sorrow evident in her face. I wanted to ask if she'd lost someone but I didn't want to disturb her. She deserved what little peace she had left before I entirely ruined her world.
I waited, feeling an apology would be out of place and certainly not welcome considering it wasn't my fault that Armageddon had arrive.
"It's Ragnarok, isn't it?" she asked still staring outside.
"Yes."
The Professor sighed, then smiled weakly before moving to her chair. "I should have known when I saw you the first time that something like this was possible. I admit I ignored what was right in front of my eyes."
Then took a deep breath and pulled her keyboard close, then began to tap away at the keys as if nothing we'd discussed bothered her. Then she crooked her finger at me and called me to her side. Before long the screen filled with pages of coded data. While I watched the monitor she opened up a Note program and began to write.
My access allows me to view all the catalogs of all the museums across Europe and North America. There's a common data-bank that we all use. It's an agreement with fellow museums that allow partner museums to requisition items for special events. Sometimes a piece can travel around the world because it's popular in other museums. This system allows artifacts to be tracked across the world, from its original museum to its current location.
"That's handy," said Suri, pursing her lips, her expression impressed. She'd followed me and now stood on the other side of the Professor.
Professor Wayne gave her a curious glance, then returned her attention to her computer. Another two sets of records filled an alternate screen and she nodded.
"At a time like this we need Derek," said Suri softly.
"You'd do better with Aidan," said the Professor. "Where is that boy?" she asked, not noticing Suri's eyes gleam with tears. I looked away, focusing on the strange round moon outside the window. "Bryn?" the Professor prompted.
I sighed and turned to meet her gaze. "Aidan is dead. This time forever," I said softly.
She went completely still for a moment and I heard the clock in the hall tick, and the click of floorboards as they cooled. "What happened?" she asked in a whisper.
"One of Loki's men killed him."
Professor Wayne sat back in her chair, frozen for a moment as she processed the horrible news. Then she shook her head, her short cropped curls bouncing. "I'm not sure I believe it."
"The ceremony was yesterday," I said, now more tired than ever.
"Where did they have it? How are his mother and sister doing?" Professor Wayne asked leaning forward with an urgency that I expected from her considering her relationship with Aidan, her sometimes prot茅g茅.
"In Asgard. They're both handling it well. They're very strong."
After a moment of pained silence, the Professor nodded then tipped her head as she frowned. "I take it these natural disasters have spilled into the Asgard realm?"
"Yes. We think it may be attribute to Jormungandr."
Again, the Professor shook her head. "Just myths," she said to herself, but in the silence her words were clear.
Both Suri and I smiled. Then I cleared my throat. "We need to identify if any of these items are what we're looking for."
"Are there any specific identifying marks that I can look for?" she asked.
I handed her another sheet of paper with Freyr's notes and a detailed drawing of the sword. I'd skimmed the list. Runes cut into a hilt of pure silver, and a myriad designs carved into the silver blade of the sword. All-in-all a bad-ass weapon, and one after my own heart.
The Professor grunted, then leaned closer to the screen. "I can't find anything with that description. Let's focus on the possible location of discovery." She tapped away, clearly already understanding the mythology enough to know where it could have been found. "Right. I got a bunch of hits."
I moved around the table to see what she'd come up with, and watched her type up a note.
Only England and France have swords originating in Norwegian/Swedish region.
"Good. One down, one to go." I stared at the monitor. "What about time-line?"
She nodded. "When did it go missing?" I leaned over and typed in the date Freyr had given us. She raised an eyebrow. "He knew the exact date?"
I shrugged. "Must have been a memorable day. Not every day a guy loses . . . something so important. Who wouldn't remember that day for the rest of their lives?"
The Professor clicked