Words for Wednesday -- Á Íslandi 7

As I wrote yesterday, Carrot and Gorgonzola scare me, Boater, Vista and Lyric are just hard to incorporate, in short I only feel really attracted by Dandelion. But as I have sworn to use the prompts in the order they are given, here goes using only the next two, Vista and Carrot.

Susan and Knud opened all the doors on the left side of the corridor, while Rósa and Finnbogi tackled those on the right side. Most of the rooms held portals, but  most of the portals were extinct, grey and not a bit shimmering. A few of the doors led via narrow corridors to a cell like the one Susan had sat in. She could not now remember which one it was. 

There were two still working major portals. They were not larger, but their colour was deeper, purple rather than blue.  The normal, live portals led to small towns in Sweden and Norway, one led to Mývatn, and one strangely to the Unicorn Farm.  The last one - and the only non-Nordic one to be still alive - led to Schiltach "That's Ella's town!" Susan said

"Is it, really?" Rósa said. "I remember Ella from the Christmas party. I always thought it was strange that a non-magician was even invited. And maybe I was a bit jealous of her. You and her and those Japanese having experienced something during your stay there, We all knew, but none dared to ask."

"And Gilvi swore me and the others to secrecy after I told them what happened, and gave them that old magic book. What was it now .. someone's Grimoire, I think they called it.  It was dangerous. The recipe for Mondrian came from it."

"Not Griffon's Bestiary?" Finnbogi asked.

"Yes, that was what they called it. He and Thora and Taavi and Tähti all were crazy about that book. Even I understood that it was something special"

"Something special," Finnbogi said, almost snorting "I dare bet! It is a legend, like a black unicorn, like the pot of leprechaun's gold. We all hear about it, covet it, and you ... you just gave it to those four?"

"Those four being the best wizards ever living. You would have done the same," Rósa said sternly.

"I  ... yes I suppose so," Finnbogi said, "It was only ... I have heard so much of this book I would like to see it, to hold it. I don't suppose you know what happened to it?"

"No, Susan said honestly. "Gilvi suggested it should be burned, annihilated in some ceremonial way. But if he ever did it if he found the time for it, I don't know."

"The vistas this opens are scary," Rósa said, sounding like a frightened little girl. "Do you remember the verse about Mondrian?" Rósa said and began:

"Mondrian is brewed in moonlight,
brewed in hope and love and fear."

And together, she and Susan, supported by Knud recited the rest of the lines:

"Are you bitten,
moonstruck, smitten,
Mondrian will set you clear.
In your greed you'll be forsaken,
Mondrian in excess taken
make you lose what you hold dear."

"In reality," Susan said, as much to say something, to lighten the tense mood, "it should be said in German, which was the language of the grimoire, but I can't remember more than the beginning line: "Mondrian, gebraut im Mondlicht, Hoffnung, Liebe Furcht und Not  ... and something ... der Tod!"

Finnbogi looked shocked: "I see now why you gave the book to Gilvi. Those childhood fantasies about being the mightiest wizard ever, have to remain just that, fantasies, dreams." He looked as if he woke up from sleep. "Now I know how Torben felt when Tristan talked to him about power, glory and mastery."

"I lost all of my family to those 'childhood fantasies'," Rósa said.

"Childhood dreams are often unhealthy for grown-ups," Knud remarked. "We all know what Tristan and company did, as we were part of the Summerparty crew. Or, no, you were not, Finnbogi. How come?"

"Yes," Susan added. "You knew all about the Conspiracy at the broom race after all. You knew what David stood for, and I remember you hurrying the Opposition's flyers along when they became suspicious. I remember you saying 'no' to David's openings - more than once."

"I tried to remain neutral," Finnbogi said, his voice and head being equally low. "I just hoped that if we played possum it would pass.Thora and Gilvi, Thora mostly, tried to enrol me in the anti-David group, as I thought of it. David tried to win me over to his way of thinking, but I knew you and Veronika and Fiona. I could not seriously say that only those with magician parents were destined to do great things. I thought it was child's play. Only slowly that last week, or rather really only that last day did I see the seriousness in it, almost too late. I hope that I redeemed myself for my reluctance by grasping Birgitta's hand as she tried to slip away when we formed that final circle."

"Well done!" Susan and Rósa said in unison, and Knud nodded.

"But you're one of the red ones," Knud persisted. "You should be able to sense people's disposition."

"I was, and I am - that's why I warned you from speaking in Rósa's office. I'm not going to repeat my mistakes. As I said I did not think David meant what he said, or let me put that in another way. Because obviously he meant it of course, but I did not believe that it was more than big talking, mere words. Only that last week ... I heard of Rósa's family, I heard of the magician's family disappearing and their house burning down." Susan realized that he spoke about Heidi and her family.  "I heard a lot, but I still believed - wanted to believe - in coincidences and accidents." He fell silent, turning over a carrot in his hands, as if it held the answer. Suddenly his head shot up: "And I'm about to repeat that same mistake over again!"

"What do you mean?" Knud asked.

"That lady. You showed me her photo. Now I know why I thought I ought to know her. She was at the museum a few days ago. I felt her presence. And again I thought that she would not do anything untoward. She felt the same way as David and Tristan did back then. And she has been here earlier. Your suspicions are correct, Susan. I'm fairly sure she stole that wand."

"Now what?" Knud said.
"Now we go to Tromsø, you said a portal was made there?" Finnbogi answered. "We've got to speak with Hilde concerning that daughter in law of hers."