And then there was clothing. For my outer layer I was supplied with a knee-length parka of reindeer hide, the fur turned outward. Beneath that I wore another layer of reindeer hide—trousers and an undercoat—the fur turned inward. My long underwear was made of feathered duck skins, the feathers turned inward. (That would take some getting used to, I thought.) Then there was a pair of two-layered boots; the outer layer lined with fur, the inner with duck feathers, again turned in. There was also a pair of mittens made of the hide of a white bear. Of course, putting my fingers into them reminded me of my white bear, although when I put my nose to them, they did not have the same scent at all.

I looked at the large pile of items in some dismay. How would I carry them all on my journey north? I asked Malmo. In reply she handed me a large knapsack made of reindeer hide. She said that what I wasn't wearing on my body would fit into the pack, including my tattered pack from home. I was skeptical, but she turned out to be right.

I was also concerned about paying Malmo and her people for all they had given me. I offered Malmo my moon dress, but although she gazed at it with polite admiration, she had no interest in owning it. Certainly there was no use for a ball gown in the village of Neyak. Malmo was more interested when I told her about the crate of pears from Fransk. Thor and I had eaten many, but plenty still remained.

In the morning when I awoke, I discovered that neither Thor nor Malmo was in the house. I ate a bowl of porridge that had been left on the hearth and then put on some of my new clothing. (I wasn't yet ready to try the feather underwear.) When I stepped outside into the chill air, I felt snug and warm. I made my way to shore.

I ascended the makeshift gangplank of the knorr, then stopped abruptly when I saw Thor. He was seated in his old place by the steering oar, with a barrel of ale beside him.

"Is that your breakfast?" I asked somewhat severely.

"Drink of the gods," Thor said with a grin, and took a long gulp. He gazed at my new garb with amusement. "Gone native, I see."

"Thor, I mean to journey north," I said, going to sit beside him. He took another long drink. Then he raised his mug.

"'North, north, north, she sailed to Asgard and on to the north, north, north,' " he sang lustily.

"The people here are good," I went on, ignoring his song. "I am sure they will help you repair your boat. And you might find some who wish to journey to a new land. Or you could stay here with them. I believe they will make you welcome."

"'Welcome, ho, to the halls of Valhalla, where the ale flows and the boar's head roasts.'"

"Thor," I said with some urgency, standing and moving in front of him so he could not avoid my eyes, "the ale will be gone soon. You cannot bury yourself in it always. You must go on. Find a new life, or a new journey. It can be done."

His blurred eyes focused for a moment, then slid away again. '"North, north, north ... to Asgard,'" he sang.

I got to my feet. "If I am able, I will come back here when I am done with my own journey. To see what you chose."

"Chose, Rose," Thor said in a singsong voice. "Rose chose to journey north, north, north..."

I moved to the hold, where the crate of pears was stored. "I am giving these to Malmo and her people. To repay their kindness."

"What, no more golden gowns?" Thor said with a trace of his old sneer. Then he refilled his mug.

"Good-bye, Thor," I said.

Neddy

THE MOVE TO TRONDHEIM went smoothly. Only Willem stayed behind. Neighbor Torsk had agreed to buy half the farm, and so he and Willem would work the land together.

In Trondheim, Mother and my sisters devoted their time to outfitting and decorating the new house, a handsome dwelling near the center of town. It had all the latest conveniences and Mother was delighted. Father and Soren spent every waking moment on the new printing press, which they fussed over like a pair of doting parents. As for myself, I had become assistant to a Master Eckstrom, the esteemed author of many well-regarded books of scholarship. The king himself, in Danemark, had commissioned Master Eckstrom to write an exhaustive history of the combined kingdoms of Njord and Danemark, and I was one of several assistants hired to help in that massive endeavor. Master Eckstrom was a kindly if very busy man, and he was not often in Trondheim, his duties to the king requiring him to be in Danemark much of the time.

I did my work in what used to be a monastery, which Master Eckstrom had converted to a private library for the use of scholars to pursue religious and historical research. Presiding over the library was a cheerful soul by the name of Havamal, who had previously been a monk. He was the caretaker of Master Eckstrom's valuable collection of books. Havamal was extraordinarily helpful. He knew the location of every volume in his library, and sometimes even the page number of the bit of information I sought. He also became a friend. I felt very fortunate in my new life.

Soren was too busy with his printing press to pay much heed to wedding plans, but Sara, with the enthusiastic help of Sonja and Mother, was beginning to make preparations for a spring ceremony. We all fervently hoped Rose would return to us by then. And Willem had made a solemn promise that if Rose should indeed come home to the farm, he would send word without delay.

Not a day went by that I did not return to our fine new home in town hoping for such a message. And each day I was disappointed.

Rose

MALMO APPEARED ON the morning I was to depart. I had packed my gear and was eating a bowl of thick porridge. She entered the house and came directly to me.

"If you will have me as guide, I will go with you north," she said without preamble.

I was speechless for a moment, not sure I had understood her. "You mean you would go with me, travel north with me, to find the ice bridge?"

Malmo nodded. "As shaman I have always wished to see the ice bridge. But I did not care to leave my people."

"And now?"

"Now there is an ice bear in peril, and my animal is seku nanoa, white bear."

"What do you mean 'my animal'?" I asked.

"Each shaman has her own animal. It is tornaq, the source of power." She paused. "Before you came here, I dreamed of bear. When you told me of your journey, I believed it was ooblako, a portent. In my dream last night I traveled to the ice field." She gestured in a northward direction. "And there I saw seku nanoa again. He spoke to my soul, and so I go with you.

"I cannot be long gone from my people," she went on. "Should Sedna grant us the way to the ice bridge, I will leave you there."

Dismissing Sofi's map as inaccurate (at least when it came to Grönland), Malmo brought out a long, thin carved piece of wood that showed the coastline of the northern half of Grönland. She followed the curve of the intricate carving of inlets and headlands with her finger, showing how we would travel by water along the coastline up to the Tatke Fjord. We would then paddle inland, north along the fjord a short distance. When the fjord ended we would travel northward by foot and ski.

Grateful, I thanked Malmo. I felt lucky that she would journey with me, not only for her knowledge and experience of the land but also for her companionship.

The boat we would use for the sea portion of our journey was called a kyak, a small two-person craft propelled by paddle. Our gear would be stowed under a stiff waterproof cover with two openings for Malmo and me.