Night Bells by L.M. Sherwin
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Months passed and Arna’s leg made a full recovery. When she was up and about walking again, Stigg and Soryn introduced her to her new room. In the end, it had taken about a month to finish because of another snow storm that delayed them. She loved it. Inside there was a bed, a worktable, a small fireplace, and a shelf for books. The space was very simple, but it was all her own and she was ecstatic to have it. The three of them moved all her few possessions into it immediately. That night, she was able to sleep in her own bed.
Soryn came to the cottage every spare minute. Things had grown quiet back at the tower. He found it strange that Ulla had not spoken to him at all for the last several weeks. Often, he tried to talk to the pig and even visited the study, but Ulla was not there. Lord Maslyn had no idea where the pig had gone and grew uneasy that nobody knew of his whereabouts. Soryn, of course, reported everything to Fanndis, Stigg, Arna, and Kimbli. They had heard nothing from Ulf or Eira about who Ulla was in reality or the pig’s intentions. They had been unable to find any information.
Because they were at a standstill with that situation, Stigg kept teaching Lord Maslyn how to cut firewood, build rooms, work with animals, carpentry, forest knowledge, and signs for the changing seasons. Soryn was happy in his work and was thrilled with the muscles he had developed under Stigg’s tutelage. Every now and then, Soryn would catch a glimpse of his growing biceps and smile to himself. Stigg laughed every time—a strangely natural sound coming from such a silent person.
Stigg told him that soon, summer would come. Because Niflheim was buried in snow most of the year, there was no spring or fall—just winter and a brief summer that lasted about three months. One month, the snow thawed a bit. The next month, one could see some green leaves, flowers, and hints of purple earth. The last month, the heavy snows began and everything was buried fully in white once more. Even in the “warmest” period of summer, snow still dominated.
Soryn asked, “How do you know that summer is coming?”
“Because there are buds on the trees under the snow and because the wind has changed. In summer, the winds are much stronger and warmer, because our world is closer to the suns.”
“Oh,” Soryn replied.
The boy was in awe of Stigg. He had never really been around a grown man before—well, other than Jori or Kimbli. Stigg was soon to turn twenty-four. The man was young, strong, and active. Still, the fact that Stigg rarely said four words to Soryn in an entire day made it difficult to feel connected to him. Sometimes, the boy thought he could see a smile gracing the man’s lips at some good piece of work that Soryn had produced, but he was never sure. Stigg was more a brother figure to him than a father figure, but Soryn knew in his heart that Stigg could never replace the relationships he wished he could have with Olan and Fenris. Soryn expected he would never see his brothers again at this rate, and had no idea what had happened to Ulla—who claimed to be Olan.
Fanndis whiled away the days teaching Arna everything she knew about herbal lore and where to find plants in the greenhouse and in the wild. Because vegetation on Niflheim had adapted to such frigid conditions, there were still some plants that grew even in the dead of winter. Arna loved the work with the herbs and the medicinal preparations. She had started going into the village and helping those who needed poultices and salves. She was becoming a favorite face among the women in New Kristiansand. Fanndis also continued to teach Arna how to harness her magic and to alter the elements and produce them.
Days, weeks, and months passed as they all grew in knowledge and friendship. It was no secret to anyone—Father Kimbli included—that Soryn and Arna were developing a relationship that was more than platonic. Soryn turned thirteen sometime before the summer and began the process of becoming a legal adult. On Niflheim, boys were seen as men around the age of fifteen due to the responsibilities given to them at that age—a profession, sometimes their own piece of land—in rare times, a wife. Girls were considered women at fourteen or so—not only because they were sexually maturing by that time, but also because they were given a great share of responsibility at that age. It took everyone pitching in to help with the hard life on an ice planet.
Both Soryn and Arna grew secretly excited about their looming manhood and womanhood. Fanndis and Stigg often chuckled to themselves hearing the two of them talking in adult-like tones when they thought no one was listening. Fanndis remembered her own days of maidenhood and her excitement at turning fourteen and being viewed as a woman in the village.
Kimbli continued to tutor Soryn about the responsibilities and tasks that fell to the Maslyn of New Kristiansand. The boy developed an interest for such things and an aptitude for his lessons. Before the summer came, he went with Kimbli on outings in the village to help with disputes and treaties and such. Arna was very proud when he told her about his daily exploits and he listened with rapt attention when she told him about hers.
Stigg continued to check on Olan’s body in the cave near the northern mountains. Nothing changed. Ulf kept an eye on it for them when Stigg couldn’t make it himself. The man worked harder each day than the day before. Stigg’s feelings for Arna grew into more than brotherly affection, but he buried them as often as he could, knowing she would never love him in return. She was far too besotted with Soryn. Stigg respected that. She was almost eleven years his junior anyway. He supposed he was just lonely for female companionship. He had been a man, now, for nine years. He felt it was high time he had a wife—especially when he was bombarded with young, adolescent romance at every turn.
The trees grew heavy buds beneath the snow on their branches. The winds changed. By that time, no one had heard anything from Ulla for several months. It was unnerving that he had just disappeared into thin air—especially when they had gotten so curious about his true identity. Everyone was shocked when the first day of summer came and Ulla contacted them suddenly out of nowhere with a strange sort of message.
I found it! My body! It’s there in the cave!
A dark chill settled over everyone in the cottage. Fanndis set down her knitting. Arna paused with the kneading she performed on a ball of bread dough. Soryn looked up from the book he read. Stigg put aside his ax. Each one heard the pig’s voice. Ulla was nearby. Even the summer sunshine and winter thaw could not assuage their feeling that something was terribly amiss.