by Dena Garson
“It’s amazing to read about herbs being used to help people. She was kind of like a local doctor, wasn’t she?” Katie asked.
“I suppose. Back then we didn’t have to worry about licenses or lawsuits though,” Riona pointed out.
“No, just being burned at the stake or run out of town,” Seamus pointed out. “But women like Heloise were also the reason quite a few people survived back then.”
“True,” Katie said to Seamus then repeated what Seamus had said for Riona.
“Okay. Is anyone else tired of Katie having to be the go-between for me to be able to hear Seamus?” Riona asked.
Katie shrugged. Seamus just looked back and forth between the two women.
“If neither of you mind, I’d like to do a quick spell that should allow me to hear Seamus clearly.”
Seamus shook his head and backed away. “No. No spells. I’ve had enough for a lifetime. The only spell I want on me is the one that will get rid of whatever Etain did.”
Katie’s heart ached for Seamus. He had every right to be leery. She repeated what he’d said for Riona.
“The spell won’t do anything to you, Seamus. It’s to me and for me,” Riona reassured him. “I can see flickers of you here and there and I hear a muted sound when you’re speaking, so I don’t believe it would take much to amplify my own natural abilities. However, if you’re uncomfortable with me doing it, I won’t.”
“Perhaps you could do it later, after we leave?” Katie suggested.
“But then she wouldn’t know if it worked until she saw us again,” Seamus said. He ran a hand through his hair. “If it won’t affect me or Katie, then go ahead.”
Katie smiled. It was nice to know he was concerned for her as well. And that he was willing to bend. She nodded to Riona that it was okay to proceed.
“Excellent. Give me a moment.” Riona scooted around on the couch then closed her eyes.
From the corner of her eye Katie saw Seamus moving away from the couch.
Riona mumbled something in another language that made the hair on Katie’s arms stand on end. A gentle breeze wafted through the room then Riona opened her eyes.
“Is that it?” Katie asked.
“That’s it.” Riona’s eyes darted around the room until they landed on Seamus. “Seamus? Say something.”
“Double, double, toil and trouble,” he said.
Riona smiled. “Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
“It worked?” Katie exclaimed.
Riona nodded. “That’s better. He’s sounds as if he’s talking through a can, but at least I can hear him now.”
“Can you see him any better?” Katie asked.
“A little. He’s still pretty watery-looking, but at least I can see his expressions now.”
Seamus walked back to the couch. Katie couldn’t help but grin.
“Excellent. That will be much easier, won’t it?” Katie asked Seamus.
“Except now I can’t say anything bad about her,” Seamus joked.
Katie rolled her eyes. “Oh whatever.”
“Okay, so where were we?” Riona asked, returning them to the task at hand.
“We were looking for anything in Heloise’s journal about her helping Seamus,” Katie reminded her. She flipped open the journal again and Riona scooted in close so she could scan the pages as well.
“Oh here it is,” Katie exclaimed. “I found the part where Heloise said she had a ghostly visitor.” She looked over her shoulder at Seamus and smiled. “I bet that’s you.”
“I would hope there wouldn’t be a lot of ghosts dropping by,” Seamus said.
“Me too,” Katie agreed.
“You’d be surprised what drops by here unannounced,” Riona muttered.
Katie and Seamus shared a look. Katie wondered if they should ask what Riona was referring to then shook her head, figuring she was probably better off not knowing any more than she already did about the spooky things at Tullamore.
Katie skimmed the scribbled entries, looking for anything that might tell them what Heloise knew about Etain. “Apparently it took some convincing to get Heloise to believe what Seamus told her.”
“That’s true,” Seamus said.
“Even more to get her to ask questions at Tullamore,” Katie continued.
“Understandable,” Riona added.
Katie shrugged one shoulder. “True.”
“Why was what I told her so hard to believe?” Seamus asked.
“Because no one wants to think, not even for a second, they might be crazy. And when you’re the only one hearing or seeing a spirit, you tend to doubt yourself,” Katie pointed out.
Riona nodded her agreement.
“Oh.” Seamus’ brow furrowed. “I can see where you might have some doubts.” He appeared to be dumbfounded.
Katie scanned more of the entries. It was distracting to have to pick through the non-Seamus related ones. When she came to one that talked about Heloise reading Etain’s journals, she stopped and read the entry out loud.
“I bet those are the journals that Alastar told me about,” Katie said in her excitement.
“Who told you about the journals?” Seamus asked.
“Alastar,” Katie said matter-of-factly.
“Who’s Alastar?” Seamus’ voice dropped an octave or two.
“The library guardian,” Katie and Riona said at the same time.
“You mean a ghost?” Seamus asked.
“Yes. Alastar is a spirit,” Katie answered.
“Is he the older man that haunts the library?” he asked.
“That’s where I ran into him.” Katie kept one eye on Seamus’ expression. “I don’t know if he frequents anywhere else in the castle.”
To Katie’s relief, Seamus grunted but didn’t say anything else.
