Skade and the Enchanted Snow

by Joan Holub

  “Skrymir told us we’ll be staying in those igloos over there. They’re temporary, built just for us to use during the games,” Angerboda informed her. Skade looked in the direction she’d pointed to see two huge igloos built out of ice blocks. One igloo was marked BOYS and the other was marked GIRLS.

  Skade turned back to the cart.

  “Need any help?” Balder asked her. (Again, such a nice guy!)

  “No, thanks, I can handle it,” she replied. “You guys take your skis and get going. I’ll join you when I’m done.” She was trying her hardest to appear okay about being left behind. This was partly so that Angerboda wouldn’t have the satisfaction of knowing she was making her squirm! But inside Skade felt sort of put-down and embarrassed. Odin knows what’s best, she reminded herself when she couldn’t quite squash the angry feelings inside her over not being on the main team. Still, telling herself that didn’t really make her feel better.

  It would take six trips to get all their bags where they belonged, she estimated. She grabbed some of the boys’ bags from the cart first and tromped in the direction of their igloo.

  She’d only taken a few steps when a boygiant blocked her path. He stood five times her height and held a large, flat sheet of tree bark with a list of teams written on it. Ugh. It was Skrymir. He hadn’t seen her on the wall the previous day during his visit to AA, she didn’t think. But there could be no avoiding his notice now.

  “World?” he asked her, not looking up from his list.

  “Asgard,” said Skade. She kept her head bent down and let her long hair, which she’d worn loose today, slide forward to shield her face. Fingers crossed he couldn’t see her well enough to recognize her.

  No such luck, though.

  “Hey, don’t I know you?” he asked, bending lower to see her face.

  “Uh, maybe?” she mumbled.

  Skrymir’s eyes lit up with gleeful mischief. “Rabbit? It’s you! Haven’t seen you since last summer.”

  She groaned. “My name is Skade.” She’d been given the role of a frightened rabbit character in a play years ago in Jotunheim kindergarten summer camp. Unfortunately, he’d never forgotten.

  “Sure, Scaredy-Rabbit, whatever you say. You’re hopping—I mean, heading—the wrong way with those bags, though. Girls’ igloo is over there,” he informed her, pointing. “Inside there’ll be a sign on the door of your team’s sleeping unit.”

  She nodded to indicate the bags she was carrying. “I have some of the boys’ stuff to stow first.”

  If he was curious to know why she was doing all the luggage delivery, he didn’t ask. “Girls can’t go inside the boys’ igloo,” he informed her. “Just stack their bags in the mudroom right inside the front door. The boys on your team can take their stuff to the unit they’ll all share in the igloo later on.”

  After Skade supplied him with all the names on her team, he checked them off. “Hey, some guy named Ull is listed as captain and you’re listed as the alternate. Is that a mistake?”

  She gritted her teeth, then made herself admit the truth. “No.”

  Skrymir looked stunned by this information and not altogether happy about it either. That was odd. Usually, he’d be the first to tease her about something like this. Quickly she headed for the boys’ igloo before he could ask further questions her about her position on the team.

  She stowed the boys’ stuff in their mudroom as instructed. Then she went back and forth between Freya’s cart and both dorms several more times until she eventually grabbed the last of the load and made for the girls’ igloo. Inside it, nine areas called units had been zoned off. One for each group of girls on each ski team. Even those competitors who lived in Jotunheim were being asked to stay in the temporary igloos it seemed.

  On her final return to the cart for her skis before going to find her friends, she was glad to see that Skrymir was distracted by a team of giants newly arrived for the games. She’d never seen giants like these before. They had small, mean orange eyes and fiery red hair.

  “Muspelheim. I’m team captain,” announced a boygiant who stood a foot taller than the rest. Skade’s eyes went wide. That meant these had to be fire giants! No one she knew had ever met a fire giant before. Because, of course, the world of Muspelheim had disobeyed Odin by not sending any students to AA.

  As Skrymir checked off the names of each fire giant team member, she walked past, studying them while pretending not to. Their team was all boys. Not a single girl. Looked like the Muspelheim sleeping zone in the girls’ igloo would remain empty.

