to help you!” Thoke said almost pleadingly.
“By sending me to nowhere instead of helping me to find a way back? Your imbecilic gods are responsible for the loss of my family, my home… my whole culture! I never wanted to come here, it was not my fault—it was their fault!” The last two words she had almost screamed!
Thoke seemed perplexed, but Falla rose with a strength and agility Arvid would hardly have expected from her.
“Enough!” she exclaimed with an angry grimace. “I have taken you in my house, granted you protection, shared my food with you. Is that your way of showing gratitude, by insulting my gods?”
Arvid had never seen Falla so upset, but her own anger was hard to tame. She didn’t want to argue with Falla, not after all that she had done for her, but she also felt like she was losing control. Arvid knew herself well enough to know that there was only one thing she could do in such a situation.
With a jerk, she got up, stormed outside and slammed the door so violently behind her that the star lamps on the beams above it rattled loudly. Fists clenched, she ran out onto the street and shouted her despair into the night. Two startled women at a corner turned to face her, but Arvid just angrily stared back and went on with rapid steps.
She had no idea where she was going. She just put one foot before the other, turned indiscriminately in streets and alleys. Her thoughts were circling around the letter and its message again and again. The gods didn’t care about her. She was just one of many. Even if their Codex obligated the gods to help her, they still did it just as it suited them. They were not at all interested in her future or her fate; it was all about soothing their conscience.
Arvid wandered aimlessly, for hours it seemed. Then she slowly began to feel the biting cold in her toes. The city lay before her silent and peaceful, and her anger had finally subsided. Obviously it was already late, even if Arvid had a hard time guessing the time in this constant darkness.
Her steps had led her past Town Hall and up to the vicinity of the eastern city gate, from which Thoke once had shown her Vero-Maghen. She slowly approached the roughly ten-meter high gateway, but then stopped at some distance and wrapped her arms around her shivering body.
What should she do now? Now that she had calmed down a bit, she was finally able to clearly think about her situation again. She couldn’t just run away. But she couldn’t stay with Falla either; her reaction had clearly shown her that. Nevertheless, there had to be another solution than to toil on a lonely farm.
While she stood there and thought, she suddenly saw a figure emerge from the shadows of the city gate and come toward her. When it stepped into the light, Arvid saw a sturdily built woman in armor and the blue and white tabard of the City Guard. For a moment, Arvid was undecided whether she should
wait or go away, but the woman took this decision from her.
“Arvid?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Arvid said. “Do we know each other?”
The woman came closer. Arvid saw that she was armed with a sword and had long, silver-blonde braids.
“Not really,” she said. “We saw each other briefly, back at the old school.”
“I… am not quite sure,” confessed Arvid.
The woman made a waving gesture. “It doesn’t matter. I recognized you by your hair. Truly exceptional. Don’t you want to braid it?” She looked at Arvid with an expression of such admiration that Arvid stopped short. The first few days Falla had braided her hair, but then she had worn it loose out of habit, even though Thoke had repeatedly told her that it was bad manners.
The woman introduced herself as Nod and told her that she knew Thoke from Vero-Maghen. She invited Arvid down to the fire, and as she was horribly cold, she accepted the offer. Nod escorted her to two large in-ground fire pits on the other side of the huge city gate.
“Kjeld’s sleeping again,” Nod said, pointing to a slumped figure with a spear, who was sitting on a narrow bench. “But that’s all right, we will soon be replaced anyway.” Nod offered her tea from a small pot, but Arvid politely declined.
“When sitting out here for so many hours, hot tea is a true blessing,” said Nod, shivering and closing her hands around the clay cup. “I’ll be glad to get inside my warm bed in a couple of hours. What about you—can’t you sleep?”
“I wasn’t in bed yet,” Arvid said. “My sense of time is still pretty messed up.”
Fragments of your Soul (The Mirror Worlds Book 1) Page 6