What if there was more than one destination once one crossed over? What if Magnus was somewhere else entirely? Her heart raced as she walked around the horse three or four times thinking that he would be on the other side, but nothing. She focused hard on him as if willing him to appear before her.
After several agonizing minutes she heard her name. Now she had truly lost her mind. But then it grew louder and she recognized it as Magnus’.
“I’m here!” she called to him.
A few moments later he came into view trotting along with the horse and cart in tow.
“What happened to you?” she asked. “You were behind me and then you were gone.”
“I swear to Odin, I watched you walk underneath those trees and disappear. I walked through behind you and you were nowhere to be found. I called and called until finally, I heard you reply.”
“This makes no sense. How could we be together and then separated like that?”
“I was hoping you could answer that question. Do you know the direction to the tower from here?”
She looked around and then closed her eyes. When she opened them she was sure she knew exactly which direction to go. Elspeth mounted her horse and kicked the horse’s sides to get the animal moving. They trotted along together for a couple of miles then the woods cleared onto a broad meadow in the centre of which stood a tall stone tower. It was taller even than the towers at MacDomnail Castle and she was in awe that no one had taken up residence in this place.
They tied up the horses and entered through the main doorway. Magnus lit a torch and located several unused ones on the walls. The inside was much larger than Elspeth had imagined. The outside was deceiving and drew the eye upward which made it easy to overlook the structure’s wide base.
They explored the main level to reveal a reasonably sized hall with a large stone hearth together with a table and chairs that looked like new. The adjoining kitchen had another large hearth and a broad wooden-topped bench for food preparation. Wooden bowls and trenchers, and iron cooking pots were all clean and stacked neatly at the end of the bench. A block revealed several different knives. When Elspeth took one out to view it she was surprised to see it was still shiny.
Exactly how long had this place been abandoned and how was it possible there was no dust on anything?
As she continued to explore the kitchen, Magnus brought in firewood and started the fires in both the kitchen and the hall. The sun was beginning to set so she decided to bring in some of the provisions and stack them in the kitchen for ease of access. She had been taught how to manage her brother’s household and so knew how to properly ration food they could not replace easily like spices, and other food that they could easily replace like bread and meat. She glanced over at Magnus and smiled thinking of him bringing home rabbits or a wild boar for her to cook.
She brought in enough of the food and wrapped the covering over the cart tight so as to not attract vermin and closed the door behind her. They found candles and before too long were seated at the table in the hall with a roaring fire and a nice meal of bread, meat and cheese that had come from MacDomnail Castle.
She looked across the table at Magnus. He looked tired. She felt tired. They had not discussed sleeping arrangements and she had not explored the upper levels for bed chambers. He had disappeared abovestairs earlier she suspected to light fires up there as well.
As soon as the food and drink hit her belly, she could feel the need for slumber. Her eyes began to droop and she smiled when Magnus dropped the knife he’d been using to cut his meat.
“You are tired,” she said.
“We both are. Perhaps we should clean up in the morning and find a place to rest.”
Her belly flip flopped. Did he mean they should find a place to rest together?
“I have lit fires in the chambers above. We can retire whenever you are ready.”
Elspeth took his trencher and hers and brought them to the kitchen. He followed with the goblets and the ale. They covered the food and drink and left the kitchen to blow out the candles. Magnus took one and bolted the outer door then took her hand and led her up the winding staricase.
“Do you think there is something odd going on here?”
“Odd as in we appear to be in an enchanted tower where no one can ever find us, or odd that you have not asked me where you are to sleep?”
He said the last part with a grin as he squeezed her hand.
“A little of both, I suspect.”
“To answer your question, yes I do think, despite the incredulity of our circumstances, the fact that this place appears to be well cared for though there is clearly no one about is, as you say, odd.”
Once they reached the top of the stairs he opened a door that led to a short hallway. There was one door on each side.
“Take your pick,” he said as he stood to the side so she could peer inside. He’d lit not only the fireplace but also candles so she could see all the attributes of the chambers. One was decorated in soft blue satin and contrasting heavy velvet. A four-post bed was topped with various sections of both fabric that covered the bed and wrapped around the posts. Across the hall and in a similar style, the colour of the chamber was crimson red. Something drew her to the warm colour immediately. She touched the coverlet which was stitched with gold thread in the pattern of a thistle and a unicorn. Aye, if there ever was a sign that this chamber was for her, those two symbols were it.
“I choose this chamber,” she said to Magnus.
She was a little disappointed when he left, but her heart picked up several notches when he returned and closed the door behind him.
