Chapter One

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  “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back"

  Claudia Lambert stood angry but silent at the window overlooking downtown Copenhagen. She took in the great blue of the sky and the dark waters of the sea harbor rolling below it. Boats bobbled up and down and on the streets people walked and cars honked and the world below was alive and active. But she stood very still letting the Dean’s last words wash over her.

  “But the question of the Kensington Rune was settled some time ago,” she stated matter of factly as she turned to face Dean Hendriksen once again. “Why I go now, when I am making such great progress with my thesis?” Six years of progress toward her doctorate and suddenly a detour.

  “I know you are disappointed at the interruption of your work. However, new questions have come up and we feel with your expertise in the study of Vikings that only you could make sense of them. And, perhaps, this additional investigation will add a depth and new dimension to your area of studies,” he said from his position as Dean of her college. Then with familiar kindness he added, “You haven’t been back to the States for some time now, wouldn’t you like to go and touch base with old friends and family?” His deeply weather-lined face stood in dark contrast to the bright silver hair that was, as always, neatly groomed. He was dressed in a traditionally tailored navy-blue pin-striped suit with his signature red handkerchief in the breast pocket. The embroidered initials HAH stoically sat directly above the line of his pocket as it was every single day he appeared at the University. Claudia took this all in while pushing her anger down so to keep control of her voice when she next spoke. “But Dean Hendriksen, I was just back in the U.S. only months ago. The Great Lakes mapping?” How could he forget that? He had tried every way he could to dissuade her from meeting with the cartographers in Buffalo, New York. She had gone anyway. The Dean had not been pleased. Neither were the members of her doctoral committee. Their disapproval had not made any sense to her at the time. Even her advisor, Jan Heidemann, had attempted to manipulate her research into a different direction than Claudia intended and several arguments had ensued.

  “This trip would be with my blessing. It might also give you a new perspective on your thesis,” he coaxed. “The Committee has agreed that this could be valuable new information. There is grant money for all your expenses and here is the prospectus with the new information and your contacts at the University of Minnesota,” and he pushed a black folder across his large, immaculate mahogany desk towards her. “Your plane ticket is in there and you are leaving tomorrow afternoon. Mrs. Grosshans will have someone at the airport to pick you up. A meeting is scheduled for the following morning with the researchers…” The Dean glanced up at Claudia who was staring at him darkly. “Oh, I guess you can read it all in there. Well, good luck with it all. We believe you will have some interesting results from all of this. I will see you on your return, whenever that should be,” and he reached out to shake her hand in a formal way which with all of their past history together seemed to Claudia quite unnatural. Claudia shook his hand and looked at him intently before picking up the folder and walking out the door into the busy corridor beyond.

  The Dean rose from his chair and now stood in Claudia’s place at the window looking down on Copenhagen. He walked quickly back to his desk after seeing Claudia reach her car and drive away. “Okay. She is on her way to her flat. Make sure you are on that flight with her tomorrow afternoon. I want to know who she speaks with, what she buys, what she eats, her every movement. Once she’s in the U.S. we need to keep her there and away from Roskilde. If she keeps on this it could be the undoing of centuries of western history. Do what you need to do,” and the Dean snapped his cell phone shut. He sat with his head in his hands for several minutes and then pulled his red handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped away the few tears that had run down his face. “Oh, dear girl, you have no idea what your road will lead you to if you are not stopped. You must be stopped.”

  Claudia drove directly to the business office of the Living Institute. She hoped that friend and mentor, Heidi Hansen, was alone in her office. She was. “Well hallo. Did I space off an appointment with you? Again?” she laughed her deep booming laugh. But caught herself up short looking at Claudia’s serious expression. “Honey, what is it? Please, come in, and sit,” Heidi came towards Claudia and while holding her arm steered her towards an overstuffed blue leather chair. “You look positively stricken. What has happened?”

