Riding on Whispers (the Wolfegang series Book 3) (13 page)

“There is no program for this language. I ran it through the computer, but it wasn’t able to recognize the source.”

I chewed on my lip as I thought. “That’s inconvenient. Let me see if I can sort some of this other stuff out.”

He nodded and handed me his tablet. “This is what I’ve got so far, but it’s not much.”

Something about the symbol, the country, or city looked familiar, like a name on the tip of the tongue that I just couldn’t figure out.

I put aside his tablet and pulled the map closer. “Do you have a magnifying glass or something?”

Wolfe handed me a heavy object I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t quite a magnifying glass, but it did the same thing, except that it was digital. I could zoom in and out to see more, like on a digital picture.

I placed it over the symbol on the map, and that feeling tickled my brain again. I almost had it. Why did it look so familiar? I zoomed to the largest frame and just stared at it.

Nothing. I sat back, annoyed. I drank my coffee as I thought. Wolfe stared at me. I could see him in my peripheral vision. He seemed confused with his brow furrowed, but he didn’t look like he was going to interrupt my thought process.

Smart man.

I looked at all of the inscriptions around the map – pitiful map that it was – and searched for a clue. There had to be a base language, the one that came first and not the ones that were added for translation. The only English bit was in Wolfe’s handwriting and it said, “Not part of history.” He must’ve translated the Japanese phrase.

What did that mean? It was so frustrating because I felt like I should know what it was trying to imply. I looked through the inscriptions again, and this time my eyes snagged on something interesting.

“Runes? There are runes on this map.” I showed Wolfe what I was talking about. I could almost feel each piece slide precisely into place as I remembered reading a book on runes in college.

“These marks here are runes, and they look like real runes, not something from Tolkien, but Goth maybe? The Goth alphabet was lost.” I looked closer. “And there are only two symbols here. It has to be a name of something, or a description of this picture.” I pointed to the drawing of what he thought was a sculpture. “And the drawing here, it’s actually a pendant. It was originally made of silver and worn by a priestess I can’t remember the name of, but she was renowned at the time.”

Excitement crept into my voice and I bounced in my chair as the pieces fell into place. Wolfe looked at each item I’d pointed at but there was no comprehension in his eyes.

Discouraged, I asked, “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”

“You are starting to enter scholar territory. I wouldn’t know any of this. And this bit here,” he said, pointing to the runes I’d mentioned, “is so ancient I’m not even sure it’s taught in any curriculum anymore. Ricky would know more about it than I. Maybe I should go get him.”

Wolfe started to get up, but I grabbed his wrist to stop him. “No! I mean, uh, wait, because I’m being a little vague. You have to know about Vikings, right?” I wanted him to understand why it was so interesting.

He smiled then. “Yes, of course. The great warriors of our ancestors. We were taught at my academy of their fearlessness in battle.”

I was confused. “The military taught you this?”

“Yes. Normal civilians don’t care to know how to fight battles or how to win wars. My particular instructor had a flair for honor throughout the ages. So I learned of King Arthur and his knights, the Vikings, Samurais, and gladiators.”

I chewed on my lip as I looked back at the runes. “Well, that’s something at least. What did they tell you?”

“Their fighting styles, their wars, and what they did when they failed; what happened to them when they died.”

“Yes! The Vikings go to Valhalla right?”

He frowned. “Yes…what are you getting at, Kat? This is getting tedious.”

Annoyed that he would consider my attempts to get him to understand, tedious, I was about to snap a reply, but something caught my attention.

“Hold on,” I said softly as a thought hit me.

I took his tablet and entered Vikings into the search engine. It came up with the same usual stuff, blah, blah, and things I already knew. “Can this search pictures?” I asked, frustrated at having to search through each page.

“Yes, take a picture and press search; it’ll cross reference all the pictures that are available on the database.” Wolfe took the tablet from me and set it up so all I had to do was press enter. My lack of new technology know-how was apparently getting to him.

I took the picture quickly and pressed search. There were only three results.

“I knew it,” I breathed. “It’s Brisingamen.”

“Brisingamen.” He paused. “And what is that?” Wolfe asked, sounding frustrated. He frowned at me. It seemed it was all a little too much for him to take in.

“Did you run the map through the database? Do you have any idea where this is?” I asked. I looked through his notes impatiently. He wasn’t answering me fast enough.

“What is Brisingamen, Kat?”

I stopped and stared at him, completely frustrated that he wasn’t catching on. “What it is, Captain, is something that won’t be deserved if you do not appreciate
exactly
what it is. Whatever you were told about this map is wrong, but you’re getting something so much better than you thought. We won’t be searching for a stupid golden statue, but a piece of jewelry so beautiful that it was given a name: Brisingamen.”

The confusion in his face cleared, replaced by understanding and annoyance. The annoyance was equally returned on my part. I couldn’t believe how much modern humans didn’t know about their own culture.

I pointed to the symbol again. “This is the sign of a deity. Not for the deity herself, but for her necklace that she wore at all times. There was a lot of scandal surrounding it. Freyja, the wife of Odin – the all-father – was the goddess of love, lust, sorcery, beauty, war, and death.” I started talking with my hands. I’d taken a few classes on mythology in college and told him the myth from memory. “The story says that she was passing by a stone where dwarves lived, and saw four of them constructing the most beautiful necklace that ever existed. She offered them anything, any amount of gold they could want, but that’s not what they wanted. They told her if she slept with each one on a separate night, only then could she have it. Four days later she came home with Brisingamen, crafted by the most skilled metal smiths in the Yggdrasil, or ‘world tree.’ It was crafted with precious, priceless jewels and gems; silver and gold. Supposedly it has powers, but I don’t think that’s why you want it.” I eyed him. It couldn’t possibly be real, but if it was something even close, it would be gorgeous.

