Chapter 6
Tam looked up from the delicious dinner Mrs MacIver had prepared for him and stared across the dining room. Castle MacWain was so silent that every creak and crack of the ancient building sounded a hundred times louder than it was. But this noise was different. Tam had heard it before the night he had arrived.
It was a constant high-pitched wailing, and it was getting even louder.
Tam decided to investigate. Perhaps a dog or a wolf had gotten trapped in a room somewhere in the castle. That was the only explanation he could think of.
This part of the castle, the living quarters on the ground and first floors, were the only parts of the building equipped with electricity. Tam picked up an oil lamp from the kitchen before he ventured through the door into the dark corridors.
The wailing sound was coming from somewhere in the north tower. It was echoing far above his head.
There was just one staircase leading to the top of the north tower. As it twisted higher, the spiral staircase became narrower, and the noise louder.