"Define weirdly?" asked Matt tapping on the window and making the bird hop off the window ledge.
“Hey leave him,” said Sasha.
"Forget it, this is just a really weird day," said Alex walking over to the door.
"Ok we need to take the stairs to the left and head to the right," said Becca looking at the map.
"Lead the way milady," Matt opened the door and bowed.
Chapter Two
They all trooped up the stairs checking their phones for any missed text messages.
"Oh my god, my legs ache, don't they have any lifts in here?" asked Sasha.
"Exercise...you should try it sometime, might do you some good," said Alex who had bounded to the top of the stairs and grinned down on them.
"Dude where do you get your energy from? I'm gonna need my inhaler in a mo," wheezed Matt as he climbed the final stair and bent over double trying to catch his breath.
"All in the genes my dear friend, all in the genes," laughed Alex.
"You don't even know what genes you have. Bet your dad was a puny little dude who always got picked on and your mama was a big hairy wrestler who bullied him into marrying her," said Matt dodging out of the way as Alex swung a playful punch in his direction.
"Yeah, then they abandoned me when I was a baby cos they knew I would be way too awesome for them to bring up. I would just show them up," said Alex grabbing Matt's arm and twisting it playfully behind his back.
"Wait are you an orphan?" asked Becca her eyebrows raised in surprise. "I didn’t know that."
"No I'm not an orphan, to be an orphan means your parents are dead. My parents are out there somewhere, but where is anyone's guess, their loss I reckon," he shrugged his shoulders and wandered off down the corridor.
"Totally, anyway your new foster mum is well hot," said Matt grinning.
"Matt that's so gross shut up," Alex smacked him on the back of the head and stalked off.
"Guys come on we don't have long, the room is right here," said Becca. She led them off to the right and headed into a dimly lit room.
A red velvet cordon kept the public away from the main exhibition in the middle of the room, which was a reconstructed Viking burial, complete with the remains of a long ship and a discoloured skeleton gripping a long rusty sword. Arrows directed them to go around clockwise so they went the opposite way.
"Oh my God this is so lame, it's like just a boat and some old pots," Sasha moaned. "Ew that's a dead body," she said pointing to the skeleton.
"How embarrassing for him," said Becca looking at the skeleton sadly.
"Yeah bet he never thought he would become the centre piece of a display," said Matt. "It's not very respectful is it? There he was all tucked up safe underground in his boat and the next he's got all his bits on display," he said.
"It's a fake you moron," said Alex laughing. "They are just trying to show you what it would look like. It's just plastic."
He shook his head and left them debating as to whether the skeleton was real or fake and wandered over to a small glass display case in the corner of the room. He felt drawn to it for some reason and his ears started to buzz drowning out their arguing. He shook his head to clear it and scanned the questions on the worksheet in his hand. It was very dark in the room and there was a crackly recording of someone chanting in a language he didn't recognise. He held the sheet up to the light in the case so he could read it.
"Copy the runes on the gold torc and the translation provided," he read out loud.
"We could have like Googled this and stayed in the cafe," Matt muttered over Alex's shoulder.
"Hey this is cool, just think some guy was wearing this over a thousand years ago. This is hard core old, bet it has a few stories to tell," said Alex.
"Yeah, like how many poor kids have to stare at it and write down useless crap," said Sasha over Alex's other shoulder.
"Do you reckon it belonged to the dead guy over there?" asked Matt.
"You write and I'll read it out," said Alex irritably.
The bright light from the cabinet was making his eyes hurt and he felt the burning need to get out of the room and into some fresh air. The repetitive chanting was getting on his nerves now.
Alex studied the torc closely and he could clearly see the runes etched deeply into the gold. They seemed to stand out to him and glowed a dim yellow. His eyes glazed over and he intoned in a low voice.
"When day becomes night and the sword of Tyrfing is wielded by the last born son of Porr, Hel shall be cast down and will no longer be able to wreak havoc ever again."
The lights in the room flickered off and on and an icy blast of air washed over them.
"Brrr ok that's creepy," said Matt nervously looking around.
"It's just the air con regulating. They need to keep the artifacts at a certain temperature," said Becca peering into the glass case.
"Alex what were you reading? This card doesn't say anything about a sword," she said looking at the notes she had just scribbled down.
Alex shook his head, he felt sick and dizzy and his legs felt wobbly.
"What are you on about? I just read it out," he said looking closely at the torc. The light had stopped reflecting off the runes and Alex could barely make out the scratching’s engraved in the gold.
"Hmm that's weird," he said glancing at the card pinned next to the torc.
The inscribed torc remains the subject of a considerable amount of academic interest. There are a number of theories as to the origin, the most prevalent being that the torc contains a prophecy and belonged to a Volva (Nordic term for a witch) who practiced Seidr (magic) in the 9th century a.d.
The actual translation is impossible to complete but academics have identified the runes for the words
"When day....night", "....last born son of Porr" and "Hel...havoc".
Porr is one of the names given to the Norse God Thor and Hel is the Goddess who rules over Helheim, the underworld.
Alex grabbed Becca's notebook and read what she had written.