  Noticing that their captain carried a strange-looking red sword, Skade drew in a sharp breath. This had to be Surt, the fire giant Loki had admired! His team was hanging on his every word, obviously in awe of him. He looked cocky and smirky, like he would cut you down if you ever dared speak to him. It was well-known that he often bragged (even once to Odin himself!) that his sword was so powerful, it could destroy all the worlds.

  Her head spinning now, Skade scurried to the kittycart. There was still plenty of time to hit the slopes, thankfully. She grabbed her skis and hurried off to enjoy some runs. Sweet!

  8 Tricks

  AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF FRESH air and sunshine on the slopes, Skade came across Freya. “Guess what? Surt’s here!” she told her friend right away.

  Freya’s blue eyes went wide with concern. “Surt the fire giant?” She glanced this way and that as if to spot him. “Where? Is he as scary-looking as they say?”

  Skade nodded downhill to where he and some other members of his team were skiing. “You be the judge. He’s right over there.”

  Looking at the fire giants, she and Freya both shivered. “Definitely scary,” they murmured at the same time. Their whole team wore bright red sweaters and boots decorated with yellow flames. As the captain, Surt’s had yellow and orange flames. These bold outfits were obviously meant to intimidate. Plus, he was carrying his sword while skiing. Which was not only weird—it was dangerous!

  “Too bad we didn’t have more time to get ready for this competition. I could’ve made matching outfits for our team,” Freya said wistfully.

  “Hmm. I wonder if Asgard was the last team to be invited. On purpose,” mused Skade.

  “To give us less time to prepare, you mean?” Freya considered the idea. “Sadly, that sounds like something the frost giants might do.” Then, obviously recalling that Skade was from Jotunheim, she hurriedly added, “No offense.”

  “None taken. What you said is true,” said Skade. She had braided her hair before hitting the slopes and now flipped the single braid over one shoulder to hang at her back. “We’ll just have to make the best of it. Someone had to be last to hear, after all. And we’ll still win.” Hmm. Saying that last bit had actually made her feel a tingle of her old confidence. And it wasn’t pretend confidence either!

  Although frost giants were troublemakers, fire giants were a different story. They were pure evil. At Asgard Academy, the students had all learned that Surt and his friends would be the force behind Ragnarok, if it ever came about. Destroying Yggdrasil and all the worlds just so they could become the bosses of whatever would be left was definitely an evil plan. This competition was supposed to be about making friends. At least partly. But could anyone make friends with evil?

  Why had the fire giants decided to attend this competition? Skade wondered. If she hadn’t been afraid of being overheard by others, she might have asked for Freya’s thoughts on the matter. But really, neither of them could possibly know the reason. And the slopes were calling to them. So they took off in the opposite direction of the fire giants, skiing side by side.

  Whee! Both girlgoddesses were soon happily zooming down one run after another. They all had fun names, such as Don’t Look Down, Beary Steep, and even Yikes. Each was marked with a colored sign to indicate its level of difficulty. Ski runs marked with a green sign were the easiest, wide with gentle slopes. Blue runs got a little harder. Black ones became still more challenging. But any run with
two black diamonds on its sign could mean trouble even for experienced skiers like Freya and Skade. Those were steep, narrow, and icy, which meant you had to make tight, fast turns. And they could be dotted with hazards you had to dodge, such as rocks, trees, and cliffs.

  Toward the end of the day, after Skade had skied many of the slopes either alone or with Freya, the two of them met up with Angerboda, Malfrid, and Yanis. “Isn’t this fun?” Yanis exclaimed. In typical light-elf fashion, she was wriggling and bouncing with joy. She’d probably be twirling around and doing little dance steps too, if she weren’t on skis right now!

  Malfrid giggled. Angerboda was smiling a rare smile as well. However, Skade didn’t trust her smile. And she knew she’d been smart not to when Angerboda suggested, “Let’s all go do the Helrun.”

  Huh? That girlgiant knew the trouble Skade had had while skiing that run years ago and had probably guessed (correctly!) that she was nervous of trying it again.

