The Collector | 18+

【04】Every Step of the Way

Mr. Westergaard's icy blue stare was penetrative, and the more I held it with my own, the more I felt like he could read into my soul. Could he guess at the fire burning within me? My determination to win this battle?

Haakon Odinson was my life's obsession, and I wasn't letting some overindulged and overgrown trust fund baby take his sword away from me.

I could still remember with vivid intensity the first time I'd heard about the semi-legendary Berserker. With a historian father, one who was a renowned archeologist as well, I'd grown up in a household where history held greater value than the present. Conversations often revolved around ancient cities, historical leaders, and the thrilling stories of humankind's past. But contrary to him, the history nerd in me was all about Vikings. Ever since I'd watched a documentary on the Norse warriors, I'd developed a nearly unhealthy obsession with them.

Although my father might have preferred me to be as engrossed in Egyptology as he was, he had encouraged my curiosity—nurtured it, even—by buying me books and renting documentaries on Scandinavian history. It was in one of those old and dusty books that I'd discovered Haakon, the rumored son of Odin. A brief chapter about him had been enough to fuel a lasting interest in the nordic hero—one that was still going strong thirteen years later.

Then, during the first year of my bachelor's degree back in Bergen, Norway, I'd met Dr. Gustaf Henriksen, one of my professors. Just like me, he'd been particularly interested in the poorly known Haakon, and the mystery that surrounded him. Dr. Henriksen had become a bottomless source of passionate conversations and shared knowledge.

He would flip when I'd tell him about our finding. But maybe he'd already figured it out, recognizing the shape from the low resolution photo I'd forwarded to him a few days ago. In the email that had brought Mr. Westergaard to this very table.

"So, let me get this straight," Henry started, forcing me to look away from Mr. Westergaard's intense eyes. Was it me, or was my heart beating a little too fast?

My colleague continued, oblivious to my turmoil. "We may have just found a sword that belonged to a legendary Viking hero that we can date, place, and it's in great condition?"

"Well, we still need to run some tests, but I really think we did."

"You're seriously telling me that there was a man who could not only wield this one-handed but also had a similar sword on the other side?"

"I guess the rumors about him being the son of Odin had to come from somewhere. Maybe he was super strong and super jacked? Like a Viking Dwayne Johnson."

Mr. Westergaard chortled, drawing our attention to him. "With enough training, a man could wield this," he insisted. Well, a man of his stature maybe. But it was still a bit of a reach.

"I honestly don't think Dwayne Johnson could handle two like these in battle," Henry mumbled.

"He's the Rock, Henry. Of course he could." My colleague was about to argue, but I didn't let him, getting us back on track. "According to Orvyn's drawings, there should be gemstones embedded in the sword's hilt, which he described as 'blue like the dawn sky.'"

"So, iolite?"

"Most likely, yes. Those may have been looted, but maybe we can find the spots where they used to be. From the sketches, it should be here, here, and there," I told him as I showed the spots. "Orvyn also mentions the runes engraved on the blade, so maybe you can figure something out about this, too?"

"I'll see what I can do, but don't get your hopes up, Mila."

"I won't," I lied. My hopes were already way up.