Page 17 of Cree & Dawn and the Wolf

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The keep was quiet, barely a sound stirring, a far different atmosphere from his keep. Talk and laughter were usually heard as well as his children running, laughing, and shouting throughout the keep or Beast’s huge bark was heard when he chased after them in delightful play. His keep was full of joy. There was no joy in this keep.

He explored the two floors above the bedchamber where he and Dawn had been moved to. Torches with dwindling flames sat in wall sconces and cast barely sufficient light along the winding staircase. He measured his steps carefully, not sure what each turn would bring. He yanked one of the torches out of the bracer to light the way as he explored. There were two bedchambers and a lady’s solar that obviously had not been used in some time since numerous cobwebs and a plethora of dust now occupied both.

He stopped when he heard something overhead. Were those footfalls he heard? Was Lord Tiernan’s quarters overhead? But why would quarters that hadn’t shown use in years be beneath his? Usually, a lord of a clan had quarters on the first floor above the main floor. It granted him easier access to whatever was going on below and provided a faster route to make an escape if necessary.

Cree heard the noise again and listened. It wasn’t footfalls he heard, and he listened more closely. What was the sound he heard? It came to him. It sounded like Beast’s nails when he failed to keep them trimmed and they could be heard scratching along the wood floors. But he had seen no signs of a dog’spresence in the keep, so where did the sound come from, or was he wrong about the sound?

He considered going and investigating, but he was a guest here and it would be improper to be caught exploring the keep without Lord Tiernan’s permission. And the sound was made by either man or beast, and it would not be wise to get caught by either.

Cree made his way below to the Great Hall, which was empty. He found a closed door behind a drapery that led along a corridor and at the end of it, he found himself facing a locked door. He was looking for exits besides the usual main entrance and exit. There was probably an exit through the kitchen, though he hadn’t found a corridor that connected the keep to it. A corridor kept the kitchen a safe distance from the keep, preventing any potential fires from reaching the keep. Although some keeps kept the kitchen completely separate with no attachment at all. He found that unlikely with the problem of wolves in the area.

“Can I help you, sir?” Olwen asked. “You appear lost.”

Cree hadn’t heard the woman approach him and not only that, but he also wondered where she had suddenly come from since he stood in a narrow corridor with no other doorway than the one at the end.

“I was looking for the kitchen to get myself a brew.”

“I can have that brought to you,” Olwen said. “Would you like it brought to the Great Hall or your bedchamber?”

“Point me to the kitchen and I will fetch it myself,” Cree said, so he could discover the entrance to the kitchen and another exit in case it was necessary.

“It is my task to serve, sir,” Olwen insisted. “Now where shall I bring it.”

Cree could have demanded, confident he would get his way, but not sure it was the wise thing to do, so he said, “The bedchamber.”

“Very well, sir. It will be there shortly,” Olwen said. “Can you find your way back, sir?”

Cree knew a dismissal when he heard one. He was to return to his room. He wondered if she didn’t like him roaming the keep. Or perhaps Lord Tiernan had left orders that he was not permitted to do so. If so, why? What could they be hiding? Though considering it, he would not want a guest roaming his home without permission.

He hurried back to Dawn to find her pacing the floor, annoyed with himself for lingering too long and not being there when she woke. She frantically gestured to him.

“Slow down,” he said, taking hold of her hands and pressing them against his chest and holding them there. “It is obvious you are upset that I left you. I planned to return before you woke, but you woke sooner than I expected. I wanted to find areas that would allow us to make a hasty departure, if necessary, not that I worry we will need to do so, but you know how I prefer to be prepared.” She nodded, accepting his explanation without question or worry and that bothered him. “Something disturbs you.”

Dawn nodded, closing her eyes briefly and eased her hands out of his to tap her brow.

“You had a dream?”

She shook her head.