She dug her heels into the ground but still found herself being dragged backward along the battlements toward the far tower. “Help,” she called out, her voice muffled by a hand over her face before she could say anything else.
The two men pulled her through a door and then into a tiny stone room. They shoved her to the floor, withdrawing and pulling the door closed before she could get back to her feet.
“Quite the security team they’ve got,” she said out loud as the door was locked and she was left alone. There was only one small window above head height, lighting the space just enough for her to tell it was empty .
Empty except for a single wooden stool that looked like it might collapse if she sat on it. She tried banging on the door but it did no good. She shouted herself hoarse but that achieved nothing either.
She tried consoling herself with the idea of suing the security firm the castle had hired. Unlawful arrest, kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment. They’d be in a lot of trouble when they finally let her out.
If they let her out.
She refused to think about that option. It was too crazy. She tried her key in the door but it didn’t fit. They had to let her out. It would be crazy of them not to.
Any less crazy than a corridor turning into a room and knights in armor grabbing hold of you?
She had no idea how long passed before the door opened again but by the time it did her fear had turned to anxiety and then to boredom mixed with fear.
She wasn’t sure what to feel when the key turned once more and she was surprised to see an overweight man in a beautiful medieval costume entering. He wore expensive looking green hose on his legs, above that a tunic with gold thread sewn into it in swirling patterns that looked much like waves on the ocean.
A thick fur hung from his shoulders and he held it close around his neck with his gloved hand as he entered. “Cold in here,” he said, shivering slightly. His face looked pale, gaunt almost despite his bulk.
“I hadn’t noticed,” she replied, trying to push past him.
He shook his head. “My men are right outside. You would be wise to remain compliant.”
“Compliant? Your men locked me in here for no good reason and if I don’t walk out of here in the next minute, you’re going to be looking at one heck of a lawsuit.”
The man ignored her, grabbing her chin in two fat fingers, squinting as he looked at her. “You look too much like her for comfort. If you had red hair instead of blonde, you’d be the spitting image of Rachel. How did you get here?”
“By car, how do you think?”
“What is a car?”
“Seriously? I know you’re reenacting or something but can you step out of character and see how much trouble you’re in?”
“Very well,” he said. “I will give you one chance. We can do things the simple way or the difficult way. How did you sneak into my castle?”
“I didn’t sneak in. The MacGregors let me in.”
“Which MacGregor? I shall have the man before me to speak the truth so no lies.”
“James and Sandy.”
“There is no James MacGregor here.”
“Go and see for yourself. He’s on the phone right now.”
“What’s a phone?”
She again tried to push past him. “I’ve had enough of this. Out of my way.”
He grabbed hold of her, the smell of him up close making her nostrils wrinkle. “How did you get on the battlements? The door was locked.”
“I used a key.”
“What key?”
“This one, all right?” She brought the silver key out of her pocket and waved it in front of him.