“Are you going to sell it?” I demanded to know.

“What else would I do with an artifact?” Wolfe retorted. “I have no use for it, no reason to keep it, especially if I can get money for it that would take care of my ship and crew for who knows how long. What would you have me do with it?” he asked. The lines on his forehead deepened.

I realized my question made him angry.

I stood up and looked at him, trying to keep a leash on my temper. I had to remind myself that he was brought up differently. That he wouldn’t, and could never understand.

“What would I have you do with it?” I repeated his question, sarcasm dripping from each word. “I don’t know, Captain. It’s your map, your piece of history. I just want you to realize what it could mean if it really is the legendary necklace.” I paced as my anger grew. If the necklace was real, what else in our supposed mythology was real? How could he not see what all this could
mean
?

“What else could be out there?” I asked, trying to get him to see what I was trying to get at. “Wouldn’t you find it at all useful if it has the protective powers the rumors mention? No, you only see how much it is worth, how much you could sell it for. Do you view everything that way?” I stopped pacing, crossed my arms, and glared at him. “What am I worth then? How easily could I be sold?”

I’d lost control. The anger had me shaking. Words poured out of my mouth; words I’d never meant to say out loud, and they cracked like a whip through the room. My insecurity was like a gaping hole that I couldn’t escape, I kept slipping into it. Ever since I’d set foot on the ship and become crew, I’d questioned my purpose, and my value. If I wasn’t worth my weight aboard the ship…would I become just as useless as an artifact, regardless of the value? If Wolfe couldn’t use it, he wouldn’t keep it. The realization of how incredibly heartless he could be rippled through me. My chest heaved with my rapid breathing, and I seethed.

Wolfe’s mouth hung slightly open, surprise and hurt coloring his features, but I didn’t care. I wanted him to tell me exactly what he thought of me, even if I had to provoke it out of him.

“Tell me, sir, how quickly would you use me? If I’m not worth much, would you toss me overboard like useless cargo for a few meals? Tell me!” My fists smashed into the table, and papers flew.

His silence stretched, and it tore at me. I was breaking inside, my shattered heart and mind seeping like an infected wound. Being abandoned and then tortured left me aching for answers. My questions pressed in on my insecurities, the wounds you couldn’t see, and made the sores ooze and weep.

What was I worth?

Wolfe lurched out of his chair and grabbed me by my biceps, his grip tight, but it didn’t hurt enough to cut through my haze. He shook me, and I tried to get free, but he was a lot stronger than I was. He was
touching
me. After everything he’d seen, could he really be so stupid? I couldn’t move at all, even when I struggled like a wild animal, kicking and screaming.

“Kat, just stop and listen.”

I didn’t want to. I just wanted him to let go of me. The
audacity
he had.

“Katerina, listen!” he roared.

His voice cut through the chattering voices in my head, the questions that repeated over and over. They all hushed as Wolfe forced me to look into his eyes, his fingers holding and lifting my chin up with force. I jerked my chin out of his grasp, but didn’t look away.

It was then that I realized I was crying. Stupid, silent tears streamed down my face and blurred my vision. Everything was clouded by the haze of anger that had quickly turned to a sick rage. His green eyes pierced through me, and I couldn’t look away. I had to know what I was worth to him, and for once, I wasn’t going to run from the question. There was only so much I could hide.

My voice cracked as I spoke, “I’m listening, sir.”

He looked so sad, watching me as I fell apart. The tenuous strings were so frayed they were finally ripping. I’d been holding myself together, ignoring the pain, and the gates had broken against the pressure.

I felt lost.

“Katerina, I’m not quite sure why you think I would get rid of you. It’s a ludicrous idea you’ve had since I met you.” He slowly let go of me, as if he were afraid I’d run. “For the last time, I’m not going to turn you in. I’m not going to sell or trade you, and I’m not going to leave you behind.”

My arms hung at my sides, feeling useless. “Why?” It was a simple question, but there were so many possible answers. I wasn’t sure I could hear any of them, but I had to. “Why?” I repeated.

Wolfe sighed then, and my stomach dropped with a sick feeling. What was he going to say to me? He was waiting for the right moment to use me. I knew it. And now I would have the confirmation I so desperately looked for.

“Katerina.” He brushed the hair out of my face very gently, and the way he said my name – it was almost soothing. “I’m not sure why,” Wolfe said. “I just know that you’re my family now, my crew, and you’re quickly becoming someone we can trust to keep us alive.”

I eyed him speculatively. “Is that all? I’m supposed to what, just
believe
you?”

He watched my stormy, grey eyes carefully. I knew what he saw: roiling clouds, dark, and ready to let loose a nasty blizzard. I could hide everything I felt, but my eyes always betrayed me. If someone could stand to look into them, they could see the tempest, but it was my only tell. Most of the time, people didn’t have the stomach to look me straight in the eyes.

People usually found the grey too unsettling.

Wolfe stepped a tiny bit closer. “You don’t have to believe me, but I would like you to. I’ve no idea what you’ve been through, only what I witnessed these past few weeks. I think you should know that I can wait as long as I need to.”

“For my trust?” I shook like a leaf from all the emotions, and I had no control. I hated it. Wolfe could be so disarming. Right now he was gentle and honest. The last thing I expected after screaming at him.

“For your trust, for you to heal, for the possibility that one day you might see me as more than just your Captain.”

My heart stopped and I was as still as death while I processed what he was telling me. What
exactly
was he saying?

If Wolfe saw my inner panic, he didn’t let it show. “Please, just remember that. I can always be just a friend, your Captain, or whatever you need me to be, Katerina.” He moved slowly forward, and then he kissed my forehead softly; innocent and sweet.