The Awakening_Book 1 of Valkyrie's Curse series

by Ellie Mack

  “Aye.” Olaf sighed in relief. “This cannot fall into this Dane usurper’s hands nor that traitorous Jorvic’s. Aella, you will hide here.” He moved two of the barrels revealing a wooden door leading down into a lower tunnel. The tunnel led to a cavern on Skarsgal cove, half a day’s journey away.

  “You’ll wait at the other end for us in Skarsgal. We will bring you supplies brother, but you will have to flee. It is best if Jorvic thinks you are dead or captured. When we have hidden the keys we will give the all clear and bring you home.”

  Aella hung his head as a lone tear trailed down his cheek. He knew it was the only way but didn’t want to be without his brothers. They embraced slapping each other heartily. Aella took a torch, loaded a bag with as many supplies as he could carry and descended the stone stairs leading downward.

  “May the strength of the All-father guide you brother.” Sven placed his hand over his heart, making their family sign. Olaf did the same.

  Aella joined in and they said in unison “United by birth, bound by blood.”

  The three nodded to each other. Aella closed the door over his head and disappeared.

  ~~~~~

  Aella made his way through the tunnels to the opening at Skarsgal Cove. There was a small chamber within the cave, to the east of the main cavern, where he stored his food and supplies.

  While he waited for his brothers, he fished, hunted small game, and carved two rune stones. On the first, he told the tale of betrayal using their kennings. The history of their village, the elders, visitations of the gods and the favors the gods bestowed upon them were etched out painstakingly in an effort to record the foul deeds, and calm the internal fears that waged war in his mind every day. He told of their return to their village and a traitorous heir. On the second, he told of the key, but waited to hear from his brothers before adding the hiding place. Aella left space between and jumped down to tell the tale of Valkyrie babies left in their village to raise. Every two years, an infant child would be left at the altar stone near the eastern most wall. It was there that they left offerings for the gods. Baskets of rye, jars of honey, berries, dried meats were laid out upon the stones at the solstices to keep their favor. Freya favored this village and they worked diligently to keep that favor.

  His mother prayed to be the next chosen to raise a Valkyrie infant stating that it was her due reward for raising three warriors. She had been killed in the next battle, the child given to Ada Eskildson.

  As he walked along the shore, he would occasionally find pieces of amber. He took it as an omen from Odin. He tucked the bits into his pouch as he continued to hunt for food. When he dug for shellfish along the shore, he found more bits of amber. Sometimes he would have more amber than shellfish. He carved himself a bowl from a fallen branch and then carved another to store his amber.

  Two moon cycles passed. Aella lay on his belly hiding in the tall grass waiting for the hare to spring his trap. His supplies were nearly gone and he had had little luck over the past few days catching fish or finding shellfish. His mind dreamed up possibilities as to what could be keeping his brothers. Had they been killed? Were they found out? Were Jorvic’s men on their way to kill him? Had his brothers been swayed by Jorvic’s corruption and he was exiled? Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. The pit in his stomach tightened. Perhaps he should go back and give himself up.

  In his solitude, he had given up hopes of returning to their village, given up hopes of taking a wife. Aella had given up the idea that he would even be able to take the ritual of manhood. What point was there in even remaining? He considered the poison berries and hoped the gods would be merciful on his next life.

  A movement below caught his attention. A ship moved quietly across the water. He squinted trying to determine if it was friend or foe. He had to move closer in order to get a good look.

  Aella made his way down the slope towards the water’s edge, but held back behind the undergrowth where he was hidden from sight. There were six men aboard. If it came to battle in his weakened condition, he would be killed quickly. Better to fight another day when he could fight bravely and at least win a place in Valhalla. He watched as they neared.

  Realization dawned as he saw the shields with his family’s emblem.

  Could it be them? After all these days? He remained hidden until Olaf stepped off the ship, then he slowly rose from his spot. True to their word, they had brought him supplies.

  “Jorvic rages. He is determined to recover the key. He searches everywhere.” Olaf relays all he can to Aella. “We’ve just come from Ireland raiding. We have hidden the key with Baudier Eskildson. He passed while we were there, slipped peacefully in the night with a smile, a fatal wound from battle. He was a good man. He will be drinking the mead in the great halls now.”

  “Sven and I went to him after you fled, and showed him the key. We risked everything by showing him, knowing how loyal he had been to King Aksel. He gave us two books that the old king kept in the temple. Before his death, he had Baudier secret them away.

  One of those books tells of an ancient war between the Aesir and Vanir, which remains unresolved. In the end, when Heimdall’s gjallerhorn sounds, Ragnarok will begin. In order to get to Gjallerheim --where Heimdall guards the gjallerhorn -- you must pass through the gates of Nefflehiem. This book has the locations of the gates. Brother, you have saved all of us from a certain death.”

  “We built a smaller chamber behind his tomb, marking it with the symbol of his shield at Sleiksgo. Jorvic nor the Usurper will ever get their hands on it. The second key, however, is at Lindisfarne. It is embedded into a grave marker. We will raid the settlement and hide it from the world.” Olaf was solemn. They had risked much to make their world safe at the loss of their friend and fellow warrior. Every day was risky to keep their secrets from Jorvic.

  “These are dark times for all of us.” Aella hung his head, saddened to hear the news. It wasn’t safe for him to return. It may never be safe. He’d make sure to finish the rune stones before eating those berries.

  They shared a meal together before the group departed. Olaf promised to bring him a ship and slaves before the next full moon. Aella marked the days, counting each one while he worked diligently on finishing the second stone.

