Just starting? Be sure to check out The Legend of Slottsfjellet: Foreword and Disclaimer first, so you know what’s going on.

Joe was awakened by the sound of keys at the trailer door. He sat up and looked out the window. He could see that it was just beginning to get dark, but he couldn’t see who was outside. He folded his arms in a show of impatience and watched the door as it opened.

The first thing through the doorway was a tray piled high with food. Joe couldn’t see a face—it was obscured by the food on the tray—but the legs coming into the room were distinctly female. Joe had trouble not staring.

The tray came down, revealing a face that was prettier than the legs it belonged to. The woman had long, blonde hair, perfect red lips, and bright blue eyes. Joe was awestruck and couldn’t seem to say anything. She spoke without hesitation.

“Hallo,” she said, smiling sweetly, “jeg heter Marta.”

“Um, I uh… I don’t speak Norwegian,” Joe managed to get out.

“I’m terribly sorry,” she apologized in rather good English. “I said my name is Marta.”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Marta.” He had composed himself, and flashed an impudent smile. “I’m sure you already know who I am. Everyone so far seems to know quite a lot about me.”

“Actually, they told me nothing about you—not even your name. I assumed you were just another employee of Mr. Lund. They sent me with food.”

“Please, then, call me Joe.”

“All right, Joe,” she repeated with a grin, and set down the tray. “Here is your food. It is only a snack, but it should be enough for now.”

“Thanks, Marta,” Joe said, and smiled at her. She returned it with a smile and a wink.

“Perhaps I will see you again,” she said as she moved to the doorway. “It would be nice to—” she paused, searching for just the right words, then finished, “learn more about you.”

“Yeah… bye,” he smiled after she was gone.

Joe turned to the “snack,” which consisted of approximately two full meals’ worth of bread, cheese, fish, and fruit—bread was by far the most abundant item on the tray. Whatever else they’re doing, at least they’re not trying to starve me, he thought as he began eating.

• Continue to Part 10

Just starting? Be sure to check out The Legend of Slottsfjellet: Foreword and Disclaimer first, so you know what’s going on.

Joe wanted rest badly, but he was also curious about the drawings. As it always did, his curiosity took precedence over sleep, so Joe sat down at the table and began leafing through the sheets of vellum.

There were a few things that struck him as he went over the sketches. The first was the quality of them: Joe wasn’t sure that they could be called “sketches” at all. They were very precise, very detailed, and in many ways had the look of final plans. The second was the materials list: this castle was to be built in two weeks, yet it was exclusively made of stone, glass, and wood. There was no steel or concrete in it anywhere, not even in the framework or as reinforcement. The third and strangest thing he noticed about it—and Joe laughed when he saw it—was its size. Though the project included a complete and rather large foundation for a castle, the structure itself was not a castle at all, but rather a small tower in the corner of the plot.

Naturally, this raised even more questions, but it seemed obvious that Joe was not likely to have them answered any time soon. After another twenty minutes at the desk, Joe opened the small cot and tried to sleep.

• Continue to Part 9