Chapter 12

The Big Mistake

Emily woke up early on the second morning. With a big yawn, she turned her head and looked around. Next to her, Andrea was lying flat on her back, snoring with a little bit of a wheeze. Laura’s bed was empty.

“Good morning, Skessa, Prinsessa, Aríel, Kedja, Hela and Kafteinn,” she thought brightly, sending her silent communication to them, “and good morning to all you other horses.” She didn’t want to leave anyone out. As she sat up, stretching, she received a collective greeting back from several dozen of the horses and smiled.

Emily got up and pulled on the stockings, her trousers and laced up her soft boots. She used a hairbrush Daria had given the girls to share and brushed the tangles out of her hair, wondering if there was time to rinse it. She was used to shampooing, conditioning and blow-drying every day.

She went into the gathering room where Daria was bustling around getting food ready. Emily took a big sniff. Whatever was cooking smelled really good, sweet and yeasty. Máttur was seated at the head of the big table, his usual spot, and Baldur and Leifur were also there, eating heartily. Darcy and Kim, also up and bored with wearing the same clothes, had switched tunics, so that today Kim was in Darcy’s red tunic and Darcy was wearing Kim’s yellow one.

“Good morning!” She greeted everyone with a smile.

“Blessed morning to you, child!” Daria turned from where she was mixing something in a bowl by hand. “I hope you slept well.”

“I did,” Emily nodded.

“Is Andrea still sleeping?” Daria asked.

Emily nodded. “Where’s Laura?”

“We have not seen her yet. Is she not still sleeping?” Máttur asked.

“No, her bed was empty when I woke up.” Emily replied, beginning to feel uneasy.

“Perhaps she is with Reynir?” Daria suggested, a twinkle in her eye.

“No, his younger brother came by with a message that Reynir was needed in the fields to help his father this morning and would be over later,” Máttur frowned, beginning to feel concerned for one of his charges.

“I’m sure she’s fine – she’s probably slipped out to use the facilities and will be right back. Come, wash up now and have some breakfast,” Daria told her, sounding firm.

Emily obeyed, going to the washbasin, thinking, Everything’s fine. By the time I have washed up, Laura will have come back from using the facilities. Of course, that’s where she is.

But she returned and Laura had not come in. Emily ran out and checked for herself. No sign of her friend.

“Where could she have gone?” Kim mumbled through a huge mouthful – Daria was serving kleinur today – hot, yeasty, and seashell shaped – similar to doughnuts. Darcy and Kim were stuffing their mouths full of the sugary treats.

“Now, let’s not panic,” Emily tried to sound calm.

“Maybe she went to visit the horses,” Darcy put in.

“Of course, yes, that’s probably where she is!” Emily exclaimed, relieved.

“Come on, Emily, let’s go and find her,” Kim said.

“I’m coming too,” Darcy stated, pushing back from the table and brushing the sugar off her hands.

“All right. We’ll feel better after we find her,” Emily told them. “Come along!”

“I am sure all is well – do not worry,” Máttur told them.

“Thank you, Máttur. Thank you, Daria!”

They all hurried out the front door, reassuring each other that Laura was surely visiting with the horses, but they hurried as they headed toward the grazing field.

When they arrived, Laura was nowhere in sight. Prinsessa, Skessa, Kedja, Hela and Kafteinn rushed to them.

“Aríel and Laura are gone and we think they are in trouble!” Hela burst out.

“What?” Emily cried. “Where?”

Darcy and Kim gasped, looking stricken.

“Hela!” Prinsessa reprimanded her. “You do not need to blurt out everything you are thinking!”

“I’m sorry,” Hela hung her head, chastened.

“Aríel apparently snuck away sometime last night. But I cannot contact her, and I am concerned that there is a problem,” Prinsessa told them, distressed. “I am trying to see Laura, but something is blocking me and I cannot reach her.”

“Where could she have gone?” Emily cried.

“Laura was very upset at the plan,” Kim spoke up. “She didn’t like the risk of the attack with the possibility of a lot of the horses getting injured or killed.”

