Page 268 of The Protective Gryphen

“What can you tell us?” Gryphen asked, as the bartender came over with three new pints.

“That we’re about to be friends,” the other man said, seeing the pints filled to the top.

Gryphen reassured them.

“Drink. I’ll buy. If you can give us some help, it’s the least I can do.”

What wouldn’t he do for Ian to have his little mystery to solve?

“What we know that’s been passed down is she offed herself by jumping from the tower. She put on her finest gowns, and stood on the ledge. It’s been blocked off since then.”

Well, that was dramatic. It also matched up with her committing suicide.

The other man sipped his pint and picked up where his friend left off.

“She was so distraught, she left behind her son. Luckily, she didn’t harm him.”

They knew what the letter said, but they were authenticating it, in a way.

“So it wasn’t a little girl?” he asked. “She left him a letter in the journal that said she might be having a daughter.”

The other man shook his head.

“Every single Granndach heir has been a boy. Then, around nineteen hundred, the last one who lived in the castle, took his family, and left.”

“Where did they go?”

The man pointed at them.

“America. The land of plenty. Back when Ceit was the lady of the castle, we had a famine. It was The Seven Ill Years. It wiped out crops, cattle, and it was a very difficult time. On top of that, Britan was claiming land like there was no tomorrow.”

They listened.

“All the knights, including Duncan Granndach, who were born rich and powerful, had to fight against the monarchy. Back then, Scotland had its own king, and there were struggles. James the VI and Elizabeth the I didn’t get along.”

Well, that explained what sent him out to war. Duncan had been defending his country.

“Anyway, lore has it that she cursed the family, and that they wouldn’t break the curse until it came time for a deserving heir to be born. Then, they would get free from the haunting.”

That was quite the curse.

“She mentioned that they would walk through blood and be cursed and only know that,” he said, sharing what was in one of the letters.”

The other man lifted his pint.

“To spiteful women scorned. They do know how to truly make their mark on a man and his legacy.”

That was true with anyone.

Ian was curious.

“What happened to them in the United States?” he asked.

The men shrugged.

“No clue. Now, how about you give us something? Who bought the old girl?” he asked. “Everyone in this town is speculating about her fate. We heard you were here yesterday, and seeing you today is making us curious.”

“It’s an American,” he said, leaving it at that.

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