Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

“ L ord Tiernan sends his apologies. He will not be able to join you for supper. The wolves are restless tonight and he and his warriors are making sure they present no problem to the village,” Olwen said when Cree and Dawn entered the Great Hall.

“I can help if needed,” Cree offered, his wife squeezing his hand and letting him know she was not pleased with his offer.

“That is generous of you, Lord Cree, but you are not familiar with wolves and that could prove dangerous for you,” Olwen said. “I thought you and Lady Dawn would be more comfortable at a table in front of the hearth since the Great Hall holds a chill this evening. But if you prefer, I can have your meal moved to the table at the dais.”

“It is good where it is, Olwen,” Cree said and escorted his wife over to the table to sit.

“If you should require anything else, please let me know,” Olwen said and left the room.

“How does she expect us to do that when no other servant lingers about to take a message to her?” Cree asked, looking around at an empty room.

Dawn shrugged, wrinkled her brow, and gestured slowly.

“Aye, I agree. It is odd that no one is about. It almost feels as though the keep is empty of all but you, me, and Olwen.”

Dawn shivered and moved closer to her husband so that their bodies touched. She preferred sitting close enough to feel their legs touch, their arms brush each other’s, and have the warmth of their bodies joined together. They were connected that way, always together as one.

She ate sparingly. Cree didn’t. He had often warned her that in certain situations one needed to eat when they could since they might not know when their next meal could be. That he ate robustly told her that he was concerned with their present situation.

Cree kept his voice low when he spoke with her. “With the keep so empty, it might be a good time to explore.”

Dawn nodded and patted her chest then his, letting her know that she would go with him.

“Aye, you will come with me. I will not leave you alone tonight. It is odd that the keep is so quiet. Lord Tiernan may be out with his men, but where are his servants? I have seen one or two besides Olwen since arriving here, not a sufficient number for the keep being so well-maintained.”

A howl sounded outside followed by another one, and Cree slipped his arm around his wife, catching the sound of faint footfalls.

“The wolves hunt tonight.”

Dawn was startled by Olwen’s sudden appearance, not having heard her enter the room. Her husband hadn’t budged, but even if he didn’t hear her, he was too well-trained to show that anyone could startle him, except her of course. Dawn was still capable of surprising him at times.

“But worry not,” Olwen said. “The men will spend the night protecting the village and the livestock.”

“My horse?—”

“Is safe,” Olwen assured him. “As are both of you, so rest well and do not worry.”

“Yawn the next time she returns, so she thinks we are ready for sleep,” Cree whispered to his wife after Olwen left the room. “And eat more while you can.”

His order confirmed his concern, but she could not abide the thought of taking another bite. She shook her head and patted her stomach.

“You’re not feeling well?” he asked.

She nodded and drew a never-endling circle on her stomach.

“Your stomach is upset.”

She nodded, sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Have no worry, Dawn. I will get us out of here safely and we will not be going anywhere for some time after this. I have traveled enough. I prefer my home and the company of family and friends.”

She tapped her chest and nodded, letting him know she felt the same.

When Olwen returned, Dawn had to force herself to yawn, the prospect of exploring with Cree boosting her strength and resolve.

“I left a nice brew in your chambers to enjoy just before bed,” Olwen said. “Have a good rest and I will see you in the morning.”

“Your generosity is appreciated,” Cree said, and stood, then helped his wife to stand and with a nod to Olwen they left the room.

As soon as they reached their bedchamber, Dawn warned him to stay away from the brew, pointing to the jug and shaking her head and finger.

“I agree. We don’t drink the brew, though I have a feeling that Olwen may make sure we did. So, in a short while we will lie in bed and wait for her visit before we explore.”

Dawn took the jug and first poured some into the two tankards, then emptied them and more from the jug into the bucket of water, planning to accidentally spill it in the morning so that no one was the wiser. Not long after she got into bed and was lying on her side, then her husband curled himself around her, tucking her close against him, and she smiled. She rested her hand on his arm that hugged her waist and feeling his strength and his heart beat with confidence, she felt less anxious since arriving here.

“Footfalls. Close your eyes,” Cree whispered in her ear after they had laid there for a while.

Cree had made sure they faced the door, so Olwen didn’t need to enter the room, but he thought she might anyway, and he was right. He heard a slight tap to the door, then it creaked open slowly. He listened as her footfalls neared the bed. He felt a slight poke at his arm, then he heard her walk away but not toward the door, to the table. Dawn had been wise in making it seem like they had drunk quite a bit of the brew.

Her footfalls headed to the door and the door creaked open then closed, but he waited as he advised Dawn they would, to make sure Olwen made it appear that she left when she didn’t. Once again, he was right. After a few moments, the door creaked open again and shut. Still, Cree waited since he heard no footfalls along the passageway and once more the door opened and shut. Olwen was thorough in making sure that he and Dawn had drunk enough of the brew to keep them asleep for the rest of the night.

