Page 4 of Polar Fates
How can she be trouble? They’re going to leave soon and then she’ll begone.
I don’t know but she feels familiar. I don’t likeit.
Bertrand and Arnold join our little group, arms laden withbooks.
Ben smiles, his expression turninggreedy.
“That’s a lot of books. Tell you what, take the whole box in exchange for 200 of the smallbatteries.”
“Done,” Arnold agrees without even trying to haggle. I look at him curiously. He didn’t strike me as someone who’d trade without driving a hard bargain. He puts his books back into the box which I guess is now his, except for one small book which he slips into his coat pocket with asmile.
He pats his pocket with a smile. “Reading for later,” he explains to Ben but gives Bertie a meaningful look. This book must bespecial.
Two
We get to find out how special the book is once the traders have left and we’re back in the warm living room. I’m glad they’re gone, it was strange having other people on the island. Especially the girl. Even thinking of her gives me a funny feeling in mystomach.
“It’s about bears,” Arnold announces as soon as we’re all sitting. “It’s the UrsaChronicles.”
Maybe our feeling of excitement this morning wasn’t about the traders after all. Maybe it’s connected to thisbook.
“But they were never printed,” Bertrand mutters sceptically. “They were passed on from bear to bear, from parents to children. That’s why they got lost in time and only fragments remain nowadays. It was too dangerous to write themdown.”
“That’s why they haven’t made it obvious,” Arnold smirks and shows us the cover of the book. I can’t help it, I have tolaugh.
“The Three Little Bears?Seriously?”
I’m not the only one finding it hilarious. My men are all trying to stifle their laughter, although Finn is almost on the floor, gigglingwildly.
Bertrand takes the book from his partner’s hands and opens it dubiously. His eyes widen as he flicks through thepages.
“That’s genius. Nobody would ever pick up this book and expect it to be written incode.”
“Code?” Húnn asks and Bertrand hands him the book. Húnn frowns as he reads the first page. “I don’t get it. It’s badly written but it’s the tale of the three bears, just like my nan read it to me.” Heblushes.
“Read every thirdword.”
“The… bears… book… the… first… bear… was… son… of… call… is… to…Callisto!”
I’m in the book!Alis cheers in myhead.
“That’s going to take forever to decipher,” Húnn grumbles. “The grammar is all over theplace.”
“Give it to me,” Ràn tells his brother. “I’ll do it, I just need somepaper.”
We all look at him in surprise. Our grumbly, quiet bear is flicking through the book with interest, a smile beginning to curve on hislips.
Bertie gets pen and paper from a side table in the corner and hands it to Ràn who’s already deep inthought.
“Let’s leave him to it,” Torben says, no, commands. “Isla, up for arun?”
Always.
* * *
I let Alis takeover and watch in the passenger seat as we run over the fresh snow covering the hills of the island. It’s going to be spring soon so I’m enjoying the snow while it lasts. It feels like it’s been winter for a long time. And so much has happened. Fleeing from Salvation Island, meeting the guys, becoming a bear shifter myself. And Alis. She’s told me a bit more about herself in the past few days. How she was human once but lived with Gods. I’m having trouble getting my head around that. I’ve never been religious; my uncle was the only one we had to serve and fear when I grew up. So to hear that Gods are real… were real… I’m not quite sure about that. Back when Alis was alive, they walked among humans, at least among upper-class humans. The Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis, was Alis’s best friend backthen.
At first, I thought Alis was lying, but then she showed me some of her memories. And that’s when I first saw magic. Or divine powers, if you wish. Artemis’ arrows were made of light, not wood, and would find whatever target they were directedat.
