Page 10 of Halloween Knight (A Knights Through Time Romance #17)
“Eight... nine... ten!” Lucy called out. “Ready or not, here I come!”
She turned from her spot against the castle wall, scanning the empty courtyard. A handful of children, including her son, had scampered off just moments before, hiding as part of their favorite game, hide-and-seek.
Despite being the lady of the castle, Lucy enjoyed playing with the children when she needed a break.
Their laughter echoed across the grounds, easing the emptiness of William’s departure.
It was morbid, but she’d wondered if her children might have the ability to travel through time?
Because if heaven forbid, something ever happened to William, Lucy wasn’t sure that she’d want to stay in medieval England.
Though if the kids could travel through time and she went back, Jason wouldn’t inherit Blackford, the title, or the gold, and she’d never have this kind of money in the future.
Sure, she’d had a good job in her own time, but nothing like the wealth that her husband boasted.
There were times she wondered if she might be suffering from depression with all the doom and gloom thoughts of late, but she wasn’t sure and didn’t have anyone to ask.
Shaking her head to push the thoughts away, she put her hands on her hips.
“You better have good hiding places,” she called out.
Lucy searched, peeking around corners and behind barrels. She purposely took her time, seeking out each child, and when she found one of the kids, Lucy made sure she was over the top, totally dramatic.
“Found you, Alice!” she exclaimed as a little girl barely stifled a giggle from behind a hay pile. Alice jumped up laughing at having evaded detection for so long.
One of the kitchen lads had hidden on a shelf in the kitchens, while another had tried to hide behind a few sacks of grain, but kept giggling and gave himself away.
The pure sound of children’s laughter lightened Lucy’s heart. They squealed and laughed when she’d call out “Found you!”, then wanted to help her search for the rest of the kids.
Knowing her son, Lucy turned and headed for the stables, where she spotted Jason peeking out from a stall. Creeping closer and closer, she kept up a running commentary for his benefit.
“Now, where could my little boy be hiding? Not inside the castle... not by the well... Hmm, perhaps the stables?”
Jason stifled a giggle and took a step backwards into the shadows. But it was too late, Lucy pounced and snatched him into her arms.
“Found you!” she yelled as Jason collapsed into helpless laughter. She planted kisses on his flushed, smiling cheeks before setting him back on his feet.
“Alright, help me find the others,” Lucy took his hand as they found one of the boys in the garden, and two more kids hidden in a cart.
Within a short while, all the children had been found.
“Well done.” Lucy praised them. “You all picked excellent hiding spots.”
One of the little girls pointed as a merchant’s wagon rolled through the gates and stopped at the kitchens to deliver the goods.
“Let’s hide in his wagon.” Emma exclaimed with enthusiasm. The other children eagerly voiced their agreement.
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think he would appreciate that very much. How about...” She pretended to think. “How about we go inside to the kitchens and get warm by the fire instead?”
With Lucy corralling them, the little group made their way inside. They sat on the floor out of the way as Lucy doled out cups of cider and apples for everyone.
After they were warm, Lucy led them to the hall where they sat in a circle in front of the fire.
“Now then, who wants to hear a story?”
The reaction was instantaneous and unanimous - a chorus of pleas rang out.
“Oh yes, my lady, please!”
“Tell the one about the ghost dog!”
“Tell us a scary one!”
Lucy held up her hands, laughing. “Alright, let me think...”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully as the children watched her, eyes shining with anticipation. At last she brightened, having settled on the perfect story.
“Did I ever tell you all about Sir Roderick the Restless?” Lucy adopted a spooky tone. “They say his ghost still haunts these very halls... ”
The children leaned forward eagerly, some with nervous trepidation furrowing their small brows. Satisfied she had their full attention, Lucy launched into the tale.
“Sir Roderick was a brave warrior and loyal knight who protected Blackford for many years. But he was also stubborn and thought he knew better than everyone else.”
Around the room, various servants, and guardsmen going about their duties drew near, wanting to listen to the story.
“What happened to him?” Emma asked.
