Ten minutes later she was racing back down the mountain road, looking for the signs to MacGregor Castle. She almost missed her turn, the sign itself barely visible, sticking out of a roadside hedge. She took the sharp left onto a potholed track, making her way along the winding road that led down to the castle.
When it came into view she was as stunned as last time. Even in ruins the place was enormous. It had changed little since she was last there. There was scaffolding on the walls, that was new. As was the wooden hut that had been built in front of the gatehouse. The door was open, an elderly woman in a tartan dressing gown standing a few feet outside, sipping at a mug of coffee
The woman stared at her as she stopped the car and climbed out. "Come for the open day?" the woman asked. "You’re just in time. I was about to lock up."
"Did you send me this?" Rose asked, pulling out the flyer. "Do you know something about my mom?"
"Rose Winter," the woman said, a smile spreading across her lips. "It’s you, isn’t it? I’m Maureen, I helped your mom get the key. I’m a huge fan. I’ve read all your books. Can’t believe a teenager wrote them. Amazing stuff."
"Did you send me this flyer?" Rose asked, ignoring the question.
"Come inside, get out of the cold. We’ve got lots to talk about."
She vanished through the door to the hut, leaving Rose to wonder if she was about to get the answer to the question that had burned inside her for a decade. Where was her mother?
She crunched across the gravel, ducking her head to fit through the low door into the wooden hut.
It was dark inside, lit by a single low watt bulb. As her eyes adjusted she could tell she was in a combination of gift shop and book shop.
Her own books took pride of place next to the counter. Maureen was sitting on an armchair by the till, a black cat curling up on her lap. "Come sit down," Maureen said. "I see you’ve spotted your books. They’re really popular with the visitors."
"Look, about this flyer."
"I ken you’ve got a lot of questions about your mother. She was a good woman was Anthea. Now, what I’m going to tell you, you have to be ready for it. It’s going to sound more than a wee bit strange."
"Where’s my mom?"
"You need to go down to the dungeon and have a look. You’ll find what you need on the other side."
Rose suddenly understood. The old woman was mad. "I get it. Let me guess. I’ll open it and go back in time like in my books and that’s where she is. I hate to have to break it to you, Maureen, but they’re just stories."
"I ken you think I’m crazy but I tell you something." She leaned forward so fast the cat jumped off her lap. "I ken what’s real and what’s not, Rose Winter. You need to go down and see what’s on the other side. It’ll answer all your questions, I promise. I ken it sounds crazy but trust me, please."
Rose tried to smile, seeing Maureen’s fingers clenching into fists. "I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’ve maybe gotten a bit confused. Just because I wrote books about time travel and silver keys-"
The old woman didn’t move but her voice seemed to change, becoming more persuasive. "Isn’t it worth trying?"
"Look, I’m flattered that you like my books but-"
"Indulge an old woman, won’t you for two wee minutes? Through that door and down the stairs. Just have a look inside. If there’s nothing there, no harm done, you ken? Maybe it’ll inspire your next book. I’ve heard you’ve been having a wee bit of writer’s block after the last one."
The cat stretched and then strolled over to the corner of the room toward a small silver bowl piled high with dry food. It began to eat loudly as the elderly woman got to her feet. "It’s been a year since your last book. It doesn’t take an expert to ken there’s a problem when you’ve had a book out every six months before that. You’ve always been a quick writer and now you’re blocked. You read all those nasty reviews picking holes in your stories and it’s crippled your pen. Tell me I’m wrong."
"I’m going to go now."
"The answer you’ve been looking for all these years is just down there." She took Rose’s hands in her own. "Trust me."
"Why should I trust you? I don’t even know you."
"Out that door and down the stairs and you’ll get all the answers you need. I’ll be waiting right here when you get back. Take your time."
Rose decided to humor her. "All right, fine."
"Great." Maureen nodded. "It’ll only take you a wee moment."
Rose went inside the castle. Through the gatehouse, she stepped out into a courtyard much as she remembered it. The grass was lush green despite the lateness of the season.
The opening in the ground was a yawning gap of darkness in the grass. The staircase had once been inside the keep but was now out in the open looking much like a staircase to the underworld.