“You don’t think she went to try to get Gígja out by herself, do you?” Darcy was aghast.

“That,” Emily stated, “sounds exactly like something Laura would do.”

***

“Okay, Aríel, I’m in. Now, where do you think I should start?” Laura asked, pulling the side of her borrowed dress free where it was caught on the haft of her sword and was bunching up.

Aríel, who was beginning to tire from the new use of her powers, answered, “Well, we know the dungeons would be down below, so I guess you should look for a way to the lower levels.”

“Okay,” replied Laura. She stuck her head out a little into the hallway and peeked around. Two maids were walking down the hallway away from her, carrying rags and a bucket. They disappeared through a large door. The coast was clear.

“Be careful, though,” Aríel warned. “I can feel my powers weakening. Try to stay out of sight.”

Since Laura had no idea of the Great House’s layout, all she could do was guess. She decided to continue down the darkened passage that she had first chosen. She could feel doors on either side but there were no torches to light the way. She couldn’t tell if the doors led to another passage or to a room. She decided not to try the doors, but continued to follow the hallway, wide and cool, with stones bumpy beneath her soft leather boots. She had not gone far when the passage came to a dead end, with two hallways going in opposite directions. She stopped, making sure she stood up against the wall to stay out of sight, looking down the hall to the left. She felt a little fresh air coming from somewhere. She also thought she saw a small flicker of sunlight. Then Laura looked down the passage to her right, and saw that that passage was almost totally dark and smelled damp and musty. She decided to take that one.

Meanwhile, up behind the Great House, Aríel was trying to split her powers. She wanted to keep track of Laura, and at the same time, her mind searched and searched for Siklingur. At first, she looked for some sign of Siklingur himself but then she realized that he had an ability to shut his mind up tight. Perhaps she should look for human servants who were close to him. This proved easy – in a few moments she had found a woman servant who was bringing him food, but to Aríel’s frustration, there seemed to be no speaking between them at all. At least she was pretty sure she had pinpointed his location – now she had to see if she could penetrate his mind.

***

Laura continued along the dark passage for about twenty feet, stumbling a bit in the dark. Soon she found that this hallway had split as well. “How do people find their way around in here?” she muttered to herself, stopping to regroup and figure out which way to go. To the right, one passage went back toward the main hallway, but ahead Laura could see that the passage she was following turned into a set of stairs. Now she could see a flicker of light below her. She crept down the stairs carefully, stopping to listen for any noise and holding her sword against her so it didn’t clatter or clank. Finally, she reached the bottom, exhaling nervously. At the bottom of the steps on the right, the passage opened up into a large area. Up and down the passageway, candles burned, set into wall sconces, providing spots of light. Being cautious, Laura peeked around the edge of the stone wall and saw a pile of large barrels and wooden boxes. The candles were set far enough apart that there were a lot of shadows and dark spots. In one corner, Laura could see a big pile of split logs, and realized it must be a storage spot for firewood. There was no one in sight. At the end of the room, to the left of the direction she had come, she could see another passage, but the lighting was so dim, she couldn’t make out any of the details of what was down there.

“Aríel!” she called her horse with her thoughts. “I think I may have found something! I’m down in the cellars and there is a passage at the end. Can you tell me anything?”

“Good,” came Aríel’s faint reply. “Laura, my powers are getting weaker, so there is not much I can do for you, but I have my mind locked onto the place where Siklingur is. I am going to try to break through to him. I have to concentrate as hard as I can, so I may lose touch for a while. Can you hide out and wait for me so I can help you?”

“It’s okay,” Laura reassured her, buoyed by the fact that she had not seen anyone so far and was feeling confident. No one suspected her or was even looking for her! “I am going to keep going. I will get back with you in a bit.”

“Laura – I don’t know – what if –?” Aríel sounded even fainter and a little panicky.

“Just concentrate on Siklingur. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Laura slipped out into the room and darted from shadow to shadow. She stopped every few feet to hide behind a stack of barrels or crates and then looked around and strained to hear anything. There was no one there, as far as she could tell, and she made it to the passage undetected.