"Well I guess I got carried away and filled in the blanks," he said jokingly making his way to the door. He had no idea what had just happened and was keen to get out of the room.
"Hold up, we haven't finished the rest of the sheet yet," said Becca who was making her way over to the other side of the room where there was the partial remains of a Viking helmet and iron cauldron in a dimly lit display case.
"I'm done, come on let's get out of here, we can Google the rest on the coach," said Alex over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.
"Wait up, I'm coming," called Matt as he stuffed his worksheet back into his bag. "Girls you coming or what?" he added.
"Might as well, this room is well creepy. I hate museums, they smell funny," said Sasha tossing her bag over her shoulder.
The four students made their way back to the entrance to the museum and joined some of the others from their class.
"Hey Sasha," called over Pete Parsons. Alex looked over to see a slim, short boy with curly back hair and glasses waving at Sasha.
"You're coming tonight right? I'll meet you by the gate at eleven thirty," he said winking.
"Oh my God I totally forgot. You guys just have to come," she cried excitedly grabbing Alex and Matt by the arm.
"You too Becca," she added. "This is going to be awesome," she said jumping up and down on the balls of her feet.
"What's going on tonight?" asked Alex moving back warily out of Sasha's reach.
"Like Pete heard old man Withers talking to Miss Franklin about a ceremony or something going on tonight at the henge. It's like super secret or something and he told her to bring the myrrh oil. They are so going to have a sex party or something. A bunch of us are going up there to record them," she said grinning.
"Are you serious? Old man Withers? What is this some sort of Scooby Doo movie? They are not going to get away with it cos of us pesky kids," laughed Matt.
"Who the hell says things like that, eh Da
phne?" he asked.
"He's the creepy school janitor, the name fits perfectly thank you ....Shaggy," she retorted.
"Nah, I'm more of a Fred, the cool one," replied Matt smoothing back his hair with both of his hands.
"Stop goofing around you two, what henge are you on about?" asked Alex.
"You haven't been to the henge? Seriously?" asked Becca.
"Obviously, if I have no idea what you are on about," said Alex irritably. He hated feeling like an outsider. He had been living with his current foster family for a couple of weeks and had yet to explore the surrounding countryside.
"You've been at our school for like a year now," said Sasha. "How can you not have seen the henge?"
"Where is it?" he asked.
"Lokson's valley, this side of the river. You've been living over the other side so I'm not surprised you haven't come across it," said Matt.
"This sad boy doesn't get out much. He's pretty good at Minecraft though, made a whole town and everything...super geek!" said Matt ducking the punch Alex aimed in his direction.
"Minecraft is cool, I've got my own server and everything," said Becca shyly.
"Shut up," said Sasha waving her arms around.
"This is like Geekville, get me outta here," she moaned.
"Seriously? What's your avatar name?" asked Alex turning his back to Sasha.
"Darkangelxx1," said Becca gigging nervously.
"No way, you're Darkangel? That is so awesome, you totally trashed Hellxboys house."
"Oh my God you saw that? He was totally stalking me, creepy kid. What's your avatar?" asked Becca excitedly.
"Guys you can out geek each other later, are you coming tonight or what? Pete's snagged some beers from his dad's fridge, we can have a bit of a party," asked Sasha.
"Yeah sure why not?" said Alex looking at Becca out of the corner of his eye.
"You're coming too right?" he asked.
"Sure could be fun," she answered shyly.
"Most excellent, dudes," cried Matt looping his arms over Alex and Becca's shoulders.
"And I'm the geek? Someone's been watching too much Bill and Ted," laughed Alex as he made his way out of the museum towards the coach.
He was glad to be out in the fresh air and he raised his head to the sky, which was now bright blue with a smattering of wispy clouds. He felt great and took a deep breath. Finally, a date with Becca. Ok Sasha would be there too but he was sure Matt could work his charms and win her over.
Chapter Three
Alex glanced at the clock on his bedside table; it was a quarter past eleven. He took a last look at himself in the mirror. Yep looking good, he thought to himself. You couldn't go wrong with jeans and a plain white t-shirt. The t-shirt clung to his broad chest and he flexed his muscles. He had no idea why he had such a good physique. He rarely went to the gym. "Oh yeah, I'm just a freakin god," he said peering into the mirror and ruffling up his hair. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Must be Matt, he thought to himself.
"Hello, this is the God of Awesomeness speaking, mister I have totally got a better six pack than you," Alex answered still playing with his hair in the mirror.
"Er, Alex?" asked a female voice.
"What the?..." Alex stammered looking closely at the caller ID. Unknown number was displayed.
"Alex is that you? It's Becca."
Alex swore quietly to himself and butted his head against the mirror.
"Hey Becca, sorry about that, I thought it was Matt," he said wincing.
"Well I should hope so, I know I've put on some weight but I don't have a six pack," she laughed.
"What's up, are you still on for tonight?" Alex asked looking at his watch.
"Sure, I was just wondering if you still were and if you could meet me at my house? It's a bit dark out there and I don't want to walk there on my own," she replied.
Alex cursed his stupidity, of course he should have thought of that himself.
"Of course, are you ready? I'll swing by now," he said.
