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Her head rested on his shoulder, her hand on his chest and her leg across his leg, and it felt good being there and knowing they loved. “Aye, I wish to finish the dungeon before I eat. It is almost detailed, I have but one cell left and it is done. And you?”
“I have things to discuss with Thomas.”
She instinctively knew what things he would discuss, but she said nothing. He had made a choice and now she would make hers.
They dressed and hugged tightly.
“I love you, Ree, and I always will, no matter what happens.”
She squeezed him to her as best she could. Her strength was meager compared to his, but strength came in different ways. “And I love you and always will, always my heart will belong to you.”
He smiled and kissed her. “Thank you, I needed badly to hear you pledge your heart to me.” He reluctantly stepped away from her, holding her hand until finally he was too far away to keep hold of it. “I look forward to the evening meal together, so go finish your work.”
“I will see you in the great hall later.”
He closed the door on her smile, looking forward to the evening ahead.
Reena returned to the map, working on the last cell in the dungeon. She was adding the two metal rings in the stone wall when she stopped and stared at what she had just drawn.
What were two metal rings doing in the wall, and at such odd angles? She had not given it thought when she had first seen them in the cell, though she had thought it odd that one cell contained two metal rings when the others did not. Of course the rings could have fallen out of the walls in the other cells.
She shook her head, doubting the possibility. The rings were held by metal stakes driven into the stone wall. They were there permanently; therefore, the other cells never contained them.
They also were set at odd angles to chain someone to the wall. She tilted her head to the left, then to the right, then back and forth she went, raising her hands as if grasping the metal rings until . . .
Her eyes widened and she jumped off the chair and ran out of the room.
Neither Magnus nor Thomas was in the great hall. She thought to see if Brigid would join her, then she realized her friend feared the dark too much to investigate the dungeon. She would, however, let Brigid know of her whereabouts so Magnus would not worry if she should be late for supper.
She found Brigid in the cook room, Horace sitting right beside her as she busily stirred a batter in a wooden bowl.
“You what?” Brigid said so loudly that all in the room turned to stare.
Reena kept her voice low. “I am going down to the dungeons to take a look at one of the cells. I think I may have discovered something, and I wish to see if I am right.”
“You are crazy.”
“Nay, I tell you of where I go to be safe and ease Magnus’s concern.”
Brigid put the bowl down on the table, Horace’s eyes following its descent. “Magnus will be angry.”
“It is safe in the keep, what could happen to me?”
“I do not know, but the dungeons do not sound like a place you should go to alone. Why not wait for Magnus to return? He went with Thomas to Daniel the bowman’s cottage. They should return shortly.”
“I do not want to wait, I must see this for myself now, to see if what I believe is true.” Reena headed to the door. “Tell Magnus where I am as soon as he returns.”
“At once I shall tell him, and don’t be surprised if he follows you.”
“That will be good—then I can show him my discovery.” She gave a wave and was off in a hurry.
“I do not like this, Horace,” Brigid said to the dog, whose eyes remained fixed on the bowl. “I do not like it at all.”
Reena grabbed a torch from the metal sconce on the wall before descending the stairs down into the dungeon. Her steps slowed as the damp darkness reached up to grab at her, and she had to drive back her fear to proceed. While the flame of the torch chased away the darkness in front of her, it but circled and crept up to follow behind her.
It seemed that there had been more light when Magnus had brought her here, but he was much taller than she, and he had carried the torch high, casting more light around them. She remembered several torches being lit along the wall where the cells were located, but none were lit now. Then she recalled how Magnus had told her that he had had them lighted for their visit to the dungeon so that she would have sufficient light for her work.
She had not taken the thick darkness into consideration when she had begun her decent down into the dungeon, but she was here now and would not turn back. Besides, she was much too excited to abandon her investigation.
