Chapter 9

All was quiet, except for the distant calls of night-birds wafting through the windows. There wasn't even the rustle of a mouse searching for crumbs. Moonlight crept in through a tall slit window, drifted across the floor, and was gone.

It was only a slight sound, but it grew quickly to a wail that tore at the heartstrings.

The Gallowglasses shot bolt-upright, staring about them. Rod reached out and caught Gregory to him; Gwen hugged Cordelia. Rod clasped Geoffrey's shoulder, felt a slight quivering.

Then he saw Magnus.

The boy sat still, every muscle taut, staring at the apparition.

She was beautiful, even now, with her hair disheveled and her face contorted with terror. She was pale as moonlight on snow, her garments a cloud about her. "A rescue," she moaned, "a rescue, I beg of thee! A rescue, good souls, from this monster who hath chained me here. I prithee…"

Suddenly, her gaze leaped up to fix on something above their heads, and her fists came up to her lips as she began to wail again, voice rising to a scream that seemed to pierce their temples. Then she leaped, shot toward them…

And was gone.

Bitter cold chilled them, then faded. The last echo of the scream rang into nothingness.

In the silence, Rod heard Cordelia sobbing, and white-hot anger flared in him, against the thing that could so terrify his child.

But what thing was it? He looked behind him, but only darkness was there.

Light was the one weapon against it. He pressed Gregory into Gwen's arm and turned to blow on the coals, laying kindling on them until flame licked up. He put on a heavier stick, glared at it to give the fire a boost, laid a log on, and turned back to his family.

They seemed to thaw in the warmth of the fire, but not much.

" 'Tis well now, daughter—'tis well," Gwen murmured. "What e'er 'twas, it is gone."

Cordelia gasped, bringing her sobs under control.

But Rod saw Magnus still tense, eyes gazing off into darkness. Rod concentrated, listening, and could hear distant, mocking laughter echoing into stillness far away.

Magnus relaxed a trifle, and his eyes came back into focus. " 'Tis gone, as much as 'twill ever be."

"Oh, I don't know." Rod's eyes narrowed. "I think we might be able to make it a little more permanent than that."

Magnus stared at him, shocked. "We are no priests, to exorcise spirits!"

"No, we're fighting wizards. Expert espers, where I come from—and every form of magic we've encountered on this planet has been psionic, in some way or another. Why should ghosts be different?"

Magnus's stare held; he almost whispered, "Dost mean we can lay this spectre to rest?"

Rod shrugged. "It's worth investigating."

"Then we must! Whatsoe'er we can do, we shall! The lady is in peril dire—e'en now, past her death, she doth bide in terror! Howsoe'er we can aid her, 'tis vital!"

The other children stared at him, startled, and Gwen seemed very thoughtful; but Rod only nodded, flint-faced. "Let's learn what we can, then. First we need to know who she was, and what happened to her."

"Who she is, Papa!"

"Was," Rod grated. "She's dead, son, no matter whether or not you can see her! She died two hundred years ago!"

Magnus stared at him, but Rod held his stony gaze, and the boy finally relaxed a little. "Was," he agreed. "Yet she is still in torment. How shall we learn?"

"As to that, you're the only research tool we've got," Rod said, "but the rest of us are going along; no splitting this family at night in this castle!"

"Never!" Cordelia shuddered.

"What! Wouldst thou search now, husband?"

"But we must, Mama!" Magnus cried. " 'Tis only at night they are so strong! By day, we might learn no more than we already know!"

Gwen stared at him, surprised.

"Were you thinking of drifting back to sleep?" Rod asked.

Gwen shuddered. "Nay, I think I shall not slumber now till dawn bringeth light! Wherefore should we not wander these halls? We have conned them already—and can we see worse than we have?"

"It's possible," Rod allowed, "so let's keep our torch with us." He turned to pull a branch out of the fire. "You remember that ball-of-light spell you used when we first met?"

"Aye, husband." Gwen smiled ruefully. " 'Twas due to ghosts' work then, too, was't not?"

"Yeah." Rod nodded. "I think I'm beginning to understand how that happened now. Well, lead on, stone-reader."

Magnus stepped away in front of them, frowning, then reached out to touch the wall. He stood still a few seconds, then drifted toward the stairway, fingertips brushing rock.

The other children followed. Behind them, Fess clopped into movement.

Rod hung back to murmur in Gwen's ear. "Any question as to the nature of the malady, Doctor?"

"Not a doubt of it," Gwen answered softly. "She is a beauteous lass, though a spectre, and he is in love, as any young man might be."

"Yes." Rod nodded. "I'm relieved, really."

"I, too. I feared he might be so distraught that he'd try to join her."

"Kinda my thought, too." Rod gave her a sardonic smile. "Fortunately, he's young enough to still be sufficiently scared of girls so that he's more apt to sublimate than to woo. Well, let's follow where love leads, dear."

"Have we not always?" she murmured, but he'd slipped behind her, and didn't hear.

The stairway hadn't seemed nearly so long by daylight. But they toiled up, following the curve as they went. Fess's hooves rang loudly in the stairwell. Rod turned to him, glaring. "You don't have to make that much noise, you know."

"True, Rod, but I do not think you would truly wish me to move silently behind you, on such an occasion."

"A point," Rod admitted. "The more noise, the fewer spooks. But can I hear myself think?"

"Do you truly wish to?"

At the top, Magnus stepped away from the wall, frowning and looking about him.

"Lost the scent?" Rod asked.

"Nay, yet 'tis quite faint. And I bethink me there's more to her tale than she herself."

Rod nodded. "True. There's also the thing she's afraid of."

"Let us seek through all." Magnus stepped over to the nearest doorway, pushed the door open wide, and stepped in, reaching out to touch the wall.

Cordelia had managed to slip back to her parents. Now she whispered into her mother's ear. "What hath him so beset?"

Gwen smiled at her, amused. "Why, lass, what dost thou think?"

"That he's besotted," Cordelia said promptly. "Is it thus boys behave, when they're lovestruck?"

"Aye, till they finally come nigh the lass. Then pursuit halts awhile."

Cordelia smiled. "Let us hope this light-o'-love doth not give encouragement."

"Any lass must, if the lad's not to flee," Gwen said. She stopped in the middle of the chamber to look around. It was perhaps twelve feet square, walls bare stone except for a tapestry hanging on one wall. The room held a bed, a small table, a stool, and a chest.

"Standard medieval furnishings." Rod reached out to the tapestry, then thought better of it. "Do you suppose this thing would crumble if I touched it?"

"I would not chance it," Gwen answered.

"A knight dwelt here." Magnus's voice was a sigh, a breeze. "A knight, and his lady wife. They were goodly, and content with one another—though toward the end of their tenure the knight was oft upset by the Count's son."

"Upset?" Rod said. "Why?"

Magnus shook his head. "All manner of wrongdoing—and the knight was on his guard to prevent such malfeasance."

"Had they no children?" Cordelia asked.

"Aye, and they were oft in this chamber, though they slept elsewhere."

"Elsewhere" turned out to be the room next door, and there was a similar suite across the hall for another knight and family. Magnus stayed in it only long enough to ascertain its nature, not even touching the walls, then came out.