Heart of a Berserker: Trust (School of Dragons)

Chapter 3

"You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things." - Nate Berkus

Chapter 3

Months passed. Gobber finally built a classroom and dorms, which provided better shelter than an igloo. More students also began to arrive. Many of them turned to me for help since I was a veteran on the island. It was a nice change of pace.

I continued to work with Skulder the archaeologist. Every few weeks we would find another tablet that fit into the petroglyph until, at last, we found a piece that led to an amazing discovery. I recognized the image on the most recent stone, and like we had in the past, we made our way to the correct location.

I led the way through the ice caves I had discovered early on, stopping in front of the statue depicted in the image. Behind the statue lay a deep, dark tunnel blocked by a thick layer of ice.

"Impressive work, Brennda!" Skulder said. "You would make a fine archaeologist. I should recruit you for my next expedition. Let's explore deeper down this ice tunnel. The passage is blocked by a thick wall of ice. I don't suppose you have a torch or some heat source that could melt it?"

"I've got something better," I said. I turned to my trusty Skill, who stood by my side. "Bolt, do you want to see what you can do?"

I swear I saw the dragon grin before he let loose one of his lightning bolts, exploding the ice into tiny pieces.

"Absolutely brilliant! I am not used to receiving help from dragons. It's marvelous watching you and Bolt work together. Onward, my friend! Follow the passage into the depths."

It pleased me to see that Skulder was slowly learning to accept dragons. He still could not touch Bolt, but he tolerated his presence and did not look at him in fear. My thoughts were cut short when my friend suddenly stopped. Curious, I peered into the room before us.

"These must be the ruins of an ancient civilization. Astounding!" Skulder exclaimed. "Over there! Isn't it incredible that those buildings still stand strong after all these centuries? Let's investigate!"

I followed him as I took a long look at our surroundings. We were in what looked like a tiny village hidden away in a cave. There was something almost mystical about it, like we were stepping into the past. I could see why my friend enjoyed this work.

"These buildings are very well-preserved," Skulder said. "Unlike many Vikings buildings today, these buildings are mostly made out of stone. This city has been abandoned for thousands of years. I wonder what happened to the Vikings that lived here so long ago? There's an old ship here. Perhaps they sailed away?"

"Or they died off?" I suggested. I frowned when I realized I was being a bit too morbid.

But Skulder merely chuckled. "Solving the mysteries of the past is what archaeologists do. I have so many questions! What were the ancient Vikings like? Where did they go? Why did they leave? So many mysteries to uncover! It's what archaeologists live for, and we've only scratched the surface. Let's keep going."

We continued to explore the ancient city together. There were many wonderful paintings that told stories of the past. And a statue of a Groncicle suggested the Vikings who lived there were friendly with dragons! We came to a stop, however, when we reached a stone door.

"It looks like this door was designed like a puzzle, with rotating circular parts," Skulder said. "Once a key is placed in this slot, the door should open. We must find the key if we want to proceed. In the meantime, I must record our findings in my journal. We have much research to do!"