{"id":625,"date":"2026-05-01T09:10:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/?p=625"},"modified":"2026-05-01T09:10:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:10:28","slug":"betrayal-part-2-chapter-26-aquavit-on-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insidemayasmind.com\/?p=625","title":{"rendered":"Betrayal Part 2 – Chapter 26, Aquavit on Ice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As we stepped back into the living room, the heavy, warm weight of Bella barrelled into my leg. Reaching down, my fingers sank into the thick, silky fur behind her ears. Her warm breath, huffing softly against my thigh.
\u201cIt was great seeing Asmund today,\u201d I said, glancing at Lela as she closed the door behind us. \u201cHe\u2019s looking much better than I had expected.\u201d
Lela let out a slow sigh, shrugging her leather jacket off her shoulders and hanging it on the hook beside the door.
\u201cHe looks so fragile,\u201d she muttered in a low voice as a dark shadow settled across her face. \u201cAll those tubes and wires\u2026 I just hope they catch the monster who did that to him. It sounds like that policeman has a good idea of who it might be.\u201d
\u201cAsmund was pleased to see you, though.\u201d I cut in quickly. I didn\u2019t want to think about Rune, and I certainly didn\u2019t want to think about Skarsg\u00e5rd. \u201cI really loved how excited he was to hear that you\u2019re going to be playing solo tonight.\u201d
Together we walked across the thick carpet of the living room, settling ourselves down on the sofa.
\u201cDo you really think I can do this tonight?\u201d Lela said, her eyes looking at me through those long lashes, desperately seeking reassurance. \u201cI\u2019ve never played without Asmund before. Not anywhere as big as the Kjelleren, at least.\u201d
\u201cI know you\u2019ll be amazing,\u201d I said, patting her knee with gentle firmness. \u201cI\u2019ll be there the whole time, cheering you on from the front row.\u201d
Lela\u2019s face broke into a wide smile. \u201cThank you, babe! With you and Ingrid beside me, I know it\u2019ll be a perfect night.\u201d
Ingrid. The sound of her name scratched at my ears. It was like a parasite trying to claw its way into my skull. The muscles in my shoulders cramped into tight knots while ruby-red eyes glittered around the room. Their voices hissed at me, repeating that name over and over again until it drowned out everything else.
\u201cPoor Ingrid,\u201d I said. My voice sounded warm. To anyone else, my forced smile looked genuine. But inside me, something cold and hard had settled. \u201cShe looked exhausted this morning.\u201d
\u201cShe did.\u201d Lela\u2019s brow furrowed as she spoke. \u201cI feel terrible for leaving her on her own. I\u2019ll give her a call to see how she\u2019s doing.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ve got a better idea.\u201d My lips twisted around the words I spoke. A better idea, a far darker idea was already blooming in my mind. \u201cYou need to get yourself ready for tonight. Why don\u2019t I pop over to see her? Maybe I\u2019ll pick up some chocolates on the way to cheer her up?\u201d
\u201cOh, that\u2019s such a lovely offer,\u201d Lela said, the smile on her face widening. \u201cDo you know something, Heidi? I had wanted to tell you about Ingrid for so long, but I was terrified of how you would take it. It\u2019s been great watching the two of you click.\u201d
\u201cOh, don\u2019t be so silly. You never had to hide yourself around me,\u201d I said, placing my hand on top of hers, the words stinging my tongue like bile. \u201cI\u2019m so pleased to see you happy, Le-Le. To see you able to be yourself.\u201d
Leaning over, she planted a light kiss on my cheek. Her lips felt soft and hot as they brushed my skin. The heady scent of her perfume filled my senses; those spicy, floral tones lingered in the air long after she\u2019d pulled away.
\u201cYou\u2019re an angel, babe!\u201d she said, settling back on the sofa. \u201cTell Ingrid that I\u2019m looking forward to seeing her tonight.\u201d
\u201cOf course I will,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The walk to the tram station felt like a dream. The afternoon air hung heavy and cool, carrying a damp chill that clung to my clothes. Overhead, leaden grey clouds sagged low, casting the world in a desaturated, colourless hue. But despite the gloom, a feverish heat pulsated beneath my skin. Pins and needles prickled like thousands of tiny claws scrabbling over my body. The only sound that penetrated the dullness was the thumping of my own heart, a frantic peal that hammered against my ears.