Finally, he heard her footfalls fade down the passageway and he alerted Dawn. “She’s gone.” He helped her out of bed. “You will stay close to me.”

She nodded, intending to do just that. She did not want to chance getting separated from him in an unfamiliar and odd place, especially since she had no voice, no way of calling out to him. She had learned through the years to clap her hands or make noise with whatever was at hand to attract his attention when needed. But that was not always possible, so she did not like to take risks. Besides, this place left her feeling uneasy and only feeling the strength of her husband’s muscled body against hers could ease her anxiousness.

Cree had opened the door enough times to know that if he lifted it some the creak could barely be heard. So, he and Dawn managed to leave the bedchamber making as little noise as possible. He grabbed a torch from one of the few sconces before they climbed the stairs to the next floor. The torch flickered in his hand, cutting a light through the suffocating darkness. The flames cast shadows that danced and twisted on the cold, uneven walls, forming shapes that looked like clawed hands reaching out to seize them. His other hand gripped Dawn’s hand to make sure she kept close.

Dawn welcomed her husband’s tight grip and moved closer to him, her arm brushing his. It made her feel safe, though she wished she had worn her cloak, the air so chilly she could have sworn she saw puffs of her own breath. She kept her eyes sharp and steady, watching for danger or whatever else the darkness might hold.

They continued to climb the twisting stairs, their footfalls echoing softly in the silence. The more they climbed the chillier and darker it seemed to get. It wasn’t as cold or dark when he was here earlier but then it hadn’t been night. But how would that make a difference with the heavy fog outside allowing little daylight? He made no remark about it to Dawn, not wanting to frighten her, but he took extra care with his steps and kept his focus alert. He’d allow nothing to harm his wife.

Dawn was relieved when they reached the first landing, a narrow corridor stretching out before them. Dust motes drifted in the torchlight, and the walls seemed to close in, the shadows so deep they appeared almost solid. She thought she heard a sound and tugged on Cree’s hand.

“I hear it too,” he said. “It sounds like the steady drip of water somewhere.”

Dawn nodded, agreeing and thought the steady drip reminded her of time passing, a warning for them to hurry.

The first door they came upon sat ajar, a sliver of darkness leaking out. Cree pushed it open with the tip of his finger and stretched the torch out in front of him revealing a small chamber.

“This room has not been in use for some time from the thick dust on the furniture,” Cree said as they entered.

Dawn nodded, casting a glance around at the items there, a basket of unfinished embroidery, a foot stool, and a wool blanket hanging off the lone chair were sure signs that the room once served as a woman’s solar. The tapestry above the fireplace caught her eye and she gestured to Cree to raise the torch.

It was a typical battle scene. Warriors lay sprawled on the ground while the victorious warriors stood over them, Lord Tiernan in the middle of them, though his hair was longer with twin braids on each side of his head. But what caught her eye the most was the forest scene at the top part of the tapestry. She spotted wolves among the trees, not hiding but rather watching as if they too were gleeful for the victory. She pointed it out to Cree and freed her hand to gesture her thought.

“Aye, the wolves do look pleased, almost as if it was a victory for them as well and they were now safe.” He tore his glance away from the disturbing tapestry. “We can’t linger. I want to get back to our quarters long before anyone returns.”

Cree led the way to the next room. Whatever the room had been used for was hard to tell, a collection of discarded furnishings and old chests now occupied it.

Something caught Cree’s eye. He believed it to be the handle of a weapon and once he extracted it from among the mountain of items, he saw that he was correct. It was a sword, an old one crudely made. Such a weapon had been abandoned by warriors long before he had even held a sword in his hand and long before this castle was built.

He wanted to dig more to see if he could find other old weapons, but moving things around would make too much noise that could possibly attract attention.

Several distant howls broke the silence and Cree hurried to grab his wife’s hand. “Time to leave.”

Dawn nodded, fully agreeing, the menacing howls running gooseflesh over her, and she wondered if they howled in victory of their hunt. And if they did, who in the clan had suffered a loss this night?

Once in the corridor, Dawn glanced down it, but it was dark, and she couldn’t see to the very end. She gave Cree’s elbow a nudge to raise the torch, and he did.

Cree stared along with Dawn at the large wood door at the end, pagan symbols intricately carved into it. It was a door that warned people away. Or was it a door that protected and if so, what did it protect?

Cree released his wife’s hand, gripped her arm, and turned her around, anxious to return to their bedchamber. “Let’s go.”

Dawn nodded, her eagerness to explore gone and her eagerness to leave here mounting. She hurried her steps and would have fallen if her husband hadn’t had a good grip on her arm and stopped her near tumble.

“Are you all right?” Cree asked anxiously.

