AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What sort of trouble?” Ben questioned her.
She wrinkled her nose. “If I knew that I could have taken care of it myself. As things stand, I know only that there’s an ill scent in the wind and the trees groan with greater enthusiasm than is their wont.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “They groan that often?”
“Old trees complain almost as much as old women,” Dreda mused as Tully walked into the hall with his arms full of our luggage. A slight draft drifted into the room and made her shiver. “Blast these cold nights.” She half-turned to the fire and snapped her fingers. My mouth dropped open as a fire burst out of the cold ashes. “There. Much warmer, and much livelier.” She returned her attention back to us and a small smile graced her lips. “But enough about the troubles. Those are better talked about in the light of day. Whatever plans you have, I expect you young ones to take some time to frolic about the halls and make as much noise as possible. These old walls could use a tremble of life in them.”
Ben chuckled. “I don’t know about the frolicking, but we’ll try to liven up the old place with our presence starting with a lively conversation over dinner.”
“Oh, yes. That should be ready any time now.” Dreda clapped her hands and raised her voice to a feverish pitch. “Fysan! Fysan!” She dropped her hands and waited a moment, all the while her eyebrows slowly dropped to a sharp point. “Where is that foolish bird brain? Fysan!”
A shadowy figure flew out of the doorway at the back of the room and glided over to a huge bust of a stoic figure situated on a podium. The soft light from the fireplace cast deep shadows over the creature’s form, and I found myself staring at a huge owl. The gray-speckled feathered fiend stood about four feet tall with huge black eyebrows that curved upward a half a foot above its face. Its huge talons clutched onto the face of the bust, and the scratch marks in the stone told the story of the power behind those nails. A curved beak finished off its terrifying features and the bone glistened like a sharp blade in the flickering light.
The new arrival stretched out its huge wings before pinning them to its sides. “You know I have a difficult time flying through these crowded halls, My Lady. If you would just put some of the items into storage-”
“And ruin the ambiance of spirit energy?” she countered with an aghast expression. “I would rather cut my hair than do such a thing!”
The owl sighed and hung its head a little. “Very well, My Lady, but might I ask that you ring the cord rather than strain your lungs when you need me?”
“Nonsense. My throat needs a strain or two every now and again,” Dreda insisted as she gestured to us. “Now about what I called you for. Has the meal been prepared?”
“To Your Ladyship’s specifications.”
Dreda crossed her arms over her chest and leaned toward the bird to eye him with a sharp look. “You didn’t put any mice into the dishes again, did you?”
Fysan puffed out his chest. “Would I do such a thing, My Lady?”
“You did last week,” she scolded him.
The owl wrinkled his beak. “Yes, well, one must add a speck of flavor some time instead of those horrible plants. And meat is very healthy for you, My Lady. It builds up muscle.”
“I would rather not dine on mice just so I might end up looking like Werd,” she scolded him with a wag of her finger. “Now then, is the meal ready?”
He bowed his head. “Ready and waiting.”
“As is the trunks on the carriage,” Ben spoke up as he stood. “I should go help Tully.”
Dreda swooped in and captured one of his arms in her grasp. “Nonsense. Werd is quite capable of assisting Tully, and they shall have so much to talk about when they are finished.” Ben looked comical as he tried to suppress his desire to remind his elderly aunt that Tully couldn’t speak. She stooped and grabbed one of my arms, and she pulled me off the couch with more strength than I expected in those thin limbs. “Now let us go dine and enjoy one another’s company.”
CHAPTERFIVE
Dreda yankedus through the doorway from which Fysan had flown and we found ourselves in a narrow hall. Doorways on either side led into other parts of the house, but her steps were aimed at the rear. We passed an open door near the end of the corridor that led to a narrow flight of stone steps. A scent of delicious food and the sound of a crackling fire floated up, signifying the entrance to an underground kitchen.
Our ‘guide’ led us to the rear of the house where the hall opened to a large room. The space was rectangular in size with windows facing out onto what once had been the rear garden but was now a mess of creeping vines and random trees. A large stone porch peeked out from beneath clumps of grass and weeds.
A long heavy wooden table was situated in the middle of the room. It could have comfortably seated thirty people, but only three places were set at the end of the table closest to the hall. A half dozen covered dishes were placed before the fine plates.
“Is Werd well?” Ben wondered as we took our seats with Dreda at the head and both of us on either side of her.
Dreda took up her napkin and set it in her lap. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
Ben’s eyes invariably wandered to the windows and the wilderness beyond the glass. “The grounds seem rather, well, flourishing.”
“Oh, you know him. He likes a challenge,” she cooed as she lifted one of the lids to reveal a hunk of steaming ham. She took up the sharp knife beside the platter and began carving out the food. “Now then, how much would you like?”
The answer to that turned out to be ‘not that much’ as our hostess kept piling more and more food on our plates. There was hardly any talk between mouthfuls of the delicious food, and the wine she offered us from the decanter had a sweet and tangy flavor that lulled me into drinking far more than I should have.
I sat back an hour later with a full stomach and a slightly airy mind. Ben, too, gave up as he covered his plate with one hand to stop his aunt from putting more ham on it. “No more, I beg you,” he pleaded with a gracious smile.