My hand brushed against the pocket of my jeans. I could feel the cold, hard glass vial through the rough denim. I couldn\u2019t tell you when I had picked it up or even why I had put it in my pocket. I look back on those days now, and so much is still a blur to me. The things that I did made no sense. I do understand a bit more now about why I am the way that I am. But back then, with so much still locked away in my head, so many things that I was totally ignorant of, I honestly believed I was doing the right thing.
I was protecting Lela. I was doing what the voices, my guardians, demanded of me.
The tram ride from Lela\u2019s house to the flat Ingrid shared with her brother took barely twenty minutes.
I climbed onto one of the brand new, light blue trams at the Skarpsno stop. Settling into the seat, I watched the city slip past in a colourless blur. The incessant, electric hum vibrated through the floorboards, while blue sparks crackled and arced between the pantograph and the damp cables swaying above, filling the car with the sharp scent of ozone.
Getting off the tram at Olaf Ryes plass, I crossed the road to a small convenience store.
The bell above the door gave a metallic jingle as I entered. The air inside was thick with the smell of stale tobacco and floor polish. Making my way past the racks of newspapers and magazines, I headed for a shelf piled with confectionary. My hand hovered for a moment over a bright yellow bar of Freia chocolate before picking up a box of Konfekt. Perhaps not as expensive as Lela would have bought, but certainly a step up from Freia and more than enough for my purposes.
Stepping back onto the street, a single drop of rain landed on my cheek. The oppressive air pressed down on my shoulders, while in the distance, a faint rumble of thunder rolled.
Pulling my jacket tightly around myself, I set off towards Ingrid\u2019s flat.
The four floored, grey tenement building, its concrete fa\u00e7ade weathered and stained, loomed over the pavement, the top floor lost in the darkness of the sagging clouds. I pushed open the heavy wooden, graffiti covered door with a low creak. The air inside was warmer, carrying the faint scent of old dust and dank plaster. Before me rose the staircase, the steps covered in an old, threadbare brown carpet. In many places it had been worn through entirely, exposing the dark stained wood beneath.
Every step creaked as I slowly made my way up to the second floor. The creatures following close behind, muttering their encouragement as their claws scraped dryly on the peeling paintwork and old paint of the walls.
An old pendant light swung on its cord, the flickering bulb causing the shadows to dance and twist around me.
I stopped at a black door marked with the number 3b. For a moment I just stood there, the voices falling silent as I did nothing but listen. From behind that door, I could hear nothing but silence. Adjusting my grip on the chocolates in one hand while my other reached out, knuckles striking the door.
Three sharp raps echoed in the old, narrow hallway.
Silence at first, and then I heard a soft shuffle followed by a creak from the door.
\u201cHeidi?\u201d A pair of sunken, dark-rimmed eyes peered out through the crack in the door before it was flung open. \u201cWhat are you doing here? Is something wrong? Is it Asmund?\u201d
\u201cOh no, nothing\u2019s wrong at all.\u201d I said, my smile painted across my face. \u201cLela\u2019s busy getting ready for the gig tonight, and I thought you might need a friend.\u201d
I held up the box of chocolates, the cellophane wrapper glinting like a blade in the artificial yellow light of the landing.
\u201cOh, that\u2019s so thoughtful of you,\u201d she piped up with a sickly grin on her pale face. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come on in.\u201d
That was the first time that I\u2019d been back in that flat since that night with Asmund, but it was exactly how I\u2019d remembered it. The small lounge, its walls still covered with a myriad of tour posters. My eyes snagged on the low, squat table sitting between the sofa and the TV. Its surface was a jumbled litter of books and videotapes, but amongst the chaos was a small, golden framed photo of Lela and Ingrid.
How had Ingrid managed to deceive me for so long? How had I not seen all the signs that now screamed out to me from around the flat? Photos, makeup, even a pair of shoes against the wall \u2013 far too small, far too elegant to belong to Ingrid. All those little pieces of Lela that littered the lounge, yet had so oddly been absent in Asmund\u2019s room.
\u201cDo you want something to drink?\u201d Ingrid\u2019s voice, thin and screeching, sliced through my thoughts and snapped me back to the present.