  “The University is sending me back to Minnesota. To oversee a new research study on the Kensington Rune!” Claudia was indignant. “Such a waste of time! Why now? I am so close to the heart of my thesis theory.” Claudia looked forlorn. As she did when she first came to the Living Institute a newly arrived young, wide-eyed student in Copenhagen some eight years ago, Heidi mused to herself. Claudia’s blonde hair and blue eyes gave one the false impression that she belonged to the city or at least to the country or maybe from Sweden, and no one could know by looking at her that she was from a small town in the Midwestern state of Nebraska in the United States. That was until she opened her mouth and began to speak, well, then the truth was out. Heidi had immediately befriended the quiet, bright eyed young lady and through her guidance and classes Claudia had learned enough of the culture in Copenhagen to call the city her home. In exchange for the culture lessons she received from the Institute, Claudia donated her time to teach Danish employees the ways and whys of the region in North America that they were moving to for work related reasons. For her first six years in Copenhagen, Claudia had spent almost as much time at the Institute as she did in her own office at the University of Copenhagen. But that had changed over the past two years as her thesis theory began to take on a life of its own and demanded more and more of Claudia’s waking time. In truth she dreamt about it too.

  “I think it is a ruse. I think they are trying to slow me down if not to stop me altogether from pursuing my research. After the mapping fiasco, I was contacted recently by an anthropologist from Harvard University who had learned of a cave in southern Mexico that I might be interested in taking a look at,” Claudia stopped and smiled at Heidi’s look of bewilderment. The culture instructor was still grasping at what the Kensington Rune was. “I know, I know. What in the world could a cave in Mexico have to do with Vikings? But, there is talk of paintings there of a red-haired man again, so I answered him that I would indeed like to see the cave and was making preparations to go when I received the call from the Dean asking me to come by and speak with him. I think my office phone is bugged. Probably my cell, too.”

  “Oh, now conspiracy theories?” Heidi laughed. But then her expression turned serious. Her hand subconsciously toyed with the piece of amber on a delicate chain around her neck. “You may be right. They seem to know about your travel intentions almost before you do.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Yes. Then the Dean informs me that the Committee has asked that I oversee this new research on the Kensington Rune.” Claudia, no longer seated in the comfort of the blue leather chair, was pacing around Heidi’s spacious office. “What do you think? Should I ignore the Committee and go to Mexico? I have to see that cave. Just the little bit of information I received, I have to see it for myself. It could be very important. The Harvard professor said the stories from the villagers say the red-haired man was there.”

  Heidi sat quietly, her slender hands folded on her desk. She then began to play with the simply designed sapphire ring on her left hand. After a few moments of silence between them she spoke. “I don’t need to tell you that you are walking a dangerous line here with the Committee. They have tried in many little discreet ways to redirect your research. And that only fuels your desire to continue to follow it. Even with my little bit of knowledge about your work, well, we both know you are on the road of something important. However,” Heidi paused and waved her right hand in the air towards the direction of the University building, “they do control the purse strings that fund your research. You must find a way to do both. Go to Minnesota and see this Kensington Rune and then go to Mexico, too. Use someone else’s telephone to make your travel arrangements for Mexico. Move around. Don’t stay in any one place for very long. Go visit your relatives in Nebraska. Go back to Minnesota. Go down to Mexico, go back to Minnesota. Whatever you need from me, my friend, you just ask me,” and the plump, dark haired woman was on her feet and over to her friend’s side in a quick moment. She took Claudia’s hands in her own and looked into her face. “You know you must keep on this path. You are discovering hidden truths. Even I am excited about what you’re doing. Isn’t your adopted Native American mother and family living in Minnesota now? See there, you’ve got help waiting and willing already in place. You can do both of these things. I know you. You can do this.” Heidi’s bright green eyes sparkled and her short bobbed brown hair bounced up and down with excitement that was barely containable. “Where in Mexico would this cave be near? I have a family in Campeche on the Yucatan Peninsula and another in Mexico City. Is it near either of these locales? If it is in the northern part of Mexico I will have to contact someone in Texas or Arizona for you.” Heidi sat down again behind her chic glass and metal desk and looked questionably at Claudia.

  Claudia laughed at her friend’s exuberance. “Is there anywhere in this whole wide world that you don’t have friends or a family? There is no one like you, Heidi Hansen, and I am so thankful for your friendship. The few things I do know about this cave is that it is considered to be in Mayan territory and it is not too far from the Palenque ruins. In fact, one of the restoration experts working under Juan Alfonso of the Palenque Project discovered the cave while traveling to the Guatemalan village of Piedras Negras. Mr. Alfonso was seeking a Mayan shaman who could perform a ceremony allowing the removal of several Incensarios from Palenque for restoration. It appears his man found the right shaman who gave him more than he had asked for. So, is Palenque near either of your families?”