“Heloise goes on to say she was honored to be allowed access to the family journals but I get the impression she didn’t learn much from them.” Riona chuckled. “She also says she believes Etain was quite mad.”
“Told you,” Katie said.
“And I didn’t disagree,” Seamus told her.
“After reading that, I’m glad I didn’t bother asking Áine for favors so I could read them,” Katie said.
“I’m not sure about dismissing them so quickly,” Riona said. “I think I’ll ask Áine if I could go through the journals. I’m sure she won’t mind.”
Katie shrugged one shoulder but didn’t look up from the book. “Well, if you know Áine well enough to ask the favor, it can’t hurt. But don’t spend a lot of time on them. Even Alastar said they were probably full of nonsense.”
“Did Heloise say anything else?” Seamus asked.
“Let’s see… Several entries later she says she learned that the granddaughter of Etain’s maid still worked at Tullamore.”
“Really?” Riona exclaimed. “Did she talk to her?”
Katie nodded as she continued to read. “Yes, she did.” She trailed her finger down the page. “The granddaughter told Heloise that she overhead her grandmother telling her mother how guilty she felt for not warning the young man of what Etain planned to do.”
“Did she say what Etain did though?” Riona leaned in and looked at the journal.
“No,” Katie replied. “The granddaughter said she remembered her grandmother being concerned about what happened after death. She was convinced Etain never left Tullamore, even after being hanged. Supposedly her grandmother swore she smelled Etain’s perfume for years after she was dead and on occasion heard Etain’s voice echoing through the castle.”
“That would be enough to make most people a little paranoid,” Riona said.
“Not enough to make her leave Tullamore though,” Katie observed.
“No, but then again, there aren’t many places to work around here,” Riona pointed out. “And if the grandmother had been here for some time, I’m sure she would have been reluctant to leave.”
“Some people are loyal to the place, not the people they
work for,” Seamus added.
“True,” Katie agreed.
Riona nodded.
“Okay, so nothing very helpful there,” Katie said, disappointed.
Katie turned the page of Heloise’s journal and found a folded piece of paper stuck into the crease of the journal. It was dirty and faded and looked as if it had been crumpled into a ball then flattened out at some point.
Curious, Katie opened the paper. Riona looked over Katie’s shoulder as she read.
“This looks like some kind of spell,” Katie pointed out.
“It is…” Riona mumbled.
“It says it’s for getting the dead to do your bidding,” Katie said.
Riona’s brow furrowed and she looked closer. “Actually that looks familiar.”
Katie handed the piece of paper to Riona.
“Oh my God. Do you know what this is?” Riona asked as she took the paper from Katie.
Katie shook her head.
“It’s a page from one of the family spell books,” Riona told them. “One of the first ones.”
“But why would Heloise put the page in her journal?” Katie asked.
“What does that scribbled note on the edge there say?” Seamus asked, pointing to one corner of the paper.
Riona angled it into the light. “May God forgive me for keeping my lady’s secrets.” She looked up at Katie. “The handwriting isn’t Heloise’s. I bet this is the page that Etain tore out of the family spell book when she supposedly borrowed it. And I’ll bet that this spell,” she pointed to the spell that had a couple of items circled, “was part of what Etain did.”
“Why do you think her maid kept it?” Katie asked.
“Evidence in case I turned up dead?” Seamus suggested.
Katie looked back at Seamus. “Maybe.”
Riona nodded. “Very possible.” She absently tapped her thumb on her thigh. “I need to read the journals to see what was in the love spell Etain originally purchased. That list of ingredients plus this,” she pointed to the missing spell book page, “may give us an idea of what Etain mixed up. The next thing we need to break her curse is her intent behind the spell.”
“Her intent?” Katie asked.
“What she wanted to accomplish or what she wanted to gain by using the spell,” Riona said.
“We already know that,” Katie said.
“We do?” Riona asked.
“Yes. Heloise figured it out and told Seamus. Etain wanted Seamus to fall in love with her. The spell can’t be lifted until he finds his one true love.”
“Hmmm.” Riona tapped the side of her head and appeared to be thinking. “Let me think on this a bit more. Like I said, I want to read through a few of the family journals and see if I can’t piece something together. Mother has a close circle of friends that we can call on for information also. Between them, they have centuries of knowledge at their fingertips.”
Katie looked at Seamus. “See? There’s a chance we can figure this out.”
He gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Maybe.” He shrugged. “I hesitate to get my hopes up. I’ve been living with this for so long I don’t remember what it feels like to be human.”
Katie and Riona looked at each other.
“I don’t want your pity. What’s done is done and it was no fault of yours,” Seamus said. “But I’ll thank you for learning everything you can before all traces of what Etain did are gone.”
Determination set up camp in Katie’s heart. If there was a way to break the curse, she would find it. Even if it meant talking to every ghost in the castle.
With a glance out the window Seamus added, “We should probably be heading back to the castle. I don’t want you walking back after dark.”
“Don’t be silly,” Riona waved his concerns away. “Stay for supper. I can drive you back later.”
Katie smiled and Seamus seemed to be pacified by her offer. “As long as we’re not interrupting your day, I’d love to stay and have supper.”
