Page 29 of Halloween Knight (A Knights Through Time Romance #17)

One villager took a turn telling a story.

“My uncle used to run the old inn by the crossroads in Swinton. One dark night, a stranger came knocking at the inn’s door seeking lodgings.

He was a tall, thin man dressed in dusty traveling clothes, with a pale face half-hidden underneath a cloak as black as night.

My uncle welcomed him in and showed him to a room. ”

The villager paused, making sure he had everyone’s attention before continuing.

“Later that night, my uncle awoke to the sound of someone crying softly. He lit a candle and made his way down the hall to check on the guest. Approaching the stranger’s room, the crying grew louder until it became wailing sobs.

But when my uncle opened the door, the room was empty.

There was no sign of the traveler, only an open window with the curtains blowing in the cold night breeze.

The next morning, there was no trace of the man.

But a week later, my uncle learned that a blacksmith from a nearby village had died that very night, struck down by a fright while on his way home.

My uncle knew at once it had been the blacksmith’s ghost who stayed at the inn that night, crying mournfully before passing on.

Now whenever the autumn winds blow, my uncle claims he can still hear the traveler’s anguished sobs echoing down the inn’s empty halls. ”

Everyone clapped, and the next tale was told, but Lucy was only half-listening, her gaze continuously scanning the shadows beyond the bonfire.

There. She could have sworn she saw a flash of long auburn hair peeking out from under a black cloak and mask.

“Where are you going?” William asked as she stood abruptly.

“I should check on the children,” Lucy replied, nerves stretched thin. She hurried across the courtyard, making her way into the great hall and up the stairs. There was no sign of the woman with auburn hair.

When Lucy pushed open the door of the nursery, she gasped.

The nanny lay unconscious on the floor while baby Peter slept soundly in his crib, unharmed.

She had to hurry, to warn William that Agnes had infiltrated the castle.

Lucy’s heart pounded as she rushed to the passage behind the tapestry where Jason often played. The hidden door stood ajar, but the passage was empty.

“Jason!” Lucy shouted desperately down the winding tunnel. Only the echo of her own panicked voice responded.

She went out into the corridor, yelling, until the servant came running .

“Stay with Peter and Mabel.”

Lucy closed the door to the passage and pulled the bar down so no one from the other side could enter. It had been William’s idea to put bars on all the passage doors in case an enemy tried to gain access to Blackford.

“Yes, my lady.” The woman cried out upon seeing Mabel on the floor. “What has happened? Was it an evil spirit?”

“No.” Lucy put her hands on the woman’s shoulders. “No spirit. It’s the woman who means us harm. Bar the door and do not let any in until William or I return.”

The woman nodded, then went to see to Mabel, who was slowly coming to.

Worry flooded through her as Lucy took the stairs down as fast as she could. It had to be Agnes.

As she rounded the corner into the hall, William met her halfway. Breathless, Lucy quickly explained Jason’s disappearance and the unconscious nanny.

“Peter was fine. She did not harm him.”

William’s face darkened with worry and anger. “He’s probably just hiding,” William muttered. “I’ll gather a few trusted men and we’ll search quietly. No need to disturb the festivities.”

Though he spoke reassuringly, Lucy saw the glint of fear in her husband’s eyes.

William held the torch high, illuminating the narrow passage. Callan and three of the guards followed him down as the passage descended to the cove. In the flickering light, footsteps were visible in the dust.

“Someone’s come this way recently,” Wymund noted, one hand drifting to the pommel of his sword.

Cautiously, they continued on. The passage ended in a natural cove, opening onto the sea. Moonlight filtered through a gap in the ceiling, glinting off something in the center of the cave.

“Merde,” the knight exclaimed. “Where did this come from?”

There before them lay two chests, tipped over, spilling coins, jewels, and other treasures across the sandy stone floor.

William held the torch out, and there in the corner was a hole in the cave.

“The water must have opened the old hiding place.” He knelt down to pick up one of the coins. It was the same as the coins the boys had found exploring the passages.

Callan looked over his shoulder. “’Tis old. Roman?”

Before William could take a closer look at the coins, the shadows stirred. The rest of the mercenaries, under the command of Agnes, emerged, blades glinting.

The mercenaries dressed as peasants, and he knew Lucy had been right. They’d walked right through the gates into Blackford undetected in the chaos of the celebrations.

“The treasure’s ours,” their leader snarled. “We’ll make this quick.”

William and his men met them, steel ringing through the cave. Though outnumbered, they quickly cut through the mercenaries.

Amid the skirmish, William was unaware as a mercenary took aim at his back with a bow. Callan threw himself in front of him just as the arrow released. It went clear through his brother’s arm instead of William’s heart.

The pain barely slowed Callan. Together, they fought on furiously, until none remained.

William turned to his brother. “You saved my life.” Thunder boomed in the distance, a storm was coming.

“Ye would have done the same.” Callan wiped the blood on his plaid.

William turned to Wymund, the wind whipping through the cave. “See the treasure to the solar, where it may be locked away for now.”

Wait until Lucy found out. This was not the Halloween celebration she’d been expecting.

Callan ripped a strip of his shirt to bind the wound as he grimaced. “Where is Agnes?”

Where indeed.