1. Dangerous Career

“You should see this rock. The carvings on it are amazing. Like nothing I’ve seen before. I’m telling you we’ve hit pay dirt with this one.” The male voice was excited. Tamara Limer took a drink of tea as she looked out the window into the woods. It was raining, but everything was a vibrant green today. She liked the rain and the soft patter of the drops on the deck outside. Behind her the glass kitchen table was covered with papers, journals and odd items. 

“You think so? You better not be bringing me back something with a curse on it. Just managed to break the last one. You know the destruction that happened in the museum?” She commented flipping her straight blonde hair with a flick of her head. It was annoying on the side of her face. She held the cellphone to her ear with her right shoulder and tea in her right hand before using the left to push the rest of the hair back. 

“What do you want from Egyptian tombs? Just be glad that nothing’s burning down.”

“No, only two people died from touching it. I thought you left explicit instructions to not touch it.” She accused and moved back over to the table and sat down before a laptop that was there. The screen was black and she still looked out toward the window. Her dark blue eyes not quite seeing what was there however as she spoke with a colleague on the phone.  

“I did, they didn’t listen. You know that most don’t believe in the cursed objects. The magic that some of these items come back with. I mean that antique doll you found in India, who’d have thought demon am I right?” She pursed her lips a bit. She felt that doll was dark from the start. She didn’t think it should be sold to some little girl. Her intuition was always spot on. So she bought it, and checked the doll out only to find it was possessed with the energy of a demon.

“Yeah, well better us deal with it than some family.” She commented and her colleague Max clearly agreed with the sound he made. The two of them were archeologists, though she did more of the lab and research. He liked to go to the places and bring things back. The reason they teamed up was because both of them knew that there was more at work in the world than just human hands. They had seen to much, had plenty happen to them and so they were normally requested first to look at objects that were old and questionable.

Of course no one admitted that they called Tamara or Max for such a thing. Too afraid that they’d be made a laughing stock for believing in ghosts or magic. But people that worked with old things, took items from places that they never should always found out the hard way. Then they needed to find people like Tamara and Max. They were hard to come by. People that knew how to deal with the problems of curses or possession. How to neutralize the objects so they could safely be on display. Even if they couldn’t do it themselves they knew people that could and that was what mattered. There wasn’t exactly a degree you could take for what they were. What they had been taught by others. Tamara just kind of fell into it, and now constantly had someone calling with some problem or another. 

“You know all I wanted to do was research the past. Teach people about those that came before us and their cultures. Now here I am playing witchdoctor to long forgotten items that people don’t know how to deal with.” She gestured to an old pottery set on her table. Though he couldn’t see it, but the set was harmless it would seem. Nothing evil. However she was trying to figure out the reason it kept moving about the house on its own. The entire set would just suddenly appear somewhere else in the house. No matter where it was taken, the three bowls moved around. Though one never saw it with the naked eye of course. 

“Well you had a different calling, plus that intuition of yours. ESP for sure, radar for the odd.” He commented with a laugh and she shook her head but smiled. She and Max were close, and she was glad she had him in her life. A friend bordering on family.

“Woo, why couldn’t I get a talent that was more useful. Like purging negative energy from things rather than just knowing when something is off or needs help.” 

“Drew the short straw. Anyway, I was calling about this stone door that we found. Amazing, seriously Tam, I think the writing is old Norse, definitely Nordic.” 

“Well that’s not shocking considering where you are. How far underground have you gone?” She asked him and knew that he was in Norway. Though he’d been in Iceland for a little while but got a lead on a cave system in Norway and went with a small team to check it out. No one wanted to go into this cave, so obviously Max wanted in.

“Deep, maybe a mile or two. This rock face I’ve looked at, is in a massive cavern. Had a scare a little while ago. The ground shook, thought earthquake but haven’t felt anything since. However rock face has writing all over it. All the way up and it has to go up at least two hundred feet.”