  ~~~~~~

  Lightning flashed through the sky. Olaf promised to return, but if he was in this storm, he may drown at sea. Their backup plan was in case he couldn’t make it, Aella would traverse the tunnels back to the room just below the supply room. He transferred all his supplies from the smaller chamber into a nook in the larger cave to prevent it from being ruined by the heavy waves that crashed on the shore. He moved further inside the cave to escape the lightning and howling winds. The air was electrified.

  Lightning flashed brightly, temporarily blinding Aella.

  The electricity in the air supercharged by the lightning outside, swirled with the energy as a ball of blue light formed within the cave itself.

  Suddenly, a zap of the blue energy dispelled outward, a spherical wave exploding. One of the bolts that radiated outward struck Aella, piercing his chest. He fell to his knees as the darkness overtook him.

  Chapter 1: Inception

  Hearken thine ear whence you are called.

  Bow upon bended knee for the honour bestowed thee. Rejoice in the favor of the gods.

  Go forth in victory!

  -Skarsgal Saga Hustad

  Today launched her destiny! Carefully Helena disassembled her bulletin board. She had numbered each piece of paper and photo in order so that she could reconstruct it after taking several photos. A childhood vacation with her parents to her father’s hometown village of Roskilde had sparked her interest in archaeology and Norse legends. That interest had grown into her thesis project and an obsession that had her firmly in its grasp. Her future, her sanity, and her fate hinged on discovery of the truth.

  The rune stones and markers of the ancient village aligned themselves perfectly with the equinox according to
research from Dr. Lundquist. She had gathered as much pertinent information about the region that she could find, as well as anything relating to the site: the history, geography, culture, and mythology. If it was available, she had researched it.

  This had been her obsession since that childhood trip. Something there called to her--she just had to find it.

  Failure was not an option. She had to know the truth and the reasons behind her crazy dreams.

  According to the research from Dr. Sune Lundquist combined with the corresponding findings of Dr. Osmund Bell, this small village held a key. Dr. Lindquist determined that it was a key to buried Viking treasure, while Dr. Bell hypothesized that it was a key to unlock the portal to Asgard. She had spent her high school years researching everything she could get her hands on and the first three years of college piecing this puzzle together. Now, she finally had her chance to explore and she hoped to the gods to find something remarkable. She would be the first woman archaeologist to excavate a huge cache of Norse artifacts and make a name for herself!

