Chapter XIV - The Ghost Castle

 

Chapter XIV 

The Ghost Castle 

by Faith McCann 

Avi and Catsandra with Sir Pip traveled along the path, going deeper and deeper into the Dark Forest. A magical, bewitched, enchanted ancient forest so old no one could remember it's origin story. 

They followed their glowing path, with at times the forest growing so dim that all they could see were faint glowing flashes of green, yellow and now blue along the path, beckoning them. 

The sounds of cheers, and loud raucous voices continued to filter through the woods. At times so loud it seemed they would come across a vast army of men right around the next tree and then so faint it seemed like a memory. They continued to share curious and determined glances. 

Then the light around them lightened. The canopy of leaves seemed less dense and shafts of sunlight pierced through ahead of them as they continued following the path. 

Suddenly, the path widened, smoothed out and draped onto the edge of a fine green field covered over with little kisses of forget me knots. What caused the small band of travelers to stop and gaze about them in surprise was the sharp silence that surrounded them. Everyone seemed to realize they were all holding their breaths as each let their breaths out in a gasp and walked out onto the edge of sunlight and looked around. What they beheld made each one 
|silent for another reason! 

They were utterly alone. No others. A vast expanse of grassland with a crumbling ancient ruin of a castle at the slight crest of the field top. They could see a slight indentation of an ancient footpath where countless feet had tread carving their memories into the earth. Grass covered and spiraling around and around before reaching the castle ruins it seemed to beckon them out of the forest. 

They could see there were no people anywhere on the huge grassy field. The ruins, gray, moss and lichen covered, rough were simply a few partial sections of walls and an archway. They could see from even their distant vantage point nowhere where such  large body of men, needed to make such a noise could be hiding. 

'Maybe they are on the far side of this field? Where we can't see?' Avi mind suggested. 

Catsandra had been very, very silent for a long while now. She looked around carefully. She slowly shook her head in the negative. 

'Come, but let us continue mind speak. There's something not right. I'm not sure, yet. Let us go up and explore the ruins.' 

They reached the ruins and the sun was high in the sky. It was hard to tell how many days had passed while they walked through the forest. It was as if they passed through a place without time. 

'Should we keep cloaked?' Avi inquired. 

'Yes. Until we know what we are dealing with.' 

Soon they reached the crest of the field and stood beneath the archway standing at a precarious tilt over them. A wind blew, brisk and chill, then again they could hear voices on the wind as well as smell of roasting pheasants, haunches of beef, venison and rabbits floating on the air. Baking bread could also be smelled along with sounds of horses blowing, snorting and cattle lowing. 

Avi quickly spun around looking around him both his short sword and wand held out in a defensive stance. 

'Avi, it's okay. I know what we face. Hold my hand. Close your eyes. No matter what you see, do not open them until I give you the word.' Catsandra held her hand out to him. With his hand in hers, both his sword and wand held in his other, and Sir Pip grasping on tight to her hair at her soft command, she reached out her right hand and touched the stone walls of the ancient archway. 

Sharply they fell, falling, falling, falling through space and time with years, decades, centuries swirling around them! Pictures of stone walls building back up, parts of the walls falling back down, being repaired again and the walls being bombarded by various warlord feudal rulers passed by them, moving faster and faster until they felt the grass beneath their feet solidify and steady. 

Catsandra opened her eyes first and looked up. She took a deep steadying breath and mentally said "Okay, open your eyes. We are here." 

Avi and Sir Pip both opened their eyes and with a shout and jumping back a good two steps Avi, stumbled back letting go of Cats hand and ended up sprawled on his backside looking up at the enormous Norman style castle that loomed above them. 

"What in Hades!" he forgot about mind speak and gasped aloud. He looked around him and though he knew both magic and different worlds, existed,  this was far different from anything he could ever have dreamt of. 

"Sssh, we still don't know, who may be among us." Catsandra slowly removed her hand from the strong, gray, tall stone wall that now, instead of a crumbling heap of forgotten granite memories was again a strong fortress that stood high against an azure sky. 

