THE LOST VIKING SAGA

They rode past such great measure of ruination that when the caravan finally stopped before a considerably larger single stone structure, Olaf’s heart was heavy and his eyes ready to take in something other than the sad loss inflicted upon Barrow-in-Furness. The lorries were unloaded of their human cargo and rattled off toward some other section of the village. Olaf and his Norsemen followed a handful of soldiers, including the officers, and John’s group of scholars. They stopped before a stairway that descended deep into the ground. Mounted upon the walls lining the stairway every few paces were what could only be John’s flameless torches. The light they emitted was bright and cast few shadows other than those of the men who passed them.

Olaf made certain to walk near the men of his band who still clung to the old ways so that he may reassure them that they were not being lead into the mouth of Helheim. With Ebbn’s assistance, and Theobrand’s, he was able to calm their fears and urge them to continue down the steps. At the bottom of the stairway, they entered a narrow hall, doorways into unseen rooms staggered all along its length. At the second door, everyone entered a vast room, bustling with activity. The center of the room was dominated by a large table upon which was built a contoured map with pieces upon it showing positions of structures within the village. Olaf recognized the shape of the coastline where the Sea Prowler put ashore, as well as the ridge they had followed to arrive in the village. The sea was even represented on the map. Small representations of the large ships Olaf had observed with John were laid scattered across it and occasionally moved by a man with a stick to show what Olaf assumed was its most current position.

John instructed the Norsemen to find a place to sit along the walls of the room. When they were settled he pulled Olaf aside and said, “The officers in charge here want to spend some time talking with you. They want to make certain that you are not some Nazi trick meant to put them off their guard. I pray that this does not offend you, my friend.”

“There is no offense to be taken, John. If these Nazis are as crafty and destitute of morals as they seem, I would consider it a lapse of vigilance to accept us merely as we are. Remember, my friend, that I am a warrior. I am well versed in the methods men use to attempt to work their will upon others, albeit not quite the methods your officers may have experienced; although, the shed blood of those who follow you should cause any leader pause whatever the place in time.”

“Well spoken, Olaf. They are convening in a room through that door there,” said John indicating a door on the opposite side of the room. “Please, would you follow me?”

Before following, Olaf spoke to Ebbn briefly, asking him to explain his absence to the men and to assure Kalf that he was in no danger. With that taken care of, he fell into step behind John and two of the men who had ridden with them in the cart. They entered the room which was much smaller and furnished only with a long, wooden table around which were placed twelve unattractive, yet functional chairs. The officers were already seated. Olaf took a seat next to John, sitting straight and examining each of the officers, attempting to gauge their frame of mind. One of the men began to speak, waiting after each sentence for John to translate.

“My name is Colonel Worthington Brundige. I have heard briefly of your arrival here in Barrow-in Furness. It sounds like the makings of some great saga I read while in public school. I believe we are quite befuddled by your appearance. Why are you here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Olaf looked at the officer and spoke softly, not wanting to appear aggressive or antagonistic.

“I am known as Olaf Sigmund’s son. We were pursuing raiders who pillaged our lands. It was our intent to bring them to justice. Our intended landing was meant to be on the Manx Isle. We were lost in a vast bank of fog. When it lifted, we found ourselves on your shores in a different time than our own.”

“And what time would that be? Your own, I mean?”

“I believe by your reckoning the time would be known as the Year of the Lord 1027. At least that is how it was spoken to me by my priest, Brother Mathias.”

There was a spurt of conversation among the officers gathered around the table. Colonel Brundige silenced it with a brief word. He then continued to speak to Olaf.

“That is fantastic. Utterly fantastic. It is the stuff of myth and legend. Tell me, Olaf, how are we to trust that your amazing story is true and not a farce devised by Adolph to throw us back on our heels as it were?”

“I know not how to answer your question except bluntly and with the honesty I myself appreciate when I seek answers. I have had no knowledge of the coward Hitler until this day when my friend, John, told me of his atrocities. As one warrior to another, I assure you that I deal decisively with those I intend to embattle. I would not masquerade as something I am not. If I were here to engage you in battle, you would know it immediately. I would face you and you would know my motive without any shred of doubt.”

