“The old man who just came inside. He said he owned this tower.”
Elspeth almost dropped her goblet. Her eyes grew wide. “Magnus what are you talking about? There is no one here besides you and I.”
“I left you sleeping abovestairs. How came you to be here with the table already set?”
“Magnus we came downstairs together hours ago. Really, now you’re scaring me. What is going on?”
That was a good question. He recounted his exact steps since opening his eyes that morning including every detail right down to the leaves on the trees and the snow on the ground.
“That makes no sense,” she said. “The leaves have been turning for days and the snow started last eve.”
Magnus didn’t like it. Something was off at the moment and he didn’t like the uneasy feeling creeping into his heart.
“We must leave here,” he said. “I do not feel it is safe any longer.”
“But why? Because you had a bad dream?”
“I was not dreaming, Elspeth. I was completely awake as sure as I am talking to you right now.”
“Magnus, please. I feel at ease here. It is like this place is protecting us, I am not certain how that is possible, but I believe it to be true.”
“And I believe the forces at play here are not entirely benevolent.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he heard a crash in the kitchen.
He raced in to see what was going on and found a pitcher on the floor with its contents inching across the stone.
“What happened?” Elspeth asked from behind him.
Magnus’ arm began to sting. He raised it up to see scratches for which he couldn’t account. Elspeth held his arm up for her inspection and frowned.
“How did you get this?”
“It just happened.” Magnus could deal with any man who was a threat to him or her, at least he could see them coming. This madness was something he could not fight. And it appeared Freydis’ rune offered him no protection here.
“We are no longer safe here,” he said. “Grab your cloak. We leave now.”
When they entered the hall again there was no fire in the hearth, no food on the table, and the place looked like it had been abandoned for centuries.
“We need to get out of here now,” he said and led her to the door.
He unbolted it and they stepped outside. The cart they had brought with them was still fully stocked and resting by the door. Their horses were tied up where they had been the first day of their arrival. There was no snow on the ground.
“Magnus, I do not understand.”
“Neither do I,” he said and turned back to the tower. It looked decrepit and the exact opposite of the place they had viewed before.
He hooked up the cart and helped Elspeth mount her horse. As they trotted away he dared one look back to see the figure of the old man and a larger feminine figure behind him cloaked in green peeping out from behind the tower. He waved and they disappeared.
Magnus had seen enough. Whatever danger lay ahead he would face it with full force. He wondered if he’d dreamed everything they had shared up to that point. Perhaps he’d hit his head upon entry and had one of Elspeth’s dreams. But that was not possible. They had been there for weeks. They’d trained and laughed and loved.
Leaves crunched beneath the horses and cart. Magnus wanted to ask Elspeth what was going on, but she appeared just as solemn as he. After a time they located the main roadway and as soon as they stepped onto it, a large raven let out a loudkraw-krawjust above them. Its voice was deep and almost urgent as it flew in the direction away from the arched trees and MacDomnail Castle.
“It is flying toward my home,” she said. “We must follow it.”
Magnus needed a minute. This was all a bit too much. He dismounted and stepped off the road on the opposite side from the gateway.
“Are you unwell?” she asked after dismounting and coming to his side.
“How can you ask me that? With what we just witnessed.”
