Page 8 of The Valiant Knight (The Ravensmire Chronicles #2)

“They were this eerie hazel. Like between stormy blue and green. When I looked into them, I saw…”

He stopped.

His friend didn’t want to hear what he saw because he didn’t know how to articulate it, but he saw a life and happiness.

He saw family.

He saw joy.

He saw peace.

“Never mind. It’s all insanity.”

Oh, this was wild.

What he’d just described matched up with the woman in the crypt.

That was interesting.

And, again, freaky.

Now, Graham had to decide if he should warn the man, or just let him find this out for himself.

He went with the fun option.

“Well, I hope you figure it out. You should go meet the two Feds. They are working.”

Well, someone wanted to get rid of him, and fast, now didn’t he?

He stood up and kicked back the rest of his coffee.

“How did I get so damn unlucky to be handling this?” Finn asked. “This is a shit job. I could be out there helping the other detectives, and here I am, babysitting Americans.”

Graham couldn’t help himself.

This was about to intrigue and freak his friend out.

Bet.

On.

It.

“I think you might like these Americans. They’re actually quite nice. Look at Bark Twain. Coming up with that name…clever.”

He shrugged.

Yeah, he had a chip on his shoulder.

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Oh, well, someone was in for a shock.

That was for damn sure.

As he walked away, Graham actually laughed to himself. When he picked up Bark, he was beyond amused at what Finn was about to walk headlong into.

“It looks like this is about to be interesting, Bark. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. The straightlaced detective is about to meet a wild FBI storm.”

And he couldn’t wait.

His old friend was in for a shock.

It seemed that the universe was about to step in and have some fun with the man.

And Graham had a ring-side seat to the show.

Meanwhile…

Heading down the long corridor to reach the Americans, he checked the place out. Finn wasn’t sure if he’d get more chances to wander around in this place.

And it was magnificent.

Honestly, he couldn’t help himself.

The dining room looked like it was big enough to fit a family of twenty, and that made sense since the Blackhawks had bought it.

As for the library with ceiling to floor bookshelves, he was a little envious.

He loved a good book.

A sense of pride overcame him. This was his heritage, and his ancestors. The Granndachs made the town, and fostered a good community all of those years ago.

Duncan was a protector to the villagers, and he always took care of them. He protected them from the British, and the other invasions.

He was a good man.

Now, seeing the repairs, that made Finn happy.

This castle was something.

Before the new owner bought it, the place was never even opened up, and already, he could see that the place was coming to life.

The colors were vivid, and the renovations were top notch. It appeared that no expense was spared, and he had to give it to the Blackhawks.

They kept their word to the council that they would bring Ravensmire back to her glory.

She.

Was.

Fantastic.

There had probably been wild parties here all of those centuries ago, and it was clear that Duncan wanted a grand place for his return from battle.

That was for sure.

As he kept walking down the hall, Finn noticed one thing. The temperature kept dropping all around him, and now, he saw his breath.

Huh?

What the hell?

The incline to the lowest level of the castle wasn’t great enough that the temperature inside should drop that fast. It was bizarre.

Holding out his hand, the air felt thick, and heavy—like something oppressive was covering it.

The hair on his arms stood, and he didn’t feel like he was alone.

What was this?

His gut was screaming.

As Finn looked around, that was when he heard a familiar sound.

It was that melodious laughter again, but this time, he was wide awake.

What?

Yeah, it was the same laughter that he’d heard in his non-stop dreams.

Looking around, he tried to see if the sounds belonged to someone, but he couldn’t find anyone.

When it stopped, Finn tried to catch his breath, but it was so real that his heart began beating in his chest.

It haunted him, and now, he couldn’t get it out of his head.

When he took a footstep forward, it was back, and the laughter turned to talking, and at first, Finn thought he was losing his mind.

He had to be.

Seriously?

Where was it coming from?

It sounded like the voice was coming from up ahead, so he did the only thing he could.

He.

Followed.

It.

As he approached the darker area, he moved through the doorway that led to the crypt room. The wrought-iron door was open, giving him access.

That wasn’t ominous.

The second he stepped inside, he couldn't believe his eyes.

There stood the woman from his dreams. It was the one who said she was his wife.

Holy shit.

When his shoe kicked a small stone, the sound was loud enough to get the woman to turn, and when she did, she gasped as she saw him.

And then, the dream came true.

The woman started falling backward into the mouth of the open crypt.

Finn didn’t hold back.

His instincts kicked in.

And he did what he had to do.

He saved the girl.