The Ice Castle by Pendred Noyce

Author:Pendred Noyce
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780983021971
Publisher: Mighty Media, Inc.

Rocco slouched forward and stuck his face next to the medallion. Ivan smelled weeks of dried sweat in his tangled hair. Rocco lifted a broken, dirty fingernail and flicked it against the medallion. A note rang out, clear like the notes of the yellow leaves but stronger, lingering.

“A,” Fort said. “That’s a perfect A.”

Rocco gave Fort a swift look and returned to Ivan. “’Ere boy, let’s ’ave that,” he said, and he tried to lift it off Ivan’s head.

Ivan ducked his chin to hold onto the chain and pressed his forearms to his head to keep Rocco from pulling it off. He felt Fort shifting closer. “It’s mine. You can’t have it.”

Fort spoke in his gritty voice. “Don’t you think you’ll learn more just by asking the boy?”

There was a moment when Ivan thought Rocco’s grip on the chain would break it, but then the pull loosened. “Speak up, boy,” Rocco said. “Where’d ye get that thing? Where’d the metal come from?”

“It was a gift.” Ivan rubbed his neck. “From beyond the mountains.”

“Time was they used to mine metal like that ’ere in these ’ills,” Rocco said. “Back before my day. Veins of pure notes, melted down to ring out in bells and such all over the land. And then the veins ran out. Nothing but mixed ore now, all jumble and cacophony. So we moved to mining silver. Serves men’s greed, it does, but it don’t feed their souls.” His black eyes glittered as he put his face close to Ivan’s. “They say metal calls to metal. I bet you know more than you say. Find us a vein like that and I’ll make ye a free man.”

Ivan looked around. The soldiers stood back at attention, and he realized with amazement that this filthy old miner was the true boss here.

But I can’t find a vein of metal in a mine, he thought. That’s crazy! I don’t even know what I’m looking for. This guy’s a miner, and if he can’t find it, how can I?

Still, it was the first opening he’d come across, and he wasn’t going to pass it by. “In fairness, I should be free already,” he said, jabbing a thumb toward the guards who had brought him. “They don’t have any papers for me.”

The square-head officer riffled through the papers in his hand. “Only three,” he said, with a frown.

Rocco twirled a finger in his beard. “Free, sure, go on out and take a walk, young fool. Ye’ll get out about half a day till the wolves or a snowstorm swallow ye. Else lead us to a new vein and ye’ll be a rich man and an ’ero.”

“And my companions, too,” Ivan said. “You’d have to set them free also.”

The two thieves, who hadn’t talked to Ivan all journey, lifted their heads and gazed at Ivan in amazement. Fort stood facing straight ahead, letting not even an eyelid twitch to betray his thoughts.

The miner allowed his gaze to flick back and forth between the square-headed officer and the band of prisoners.

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