  “Helrun is a double black diamond, right?” Freya said doubtfully. She shook her head, causing her hair, which she’d done up in two blond braids, to sway from side to side. “I’m too tired for that one right now. I need to save some energy for the competition tomorrow.”

  Thank goodness, thought Skade in relief.

  “How about you, Skade?” asked Angerboda, practically snickering.

  Skade stiffened. Would it be fun to roll head over skis all the way to the bottom of Helrun as everyone looked on? Ha! But if Angerboda guessed how afraid she still was of that run, she might earn some new nicknames in addition to Rabbit. And those nicknames might be Chicken and Fraidy-Cat. If only Odin and Ms. Frigg knew this mean, taunting side of Angerboda, they’d never have considered her for the team no matter how good a skier she was.

  But then, remembering Odin’s words to her, Skade straightened. Half of being confident is simply acting confident. So even though Angerboda’s remarks had hit their target, Skade stuck out her chin, took a deep breath, and calmly replied, “Sure, let’s do it.”

  Angerboda’s smile wobbled in disappointed surprise. She’d hoped to upset Skade and punch holes in her confidence. Too bad for her!

  Before Angerboda could take her up on her offer, however, the boys from their team—Thor, Njord, Honir, Ull, and Balder—skied over. “There’s a girls-only aerial ski tricks competition on one of the ski jumps in five minutes,” Balder announced to them. “It’s to choose competitors for one of the three main events tomorrow.”

  Skade perked up, her eyebrows arching with interest. “Aerial ski tricks?”

  “Yeah,” Balder answered. “C’mon! Girls on any of the teams can try out. Including alternates, Skade!”

  Hooray! Not only did this sound like true fun, but it would also save her from having to ski that devilish Helrun. As excitement filled her, Skade’s eyes flew over the groups of students heading for this unexpected competition. Her gaze locked on Skrymir. He was looking her way, grinning secretively now. Uh-oh. What was that about?

  “Count me in,” said Angerboda. Her teammates all followed as she dug her poles into the snow and pushed off in the direction others were going.

  “I didn’t think the competitions were supposed to start till tomorrow,” said Freya as they all made their way to the appropriate ski jump.

  “The frost giants just announced this event an hour ago to all the team captains,” said Thor. The girls looked over at Ull, the AA captain, for information.

  “These’ll just be tryouts,” he informed them, leaning both wrists atop his ski poles. “The three best girl skiers from today’s tryouts are supposed to each choose a boy partner from any team later for a pairs event tomorrow. We’re not sure on how that choosing part’s going to work yet.”

  Njord jumped in. “Also, didn’t you tell me that the goal at tomorrow’s games is for the three pairs of partners to vie to win an aerial ski tricks competition?”

  Ull nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be one of the three main events Saturday.”

  Whoa! This was her chance to become part of the team for real, thought Skade. Even though alternates were allowed to compete in this one event, she could bet Angerboda was hoping Skade would decide not to. As if!

  Minutes later, Skade, Yanis, Angerboda, Freya, Malfrid, and other girls were riding upward in wooden gondolas whose outsides had been stenciled with white-painted snowflakes and reindeer designs. The gondolas took them to the top of a large snow-covered hill via a system of pulleys, to where the ski acrobatics tryouts would begin. A group of judges, with members from various worlds, instructed the competitors that each would have only one chance to perform and showcase their skills. No do-overs. Gulp!

  By now a crowd had gathered to watch from a stand at the bottom of the ski jump. But the watchers wouldn’t make Skade feel a bit nervous when her turn came. It was easy to be confident about something you knew you excelled at. She’d been performing aerial ski tricks for years and had won lots of contest ribbons in such events.

  Aerial ski tricks involved four main actions. First, you poised on a high ramp called an inrun. Then you jumped off the edge of an area called a takeoff table. Next came your flight, which was her favorite part because she got to sail through the air like a bird, doing flips, twists, and more. And finally, there was the landing. In summer, the sun could turn the landing area into hard-packed ice. But in winter, the landing area was often covered in fluffy snow called powder, like now. Compared to landing on solid ice, powder was less jarring. Which made it more fun to ski on.

