Aeronwen's Hammer by A. Peter Perdian
About Aeronwen's Hammer:
In Norway, Marte Nass, a respected Viking archaeologist, has arrived home to visit her family. While in Oslo, she learns of a recently uncovered tomb, an unmarked and untouched grave dating to the beginning of the Viking era. A preliminary examination shows that the tomb houses a Viking warrior, and with the prospect of excavating the grave before it becomes public knowledge, she’s thrilled.
In England, Derek Lishmer receives a call from Marte. His partner launches into what she’s learned about the tomb, about a possible treasure hidden inside the grave. He puts aside his own excitement to remind her she’s been banned from practicing archaeology in Norway. When Marte tells him she doesn’t care, he heads for Norway.
In Guatemala, Emma Ruiz gets a call from Marte Nass, her best friend. The Mesoamerican archaeologist listens as Marte tells her about the Viking tomb and its remarkable occupant. With follow-up talk of mystical Vikings, spiritual Druids, and pagan gods that supposedly still roam the land, Emma’s persuaded to visit Norway.
Aeronwen’s Hammer is an action-packed seventy thousand word novel, a suspenseful semi-thriller.
Excerpt:
While her two friends climbed up the ladder, Emma moved away from the opening, aware once they removed the tarp, the downpour outside would have direct access to the inside of the chamber. She crossed her arms across her chest as a shiver racked her body. This rain was cold.
The minutes ticked by while the rain’s onslaught through the now open entrance grew in intensity, adding to the water seeping in from up near the bow. She saw more puddles forming, some of them connecting to create even larger puddles. Hurry up, guys, she thought, her frown lines deepening. She backed away from the ladder until her body was flush against the burial platform, but the water seemed to be following her, pooling around her feet. “What the fuck’s happening?” After placing the broken shield next to the skull on the far end of the platform, she sat on the other end of it to keep her feet out of the water. She stared overhead. Aside from the danger a collapsed ceiling would pose to her, it would further damage the interior of the tomb. “Maybe I should go topside,” she said, mumbling.
Without warning, the puddle at her feet drained away. Her jaw dropped. In the next instant, the ground around the platform buckled, collapsing. It happened so fast she didn’t have time to yell out as she felt herself falling. When her butt struck the ground below, she was immediately thrown backward until her head smacked against something hard and everything went dark.
As she regained consciousness, it dawned on her she was lying prone on the ground. She checked in with her body, moving her limbs to ensure nothing was broken. Aside from a body-wide dull ache and a splitting headache, everything seemed intact. She sniffed, noting the air was stale, and the piece of ground she was stretched out on was uneven, poking her painfully in the backside. She gingerly touched the back of her head, feeling wetness around a large bump. Not good, she thought, using her headlamp’s beam to examine her hand. There was blood where she’d touch her head. “Shit.”
How long had she been out? Probably only seconds or minutes, she decided, otherwise Marte and Derek would already be on their way down to help her. She stayed motionless, peering overhead. Instead of one ceiling, there were now two above her, with the original one being a good thirty to thirty-five feet away. She swore silently, guessing the ground around the platform must have been weakened by the rain, and she’d fallen through with the platform into another room. Thankfully, except for the wide hole above, where the platform had been located, the rest of her new ceiling looked intact. She took in a deep, steadying breath and gingerly rolled off the uneven surface onto her hands and knees.
“Fuck,” she said, staring back at what had been poking her in the backside. She’d crashed into a body. “Oh my god, are you all right?” Emma reached out to shake the strangely dressed body’s arm, but withdrew her hand when she recognized it was deceased. The truth of her predicament registered. She’d fallen into another grave. After regaining her feet, she ran her headlamp’s beam over the body, questioning how a freshly dead body could have gotten into this sealed chamber. Only a degraded skeleton should have been present.
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About A. Peter Perdian:
A. Peter Perdian is an American writer. His aim is to entertain readers with thought provoking tales. As he has traveled extensively throughout the world, the ideas behind his stories come from his encounters and observations, from his own personal experiences along the way.
He has always been fascinated with anthropology, archaeology, history, and the hard sciences, especially genetics. With an education in the sciences, the author is quite fond of suspenseful semi-thrillers, especially those with a twist. He also reads extensively in other genres, which enables him to write entertaining fiction in several different categories.
Presently, the author lives in the Pacific Northwest, and when not writing, he enjoys the outdoor activities the region provides—getting back to nature recharges his batteries. Among his hobbies, he’s an avid hiker and bike rider (road bikes).
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