  Heidi opened up a large world atlas book and located the pages of the map of Mexico. “Well, here is Campeche and let’s see…” she flipped to the back of the book and found Palenque in the index, “oh, here we go.” Heidi ran her finger down the page to Palenque and its reference location and flipped the pages back to where her finger held her place for Mexico. “Palenque. Right here. Oh, yes, it’s not too far from Campeche. But oh, Claudia, it’s right smack dab in the middle of the state of Chiapas. That’s where the Zapatistas have been fighting. It’s a war zone there.” Heidi looked up at her friend. “It is a very dangerous place. Especially for a white woman, alone.”

  Claudia picked up her purse and paused at the door. “Let’s take a walk.” Out on the street the air was cool and the crowd was talking and laughing all around them.

  “This city is so alive. I think I will miss it very much. Let’s stop for smorrebrod and coffee.” Claudia smiled over at her friend and the two walked arm in arm up Vaernedamsvej Street towards their favorite off the beaten track café. Locating a small white table under a tree they settled into comfortable chairs and gave their order to a young man who spoke with a heavy French accent.

  “I think I’ll take back some control of this day right now.” And with that proclamation, Claudia pulled out her cell phone and pulled up a number for the University of Minnesota. “Yes. May I be connected to Mrs. Grosshans in the archaeology department please? Thank you.” Heidi watched her with a slight smile. “Hello Mrs. Grosshans. This is Claudia Lambert at the University of Copenhagen. I am very well, thank you. Mrs. Grosshans, there will be no need to arrange for someone to pick me up at the airport tomorrow evening. Oh, no, I haven’t changed my plans as far as coming to the United States. It is just that I have made arrangements for my own car. That is all. Thank you. I will contact you after I have arrived. Goodbye.”

  The French speaking waiter had returned with their plates heaped with little piles of marinated herring, smoked salmon, several types of cheeses and slices of rye bread along with steaming mugs of coffee. “Merci,” Heidi beamed at the waiter and then she dove into an animated conversation with the young boy in his home language. Heidi finished their conversation by handing him her business card and added in English, “and please, come and sign up for the class as soon as you are able. They fill up very quickly with new students starting their term in just a few weeks.” She then turned her attention back to Claudia.

  “You are always working! And yes, I speak French, but there is no way I could keep up with that stream! I assume he is new to Copenhagen? Let’s talk about all the things I shall miss while I’m away from here, like that,” and Claudia’s mood shifted into one of mischief as she watched two handsome business men walk past their table, deep in conversation. One was taking long sips from a bottle of beer. He turned his head and looked back and caught both women watching him with smiles on their faces. He smiled in return, winked and resumed the conversation with his companion, never missing a beat in his long stride. The women laughed at themselves for being so obvious and caught at it and turned their conversation to a night not too long ago spent at the Rust Nightclub drinking Pussy Galore cocktails. After several cups of coffee and lots of laughter Claudia glanced at her watch. “Thank you for this, but I need to get going, packing and all. I’ll be in touch after I get a feel for what is really going on in Minnesota. If you would contact your family in Campeche for me that would be great. Give me the information about them through email please.”

  “But promise me you will not go to Mexico alone,” Heidi stated in her most serious voice. “Promise me.”

  “I promise. I’ll take someone along. But I was under the impression that things had settled down in that part of Mexico months ago.” It was more of a question than a statement. Walking back to Heidi’s office on the old cobbled streets along the harbor front, Claudia caught glimpses of the Amalienborg Palace.

  “I see the Queen is in today,” Claudia nodded towards the royal flag bearing the Queen’s colors and royal coat of arms. “Shall I go and say good-bye?” Both women laughed at the thought and continued arm in arm down the street. They hugged farewell outside of the Living Institute front doorway and Heidi stood by watching as Claudia strode away towards her car. Claudia turned and waved and then she was gone. Heidi watched as a cruise ship slowly was anchoring in Langelinje harbor. Several young people were lounging along the harbor front, drinking bottles of beer and soaking up the sunlight, legs dangling over the seawall. I love this city, Heidi thought to herself and went back into her office.