Peeking around the corner and into the passage, she saw a line of rough heavy wood doors on both sides of the passage. Each door had a small opening about five feet off the ground. There was another small opening at the base of the door. Immediately, Laura realized she was in the right place – she had made it to the dungeons! The upper opening in the door was used to let the guards look in on the prisoner, and the lower opening was used to pass in a bucket of food or water. There were a lot of doors lining the hallway. Laura didn’t want anyone in the dungeons to see her and call out to her. She decided to walk down the center of the passage and take a look into each upper opening as she passed. Her plan was to move rapidly and stay in the middle so it would be difficult to see her from inside the cells.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and thought, “If Gígja’s down here, I’m going to find her!” She allowed herself another few seconds to think of how proud Reynir would be if she was able to rescue Arnþor’s daughter. She imagined him congratulating her with a huge hug and kiss. Shaking the image away, she also thought that it was better to keep Emily, Andrea, Kim, and Darcy from danger too, so she just had to pull this off!

Laura then took one more look around and started down the passage, turning her head from one side to the other as she moved. All the rooms must have had an air passage in the far wall that led to the outside, because each one was lit with a little sliver of daylight. Fortunately, it was just enough for Laura to be able to see vague shapes inside. Every cell Laura glanced in had more than one person in it, and she could pretty much tell that they were all men. A few held low, desultory conversations as they lay on mats on the stone floor, some looked as though they were sleeping, and others sat motionless, staring at nothing. She tried to move faster in case one of them happened to be looking out of the opening of the door. Towards the end of the passageway, she discovered that the last four cells were empty. She stopped at a solid stone wall which marked the end of the passage and turned. Hmm. Where could Gígja be? Had she missed her? Laura felt a crushing disappointment; Gígja must be being held somewhere else in the Great House. No, it would be harder to protect her there. She just had to be down here. It had to be one of the four cells that appeared empty.

She stepped up to the door on the right closest to the wall. She peered in the opening and saw no one but whispered, “Gígja!” No answer. She went to the door next to it and tried again. Again there was no answer. Next, she went across the passage to the door right across from the one she had just tried and tried a third time. “Gígja!” Still nothing. With a defeated sigh, she went up to the last door, the one on the left up against the stone wall. She whispered in the opening, “Gígja!”

To Laura’s great amazement, a small voice came back, “It is Gígja – who calls for me?”

“Gígja! Oh Gígja, my name is Laura and I have come from Hólar for you!” Laura whispered breathlessly.

Suddenly, a beautiful young woman’s face popped up right in front of Laura at the opening of the door.

“Oh, geez! Don’t scare me like that!” Laura gasped, taking a step back and clutching her heart. She glanced around furtively to see if anyone had heard them. The passageway remained quiet.

“Sorry,” Gígja giggled. “I just cannot believe my good fortune! Laura, Laura, you have come to help me? Where did you come from? How did you get in here? Look at you! You’re a teenaged girl just like me. I don’t under…”

“I don’t have time to explain, Gígja,” Laura interrupted her, whispering furiously. “You have to stay totally quiet – we don’t want anyone else in these cells to hear us. I just need to get you out of here.”

Gígja got a hold of herself, although Laura knew she was bursting with questions. As Gígja spoke, Laura could immediately see the resemblance to Arnþor’s strong spirit in this daughter.

“The keys are at the other end of the passage,” Gígja told her briskly. “They are hanging on the left wall as you are going out over there by the stairs. But I must warn you, they will be bringing the first meal of the day at any moment!”

“Okay,” said Laura, “I can hide until …”

“Who goes there? Stranger! Identify yourself!” A voice shouted from the other end of the passage.

Oh no! Laura was so focused on Gígja, she had not noticed two guards who had come down the stairs and were looking her way. Sure enough, they had a large tub of something and a stack of clay bowls that they were going to ladle the food into and pass through the doors to the prisoners. Oh, Laura, fatal mistake! She cursed herself. Lost focus and forgot to account for the time of day and what would be happening!

Gígja’s face had fallen, crushed with disappointment, as she heard the guard’s voices and realized the jig was up and her hopes of escape were dashed.