Avi jumped to his feet and they pressed against the castle walls looking about. They saw no one. It was as if they were alone in a deserted land. 

Then again.  .  .  they could hear .  .  .  laughter! Clanking of metal blades, the whinny of a horse, the chatter of many voices and the smells again. They seemed to be coming from .  .  . within the walls. 

"Come" Catsandra thought to her companions. "Let us find a way within. We are at a disadvantage because there will be no way to enter from the ground level. Keep close to the walls and follow me. "

"Squeak!" Sir Pip protested

"Of course, you are absolutely right. Here, allow me." Catsandra stopped for a moment and held her hand out under her cloak and Pip jumped onto her palm. She then gently placed him inside of her deep pocket inside of her inner long jacket, which she wore under her cloak. This way Sir Pip was in no danger of being dislodged no matter what troubles they found themselves in. She felt him snuggle deep  inside and knew he was taking a much needed rest. Mice tended to be nervous and prone to high anxiety and benefitted from frequent naps. She patted the pocket softly and thought, "rest little man, I'll let you know as soon as I have need of your skills."

Avi and Cat carefully stayed in the narrow band of shadow that kept close to the stone walls of the castle as they made their way around the fortress, It seemed bigger and more massive than they could have imagined from the few piles of rubble left in it's wake. 

"See there! her thoughts stopped him sharply! He pressed back against the hard stone. He felt the hard, cold stone beneath the palms of his hands as he pressed them against the stone. He saw her focus.

 It was the drawbridge, being lowered to the ground. Unlike modern depictions of castles, ancient castles typically had their drawbridges and any window openings, as well as living spaces on the second floors and upwards. Sleeping quarters on higher floors. All surrounded by a tall curtain wall system, which with their backs to the castle they could see way in front of them was not only high and mighty but looked impenetrable as well as lethal. 

They could see a stone wall, it looked 20 feet tall, maybe a bit higher. On the top sharpened stakes pointing not just out and away but pointing inward and up. Anyone caught inside who was a foe would quickly find themselves trapped.  On the inside, all along the base of the wall, were shorter sticks each sharpened to a wicked point. A formidable defensive system indeed.  But this castle was different from many she had heard of or seen herself in times past. It had a dual curtain wall. One with the nasty sharpened sticks, then after one got through that barrier there was the inner wall with the drawbridge and portcullis. That led into the castle courtyard and then the castle keep.  They had transported themselves here and found themselves within the two curtain walls. 

'Where's the moat with monsters?' Avi joked mentally. 'Most likely on the outer side of the outer curtain wall.' She answered in all seriousness. He grimaced and followed her. How is it a woman like her knew so much about ancient castles and fortifications? 

They came to a corner of the massive structure and heard voices, louder this time. They halted, still and silent as shadows. They peered around the corner and could see, closer this time, that the bridge had been lowered and the portcullis was being raised. Now, they could see people! People were coming out of the castle and others were approaching in carriages drawn by large draft horses. Avi and Cat could see the figures, who were moving back and forth looked somehow different. Every now and then it seemed as if they shimmered and faded only to reappear as solid as the stone castle they leaned their bodies upon. 

'Are they really here? Is any of this really here?' Avi wondered from his mind to hers. 

'I don't know in which dimension they are, or us for that matter, but yes, they do exist. As do we. But where we are? All of us? We will have to wait and see. All I do know, is the path brought us here, and this is where we are meant to be. But right now, we need to get into this castle, by means of that entrance. This fortress is too well fortified for any other way in. Tuck your cloak about you tightly and nary a whisper. Pip we are going in . . . silent as a mouse. Let us go.' She mind spoke to them all. 

'Yes, Lady. I'm here when you need me. I'll protect you all!' Pip mind spoke to both of them. 

