First Knight: Thornton Brothers Time Travel (A Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Book 3) by Cynthia Luhrs Read Free Book Online Page B

knights stopped them as they entered the bailey.
    “Make haste. When bringing up a cask of wine from the cellar, one of the men heard a terrible rumbling. When it stopped, a section of the wall had fallen and there were two doors, one was cracked. Did you know there were secret chambers below?”
    “Nay. What’s inside?” Edward’s father had told he and his brothers tales of hidden passageways when they were growing up, but he did not know Somerforth boasted such things.
    “One of the chambers is filled with treasures.” The knight rubbed his hands together. The other will not open and…” He crossed himself. “Fearsome sounds are coming from inside the chamber.”
    “’Tis likely rats.” One of the stable lads took the horses as Edward and Brom followed the man to the cellars.
    Brom clapped him on the back. “Perchance ’tis a faerie.”
    Edward scowled and stomped down the steps.

    The steady beating made Jennifer wonder if someone was playing the drums. Nope, just her heart loud in the silence. It was too dark to see anything, yet she couldn’t shake the sensation of being watched.
    Reaching out, she felt nothing but air. Everything came back: the storm, the ground opening up, and then darkness. A section of the castle must be here, hidden away until now. Cold seeped into her shorts. Stone. The floor was stone, not dirt. Definitely some kind of room.  
    Getting to her feet, she tripped over a loose chunk of stone and went down on one knee. The stone was wet from the rain.
    “Hello? Anyone?” Jennifer waited for a response but received none. With no phone, she had to guess at the time. Looking up, she saw blackness, so night? Surely Mark and the others would be back from the pub soon and get her out of here.
    She felt the stone, and her hands found the wall. Wait until the professor and everyone saw what she found. They would be so excited. “The sword.”
    Crawling on hands and knees, Jennifer felt for the blade but found no trace, though she did find a door. Hands on the worn wood, she stood, feeling for a latch to open it and find out where it led.  
    The latch made a noise but the door wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t tell if it was locked or stuck from being closed for so long. A noise in the darkness made her shiver.
    “Who’s there?”
    No answer. Hoping it wasn’t a rat, she reached up as high as she could, searching for any way to climb out, but there was nothing. Not a single thing to hold on to or stand on. If she were a rock climber maybe she could have done it. Instead she slid down the wall and crossed her legs. When the others came back she’d scream at the top of her lungs, letting them know she was down here.
    “My poor easel.” The storm had been the worst she’d ever seen. By now the easel and paints were probably at the bottom of the North Sea.
    Worst-case scenario? It would be morning before anyone found her. And with that thought, her stomach rumbled.  
    “Quiet. You’re not getting anything until morning, so hush.” Oh well, it wasn’t like it would hurt her to miss a meal. Her stomach grumbled, disagreeing.
    Leaning against the cold stone wall, Jennifer rubbed her arms and legs. She could smell grass and dirt, and imagined what a sight she must be. As she sat pondering a way out of the hidden chamber, she heard another noise.
    The sounds were coming from the door, and for a moment she thought she saw light. But that wasn’t possible. She was underground, and there was no light coming in the chamber other than moonlight from the gaping hole above her head. Could there be another chamber on the other side of the door? And if there was, what or who was in there?
    Those thoughts led her down a path that had fear trying to claw its way out of her throat. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. And then she heard the unmistakable sound of a key turning a lock.

Chapter Eleven

    Edward thought he heard something coming from beyond the door.  
    “Shall I