Laura hurriedly glanced around her and then looked back at Gígja. “I’m trapped,” she told Gígja, “but don’t worry, there is more help coming.” Gígja felt a surge of desperate hope and peered out as best she could while the guards ran down the passage toward Laura, swords drawn and looking menacing.

Laura threw out the strongest message she possibly could towards her horse. “Aríel…Aríel are you there? Aríel, I am trapped, I need you now!” Unfortunately, there was no response to her desperate plea. Aríel was either totally focused on Siklingur or her powers had ebbed.

At that instant, the two guards reached her. For a moment, they said nothing, staring at her and assessing the situation. Was this a friend who had somehow come in? A servant who had snuck down and become friendly with Gígja, bringing her food and treats? A traitor to Siklingur? Surely not a rescue attempt-- this was a beautiful young girl, not a scruffy, scarred warrior. Laura stared defiantly at the two men who were looking at her so intently, trying to figure out what was happening.

The next thing she knew one of the guards noticed the unnatural bulk beneath her dress. His eyes narrowed and he reached over and grabbed a handful of the fabric covering her clothes. With a quick yank, the dress tore and she was exposed, armor, weapons and all.

“A spy! Seize her!” cried one of the guards and the two grabbed her arms, holding them painfully behind her back.

By this time, all of the other prisoners had gathered around the openings of their cells and began calling out, yelling and making all the noise they could. The chaotic rise of voices bounced off the stone walls, echoing in an unearthly maelstrom of shouting.

“Stop! Silence!” the guards yelled in vain.

As Laura was half-pulled, half-dragged down the passage, the guards squeezing her arms unmercifully, she turned her head and saw Gígja’s face in the opening, tears running down her smooth porcelain cheeks as she reached a hand out through the small opening. “Laura!”

“I’m sorry,” Laura mouthed before one of the guards yanked her head around.

She was dragged up the stairs, banging her shins painfully on the stone steps, and back into the main hall. They went through two more passages and a door. The next thing Laura knew she was thrown to the floor in a clatter of armor, her sword catching a bit and dinging on the ground and her helmet, which she had been clutching, falling and bouncing away with a clang! Her hair had come undone from its loose string and flew over her head in a blond mass, obscuring her face as she fell forward, landing hard on both palms as she reached out to break her fall. All she could see in front of her was the image of a man sitting in a large chair. Siklingur, she thought.

“Well, well, what have you brought me?” the man in the chair demanded.

“Sir, we have apprehended a spy!” The guard bragged. “She was found in the dungeons, dressed in false servant’s clothing and speaking with Gígja!”

Siklingur’s fingers drummed on the arm of the chair as he contemplated the girl who had been dumped in a heap on the floor in front of him. The only sound in the room Laura heard was her own uneven breathing, loud and panting.

***

Aríel had been concentrating all her efforts, focusing on Siklingur and had therefore been completely unaware of what was happening to Laura. She knew that Siklingur had moved to his main hall and was sitting before a group of advisors and servants and all were partaking in a huge morning feast, large platters of fish, meat, fruit, and laufabrauð laid out upon on a large table. She was pleased with herself for having found him and felt she was becoming more successful with her powers.

Suddenly, she felt a disruption in the minds of all the people who were in the room with Siklingur. Next, like a beacon of light piercing through the darkness, a blast of evil thoughts came from Siklingur’s mind and poured into Aríel. Her mind was almost overloaded, and she gasped as she saw, from Siklingur’s eyes, Laura lying on the floor in front of him. Oh, no! The thoughts coming from Siklingur’s mind were focused on the girl and they were so horrid that they made Aríel shudder. She had found the weakness in Siklingur’s mind, but lost Laura at the same time. With the very last of her reserves, Aríel sent forth a mighty blast of power, and called Prinsessa.

“Mother!” Aríel reached for Prinsessa, penetrating across the fifty kilometers that separated them.

“Aríel!?” came the very disturbed response.

“Mother, I need you! I have found Siklingur’s weakness, but Laura has been captured and thrown at his feet! Mother, help me!”

“My God,” was the response from all the listening horses.