Page 3 of The Valiant Knight (The Ravensmire Chronicles #2)

“Construction has begun on the tower. It was sealed off for the longest time. Usually, when there is construction, it stirs up the past. If you see anything that can be put in the book in the library, let me know. Keep your eyes open. Letters have appeared everywhere.”

She kept asking questions, and hoped he didn’t get annoyed.

“How did the book get ruined?” Gabby asked.

He was honest.

“We don’t know. Pages are just ripped out, and scattered all over the place. Ian and Gryphen found quite a few. We don’t know too much about the Granndachs at that point. We know they never had girls, and that Ceit cursed the bloodline with some black magic.”

This.

Was.

Fascinating.

Gabby was tickled pink to be here to experience this. She couldn’t wait to roam around.

This was totally an adventure.

This was going to make her life. She could already tell that.

“How about we get your things in, have a meal, and then, I can take you into town for some fun. Later, you can get some rest because you have to be so tired. Tomorrow will come soon enough. Oh, and we already had an issue regarding your work here.”

They got out, and Gabby let Bark Twain out of his carrier.

Immediately, he began running in circles, barking.

“What?” Tony asked.

It was time to tell them about the outside rules that they were being forced to adhere to.

He’d spoken to Callen, and the man had told him not to rock the boat. It wasn’t worth it. If the local law wanted to stare at Tony moving remains, hand them a shovel and let them help out.

Period.

So, that was what he was going to do. He hoped his old friend wore work boots.

He was about to get dirty in the morning.

“The Detective Inspector of the Polis will be here while you’re handling the remains. The Scottish council in town insists that they oversee the bones since the FBI doesn’t have jurisdiction here.”

Tony lifted a brow.

What was this?

Was he kidding?

It wasn’t like he was going to damage the bones. He didn’t desecrate graves.

“I’m a Forensic Anthropologist, not a grave robber,” he said, adamantly. “I will treat them with the utmost respect. My ancestors were from Scotland. Even if I wasn’t Scottish, I wouldn’t ever do that to human remains!”

Gabby patted him on the back, trying to get him to calm down.

Tony took his job VERY seriously.

Graham didn’t want to insult him.

“Don’t take offense, Doctor. Your ancestors being from here will go a long way during this process. The name alone tells us that. Please know that I’m not thrilled about this either. Only, they are wary of the new owners of the castle, and are trying to figure out who bought it.”

Uh-oh.

They knew Callen and Chris didn’t want that to happen.

“That’s sneaky,” Gabby admitted.

Yes, yes, it was.

“So if anyone asks, please say nothing. Callen has stated that he doesn’t want this getting out. This is their safe place.”

He didn’t tell them that Finn had already guessed who bought the castle. Why get everyone riled up?

Both Gabby and Tony got it.

“We won’t let it slip. We know how to keep things quiet,” Gabby said, as Bark Twain ran up to Graham, and started tugging on his pantleg with his teeth.

As she was getting ready to apologize profusely, Graham scooped him up and cuddled him.

“Well, aren’t you a ferocious fellow?” he asked. “All those tiny teeth and big dog energy in ten pounds of dog.”

Gabby laughed.

That was pretty much how Bark viewed himself, but in actuality, he was a chicken.

And she ratted him out.

“He’s afraid of fireworks, gunfire, recycling bins, the wind, rain, and sometimes, his dog dish. He once saw his reflection in a mirror, and lost his shit trying to defend my home against the infiltrator.”

Graham laughed outrageously.

“Well, I’ll have to hide those things,” he said, scratching the dog behind the ears. “He can defend all of us from the spirits.”

She appreciated his kindness.

“I’ll try to keep him from annoying you,” Gabby said. “So I’m sorry in advance.”

Graham looked over.

“You don’t have to apologize. I love animals.

There are two horses in the stable. Romeo and Juliet, and like I said, there are goats, and some sheep.

They go out to graze every day. Introduce them to this scary guy,” he said, kissing the dog on the top of the head and then putting him down on the ground. “They will love to meet him.”

That made her happy.

“Thank you, Graham,” she said.

He winked at her.

“It’s my pleasure, Gabby. Enjoy the castle. Now, I’ll help you get unpacked and you guys can chill out until dinner. Then, we’ll have a night in the village.”

Gabby couldn’t wait.

She still couldn’t help but be giddy.

And the whole time, Gabby knew one thing.

This place felt oddly like home.

And she didn’t know why.

But she’d find out.