  She sealed the first storage bin and put her labels on it.

  “Have a great summer Lena. Take lots of pictures to share with us.” It was Dr. Sempkins, the department dean.

  “You too Dr. Sem. I hear you’re going back to Macchu Piccu?” She continued to work.

  “Yes. I will be glad to get back there. It’s been ten years you know. Going to investigate the viaduct system this time.”

  “Sounds very interesting.”

  He was a nice enough man, aside from being dull and self-absorbed. He left just as quickly as he had poked his head in.

  “Hey!” She turned, realizing it was not Dr. Sempkins. This time it was Leroy, the department tech guru.

  “Hey there Leroy, you got my drives?” He moved to the table where she had her things.

  “Yup, got them right here. Both identical. Got your laptop and tablet cleaned and ready for you as well.” He set the items down onto the table.

  “Everything is loaded into your laptop and hard drives. I suggest you do an incremental backup daily and a complete backup every Thursday on this hard drive. He set out another that looked very similar to the others except it had a metallic Decepticon sticker on it. It wasn’t much bigger than her phone.

  She laughed. “I see you’ve made it easy for me.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, well I know you, and you get excited, and don’t pay attention. This way you’ll remember and use the right one.”

  “True enough.” She continued packing the equipment into the padded aluminum cases.

  “Send me your updates on Thursdays.”

  He continued rattling off specific instructions but she didn’t her them. The photo of her dad holding her on his knee in front of the Roskilde stones caught her eye. Mindlessly, she caressed the bluestone pendant she wore. For some odd reason, she found its coolness calming. There was no way she was leaving the prized photo. It was her inspiration. She tucked it into her purse after wrapping it with a sheet of bubble wrap.

  “And since you tuned me out about five minutes ago, here are your written procedures and schedule for backups.”

  Leroy knew her too well.

  “Right, well that’s everything then.”

  She leaned over and hugged him. “Thank you Leroy. I would be lost without you.”

  He stood perfectly still for a few seconds, eyes wide before he made a move to hug her back. It was stiff and awkward at best. “Right, so. . . I guess this is goodbye.”

  He quickly adjusted his glasses and hurried from the room.

  Helena shook her head wondering about why he acted so nervous around her. She had always been nice to him. Well, most of the time. There were a few times that she had used him to her benefit, justifying that it was necessary at the time.

  “Getting ready to split, I see.”

  She turned back to the open door, not recognizing the voice.

  “Oh hey Scott! Yeah, just packing up the last things and my equipment. Leaving tomorrow for my big summer project. What about you? What are you doing this summer?”

  “I’m doing the Macchu Piccu project with Dr. Sempkins.”

  He offered an eye roll. “Got an acquisition for some righteous tools that I get to try out and prove their necessity and how they will innovate the field of archaeology and hopefully, will win me the fellowship for the master’s program. It wasn’t my first choice of sites, but it pays well enough.”

  He walked closer as he continued, then leaned against the desk, crossing his arms.

  “I’ve got a couple weeks before I start though, so I’m going to spend a bit of time with my family. Going to take my little brother on a camp out.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. Are you close to your brother?” She asked out of politeness more than anything.

  “Not as much as we used to be. I’m kind of hoping we can reconnect.” He glanced at the desk calendar, noting her birthday was coming up. “Hard to believe that next year is our last year, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is.” She started to load the trolley. Scott quickly jumped in to help.

  “Here let me” He lifted them easily, stacking them from largest to smallest. “I uh, just came by to get my gear from Leroy and saw you in here. Thought I’d say goodbye.”

  “You barely missed him, he was just here and brought my electronics. I thought I was going to have to track him down, but he found me first.” She swiped her hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her waist. “I think I make him nervous.”

  “Oh? How so?” He loaded the last case and started fastening the bungee straps.

