Chapter 38: Lord Skarde’s Residence
The night was utterly still as I laid on the roof of Lord Skarde's perfectly hidden in the shadows of the night. The air was cold and sharp carrying the faint scent of pine from the trees around us, the silence so profound I could hear the blood rushing to my ears. So far so good, nothing unusual had happened. Lords Skarde's residence was as ordinary as it could be, except for the occasional servants walking about to attend to their owners.
I had been here for ten minutes, crouch low against the tiles as I silently waited, observing and for the right moment. The estate's high stone walls seemed to absorb the moonlight, casting the grounds in a blanket of darkness, save for the faint glow of lanterns lining the perimeter.
Though as I stayed in my hideout, I thought back to how Heather had been amazed when she saw me this other way. She had immediately sat me down and braided my hair into two long cornrows which she pinned at the back with a lot of pins. I like the hairstyle, I could now move freely without my hair getting into my face.
Heather had also been on the lookout, she had also showed me a secret passageway in the servants quarters, most people believed it to be hunted with the ghost of a servant girl that died unjustly but Heather claimed it was just an old wives tale used to scare young children into submission.
In all my life here, I never knew of such passageway and it was a little bit unsettling as much as it was exciting. I could slip in and out of the castle without anyone noticing, I had a clear route which would make things a whole lot easier for me.
Slight adjusting my position on the roof, I leaned closer but the roof tiles let out a small creak. I stiffened, holding my breath as I peered down below but nothing happened. Beneath, the guards did not move, their visage concealed by the weight and prominence of their helmets, frozen like status beside the entrance to the main house. One thing I did notice was how Lord Skarde seemed to have fortified his house with such high walls and guards. But it did seem to be a little excessive, he was just a nobleman so what else could he possibly be hiding?
Guess that's what you are here to find out! My mind whispered back to me.
Adjusting the mask on my face, I was about to move deeper when all of a sudden I heard a noise. It was the sound of the door opening, followed by some scuffling. I leaned closer trying to see what happened when all of a sudden the door creaked open and people were thrown out of the door.
The youngest of them all, a boy held on to an old looking man who had tears streaming down his weathered face. Behind them was a girl who looked to be in her teenage years, almost the same age as Lagertha held on to her clothes, tears streaming down her face as she glared at someone who was stepping out of the door.