“I don’t know … in this case I’m with Ingrid,” Gerd said. He was petting Ona, who was lying at his feet. “We’ve got no reason not to trust him, and he’s in charge of this expedition. Besides, he’s the King’s Mage … and it’s not that I’m very fond of Magi myself, but if the King trusts him, then so should we.”
“You’re too friendly and trusting,” said Viggo. “I’m happier when you have a panic attack because of some nonsense or other. At least then you’re on the alert.” No sooner had he said this than Camu, who had been camouflaged, licked his hand. Viggo gave a start of surprise and almost fell overboard. He grabbed the head of the dragon to stop himself falling into the sea.
Ingrid burst out laughing. “Look who’s being skittish now!”
Gerd jabbed his finger at him. “Exactly,” he said accusingly. “Serves you right for teasing me!”
Ona chirped in amusement.
“That wretched creature is here!” Viggo complained as he regained his balance and wiped Camu’s drool off his hand.
“Well, of course he’s here,” Astrid said, laughing. “Where else would he be?”
“Yeah, go ahead and laugh, he doesn’t lick you when you’re not expecting it.”
“It must be for some reason,” Ingrid said.
“Well, it can’t be for the love I show him!”
“The creature can feel that deep down, you do love him,” Gerd said, “and that’s why he shows his affection. “Isn’t that so?” he asked Ona in a gentle voice.
Ona replied with an affectionate moan and rubbed her head against his leg.
Viggo meanwhile was staring straight ahead, trying to work out where Camu was. “Where are you, vermin?” he called out.
Nilsa stroked Ona’s head. “These two little ones are certainly sleeping well down there below deck, all by themselves among the supplies.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking of going down to sleep with them,” Viggo said. “I might do that tonight and get away from Gerd’s snoring. Or better yet, you can go down and sleep with them.”
“I’m not going below deck, it’s very low down,” Gerd objected.
“And you’re a walking mountain and can’t be taken anywhere,” Viggo said resignedly.
“I’m not that big.”
Nilsa giggled. “You actually are a little bit huge. But you’re also huge in heart, and that makes you wonderful.” She gave him a couple of pats over the heart.
Gerd blushed. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“Well, at least we don’t have to row,” Nilsa said to console herself.
“For now,” Viggo said. He was staring at the great sail with the Norghanian coat of arms, which the wind had swollen.
“But if someone has to row, they’ll be the ones who do it, right?” Gerd asked. He pointed to the sailors.
“I suppose so,” said Nilsa.
“We’ll all row if necessary,” said Ingrid. “A bit of exercise would do us good. We’re going to be spending quite a long time on this ship, and it’s not as if we can take much exercise.”
“I’ll let you take my shifts at the oar,” Viggo said with a smile. “I’ll sacrifice myself for your sake. I want you to be in the best possible shape, and above all I don’t want you to lose that Ice Goddess figure of yours.”
“By all the icebergs of the northern seas, I’m going to kill him!” Ingrid cried to the heavens, as Nilsa and Gerd muffled their laughter.
“What are you two laughing at?”
Nilsa shrugged. “It was just funny,” she said apologetically.
“No, it wasn’t!”
Gerd joined in to support Nilsa. “It was, just a little.”
“I can’t cope with you, I’m going to the stern.” She walked away, fuming, while the others laughed.
After several days at sea, Lasgol went to talk with Mage Eicewald and Captain Olsen at the stern.
“Good morning, Lasgol,” Eicewald greeted him with one of his enigmatic gazes.
“Everything all right?” the Captain asked.
“Yes, sir, everything’s fine,” Lasgol said, and Olsen nodded. “I was wondering – well, so were my comrades – how long the journey’s going to take.”
Eicewald and Olsen exchanged a serious glance. They did not seem too happy about the question.
“Over two months,” Eicewald said.
“Roughly,” Olsen added. “We don’t know exactly how long.”
“We don’t know the exact location of the islands,” Eicewald said. “We only have an approximation.”
“A vague approximation,” Olsen admitted reluctantly. He did not seem at all happy about it.
“Isn’t there a map to show their location?” Lasgol asked. He was surprised, because Eicewald had told him that he had been to the islands and come back from there. He must know where they were.
“No, they aren’t shown on any map, because nobody knows exactly where they are. I have an approximate idea of the area, although it’s a very wide one. Captain Olsen has sailed in this area before, and that’s why he’s part of this mission.”
“I can take you to the general area,” Olsen explained, “but I’ve never seen any island in that quadrant. Or the eternal mist your Mage speaks of. What I do know is that there are rumors of a giant sea-monster in the area that devours sailors and sinks ships. Perhaps that’s why so many disappear there.”
“A giant sea-monster? Ships disappear there?” Lasgol repeated in alarm.
Olsen nodded. “Not many sailors dare venture into that quadrant. In my humble opinion this business of a sea-monster is just superstition. If ships are lost in this area, it must be because it’s very prone to storms. Or perhaps there’s a pirate base, and they do away with the unwary who come near. Be that as it may, we have to take all possible precautions, particularly because we’re going to have to track the area in search of these islands that don’t appear on any map.”
“The Captain doesn’t think we’ll find them,” Eicewald said.