  “I hugged him and he locked up.” She shrugged. “He’s always a bit nervous around me. Not sure why.”

  He chuckled. “That’s Leroy. He gets nervous around girls he finds attractive. He has no problem talking to Cynthia Boardman. In fact, he was arguing with her about depth soundings last night. Don’t worry about it. It means you’re hot.”

  He winked and stepped closer. “You won’t make me nervous” he opened his arms for a hug.

  Helena smiled and leaned in to hug him. Scott was always vying for hugs. He had a great sense of humor, was pleasant to be around, and was a great conversationalist. If she weren’t seeing Bryce, she’d love to get to know him better.

  Bryce. Just thinking about him made her angry. He was supposed to be here to help her pack and load her car. As usual, he was late. Glancing down to check her health monitor that also served as a watch, she pulled back from the hug.

  “I better get going. I’ve got a tight schedule before my flight tomorrow.”

  “Take care of yourself this summer. We’ll get together at the beginning of the school year and swap stories, maybe over a soda or ice cream or something.” He raked his fingers through his hair then added “I better go find Leroy and get my equipment. See ya, Lena.”

  She grabbed her purse tossing it over her shoulder and grasped the trolley handle. Taking one last look around the tiny office, she moved to the door glancing back, shut the lights off and locked the door.

  ~~~~~

  Scott made his way to Leroy’s office. “Leroy my man.” He stated as he knocked. “You in here?”

  Slowly Leroy’s head rose from behind the workbench. “Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are, Scott?”

  “Me? What’d I do?” He moved to the stool next to the oscilloscope that he hoped would be his for the summer.

  “This list! The equipment that you’ve ordered. Do you have any idea the acquisition forms, red tape, the bullshit I had to wade through to get this stuff? And if you so much as bring it back with one scratch, I’ll fine you the full price of replacement.”

  “Umm, well no but if anyone can get it, I knew it would be you.” He flashed his brilliant smile at Leroy.

  “Oh stop it. That doesn’t work on me, douche-bag. I live with you, I know how disgusting you are. By the way, we need to wash the towels in the bathroom. Major funk.”

  Scott shrugged.
He picked up one of the Helium Vector Magnetometers, turning it in his hands.

  “No fondling without proper introductions.” Leroy crossed the small area and grabbed it from Scott’s hands. “Scott Thompson meet the divine Gaussmeter. Manufactured by the same company contracted to NASA and our United States Naval forces. This baby can be used as a metal detector, can detect variables in magnetics at .001, and can practically map your site for you. Combined with this little number.” He set down the HVM and picked up the ground penetrating radar. “You should get every read out that you can dream up possibly needing.”

  He went through each piece of equipment, highlighting the capabilities and ratings. He emphasized the cost of each one before moving to the next. “Then there is this baby. The newest latest greatest Leica TPS1100 total station.” He waved his hand across the front of the box, in game show fashion. When he had finished he handed Scott a clipboard with the invoice. “Twelve items totaling, wait for it.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Seventy eight thousand six hundred and forty two dollars. Issued to Mr. Scott Thompson for trial run at EXP #14.6492.

  “How the hell do you manage it? Dubrovsky wanted a depth meter and the department charged him five thousand dollars. He is a tenured professor! But you, Mr. Undergrad with all the scholarships, get to test drive the department’s new toys.”

  Scott shrugged, signing the invoice with a huge smirk. “Not gonna turn it down.”

  Leroy took the clipboard back to the workbench. “I’m not done with your laptop yet. I had to get Lena’s gear together. She’s leaving today.”

  “Yeah, I just saw her. Said she hugged you.”

  He blanched and adjusted his glasses.

  “I tell you, I’d rather give up all of these toys and work the Roskill site than spend my summer with Simpkins. What a crusty old malcontent. But hey, it pays well and I get the gear!” He shrugged his shoulders as his eyes fell over the new equipment, mumbling. “I’d rather get the girl.”