“Ma is gone and I have the cottage to myself. I’d enjoy the company as well. Besides, you just got here. You can’t leave until you’ve told me about the States.”
“As long as you tell me more about your mom and what you remember of Grandmother. Grandfather too, if he was around.”
“I’d be happy to,” Riona assured her.
“If you’re in Riona’s care,” Seamus shared a look with Riona, “then I’ll make my way back to the castle and let you two have family time.”
“I will see to her safe return,” Riona assured him.
“Okay, guys, I’m not a child that has to be looked after.” Katie was partly flattered he cared but also annoyed that he thought she needed a keeper.
Seamus floated around and knelt in front of Katie. “I know you’re not a child, but there are things at Tullamore that really do go bump in the night. Things you know nothing of and hopefully never will.” He looked to Riona. “I strongly suspect that I don’t know half of them.”
Riona looked away.
“I want to make sure you aren’t wandering around on your own after dark.”
Pacified, Katie agreed. “All right. Quit your worrying. I’ll be fine.” She reached out and patted him on the cheek. Or tried to anyway. “Riona can drive me back later. Go recharge your batteries or whatever you do in your spare time.”
He stood and floated toward the door.
Katie called out. “But I don’t mean for you to go checking out any new guests!”
She didn’t think it was possible for a ghost to blush but she would have sworn Seamus did as he disappeared through the wall.
Chapter Twelve
Riona dropped Katie at the castle right after dinner because Riona received a call asking for help with a difficult birth and she needed to pick up a couple of things on the way.
It had been a wonderful afternoon, however. Katie learned so much about her family and was looking forward to meeting her aunt. Riona also offered to give Katie a blessing spell for when she scattered her mother’s ashes.
She was thrilled to have family again. Even if they turned out to be more quirky than the Simpsons, they would be forever connected.
Since it was still early, Katie headed to her room to see if Seamus was lurking about. She found him lounging on the bed, watching TV.
“What are you watching?” she asked as she walked in.
Seamus frowned at the TV. “I’m not sure. I managed to turn the thing on but can’t change the show. This seems to be about the reproductive system of some kind of underwater creature.”
“How fascinating. Are you enthralled with the sea urchins or would you rather ramble about the castle with me?”
He hopped off the bed. “Actually I thought of something that you might find interesting.”
“Oh?”
“How do you feel about expanding your boundaries again?”
“How far are you planning on expanding them?”
“That would be entirely up to you. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Katie followed Seamus through the castle then down several flights of stairs.
When she was sure she was completely lost, she asked, “Where are we going?” Her voice echoed off the stone surrounding them on the floor, walls and ceiling.
“I thought you might want to see the dungeon,” Seamus told her.
“Dungeons? Like where they used to keep prisoners?”
“Prisoners or those deemed insane. Later it was used for storage.”
“What do they use it for now?”
The half-grin on Seamus’ face made Katie wonder what he was up to.
“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously.
Katie could well imagine what this area must have been like three hundred years earlier—cold, dark, damp and probably smelly. At least now there were electric lights along the walls and drains in the floor. Granted, the lights were made to look like candles, including the flickering flame, so they didn’t provide a lot of light, but it had to be better th
an it had been.
When they came to the end of the hall, Seamus directed her to the right, down a short passage then around another corner. There, she was surprised to find a large desk, manned by a voluptuous woman dressed in some sort of gothic costume.
“Good evening. Welcome to the Dungeon. How may I assist you?” the woman asked.
“Er…?” Katie looked at Seamus, unsure what she needed to say.
“Tell her that Vlad sent you and that you’re only viewing this evening,” Seamus instructed.
Katie repeated what Seamus had told her.
“Very well.” From one of the desk drawers the woman took something but kept it hidden in her hand. She stood and stepped to the end of her desk. “If you will follow me.”
Katie nodded, unsure what else she could say. Once the woman had turned away she shot a look at Seamus, conveying her unease with the situation.
The woman led the way to an inconspicuous doorway. She passed a security card through the electronic lock then opened the door. After she stepped through she held the door open for Katie.
It was an even darker hallway than the one they’d just followed. This one was carpeted, at least, and had small lights along the floor on both sides, reminding Katie somewhat of an airport runway.
The woman led the way to the end of the hall then unlocked another door. When Katie stepped through this doorway she found a large open room with several groupings of couches and chairs and a manned bar at the far end. Around the perimeter of the room were multiple passageways.
The room was lit by fake torches, which made it brighter than the hallway, but not overly so.
“You will need to wear this necklace,” the woman dangled a silver chain from her finger, “and keep it visible as long as you are within the Dungeon walls. It signifies you are not available for play. If anyone approaches you, simply notify one of the attendants.”
Katie slipped it over her head. It was a thin, dog tag-like chain with a pendant that was stamped with a dragon or some kind of winged mythological creature.
“As a guest of Vlad, you may not approach anyone or engage in any form of play. Viewing is permitted in any of the rooms with an open door but do not attempt to enter closed rooms.”