We walked into a huge dining room and each took a seat at a glossy white table that ran the length of the room. Hanging above were golden pendants of different sizes and hues, creating an ethereal semi-lit hue.

‘Champagne?’ Asher asked.

I shook my head. I wanted to have a clear mind.

‘Any whisky?’ Dylan asked.

‘Of course,’ Asher replied, fetching a bottle from a drinks cabinet and pouring Dylan some. Asher then sat down and introduced us to his other guests, many of whom worked in the creative industries: architects, graphic designers, artists, writers. Asher himself ran the biggest advertising agency in the country and clearly did well for himself, judging by the calibre of his friends with their designer clothes and diamond earrings.

One woman stood out though. She had long silver hair and a flowing white dress, a luxurious fur robe around her shoulders.

‘My lovely wife, Hekla,’ Asher said, introducing her to us.

Hekla turned her vivid green eyes to me. She looked to be in her thirties, but I suspected she was older than that, hints of a nip and tuck evident in the stretch of the skin on her face and the plumpness of her lips. Apart from her voluptuous breasts she was tiny, seeming to be just about five foot.

‘This is the documentary-maker I was telling you about,’ Asher said.

Her face lit up. ‘Wonderful! What are you working on at the moment?’

‘We’re filming the seals at Diamond Beach.’

‘What a mystical place it is,’ she said wistfully. ‘Such an atmosphere.’

‘I agree, it’s amazing there.’

‘So, tell me what these celebrations are all about,’ Cole asked, gesturing to the bonfire.

‘We call it Þrettándinn,’ Asher explained. ‘A goodbye to Christmas and a chance to finish all the drink and food we have left over.’

‘What’s the bonfire all about?’ I asked.

‘The bonfire is to celebrate the departure of the fairies and the elves,’ Hekla said solemnly. ‘The elves inhabit this earth over Christmas, and this is a chance to say goodbye.’

Dylan and I exchanged a look, both of us trying to keep straight faces. I felt my breath quicken with desire.

‘It’s a very magical time,’ Hekla continued, oblivious to our bemused looks. ‘In fact, I am quite sure the seals at Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon will be shedding their skins later and will dance naked on the beach.’

I smiled. ‘I can so see Duchess doing that.’

‘Duchess?’ Hekla asked. I told her all about the mother seal. ‘How lucky you are,’ she said after I’d finished, ‘to be able to observe the creatures at such close quarters. Tell me all about it.’