“Seriously?” That was massive, and who had been down that far to write on the rock face? If it looked that old they have needed fire or something. Though probably magic that was now long lost to the world. 

“Yeah, it’s amazing. I know it’s a door. At least part of it, man I can’t wait to see what is inside.” 

“I swear to god Max, you open it up and release a dragon or something I’m going to kick your ass.” She told him seriously and he laughed.

“A dragon? Seriously Tamara, first that would be freaking awesome! Number two I think we’d have found it by now if there were.” She shook her head. She had a feeling she was going to be calling her cryptozoology friend shortly here. Either with fossils or something hidden behind there that shouldn’t be let out.

“Just tell me you have the protection from the shaman and druid.” It had saved them before, and she heard him sigh.

“Of course I do. I’m adventurous, not stupid. Look I’m going to send you some pictures of the ruins all over the rock face. See what you can maybe decipher. You know I’ve never been good with the Nordic stuff, and I’ll send more photos of what we find once we get inside. I have Drew with me and he thinks he senses how to open it. Says powerful energy is coming out and directing him. But we’ll see. You think you can look and see? I trust you more.” She smiled a bit.

“Thanks, yeah just send them to me and I’ll pull them up on my computer here. See what I can read, or possibly translate.” He gave an excited sound and then they exchanged goodbyes and hung up. She waited just a little while going over some papers before her. It was getting darker but she didn’t turn a light on. The first few emails came through and she started to d******d the images. She sent him back a response saying that she got three emails so far and that she’d see what she could look at by morning but couldn’t promise anything. Then delete the emails after saving them else where. Just in case, never knew who was watching.

She got a response back that as long as she tried. They were going to be heading back to the caves mid morning. They wouldn’t have reception, but had some high tech equipment to keep contact with the surface, so if she found anything worrisome to let them know ASAP.

Tamara took another sip of tea, cleaned up her table a little and then printed out the images that were coming through. From what she could see this wall was massive. Had massive writing on it and she sat down and started to try and decipher the old language. But honestly there were markings she’d never seen before and didn’t know what language they were. This looked old, and clearly a worthwhile find. She wondered who was funding him to do this expedition. 

Laying her head down on her arm she had a pad right before her with a pen, and held up a photo with the other hand eyeing it. Her tea had gone cold and she only really had the computer light to see. She glanced at the windows that lead out to her back yard and deck. Pitch black, but it was still raining. Her table was in an area that was ringed by windows and a sliding glass door. She turned her head to look at the counter that separated the kitchen area from this table where the light switch was and frowned. Seemed like work to get up.

“This is difficult.” She commented after a few more minutes. She managed a few words to translate, but nothing yet that told her anything. The words she could figure out definitely sounded like they might give warning, or caution. She had her head back down on her arm and set the picture down and sighed. You know what sounded good, sleep. Maybe a bit of rest and she could go back at it, she closed her eyes contemplating getting up and going to her room. 

She still had those stupid pottery bowls to figure out, but not much to go on. She opened her eyes and glanced to where they had been on the table. But only one was there now, not all three and she sighed again. Figured, she’d look for them later. They’d be in the house somewhere, they never left the premises from what she figured out about them. But then again, sometimes you never seemed able to find them for a while. Who knew, magical items did unexplainable things. 

Feeling herself starting to nod off as it was getting late, she picked her head up and sat straight. The most unexpected and unbelievable thing happened. Tamara jumped harshly and gave a sound of shock, there was a woman sitting at the other end of the table. She sat perfectly straight. Her hair was long and looked pitch black falling straight down. She wore what looked like a stark white dress and even though it was dark, it looked like her eyes were black. Tamara's first thought was that dark energy had manifested into this woman. Her mind raced over the artifacts in her home and which might acount for this. Nothing came to her.

“Who are you!” Tamara demanded and when she spoke she could see her breath. She went to stand up, but the woman held up her hand and Tamara felt a pressure. Like she was being held down in the chair for a moment. What was this? A spirit? Been a long time since one appeared in her house. She thought she had the shaman guard it. Damn it, which work was it attached to?