* * *The Ravensmire Castle* * *

Hours Later

Ten P.M.

The Master’s Suite

The evening had gone fast. Setting up Tony’s equipment had taken hours, and then they’d sat down for dinner.

After eating, they headed out, and Tony had been his usual self. When Graham had to get him off of the bar top, he knew the man had enough fun for the night.

Granted, everyone in town loved him, and it had become a huge party.

But daylight came fast, and they were there to do a job. Honestly, she wanted to tour the village, and not the pub. She loved little shops, and wanted to buy some things to bring home with her.

On one of the days here, she’d try to get more touring time in, since she was a tourist.

After getting back to the castle, it was almost midnight, and they’d been exhausted.

So sleep had been easy to find.

Now, fast asleep and cozied up in the big bed in her temporary room, Gabby was at peace.

Only, she didn’t realize she was asleep.

Why?

Because it felt so real.

What did?

The dream going on around her.

For the life of her, she couldn’t wake up, or stop having this one dream. The whole thing had her locked in, and she was helpless to stop it.

As she wandered the grounds behind the castle, she heard her name being called.

It was so weird.

The male voice was unfamiliar, but yet, she followed it.

Honestly, she couldn’t seem to help herself. The pull was that great.

As she moved into the trees, and down a horse trail, she saw a cloaked figure not that far ahead of her.

It looked masculine, but she couldn’t tell. It was hazy in her dream, like there was a filter on.

Only, she followed, curious to see where he was leading her to.

“Who are you?” she called, and there was only laughter as her answer.

Well, that was ominous.

Gabby kept talking to the shadowy figure.

“Where are we going?” she asked, putting her faith in this figure.

She heard the voice answer.

‘To show you something.’

Ummm…

Okay.

This whole thing was weird because the voice sounded like it was coming from the wind, but it also sounded like someone was whispering in her ear.

All at once.

The way she had goosebumps, she could have sworn that it was behind her.

So.

Damn.

Close.

Only, instead of being afraid, she kept following, not fearing it for some unexplained reason.

To be tailing this shadow was crazy, but here she was, doing just that.

As they seemed to be walking forever, she wasn’t able to catch up with the cloaked figure. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t reach him.

Not if she ran.

Not if she jogged.

The shadowy figure was just out of her reach, and that was annoying. He was leading her down that shadowy path with confidence that she didn’t have.

If it was even a ‘he’ because she couldn’t even see his face.

As they came to a branch in the road, the mysterious figure led her deeper into the woods.

“Where are we going?” she asked, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Again, she heard the same thing.

‘To show you something.’

And again, it came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

This was oh, so bizarre for her.

As they tromped through the bramble, she could smell something distinct in the air, but she wasn’t sure if it was a flower, or the man in front of her.

What she did know was that it was honey-scented with a touch of musky lavender, and it was like nothing that she’d ever smelled before.

This wasn’t a scent that she ever smelled back home.

As she looked around, trying to find it, she was disappointed.

There were no flowers around her, and the grounds were mostly crunchy from leaves and dead branches.

What was going on?

What was living in her psyche that she was dreaming up this?

As she reached a spot, the cloaked figure was still a distance from her, but now, he was standing by a grave.

It was marked with a cross, and on it were words she couldn’t read.

He pointed.

She saw the hand, and it was big, masculine, and worn like someone who had done battle for a very long time. That really didn’t help her figure out who this was.

Graham had mentioned a cloaked spirit. Could this be him?

“Who is buried there?” she asked.

When he turned his hand over, in it were little sprigs of pretty pink flowers.

It was heather.

As the cloaked figure began walking away, she followed out of curiosity.

Now, she was even more confused.

Did he bring her here to look at flowers?

Really?

“What are you trying to tell me?” she asked, not realizing they were moving closer to the cliffs. When he had nowhere else to move, she was getting close enough to pull off his cloak hood.

Only, she didn’t get a chance. It was when the figure disappeared that was when she looked around.

As she saw the scenery, the views were breathtaking and like nothing Gabby had ever seen before.

In.

Her.

Life.

Watching it, she didn’t hear the shadow come up behind her.

When she turned, sensing she wasn’t alone, it was the shove that teetered her on the edge of the cliff.

It was the push that made her fall backward. To her, it felt like when you fell in your sleep. Your whole body jerked, but she didn’t wake up.

No.

She kept falling.

Reaching out, she grabbed anything she could and that was when someone appeared to grab her hand.