Page 64 of Ignited in Iceland
She felt better having made contact. After everything that had happened today, the sting of how she’d felt that morning had dulled. Hopefully, the tone of her message would tell Siggi that she was ready to listen.
21
GUDRUN WAS LOOKING out for Iris, and waved frantically as soon as she spotted her. Iris waved back and pointed to the bar, showing that she was buying a drink before she went over to sit down. She ordered a pint of locally brewed beer and made her way between the tables towards the other side of the room where the group was gathered around the same table they’d been at a couple of weeks ago. Iris recognised all the faces apart from one.
‘Iris, I think you know everyone except Anna and Ned?’ said Gudrun. ‘Anna, this is Iris. She is working with the Icelandic Met Office. And she is a friend of Siggi.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ said Anna with a warm smile. ‘And where is Siggi tonight?’
‘Apparently, he’s gone camping,’ Iris said, unable to keep the incredulity out of her voice.
‘God, really? What a nutter,’ said Anna.
Olafur laughed and shook his head. ‘He has not gone camping, he has gone surfing. He is camping only to be there to surf at dawn.’
‘Oh, well, that makes total sense.’ Anna rolled her eyes at Iris, and they all laughed. ‘That’s Ned over on the stage, faffing around with the guitar.’
Iris looked over, expecting to recognise the global superstar, but with his tousled hair and glasses, he didn’t look like the Ned Nokes she remembered from when he’d been part of boy band sensation The Rush.
‘I know,’ said Anna. ‘He’s let himself go.’
‘Oh, no,’ began Iris, but Rachel swiftly interrupted her.
‘Anna’s teasing. The fact that he doesn’t look like Ned Nokes all the time is the only thing that keeps her sane.’
‘That’s true,’ Anna said wistfully. ‘It’s a nightmare in London if he’s tarted up for a night out. We get trailed around by mooning teenagers.’
Iris laughed. ‘Not much danger of that here.’
‘And that’s why we love Iceland,’ Anna said.
‘What’s the latest in the world of volcanology?’ Rachel asked.
‘They are evacuating Hraunvik,’ Gudrun said.
‘Really? That’s awful.’
‘They are building defences right now to try and direct the lava flow away from the town when it starts. Mostly to keep the main road open and keep the flow away from the power station,’ Jonas said.
‘Will that work?’ Anna asked.
‘It can work,’ said Jonas, ‘but it has never been done in Iceland before on this scale.’
They all sat for a moment, sipping their drinks and contemplating the fate of Hraunvik.
‘Here’s to saving the town,’ said Olafur.
‘Skál,’they all said somberly, raising their glasses towards each other.
‘Hey, what are we toasting?’ Ned came over to the table, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger.
Anna explained to him what was happening.
‘Christ, what a nightmare.’ He lifted his glass to belatedly join in the toast. ‘It feels wrong to be playing tonight.’
‘I think the word is spreading,’ Jonas said, nodding at the television at the opposite end of the room, which was muted, but tuned to a news channel which was showing pictures ofHraunvik. ‘If people are here, it is because they want distraction. At the moment, there is nothing we can do.’
‘So perhaps the show goes on. I’ll ask Thor what he thinks,’ said Ned. ‘Anyone want another drink while I’m at the bar?’