“Be silent, what I have to say is important. You found something I have been searching desperately for.” She said and her voice sounded like it echoed in the room and it was getting colder in here. 

“Who…” The woman cut her off and spoke.

“Fate has decided it doesn’t like you mortal. You appeared in a vision with my brother. Do you know what  you have done?” Tamara felt the cold sinking into her now. Frost was starting to ice the windows. Okay, something was really wrong here.

“What…” She started again, and the woman stood. She was very tall and there was a presence about her, yet it almost looked for a moment like Tamara could see through her. The woman snapped her fingers and the computer spun around and images flashed on the screen. She tipped her head and her eyes came back up to Tamara’s.

“Mortals found him first. Not Jor.” She pursed her lips like she wasn’t exactly happy with this. Who the hell was this woman? What was even going on, and honestly Tamara was completely lost. Was she hillucinating? Did her work finally fry her brain?

“Found who? What do you want?” Tamara finally demanded and blinked a few times and tried to get up but her limbs felt sluggish.

“To keep my brother safe. We aren’t ready for end times. You mortals always screw with what should be left alone. I want to live outside of hell for once, and I dreamt of you.” The woman was midway down the table and then suddenly right next to Tamara. She took a fierce hold of Tamara’s jaw making her turn her head and look up at the solid black eyes and there was no love in this woman. There wasn’t much of anything in her gaze to be honest and it scared Tamara.

“You remove that fucking sword you better keep hold of it you hear me! You foolish creatures, I know you are just searching for treasure. A way to profit in your short miserable lives.” Her voice was sharp and her face now held anger in it. Tamara thought she was going to break her jaw with how hard she was holding it, it was painful. She wanted her to let go.

“If Surt gets that sword and control of my brother Ragnarok will start do you understand me?” The woman hissed a bit and Tamara just wanted her to let go.

“Yes.” She said, even though she had no idea what she was talking about. Though she knew the mythology, what Ragnarok was, the end of times. At least the Norse end of times. God damn it all Max, this had to be relate to him. What Pandora’s box did you open? Why was Tamara suddenly paying the price? He'd only sent her pictures? What if Max wasn't okay though? Tamara's pulse sky rocketed. Max, she needed to get a hold of him. Here was the warning.

“Good.” She shoved her head away and Tamara felt that she could move and reached up rubbing her jaw. Who was this psycho woman in her house? Please don’t tell her she was some weird witch or something. She really didn’t have time to deal with one of those. Had Max slipped up? No one should know Tamara was working with him on this.

“I’m watching you. He doesn’t need to break his chains before he gets to live. If you mortals wake him. I will defend him.” Tamara glanced about, nothing was close that could be a weapon. This woman was crazy. What was she even talking about? She was ranting at her about something Tamara knew nothing about. No one was here, did it look like she had anyone that might be her brother? No, she lived alone.

“Look, you…”

“You screw this up, if you harm him, I’m coming for you first and dragging you down to hell by your hair if I have too. I know exactly where I’ll put you too. One chance mortal, that’s all you get. If I could I would do it right now.” The woman disappeared and she jumped. However Tamara found herself jerking up right. She’d fallen asleep on her arm and there was no woman. The room didn’t feel cold and everything was the same. Just a couple seconds of closing her eyes...

Tamara sat there for a moment. The dream had been so real and now she wondered if it was some kind of warning associated with the images. Obviously it was a warning, but she meant that the woman wasn’t real but a construct, designed to show up when the wall was tampered with. anyone associated with it would dream of her. That sounded like a curse to Tamara. Looked like she had a call to make to Max, just in case. Curse, just like she thought damn it. This one seemed very dangerous if it could reach across continents and Tamara had only seen images. God she hoped Max was okay.  Curse, just like she thought damn it. This one seemed very dangerous if it could reach across continents and Tamara had only seen images.