Haunted Read Online Free Page A

debatable. I'm
very much alive, and so are you. This is Grunhall Abbey and I am the
tutor to the young master here."
    "I don't understand." This wasn't the Abyss? Then why had
he been in such pain and despair? Why did the fat demon torment him
so?
    The ghost turned and fled Kestan'ss bedroom, knowing he had to get
back to his tower before the demon found him loose again.
    "Wait!" Kestan called after him, but he didn’t turn
back.

    *

    For the next few days, Kestan wondered if he'd had hallucinations
brought on by lack of sleep. The ghost, or whoever the young man was,
had disappeared from his room despite the door being locked from the
inside. He had not returned to Kestan'ss bedroom and Kestan kept
wondering if he'd dreamed the whole thing. Deep down he knew he
hadn't, he could still feel the boy's flesh in his hand. The boy's
skin had been warm to the touch and he remembered the boy's breath
over his hand as he tried to stop him from screaming. Who was he? And
why did he think he was a ghost? Kestan knew he would get no answers
either from the Grunhalls or their staff, who had all been frightened
into not talking.
    So he would just have to do some digging on his own. After Nunos'
lessons, Kestan took to haunting the bottom of the bell tower for he
suspected some answers would be found up there. Garom caught him a
few times and gave him dirty looks, but since Kestan was really doing
nothing but walking around the grounds, there wasn't a lot the man
could do. There was no law or rule restricting him from walking in
the grounds.
    One day Kestan took a walk in the formal garden and decided to risk a
wander around the maze. The hedges were just a few inches above his
head and he wasn't really thinking of anything in particular when he
caught a flash of green up ahead. He headed in that direction and saw
a piece of paper fluttering to the ground, but no sign of the person
who had dropped it. Kestan lifted it up and read. The King's Head
Tavern. Five of the clock .
    Kestan stared hard at the note. The King's Head was a public house;
he'd seen it on the way out of Sapphire Lake coach station. Obviously
someone wanted to meet him there; would they have the answers he
sought? It would be difficult leaving the house without being seen or
without some sort of excuse. Grunhall would jump to the vilest
conclusions if it became known that Kestan was meeting someone.
    He took tea in the kitchen and when everyone else had left to go
about their duties, he decided to sneak out the back way and across
the fields. Kestan hoped to be back long before dinner and that his
absence would go unnoticed.
    It didn't take him long to get to the village and the public house by
the station. He was a few moments early and Kestan'ss eyes scanned
the crowd hoping for some sign as to who he was supposed to meet. The
main taproom was filled with smoke from pipes, and he coughed a
little as he made his way to the barman through the haze.
    "Are you Master Kestan?" the man asked, looking Kestan up
and down.
    "Yes." Kestan hoped he hadn't just fallen into a trap.
    "Your guest is waiting in the private parlour. You won't be
disturbed; I'll see to it."
    "Thank you," replied Kestan, surprised at the man's polite
manner. He pushed open the door to the lounge and stopped short in
surprise. "Misstress Jessamyn!"
    "Thank you for coming, Master Kestan. I didn't know who else to
turn to."
    The girl was dressed in a travelling cloak and there was a carpet bag
by her feet. "You're leaving?"
    "I'm going back to my parents tonight. The Grunhalls won't want
me any longer. Not when they know..." She didn't elaborate, but
placed a protective hand around her abdomen. Ah, the ruin of many
an unmarried girl in these times . It had been different during
the war, people were more accepting of couples who hadn't waited for
a cleric's blessing, after all they could die tomorrow. But now that
there was peace again, it was a different story. "I don't know
how I'm going to tell