"Yep, I'm good to go. It's the house on the corner of Eddington Road, number 42."
"Cool I'll be there in a sec." Alex hung up the phone and collapsed onto his bed.
What an idiot, he thought to himself covering his face with his hands. He rubbed his eyes, sat up and grabbed his leather jacket from the hook on the back of his door. He paused on the landing checking to see if he could hear anything from his foster parents bedroom. All was quiet and he slipped down the stairs and carefully shut the front door behind him. He looked up at the sky. It was a clear night and hundreds of stars winked down on him. He took a deep breath, messed up his hair a final time tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and strode off in the direction of Becca's house.
She was waiting on the corner, looking about nervously.
"Quick, let's get out of here. My mum will kill me if she finds out," she said walking off down the road before he had even reached her.
"I think she's asleep but I didn't check, I just snuck out," she whispered looking towards the top front window of her house.
"Where are we meeting the others?" Alex asked as he jogged up behind her.
"By the main entrance to the henge. There's a wooden gate, we'll have to climb over it," she replied walking quickly.
"This should be interesting, bet Sasha's wearing a skirt and heels," Alex laughed.
"You do know it's all an act? She's actually really intelligent and aces all her subjects," said Becca.
"Really? Why the blonde bimbo act then?" asked Alex.
"She can't bear the thought of people thinking she's a geek. She wants to be one of the popular ones, all made up, wearing the latest fashion, you know what I mean?" she said.
"Yeah you get a gang of them in every school, along with the nerds, geeks, nearly popular ones and the normals," said Alex crossing over the road.
"So what are you then?" asked Becca looking at Alex sideways. She was jogging now to keep up with his long stride.
"Ha, I said it earlier, I am the God of Awesomeness, I don't fit into any category, I make my own," he said winking at Becca.
"Yeah right," Becca giggled brushing against his arm and pushing him off the path.
"Anyway what's tonight all about?" asked Alex wishing he had the courage to take Becca's hand. He was pretty sure she was into him but he didn't want to make a move too early until he was sure.
"Well it's the summer solstice tonight, I Googled it earlier. I guess it has something to do with that. Probably some druid ritual," said Becca.
"Yeah where they sacrifice a new born baby and drink its blood, mwah ha haaaa," Alex laughed.
"I think Sasha wants to catch Miss Franklin in a compromising position. These pagan rights normally get a bit you know...." Becca said nudging Alex on the arm again.
Alex grinned "We have so got to get this on video and put it on Instagram."
"No way, we would get expelled," said Becca shaking her head.
"Been there seen it done it, never got the year book as I never managed to make it to the end of the year."
"Really?” I thought you were the God of Awesomeness, you know Mister Perfect?" she laughed.
"That's right, too awesome to be told what to do. Let's just say I had a few issues growing up," he said.
"You over that now then?" she asked.
"I think my last foster family would say no...I still have a few issues," he said shrugging his shoulders.
"What did you do?" she asked looking at him curiously. He didn't look like a troublemaker.
"I have a bit of a sleep walking problem," he said.
"They kicked you out because you slept walked?" she asked incredulous.
"Well it was a bit more than that. The last time when they found me my feet were covered in blood and I had a kitchen knife in my hand,"
"Crikey, where were you?"
"In the baby’s room looking in the crib,"
Becca stopped in her tracks looking horrified.
"Nah
just kidding," Alex laughed holding up his hands.
"Thank god, you had me going there, that's not funny," she said relieved.
"I did sleepwalk a lot, I just don't think they could handle having a moody teenager in the house anymore. Anyway they called in social services, said it wasn't working and I got moved onto the Bakers. Pretty lucky they are more or less in the same area. Let's just say I've been around." Alex sighed. He really hoped he didn't mess up this time. Though creeping around the woods with a young, pretty girl wasn't going to get him any points. He grinned wryly to himself and looked up into the distance. He hadn't realised they had walked so far. They were following a grassy path running between dense overhanging trees. Luckily there was a pretty full moon so they could see where they were going easily.
"Really glad you picked me up. I'm not sure about this now. It's a bit creepy," said Becca sidling closer to Alex.
"Hey don't worry, my godlike powers of awesomeness will protect you," he grinned.
They came to a wooden gate at the end of the path and looked around for the others.
"What's the time?" asked Becca.
Alex looked at his watch. "Eleven thirty, they should be here by now."
The sound of someone giggling made Alex look up and peer into the bushes.
"Dudes if you are going to jump out on us, you need to be a bit more ninja than that," called out Alex.
"Sasha you are so lame. That would have been so funny," moaned Matt from behind a tree.
"I couldn't help it sorry. I think it's nervous laughter. I'm really not sure we should be here now," said Sasha emerging from behind a large leafy bush.
"Where's Pete?" asked Alex looking around.
"Behind you," whispered a gravelly voice in Alex's ear. Alex jumped and whipped around, grabbing Pete by the throat.
"Hey man easy there, it's only me," Pete gasped trying to prise loose from Alex's steely hold on his neck.
Alex released his hold and Pete bent over double coughing and spluttering. When he recovered he stood up and pushed his glasses back up his nose.
The Cursed Sword (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 1) Page 2