When John had translated this statement it produced a brief smile and an appreciative nod from the Colonel. He turned to one of the other officers and made a request. The officer rose, exiting the room quickly.

“My desire, Olaf, is to be up front with you and leave nothing unspoken between us. I am certain you can understand our curiosity as, if the situation was reversed and I showed up upon your shores in Norway, you would be equally inquisitive as to how my arrival were possible. As it sits at present, I am unsure of what to do with you and your rather imposing band of followers. Prior to our arrival here, after being briefed on your rather incredible tale, I took the liberty of requesting that one of our leading scientists,” he paused. “I am sorry. You probably have no word for scientist. I requested the opinion of one of our extensively learned men. He is to join us and perhaps give some explanation as to what might have occurred to place you out of your time and into ours. I have just sent my aide, Major Penbrooke, to retrieve him for us. He should be joining us shortly.”

Upon hearing John’s translation, Olaf nodded toward the Colonel indicating his acceptance of the man’s wisdom.

“I will do whatever is in my power to convince you of my integrity,” he replied. “I sense we were diverted here for some reason. When we have earned your trust I would pledge myself and my men to your cause, Colonel.”

“That is most honorable of you, Olaf. We will wait and see how everything plays out. I was told in the war room that there may be Nazi bombers on their way here to drop more bombs. They have been spotted over the sea south of here and every indication is that their course is set for us. You may be about to experience a night like nothing you have experienced before.”

“John had spoken of the Nazis bombs and I have seen their results throughout the village on our way here. I do not look forward to this display of cowardice.”

“Cowardice?” asked the Colonel.

“You must understand that my entire life, I have fought my enemies face to face. This idea of eliminating them from a distance is foreign to me and offends every instinct I have as a warrior.”

“I would tend to agree, Olaf. I have often been troubled myself by how inventive man is in his ability to destroy his fellow man. I love my country, however, and have sworn to defend it. I will use whatever means necessary to turn back our enemy.”

“This I can understand. We have a responsibility to those who depend upon our skills and our strength.”

“Indeed,” replied Brundige, as the door opened behind him.

Major Penbrooke entered, shadowed by a short, bookish man, with thick panes of glass perched upon the bridge of his nose in front of his eyes. The effect magnified his eyes behind the glass making them appear out of proportion to his face.

“Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Doctor Rudolf Peierls. He has been working on many aspects of the war effort up to this point and may be able to shed some light on how our Norse friends have come to grace Britain’s lovely shores. We are fortunate that he happened to be close by today. Doctor, you have been made aware of the details of the story thus far as it has been relayed to you. I know that it intrigues you as much as I. Would you care to share your thoughts?”

The man looked nervously around the room, his eyes lingering a bit longer on Olaf than on the others. He spoke in the language of the others although accented differently in Olaf’s ears. He listened carefully to John’s interpretation so that he did not miss any of what this supposedly learned man had to say.

“Well, Colonel, gentlemen,” began Peierls. “I am of the opinion that time and space can dilate. I am not alone in this belief. My colleague Doctor Einstein has similar leanings and has attempted to show mathematically how it can be possible. Whether we can make this happen at will is a subject of much debate and doubtful that it will occur in our lifetime. However, there may be natural instances or events that could cause a dilation of time and space. Simply put, without giving you a vast series of lectures from which you may never recover, it is entirely possible that this fog the Norsemen entered in their time was a residual effect of a dilation that was occurring at that moment in time in that particular area of the sea. The anomaly could have been caused by changes in the earth’s magnetic fields, an earthquake or perhaps a volcanic eruption beneath the sea. How it was triggered may not be within our realm of comprehension. This dilation could have theoretically misplaced them in relatively the same area geographically, but in an entirely different place on the time line, thus depositing them here in 1941. If you look at time as a straight line, the dilation essentially may have caused a temporary curve of the line which may have resulted in a jump ahead of normal time. That is as simply and succinctly as I can explain it in laymen’s terms.”

“Doctor Peierls,” inquired an officer directly across the table from Olaf. “Are we to assume then that these men are indeed then from over nine hundred years in the past?”

