Bughead multifandom

Price 3

Nicko and Snorri ended up staying at the net loft for two days, using the time to stock up on food and other supplies. It took another full day for them to find their way through the tangle of Harbors and out of the Trading Post. And then yet a fourth and fifth day was spent wandering around the snowy countryside of Wudz as they tried to figure out their whereabouts based on Aunt Ells's map and Snorri's compass. Finally the teens happened to stumble on one of the refuges, and after spending a cozy night there, Nicko was able to figure out their location based on the direction of the path. The next morning Nicko and Snorri reluctantly left the hut behind and went on their way, resisting the temptation to stop at two other refuges they passed. That afternoon they crossed a plank bridge, climbed a steep slope, tried very hard not to roll down the the other side (and didn't entirely succeed), and before long they were staring in awe at the suspension bridge stretching over the abyss.

"That'll cost you," said a harsh voice from somewhere in the fog, as it would say to Septimus, Jenna and Beetle five hundred years later.

Nicko smiled wryly. "Is that the Toll-Man?" he asked Snorri.

She shrugged. "I suppose so?"

"That would be correct," the voice said again. There was a muffled thud, and the small, wiry man suddenly appeared in front of them, barring their way to the bridge. "If ya knew my name before ya came," he said, peering at them with his little DomDaniel-wannabe eyes, "then you must'a known I charge a toll for crossing the bridge."

Nicko straightened up. "Yes, we did," he said confidently, making up for the apprehension and disgust that Snorri showed. "Allow me to show you." The Toll-Man watched as Nicko swung his pack around and opened one of the side pockets. Nicko fumbled around in the pocket for a minute, then pulled out a small golden figurine and a gold-encrusted timepiece (not unlike the one Beetle would almost give up later) and dropped them in the Toll-Man's velvet sack.

The Toll-Man let out a low whistle. "You two young 'uns came prepared. But," he added with an ill-concealed grin full of gold dentures, "I's afraid it ain't quite enough to satisfy me."

"What?!" Nicko and Snorri both shouted simultaneously.

"Now, now, doncha fret." The Toll-Man held up his hands before Nicko's outburst let fly. "I'm a fair man, as I always say. Make it a point not to ask folks for what they can't give. But you—" he pointed a stubby finger at Snorri, "—got something of interest to me."

Snorri breathed in sharply. "Vad vill du?" she asked, forgetting herself.

The Toll-Man roared with laughter. "Ah, so you're from the Land of the Long Nights! I like it. Very well, Missy, I'll use your tongue." And he surprised both Nicko and Snorri by saying, "Jag vill ha den guldtråd på dina kläder."

"Nej!" Snorri exclaimed, clutching her robes and taking a step back, her eyes wide with fear. "Jag har förtjänat det! Jag är en köpman från norr!"

The Toll-Man rolled his eyes. "I dunno what a 'Trader from the North' is, and I don' really care. I'll have it whether ya like it or not!"

Fearfully, Snorri asked, "Vill du ha mina kläder också?"

"Ya jokin'? No!" the Toll-Man snorted. "Whaddya think I'd want with your rags? Just the gold thread on it, that's all I ask for. And just the stuff on your garments—I won't even make you gimme the gold thread on your headband. Now ain't that a bargain."

At last Nicko understood. "How dare you!" he yelled at the Toll-Man, his temper lost. "Snorri worked hard to be a Northern Trader, she earned those gold stripes! Whereas you haven't 'earned' anything!"

The Toll-Man went purple with rage at the insult. "Look, sonny boy, d'you and your gal wanna cross this bridge or not?!" he demanded, leaning in to shout in Nicko's face.

"SLUTA!"

Both Nicko and the Toll-Man broke off their argument and turned to stare at Snorri. In her fist she held a wad of gold-trimmed navy and burgundy strips of cloth, torn from the hems of her robes. "Ja, we want to cross," she said quietly, pressing the cloth into the Toll-Man's pudgy hand. He looked at her for a moment in disbelief, then he flashed an ugly gold grin at her, and scampered back up into his tree.

Snorri took Nicko's hand. "Komme, Nicko," she said with a rueful smile. "We cross the bridge now."

Nicko shook his head in disbelief. "Snorri, why did you let him have it? You didn't have to—"

"Yes, I did," she interrupted. "Or we would never go in the House of Foryx."

He sighed. "I suppose you're right—whoa!" Snorri had led him right up to the edge of the abyss, and for the first time he saw just how rickety the suspension bridge was. Nicko somewhat shared his younger brother's fear of heights, and the despairing wails making their way up from the abyss weren't helping. He gulped. "Er, I'm not sure I want to cross that."

"It is alright, Nicko," she murmured, turning to face him. "Close your eyes, and I will lead you across." She clasped both his hands tightly and took a step backward onto the first plank. Nicko did as he was told.

Ten minutes later the teens had covered over two-thirds of the bridge in this fashion. "That is it, Nicko," Snorri said encouragingly. "We are nearly there, nearly there. Just few more steps and—AAAHH!"

Nicko's eyes snapped open just in time to see Snorri step on a plank that snapped under her foot. Snorri dropped like a stone, and Nicko was dragged down with her, falling to his knees on the plank in front of him. Caught by surprise, Nicko naturally loosened his grip—and immediately realized his mistake. "Snorri!"

Luckily, she had gotten ahold of the planks on either side, one of which Nicko was kneeling on. But Snorri, in her sailing experience, had never had to support her own weight before, and her grip was rapidly slipping. "Nicko, help!" she cried.

Frantically, Nicko sprang into action. He lunged down and grabbed Snorri by her waist. "Push...up!" he managed through gritted teeth.

She did, and next thing Snorri knew, she was lying on top of Nicko on the bridge. Both teens were breathing heavily.

Exhausted, they lay there for a few minutes. Then both of them seemed to realize how awkward it was, and they quickly but carefully stood up and self-consciously brushed themselves off. His fear of heights gone, replaced by adrenaline from the fear of losing his sweetheart, Nicko easily made it across the rest of the bridge with Snorri. Neither spoke during that time.

(1171)