Emerald Dungeon by Kathy Kulig Page A

bizarre sacrifices came to mind. She’d seen one too many creepy movies.
    Walking to the back of the cottage, she peeked between the curtains out the window,
    trying to see into the forest. She couldn’t see anything through trees and shrub growth.
    The sky was clear and the paths into the woods could easily be seen. She wouldn’t fall into the bog in the daylight.
    She didn’t know much about pagan practices but had a friend who was Wiccan. If
    the entertainers were a pagan group, she had nothing to worry about unless they were
    practicing black magic. A black robe didn’t mean they were practicing black magic. She laughed at herself but it was a forced laugh.
    The door to the cabin swung open and Dana jumped. “It took some persuading, but
    Donegal finally gave me the key. He couldn’t believe you went into the forest at night after he warned you.”
    “What did you tell him?” She hadn’t gotten the nerve to ask him about the robe yet.
    He was grinning and his eyes sparkled with mischief but not evil. There couldn’t be
    anything evil about him, could there?
    “Mr. Donegal is very superstitious. I’m afraid I told him you saw someone walk
    into the woods and you thought it was Shannon. You followed her. I wasn’t lying. He
    assumed you saw a ghost. He asked me to keep an eye on you and protect you from
    anything supernatural. ‘The forest is haunted,’ Donegal says.”
    “Haunted?”
    “No, it’s not. I’ve lived here all my life. Never seen a ghost.” Jack handed her the
    key. “He told me to tell you to stay out of the forest.”
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    “Thanks for the key. See you later.” She rushed past him, suddenly wanting to get
    far away from that black robe.
    “You okay? Aren’t I taking you to town?”
    “Oh, right.”
    He gave her a puzzled look. “Go and get changed. I have a surprise for you.”
    * * * * *
    Jack gave Dana a tour of the old town and pointed out grocery stores, pubs,
    restaurants and other shops. She couldn’t wait to go exploring and browse through the quaint shops. Before their stop at the grocery store, he brought her to an older part of town where the streets were narrow and the store windows were decorated with flower
    boxes or hanging baskets. The smell of baked bread and smoked meat wafted in the air.
    “I’m getting hungry again,” Dana said. “Something smells good.”
    “This is where I got the brown bread for your soup.” He pointed to a bakery. “Next
    door is a good place for meats. My uncle’s place is around the corner. I’m trying to get a loan to buy it.”
    “Your uncle can’t hold a loan for you?”
    “It would be a hardship for him. He wants to retire. And the place needs some
    work.” Jack opened the door to a shop with a sign that read “Keagan’s Wool Shop”.
    The store was quite spacious inside with several racks of woolen sweaters, coats
    and wraps. Wooden shelves lined the walls filled with neatly folded colorful knits.
    “Look at all the beautiful things.” Dana strolled around the room, touching the soft
    knits. “I always thought wool sweaters would be scratchy. These are so soft.”
    He pulled out a gray tweed wrap and covered her shoulders with it. “Like it?”
    “It’s gorgeous. It’s like a gray cloud with bits of purple in it. I’m sure I’ll be back to shop here.”
    “My uncle will love to see you. This one’s a gift.”
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    She was about to argue with him, when a gentlemen came out from a back room. “I
    heard that. I’ll be taking that out of your paycheck,” the man said with a wink. He
    smiled at Dana and had the same mischievous sparkle in his eyes as Jack only this man was about seventy years old.
    “Uncle Lee, this is Dana. She’s from America and our new harpist.”
    Lee held out his hand and shook Dana’s. “Nice to meet you. I love your shop.”
    “America? A long way to come for a job,” Lee said. His voice held a note of
    disapproval.
    “My cousin lives in Dublin and