“Well,” Lucy continued, “one winter, there came a fierce battle fought right on these very castle grounds. The people defended the walls from the invaders, but Roderick thought he knew better than his lord how to lead the fight. He disobeyed orders, and the enemy breached the gates. It was to be his last night on the land.”
Her captive audience gasped. Lucy nodded gravely.
“It was a disastrous mistake. The enemy was waiting and slaughtered Roderick and his men. They forced the first Lord Blackford to fall back, ceding the outer courtyard as the enemy poured through the gates. They lost many lives that otherwise might have been spared if Sir Roderick had obeyed orders.”
The children exchanged wide-eyed glances as Lucy continued.
“After the battle, the surviving men searched the grounds to gather their dead. Roderick’s body was nowhere to be found amongst the other fallen knights.
It seemed the enemies must have carried his corpse away when they retreated back across the border.
Lord Blackford was furious at Roderick for costing so many loyal men’s lives with his arrogance. ”
Nearby, a guardsman added in a low, ominous tone, “Some say Roderick’s own men punished him for his foolishness in the midst of the fight. Stabbed him in the back before the enemy could finish him...”
Lucy nodded. “Yes, perhaps that is true. Others believe Roderick survived the battle but deserted in disgrace, never to be seen again. But the truth is far more chilling.”
She lowered her voice to a true ghost-story whisper.
“Some say Roderick’s ghost still haunts Blackford to this very day, cursed for all eternity to wander these very halls and battlements after causing the deaths of so many.”
Mouths agape, the children stared at Lucy with a mix of fascination and unease. Even the hovering adults seemed intrigued and unnerved by the tale. After letting the eerie revelation sink in for a moment, Lucy continued with a grin.
“Through the long years since that fateful battle, some have claimed to glimpse Sir Roderick’s ghost in the corridors at night. Pale and shadowy in his rusted armor, with an anguished scowl upon his face.”
A young scullery maid spoke up. “My gran said she saw him once... drifting across the courtyard to the garrison late one night when the moon was full.”
Pleased the story was entertaining for everyone, Lucy nodded.
“If you are quiet and listen late at night, you may hear strange sounds—footsteps pacing the battlements, echoed shouts from long-dead men, the clash of ghostly steel from the wall where Roderick led his men in that ill-fated charge.”
The children huddled closer together, excited and a little scared at the same time.
When Lucy first told ghost stories, the kids said they weren’t scary enough, so she made them scarier, and when she worried that they’d have nightmares, William had said they all loved her stories. The scare was part of the fun.
“Some nights, when the fog rolls in thick from the sea,” Lucy continued, “the guard on duty swears he sees shapes moving through the mist. The ghosts of Roderick and his men, doomed to reenact their fatal mistake for all eternity.”
They all listened, eyes huge, as she concluded, “So beware if you are out of your beds at night. You never know when you might catch a glimpse of Sir Roderick’s tormented ghost drifting along the parapets where he met his end so long ago.
They say his face is frozen in an expression of terrible anguish and regret, a warning to any who might let foolish pride lead them to disaster. ”
A pronounced hush followed the end of Lucy’s tale, broken only by the popping and crackling of the great hall’s fire. At last Emma whispered hesitantly, “He’s not really here though... right, my lady?”
The girl’s mother spoke up. “If you do as you’re told and go to bed when you’re supposed to, the ghost will pass by, otherwise—” she trailed off as the children gasped, making Lucy cover her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh.
The children nodded, while shooting uneasy glances into the hall’s shadowy corners. Deciding she needed to lighten the mood, Lucy stood.
“Come now, who’s hungry? Let’s see what Cook has prepared for dinner.”
The mood broken, the kids ran to sit at the benches as the guardsmen joined them for the mid-day meal, murmuring to each other about the ghost story, some swearing they had seen the ghost.
Later that night, Lucy smiled to herself on her way to bed. She imagined the guards keeping an extra sharp watch for any wisp of mist or listening for the haunting footsteps of Sir Roderick the Restless.