Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Dreda yanked us through the doorway from which Fysan had flown and we found ourselves in a narrow hall. Doorways on either side led into other parts of the house, but her steps were aimed at the rear. We passed an open door near the end of the corridor that led to a narrow flight of stone steps. A scent of delicious food and the sound of a crackling fire floated up, signifying the entrance to an underground kitchen.

Our ‘guide' led us to the rear of the house where the hall opened to a large room. The space was rectangular in size with windows facing out onto what once had been the rear garden but was now a mess of creeping vines and random trees. A large stone porch peeked out from beneath clumps of grass and weeds.

A long heavy wooden table was situated in the middle of the room. It could have comfortably seated thirty people, but only three places were set at the end of the table closest to the hall. A half dozen covered dishes were placed before the fine plates.

"Is Werd well?" Ben wondered as we took our seats with Dreda at the head and both of us on either side of her.

Dreda took up her napkin and set it in her lap. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Ben's eyes invariably wandered to the windows and the wilderness beyond the glass. "The grounds seem rather, well, flourishing."

"Oh, you know him. He likes a challenge," she cooed as she lifted one of the lids to reveal a hunk of steaming ham. She took up the sharp knife beside the platter and began carving out the food. "Now then, how much would you like?"

The answer to that turned out to be ‘not that much' as our hostess kept piling more and more food on our plates. There was hardly any talk between mouthfuls of the delicious food, and the wine she offered us from the decanter had a sweet and tangy flavor that lulled me into drinking far more than I should have.

I sat back an hour later with a full stomach and a slightly airy mind. Ben, too, gave up as he covered his plate with one hand to stop his aunt from putting more ham on it. "No more, I beg you," he pleaded with a gracious smile.

Dreda wrinkled her nose but retreated with the forkful of meat. "Very well, but I recall the days when you used to be able to eat almost a whole ham by yourself."

"That's when I still had two hollow legs," he countered as he patted his stomach. "Now I have only my stomach to fill."

Dreda looked over my empty plate. "Nothing more for you, Miss Lucas?"

I smiled at her. "Please call me Millie, and I really couldn't eat another bite." My stomach jiggled at the thought of any more food in its stuffed confines.

Dreda looked over the half-finished plates and sighed. "Well, I suppose there's much for the men-folk." She turned her attention to the hall. "Fysan! Oh Fysan!"

The owl swooped in from the hall and landed neatly on the back of Ben's chair. The sudden counterweight made him start forward and grab the table. Ben turned his head to one side and one of his eyes cast an irritated look at the bird. Fysan for his part pretended not to notice, but there was a wicked glint in his eyes that told me the off-kilter attack was on purpose.

The bird bowed his head as well as any owl could. "Yes, My Lady?"

"We're finished with the food. Please inform Tully and Werd that they may come in here and eat what they wish."

Fysan nodded. "As you wish."

He turned around and in the process, his tail feathers smacked the back of Ben's head. Ben winced as Fysan's eyes shone with a wicked glee. The bird opened his wings and flew into the hall. I couldn't help but gaze in awe at how close he was able to tuck his wings through the narrow gap and yet still stay airborne.

"Magic." It was Dreda who spoke, and I turned to her amused face with bewilderment. She nodded at where Fysan had vanished. "You were curious how he flew so elegantly in such tight spaces. He has a gift of magic."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Animals have magic? I mean, besides being able to talk."

She stood and we rose with her. "They are very rare and their magic is not very powerful, but they find uses for their gifts. Now I'm sure you're both very exhausted from your long trip, so I'll let you get some rest." She guided us down the corridor and through the parlor back to the entrance hall. "You may share Ben's old room. I've had it cleaned just for your visit." Dreda turned to us at the bottom of the stairs and her eyes shimmered with happiness. "I am truly happy to have you both here, and I do hope you enjoy your stay."

Ben bowed his head. "I'm sure we will and thank you for having us."

Dreda turned her attention to me and grasped my hands in hers. "Rest, dearest Millie. The morning sun will make the dark shadows in your thoughts seem like nothing more than a nightmare."

I blinked at her. "Dark shadows?"

Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she stepped back and wagged a finger at Ben. "And mind you, don't go looking for trouble outside like you used to."

"We'll be sure to stay in bed," Ben promised as he grasped my shoulders and his gaze took on a slightly lecherous glint when he looked down at me. My face drooped and I elbowed him in the gut.

"I'm sure you will," Dreda replied as she bowed her head. "Goodnight."

We returned the farewell and she slipped through the door that led into the other wing. I tried to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond, but all I saw was a long, dark corridor that led deep into the bowels of the manor.

Ben caught my eye and gestured to the stairs. "Shall we?"

I studied the crowded steps. Paintings with thick frames hung from the wall and miscellaneous trinkets like oil lamps and wooden boxes crowded the steps. I folded my arms over my chest. "You think it's safe?"

"As safe as anything in this house."

"I think I'll take my chances with the ground floor."

"The only beds are located on the second."

My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "Alright, let's do this."

We made our way up the steps with Ben leading the way. "What do you think of Aunt Dreda?" he inquired as we tiptoed through the tulips, in some cases literally as I stepped over a bouquet of dried flowers.

"Your aunt seems a little, well-"

"Scattered in thoughts?" Ben suggested.

I felt like an adventurer on safari in a land of quicksand and booby traps. Each step was a danger to my livelihood and healthy ankles. "Or a little short on her attention span."

"She does have a bad habit of holding several conversations in her mind, and some of them don't require any input from her company," he told me as we reached the top of the stairs and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I leaned against the corner where the long hall cut the upper floor in two. "So she's always that flighty?"

"Only on weekdays," he replied as he led me down the left half of the hall to the end where he stopped us in front of the last door.

I slipped up to his side and lifted an eyebrow. "So what's she like on the weekends?"

"Flightier," he answered as he swung open the entrance.

Ben revealed a comfortable bedroom with a four-post bed and a large dresser. There was also a vanity against the far right wall with a door that I guessed led to a private bath. The windows looked out onto the back of the house. I sidled up to one of the paned windows and looked out onto an overgrown garden. A shed had been swallowed by vines and there was only a hint of a stone path that led from the back door into the jungle.

I leaned my left arm against the window frame and folded my arms over my chest as I turned to Ben. "So what's the story between you and the bird? He looked really happy trying to topple your chair with you in it."

Ben paused in his unpacking and frowned. "Fysan and I have been at odds for some years."

"Did you steal his mouse or did he steal your sandwich?"

A smile slipped onto his lips as he resumed his unpacking. "A little of both over the years, and to tell the truth I've long forgotten how the animosity began. For his part, I doubt he's forgotten any of the mischief I've made for him."

I glanced out the window and furrowed my brow. Ben paused in his unpacking and likewise showed a troubled expression. "What is it?"

I kept my gaze focused on the shadowed world beyond the glass. "What made you venture out?"

Ben lifted an eyebrow as he set his clothes down and ventured over to me. He looked at where I looked in the garden.

Something was moving, and it wasn't a branch in the wind. It was more like a bent shadow that shambled its way through the wilderness. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as my imagination ran wild, but one idea stuck in my head.

Ghost.