They fastened their cloaks about them, and moving silently along the edge of the castle came up alongside the front to where the carriages were unloading. Men were unloading great casks of ale, mead, and sacks of grains. Bolts of clothing were being unloaded and along with the large sacks, swung up, two at a time on strong shoulders and sauntered into the castle courtyard along with crates carrying chickens, ducks, all variety of items needed for a household of many people, both royalty, warriors and support staff alike.  With no one noticing the waver of the air as they slipped past the fray of activity, they were soon inside the castle courtyard. They stayed close to the walls and away from any chance of someone bumping into something solid that wasn't there! 

They watched the bustle of activity. The women directing the newly arrived food items either in sacks, crates, on the hoof or casks to the various places to be stored. Some went to the larders, some to the root cellars, some to the kitchens for immediate preparation and some to the butcher. 

Catsandra reached out and touched Avi's hand 'Come' she thought, 'Let us go inside the castle keep.' He followed. 

They moved along the curtain wall and walking slowly and steadily crossed the courtyard and entered a darkened doorway into the keep. They felt a rush of  air or energy push behind them and they flattened against the wall. They saw soldiers in uniforms go down a set of stairs. 

'That's the guardroom, down there. We need to go up. To the great hall. Upstairs.' They could here more voices, a low roar as they ascended to the next landing on a sturdy staircase. The doorways were arched and open. There were armed soldiers standing at attention at the entrances of the great hall. 

There were many tables, planks on tree stumps for benches, rushes on the floor. Many people either sitting and eating, drinking, playing the game of tossing dice called passe-dix with much noise, cheers and jeers. 

A few women were wandering about the tables singing ballads hoping for a coin or a drink of mead from a soldier. And a jester was sitting at the foot of the Monarch and his consort hoping to win favors. 

Catsandra knew they were supposed to be here. But why? She also knew none, not a one of these people were alive. They were all ancient memories of times long gone by. Why? What could viewing these past events have anything to do with the death of Mother Shermona? She was a real woman in today's world. These events in front of them now, happened hundreds of years ago. 

As she watched, trying to find some clue as to why the path had brought them here, she noticed no one noticed them. That she, Avi and Pip were as much ghosts to them as the castle ghosts were to the travelers from Castlewick. 

Suddenly she felt a tingle. A piercing intense sense that someone was watching her. She glanced at Avi but he was entranced by everything happening in front of him. No, it wasn't him, then . .  .  who? 

She slowly started to scan the room. There were so many people. She saw her. A young woman. Dressed all in a rare dark woad blue, with a hood over her hair. Her dress the style of the old priestesses. She had a braided cord around her waist. The young priestess was staring right at her. But she couldn't see us. 

'Can't I? Do nae be so sure, one who visits us from so far away.' Catsandra heard her voice, as did Avi. 

'Did you hear that' Avi mind asked

'Yes, I did. and there's something you should brace yourself for.' Catsandra looked over at Avi, their eyes met through the cloth of their cloaks.

Cat could see the young woman slowly make her way through the throngs of people in the great hall. Few took note of her, as she stopped to say hello to one, to tousle the head of a child, to bend down to give a scrap of meat to a dog resting on the rushes. 

'What is it Catsandra? What do you know?' 

'We are about to meet Shermona'  she watched his eyes .grow wide and he looked back at the room, scanned it and saw the young woman coming towards them. 

'How?' 

'We  are about to find out. Welcome to the magical world, my friend.' 

* * * 

From the Author:  I hope you are enjoying the story of the Rag and Bottle Shop. If so, please follow my page! I am enjoying sharing the adventures of Catsandra and her familiars and the community of Castlewick with you. Please feel free to share this blog link to other fans of magical, fantasy fiction. 

I write my stories using the inspiration of the incomparable Charles Dickens who wrote and published his work during the 1800's in Great Britain in installments. Mr. Dickens was a strong social critic of industrialization and capitalism, as well as bringing to the public attention the need for social reform. Thank You for reading my work, Faith M. McCann