Viking King (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors, Book 1) by Sky Purington Read Free Book Online

gleam of the weapons and wooden handles attached to most of them, it wasn’t all that long ago either.
    Megan almost rolled her eyes as the other divers gathered up some of the weapons. Were these guys a bunch of idiots? Unlikely. No, this was obviously all part of Nathan’s elaborate hoax. Yet he wasn’t looking at her with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. Instead, he kept swimming, shining his light as if looking for something.
    She was just about to call it quits when a strange sensation rolled through her, an almost indefinable feeling of anticipation. Shortly thereafter, a pulse of water pressure rippled over her. It was almost what one would feel far closer to the surface when a good sized wave passed above. In fact, the water even pushed her forward until she saw around the next bend of rocks.
    Megan aimed her light down and squinted.
    What the hell?
    Though she knew it was against diver protocol, she didn’t bother to let Nathan know where she was going as she swam downward, eyes growing wider and wider until she stopped, stunned. Again, she blinked several times. She couldn’t be seeing clearly. But then maybe this explained the well-preserved weaponry.
    Close enough that she could already see the dragon-headed prow was…a Viking longship?
    Megan swam down the remaining distance and started traveling alongside the boat. It was in amazingly good condition, its sail recently torn and billowing in the water. Her heart thudded heavily as she did her best to get measurements. By the time she made it to the stern, her breathing was irregular. Larger than any recorded in history, this thing was over one hundred and thirty feet long and not only gorgeously made but remarkably preserved. Even the intricate Nordic carvings lining the hull were fresh and visible.
    For all appearances, this ship had gone down days ago if that.
    Frenchman Bay and all its many harbors constantly reported on the latest news. Anyone sailing a ship like this would’ve been the talk of not only Maine and the Eastern seaboard but the entire United States if not worldwide. Every historical nautical society worth a grain of salt would have reported this the moment it hit water. In all honesty, a ship this well-made might have sailed here from Scandinavia.
    If it had the right crew and more importantly the right captain.
    Where did that thought come from? Obviously that wasn’t the case with this boat. News outlets would have covered such an undertaking. Her mind was spinning and her breath so irregular that Megan knew she had to get a grip fast. She was nearly eighty feet down and depending on an oxygen tank. Overexcitement had no place here. So she carefully made her way back to the prow, studying the construction as she went.
    Absolutely astounding.
    As research suggested, the ship had no big, vertical keel. That meant this piece of perfection was highly maneuverable and could easily penetrate shallow surf. A chill went through her as she thought of Amber’s picture. This particular ship could easily navigate close to her house. If chuckling were an option, she would have. There was no way around it, if this thing came anywhere near her house she would have known and snapped a ton of pictures. She could only imagine how impressive it would have looked on the horizon.
    But wow if it didn’t look exactly like the ship her sister had drawn.
    Megan checked her oxygen level. Pretty soon she’d have to head back up. She turned and looked around. No sign of Nathan and his men. Though she knew better, she was rather enjoying this time alone with such a beautiful ship. She didn’t care if it was a replica or lying in the graveyard of the Atlantic, there was a certain peace here. Nathan and his team would find her soon enough.
    So she continued toward the bow, smiling as she drifted alongside the monstrous billowing square sail. Now this was the life. Sure, looking up at this sail on the open seas would likely be more exhilarating but there was a