The Collector | 18+

【15】Ludicrous Theories

Once I reached my shared office, I sat behind my desk after greeting Ian and Ingrid. Things were changing again, since I might lose Haakon's sword soon, so I reopened my older files, dismissing the ones I'd worked on the day before. I had to make the exhibit work, even without a piece as stunning as the one Mr. Westergaard wanted to take away from me. Understandably, I wasn't allowed to use the items exposed in the permanent collection. But everything we had in the archive rooms was fair game.

The issue was that all the best artifacts, the ones with the most value, the ones that were interesting and well-preserved, were out of my reach. I'd contacted the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, as well as the House of Manannan on the Isle of Man, asking to borrow from their reserve. Both had replied positively, but I worried it would be the same there. The best pieces were taken, and I'd be left with the spare ones.

While I consulted the inventory on my computer, Mr. Westergaard's offer ran laps in my skull. What if he had, indeed, countless magnificent pieces? Although he was incredibly cocky, he didn't strike me as a liar or a fraud. He wasn't that kind of person. At least, I hoped he wasn't.

The most tempting thing was those documents he'd mentioned. Since Haakon Odinson was at the center of my exhibit, I needed all I could get about him, be it rumored belongings or written traces. If it was early enough, the design team could even work on that ballad he'd mentioned, and create a little animation about it, which could loop on one of the screens. I'd have to talk with the exhibition designer I'd been assigned to, to see what he thought of all this. But just like me, he'd found that the items I'd selected lacked a certain...punch.

It was all very nice and educational, but it wasn't the kind of exhibit that would have people coming back or strongly recommending it to others. No, it missed something special, an extra oomph.

Like that damned sword.

When lunch came, I was beginning to despair. I'd gone over the inventory I'd gotten from York, and I hadn't found anything interesting. At least, nothing that could fit the theme I'd chosen months ago. But I knew the theme was a good one—it was exciting, thrilling, even. Who wouldn't want to learn more about legendary heroes in Norse myths?

The idea of a man who was feared by all, rumored to be the direct son of a god was exhilarating. Tales and songs about Haakon claimed he fought with the strength of a hundred men, like a one-man army. I'd found traces of him scattered all over Europe, all the way to Iraq. And at an age where the average person barely traveled outside of their birthplace, let alone their country.

No, the theme was good. What I needed was better material, so I could show people just how exciting history could be.

Henry noticed my gloomy mood as we ate, so he attempted to cheer me up by telling me about his advances. The expert from Zurich hadn't analyzed the microscope pictures yet, but he'd already replied to say that the gems were of exquisite quality, worth a lot more than we'd even thought. The sapphires were flawless, each valued at ten thousand dollars or more.

While it didn't help much for our quest to understand the sword, it told us Haakon was extremely wealthy, as much as a king, if not more. Or, if it was all a scam, Annie McCaine had a small fortune hidden somewhere.

"I still think it's aliens, by the way," he said, opening his strawberry yogurt.

"Then you're wasting your time."

"Come on, mate, think about it."

"I am thinking about it, and it still doesn't make any sense. Why would superior beings come down here eleven centuries ago, forge two swords, hand them to some guy, and then leave?"

"But that's the thing. What if Haakon Odinson was, in fact, from another planet?"

Speechless, I stared at him. I blinked a few times, waiting for the rest of the joke, but nothing came. Henry was a relatively grounded man, but I wasn't sure if he was just being silly or if he truly believed this. We'd spoken about extraterrestrial life before, and we both agreed that given the infinity of space, we were far from being the only ones. But there was a big difference between acknowledging that we weren't the only planet with sentient life and arguing that some had visited and influenced us.