“What is it?” Scott called out.

The Codex zoomed off, though the question was not necessarily addressed to it. In a flash of blue, it scanned the fort, before returning to its original position.

“The harbor settlement of Jomsborg was completed in 965 in northwestern Poland, by order of the Danish king Harold Bluetooth, as recorded in the Viking sagas of Knytlinga Saga and Fagrskinna.”

Cade stared at the fort, realizing that it must contain an entire village within, and that the wide space beneath the tower may well have been the harbor entrance for ships. Excitement, and even a tinge of hope, fluttered through his chest, but with an equal measure of disappointment. The fire damage on the outside told him that much of what was once there would have been burned to a crisp.

“Did he say bluetooth?” Scott asked.

“Yes,” the Codex replied in its robotic voice.

“That’s what Bluetooth was named after,” Cade said, remembering that bit of trivia from the long historical documentaries he once watched with his father. “The inventor was a fan of Viking history.”

He grabbed the rope and moved forward.

“Come on. If it’s a trap, there’s not much we can do about it.”

CHAPTER

7

Cade hurried ahead, dragging the sled behind him, new strength coming to him with the anticipation of rest. The temperature had dropped dramatically, and his sweat-soaked clothes were beginning to chill. There was not much hope of finding wood for them to burn, but if it was to be their final destination, they could burn the sleds.

He staggered through the entryway with trepidation, for the stone above seemed to be held up by dust alone. Yet, once they emerged from beneath, they found themselves in a space far larger than he had expected.

It was a village, that was for sure, made up of a series of stone shells that had no roofs at all. But strangely, there was a wide, open basin in front of where the houses stood, with wooden platforms built into the air.

Cade realized that they were standing in the harbor itself—now devoid of water. The wooden platforms must have been the jetties, surviving the fire thanks to the water they had once sat upon.

Not so the houses, which were more blackened and decrepit than he had thought they would be. Many had fallen to rubble, but the tower itself was made entirely of stone, and was the only building in the vicinity that might afford proper shelter. He only hoped it would not collapse when they entered.

“I wonder how long this has been here,” Yoshi said.

Cade was wondering the same thing, but since it had never been scanned, there was no way of knowing. His only clue was the yellowing grass that remained—suggesting it had been here in the desert only a few years.

It might have lain in ruin on Earth for centuries before Abaddon teleported it into stasis, ready to be dropped on Acies at a moment’s notice. One thing was for sure: This was no coincidence.