  The girls all drew lengths of straw to determine the order in which they would jump. Skade drew the longest straw, so she would be last, behind all the other girls, including her AA teammates. Competitors and spectators alike yelled encouragement to each new performer that tried out with calls such as “More air!” and “Go for greatness!”

  A warm feeling of camaraderie filled Skade as she joined the cheering. They weren’t just rooting for their own teams. They were encouraging everyone to do well. Which was great sportsmanship!

  When it was finally her turn to compete, Skade stepped onto the inrun. She leaned forward, causing her skis to begin gliding down the smooth, icy slope ahead. As she neared the takeoff point, she picked up speed. Then she launched into the air. She was practically flying!

  No poles were used in these jumps, so her hands were free. Nimbly, she curled her body forward, tucking her hands under the bend of her knees. High in the air, she flipped herself backward, tumbling head over skis three times while twisting in a sideways tornado-like spin. When she came out of her last flip, she straightened. Skis-down now, she prepared to land with one ski tip placed slightly in front of the other and knees flexed.

  Touchdown! She nailed it—a perfect landing! As she skied to a stop across the fluffy snow, she raised both arms high in a V for victory. She knew her super-duper triple jump had been flawless, and she’d aced her landing. All around her, loud cheers sounded.

  By the time the judges chose the winners, it was nearly dusk. Three were declared, based on the distance and style of their jumps—a Midgardian human girl named Katrina and a freckled girl from Vanaheim named Olga. And Skade! The judges informed competitors and spectators alike that the three winners would be asked to choose partners after dinner tonight.

  “Pick me! Pick me!” boys from various teams immediately called out. They waved and did somersaults and silly poses, flexing their muscles in hopes of influencing the three winning girls’ choices of partners. In Skade’s humble opinion, the boys from Asgard were the best aerial jumpers, so she’d probably pick one of them as a partner.

  Soon everyone began making their way off the slopes. As night came on, the snow appeared to turn a sparkling soft-blue color. Skade glanced up. Above them, Nott was driving her chariot into the sky. Earlier, she’d been one of the judges. But now she was tossing stars and a dark veil of night out across the heavens as she flew ever higher.

  What a great day this turned out to be! Skade thought as she and the other fo
ur AA girls set off for their igloo. She’d never anticipated she’d get to compete in an event!

  “Fantastic jump, Skade! Who are you going to partner with for tomorrow’s competition?” Malfrid asked as they all slowly skied in the direction everyone was going.

  “Well, I haven’t really—” began Skade.

  “Who cares? I’m hungry. Let’s skip the igloo for now and go get some dinner,” Angerboda butted in to say. She was obviously not interested in discussing Skade’s success and partner-choosing plans. Probably because Angerboda had been chosen fourth—an alternate in the aerial ski tricks tryouts, which had to annoy her to no end. In fact, she’d likely decided it was Skade’s fault she’d been edged out of the first three places. Whatever!

  Since they were all hungry, they picked up their pace, swerving in the direction of the cafeteria. When Skade’s stomach growled a moment later, she grinned. “Obviously, I’m kind of starving too. Good thing we’re off to the Gruntery!”

  Bursts of laughter escaped Freya and the giggly Yanis and Malfrid, who were skiing just ahead of Angerboda and her. “The Gruntery?” the three girls chorused.

  “Yeah. That’s the name of the Jotunheim school cafeteria,” Angerboda informed them. After a few minutes of skiing in silence, she added, “So what? It’s not funny.”

  “We’re used to it,” Skade said to her. “But I guess that name would sound weird to anyone hearing it for the first time.” As they reached the large wood-built cafeteria, the AA boys caught up to them. After they all removed their skis and set them in special built-in ski racks next to the Gruntery, Skade walked over and grabbed one of the cafeteria’s iron door handles. “This place is called the Gruntery for a reason,” she told the others. “You’ll see.”

  “The Gruntery?” some of the boys repeated, but she didn’t bother to explain. They’d figure it out soon enough.