“Whether that is the case remains to be seen. It is not my area of expertise. I merely offer you an explanation for how it could have happened. Do I believe that it is possible that these men have been misplaced in time? This I can answer with a resounding affirmative. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that they have experienced a dilation of time and space. To answer your question as to the authenticity of their identity, I believe that can be answered by my esteemed colleagues from the History and Ancient Literature persuasions that I see seated at the table with you.”

The Colonel looked to John and his fellow professors. “Well, gentlemen, what is your consensus?”

John cleared his throat. After the meeting, he would reveal to Olaf what he had spoken in their defense. “Colonel, it is my opinion that they are indeed truly from the time they claim to be. They speak a form of Norwegian known in academic circles as Old Norse. Not only do they speak it fluently, as no one, including myself, can do with one hundred percent authenticity, they have no understanding at all of our language or of modern German. I once spoke to one of them in German and he clearly was unaware of what I had spoken to him. This would be very difficult to do if one were merely playing at being who they say they are. As to the validity of their weapons, ship, and other gear, I will defer to my colleagues from the History Faculty at Oxford to answer that.”

One of the men who had entered with them stood as though preparing to deliver a long speech. He clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing the length of the room as he spoke.

“Gentlemen, I have looked closely at the ship they arrived in, as well as examining at a short distance their weapons, armor, and clothing. Without extensively testing the fabrics and metals I can tell you that they are indeed authentic in appearance. Reproductions often have some discernable flaws or indications that they are mere copies of the originals. As far as I can tell, these are the real items. My examination of the ship produced far better results. There is no question in my mind that their ship is authentic. Everything from the wood used to the method of attaching the planks to the frame are in line with the exact construction methods and materials used during the period of history they claim to have come from. I concur with the Professor’s assessment that they are indeed Norsemen from the Eleventh Century.”

Finished, the scholar strode back to his chair and sat down. All around the table conversations broke out as the assembled men discussed one aspect or another of what they had just heard. As this transpired a young woman, in a dress made of the same color as the soldier’s clothing, entered the room. She placed a sheet of paper before the Colonel and exited quickly.

“Thank you, professor,” said Colonel Brundige. “And thank you, Dr. Peierls.” He took a moment to scan the paper in front of him before continuing. “I have been informed that we can expect bombing to commence at any moment. Nazi bombers have begun already to drop bombs over the bay in an attempt to hit our ships. We should adjourn until this particular attack is over. Gentlemen, we are now in a position where we have to make a decision about how we are going to address this incredible situation we find ourselves in. Once we have endured another onslaught of Hitler’s little blessings we will reconvene to discuss. Olaf, have you anything to add before we disperse?”

Olaf stood. He removed his swords from their sheaths and laid them on the table, creating a bit of unease among some of the officers. He stood erect and spoke directly to Colonel Brundige.

“These swords have seen many battles and never failed me. Never have they been dropped or lost over the course of several life or death engagements. I pledge these swords and the swords of my men to assist you in your struggle against this Nazi evil. If you desire me to engage Hitler and bring him to his deserved end I will do so. Whatever we can do to help you overcome this oppressor we vow to do.”

Colonel Brundige stood. He walked to Olaf’s side holding out his hand to the Norseman. Olaf grasped the Colonel’s arm in his own pulled him close and clapped him heartily on the back. At this, he released him and stepped away. The Colonel slightly stunned, composed himself.

“Yes, well. Capital. We will most certainly consider your generous offer, Olaf Sigmund’s son. For now, though, we have a rough spot to ride out. I suggest you return to your men with John and wait things out in the war room.”

The Colonel nodded to John, turned, and exited the door on the opposite side of the room. He was followed by a handful of officers. Those who remained walked quickly to the door that led to the war room and were swiftly engaged in the fervor of activity taking place at the map table. People were speaking into tubes. Olaf could only assume there were people on the other end who could hear them. The room was charged with a sense of nervous anticipation and anxiety.

“You did well, Olaf,” said John. “I believe the Colonel was sincerely impressed with your bearing and your enthusiasm. Come let us return you to your men. I am certain they have many questions and need to be prepared for what will come shortly as the Nazis drop their bombs on Barrow-in-Furness.”