Embers of the Raven: A Christmas Story from Greenland (The Christmas Raven Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

after the Greenlanders. The child, a girl, was the first to reach the dwarf. She said nothing. Instead she reached out a tiny naked hand within which she held a bunch of twigs. Mikissok held his palm beneath hers and smiled as she dropped the twigs into his hand.
    “Thank you,” said the dwarf gruffly. The girl smiled and turned to stand beside her father. Nissimaaq joined them.
    “Hello Mikissok,” said the hunter. Mikissok nodded. “This is Tulugaq and his daughter Panínguak.” The dwarf shook hands with the man and waved at the child. “It was Tulugaq that went forth onto the ice.”
    Mikissok regarded the man a moment before nodding slowly. “Thank you,” he said again, although less gruffly this time.
    Tulugaq shrugged. “It is me that should thank you. You brought our children back to us.” Mikissok’s face dropped but Nissimaaq smiled and prompted Tulugaq to continue.
    “Mikissok does not know what happened, Tulugaq.”
    “Oh,” said Tulugaq. “Oh, well, you should know the children crawled out of the snow and walked down to the beach when you arrived with the umiaq.” Tulugaq paused. “They say that they tried to talk to you, as did the women, but you were busy building a fire. After a while they left.”
    “Mikissok nodded. “I had to build a fire for a friend.”
    “Indeed you did,” said Nissimaaq. “Come friends, let us bid Mikissok a good winter’s eve and be on our way.”
    Mikissok shook hands once more with Tulugaq and his daughter. As he took the hand of the hunter Nissimaaq held him firmly. “Go friends,” he called. “I will join you in a moment.” Nissimaaq returned his gaze to the dwarf and after, a moment, he released his hand.
    Mikissok looked up at the hunter and smiled. “I did it then.”
    “Yes, you did,” said the hunter. “And I have come to keep my promise, just as I did for your brother.”
    “I was wondering about that,” said the dwarf. “My brother would need both hands to etch those runes into that clay pot.”
    The hunter laughed. “Indeed he would.” As Nissimaaq’s shoulder shook gently, the silver bells upon his smock tinkled and Mikissok heard the chatter of a child’s laughter from upon the sledge. The hunter turned to look at Mikissok once more. “I may have played a greater role in this little adventure than one might think. But the real stars of the show were you and the shaman there,” the hunter turned to wave in the direction of the sledge. “Without the two of you we would never have gotten the children back to their parents.”
    “What about the Greenlanders, the ones who died?” said the dwarf.
    “It is regrettable, for sure,” said the hunter. “As is the death of your friend.”
    Mikissok breathed deeply. “Aap,” he said.
    “I must go now and so must you,” said the hunter. “Return to the beach where you gave your last farewell. You will not find the raven,” he cautioned, “but maybe something to soothe you during the cold winter days.” The hunter clasped both hands of the dwarf and, silently, bid him farewell. Nissimaaq tinkled gently as he returned to the sledge. Taking the whip from the uprights, the hunter roused his dogs with a snap of the whip upon the ice. He leaped aboard the sledge as it turned in a wide circle and headed back to the winter settlement of Nugatsiaq. Standing between the uprights, Panínguak waved at the dwarf and he waved back.
     
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    The dwarf stumbled down the mountainside, sliding at last onto the beach. Mikissok turned slowly towards the place he had made a fire and was shocked to see a faint glow between the rocks. Approaching warily, the dwarf found the embers of the fire to be glowing still and yet the fire was starved of fuel. Mikissok stooped down to place a palm above the coals and he found them hot. Even the outer rim of the fire where the coals were spread thinly was hot to the touch and smouldering still. Mikissok scratched his ear and thought for a moment. It was not long