Dawn nodded and scrunched her brow, pointing to the floor.

Cree lowered the torch and they both stared with their mouths agape at four parallel lines scored deep into the wood floor, like the marks of a clawed hand.

He didn’t care how bad the fog was, tomorrow they would take their leave from this strange place. He remained silent as he hurried her down the stairs, but he could tell the claw marks had frightened her. They had even disturbed him and that wasn’t easy to do. What were the scratches of a clawed beast doing so high up in the keep?

Cree hurried Dawn into their bedchamber and wished there was a lock on the door after he closed it. When he turned, Dawn began gesturing to him and her hands trembled as she did, and her facial expressions made her gestures easy to understand.

He went to her and grabbed her hands to stop her from talking. “Werewolves were born from tall and often drunken tales. They are not real.”

She slipped her hands out of his and gestured again.

“I agree that tall tales can be born from a grain of truth, but a man turning into an actual wolf is far too tall of a tale to believe.”

Dawn continued to disagree with him.

“Aye, I saw those claw marks and it is puzzling how they got there and worrisome since it tells me that a wolf gained entrance to the keep, which means it is not safe here. We leave in the morning. I don’t care how foggy it is.”

Dawn nodded rapidly, then cringed as a pain struck her head.

“Bloody hell,” Cree said, his arm going around her and he helped her to sit on the bed. “You still need rest.”

She shook her head and cringed again.

“The healer advised you to take two or three days’ rest, that any travel before than could prove difficult and possibly harmful. We cannot leave, at least not for another day.”

Dawn mouthed , not safe .

“Whether we leave or stay, either way could prove dangerous for us. We will not sleep at the same time. I need less sleep than you so I can sleep for a few hours during the day and stay awake throughout the night.”

Dawn shook her head, not agreeing.

“Your protest is useless. I command it and so it shall be.” He reminded her of his earlier decision. “I will no longer put off showing you where the stable is located, so you can escape on my stallion if it should prove necessary. The horse will find his way to our warriors or home.”

Dawn kept shaking her head.

“I will hear no more protests. You will do as I command, Dawn. I will have it no other way.”

Her chin went up and she crossed her arms over her chest, demonstrating her tenaciousness, letting him know that she had no intention of leaving him.

“Do not be foolish,” he scolded. “One of us must survive and return home to the children.”

She sighed and gestured slowly, her exhaustion obvious.

“Bloody hell,” Cree mumbled, annoyed that she was right. It was not safe for her to travel alone, not with the wolves around. Worse, no one would hear her screams if she were attacked. No one would know to go to her aid. The image of what she would suffer was too excruciating to bear. He had to make sure they remained together.

Dawn tapped his chest, then hers, and crossed two fingers, reminding him they would do better together, always together.

As usual their thoughts mirrored each other’s, and Cree reached out to cup the back of her neck and draw her slowly to him. Then his lips descended on hers in a possessive kiss, and his manhood instantly responded. It had been days since they last made love under the covers of the bed in the noble’s house where they had stayed. He knew the noble’s predilection for installing peek holes in the guest bedrooms so he could spy on them, not for information but for the pleasure he got in watching them perform intimately.

So, in the week they had been there, they had coupled only once and not at length. He was growing needier for his wife by the day, but his need would have to wait. She needed rest if they were to get out of there as soon as possible. Kisses would suffice for now. That Dawn rested her head on Cree’s chest when the kiss ended proved him right. If she was feeling herself, she would have made sure to get him into bed and not to sleep.

“You need to rest if we are ever to get out of here,” he said and stood, taking her along with him, then reached down to draw the blankets back for her to get into bed.

She gestured before climbing into bed.

“Worry not. I have no intentions of leaving you here alone,” Cree assured her.

She gestured after pointing to the bump on her head and around the room.

“You don’t know if it is the bump or this place that leaves you feeling uneasy?”

She nodded.

Cree gave her a gentle shove to move over and make room for him and once she did, he slipped in beside her and eased her against him to snuggle close. “You must get all the rest you can so you will be well enough to leave as soon as possible.”

When she didn’t answer him, he glanced down and saw she was asleep. The wound to her head had taken more of a toll on her than she would admit. He should have never taken her exploring tonight but he hadn’t wanted to leave her alone and it had proven helpful. They now knew that some type of beast roamed the keep, proving they weren’t safe here.

Cree let himself drift in a light sleep, alert to slightest noise and knowing the distinctness of each one. It had proven helpful often as it did now when he caught a distant sound that was unfamiliar… until it got closer.

It was the sound of claws on the stone floor and it came to a stop just outside the bedchamber door. Then he heard the sniff and the rustle of the latch, and Cree imagined the animal poking at it with his nose. A low rumbling growl sounded, then once again he heard the sound of claws being dragged along the stone floor. The animal was finished with them for the night.

The question was… what did he want with them?