\u201cWhy don\u2019t you take these and go and sit yourself down.\u201d I said, handing her the chocolates. \u201cYou\u2019re shattered, let me fix some drinks.\u201d
The box was decorated with an old painting of a black horse being led through one of the gates of medieval Oslo. Those giant, imposing gates, along with the sturdy walls that had once protected the city, had long since been torn down by the unrelenting force of progress. My eyes settled on it for a moment.
\u201cYou\u2019re too sweet, Heidi,\u201d she said, her spidery fingers closing around the chocolates. \u201cI haven\u2019t really kept on top of the shopping lately so I\u2019m a bit low on things. But there should be some coffee in the jar and milk in the fridge.\u201d
\u201cHave you got anything stronger?\u201d I said with a dry, practiced laugh. \u201cAfter the last few days, I could really do with a proper drink.\u201d
\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know,\u201d she replied with a goofy chuckle. \u201cThere might be some of Asmund\u2019s beers in the fridge, or Lela might have stashed something away in the cupboard under the sink.\u201d
Nodding, I stepped into the kitchen.
It was a cramped, dark room. The only light was the dim glow that managed to creep in through the small, square window, set high into the far wall.
In the gloom, the creatures\u2019 eyes gleamed like shards of bloodied glass. Their voices became a rasping chorus of encouragement.
Crouching down in front of the sink, the cold, hard quarry tiles pressed into my knees. Yanking on the cupboard door, it swung open, filling the room with the scent of moist wood and something faintly metallic. My hand fumbled in the dark for a moment before snatching a half full bottle of aquavit. The liquid inside was pure and clear, reflecting the dim light.
Placing the bottle on the white melamine counter, I quickly grabbed a couple of glass tumblers from the drying rack.
\u201cDid you find anything?\u201d came a mousy squeak from the lounge.
\u201cI found Lela\u2019s stash.\u201d I called back. \u201cI\u2019m just getting the glasses. You stay there and I\u2019ll bring it out to you.\u201d
Unscrewing the cap, I carefully poured a generous measure into each glass. The spicy, medicinal smell of caraway and anise wafted up and stung my nostrils.
\u201cNow! Now!\u201d the voices hissed in my ear.
I glanced quickly at the kitchen door before dipping my hand into my pocket. My fingers curled around the small glass vial. It felt warm to the touch as I pulled it out and carefully removed the stopper.
With hands trembling with the same electric energy I had felt on the tram, I began to tip the vial into one of the glasses. How much would I need?
The resonant hum of the fridge was the only sound I could hear, even the creatures were silent. Watching quietly from their hiding places.
Slowly, a glistening droplet gathered on the glass rim. Small at first, it grew fatter. It hung there, heavy and trembling before plunging into the spirit. The first drop struck the aquavit with a muted splash, sending delicate ripples out across the surface. That was for taking my best friend away from me. A second plummeted into the clear liquid, the price for years of lies and deceit. A third, this one sharp and decisive for clipping Lela\u2019s wings, for trapping her in a cage.
The fourth and final drop, that one was for Lela. A gift of freedom.
I had managed to drag myself out of Lars\u2019 dungeon; now I could finally do the same for Lela.
The glass felt cold as I gave it a gentle swirl before returning to the lounge.
There she was, the box of chocolates already open in front of her, and a brown smear on her lower lip. She looked so small and pathetic, sitting on that sofa, so plain, so insignificant.
\u201cHere we go.\u201d I said, handing one glass over to her and raising the other. \u201cSk\u00e5l, to Asmund\u2019s quick recovery.\u201d
\u201cSk\u00e5l,\u201d she said, tapping her glass against mine with a low clink. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to tonight. The attack on Asmund has made me realise that I really should support him and Lela in their music more. I know the Kjelleren isn\u2019t my sort of place, but it is their dream. I also want to spend more time with you. We never have really got to know each other. I used to avoid you. I was worried that you\u2019d judge me and Lela for\u2026 just being us. But now, I would love it if we could be good friends.\u201d
Smiling, I watched her lift the glass to her lips. I didn\u2019t blink, my eyes remained fixed on the movement of her throat as she swallowed it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As we stepped back into the living room, the heavy, warm weight of Bella barrelled into my leg. Reaching down,<\/p>\n

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