Kara, Mist, and I were up bright and early the next morning, just after sunrise. The path led through the nearby forest to the Skiddaw hiking trail and we set out along the ridge tops. Once we were out of sight of the nearby town and had descended into a valley, I spent an hour practicing tossing gas balls at rock targets, while Kara and Mist sparred.

In the midst of one throw, I stopped, with the hairs on my neck standing up. Looking around, Kara and Mist were still fighting hand-to-hand. I couldn't see anyone on the nearby hills or trail. Still, something bothered me. It was unnerving, like there were eyes on me. Early morning mists swirled and shrouded parts of the hills.

Kara and Mist stopped, seeing me looking around.

"What's wrong, Shannon?" Mist asked.

"I'm not sure. But I'd swear we are being watched."

She sent out a wave of air, looking for disturbances. "Animals, but I'm not detecting any mortals or immortals. Kara?"

Kara was looking around as well. "No, I'm not picking up anything either. What exactly does it feel like, Shannon? You have abilities we don't, so you could very well be picking up something we can't."

"The hair on the back of my neck is standing up. Almost like there is an electricity in the air, but I can't tell from where. Kind of like that sense you get when a thunderstorm is building. Do you know what I mean?"

"I do," Mist nodded. "But I'm not picking up anything in the water vapour. This isn't weather-related."

"We should head back," I said, and they agreed. Despite our vigilance on the trek back to the cottage, we never spotted anyone or anything that explained the sensation I'd had.

Elise was awake and cooking a full English breakfast when we arrived.

"Perfect timing! How was your hike?" she asked with a smile.

"Rejuvenating. It's a beautiful, misty morning, but the sky is blue and not a cloud in sight. It should be another warm day," Kara replied, as we set out plates.

"Thanks for making breakfast. This looks amazing," I told her, filling my plate with bacon, sausage, a slice of black pudding, eggs, fried potatoes, grilled tomato, and sourdough toast. I was starving.

"You are absolutely welcome. Not a fan of beans?" she asked with a grin.

I wrinkled my nose. "Nope. They don't like me, but I have decided I like this black pudding. It's a weird name, but it tastes good."

She laughed as she filled her plate and sat down to eat, as Kara and Mist served themselves.

After breakfast, we spent the rest of the day visiting Keswick, the lake, and taking in a show at the live theatre. Despite the relaxed pace, I was tired and had little in the way of energy by the time we relaxed on the cottage patio in the cooler evening air. With glasses of wine and slices of decadent chocolate cake, we compared notes about what we'd enjoyed most in exploring the town. We'd each found something slightly different, making it an ideal day for everyone.

"Being from Canada where we don't have castles, I'd really love to visit some. Apparently, there are several less than thirty minutes away towards Penrith," I suggested, as we discussed our plans for tomorrow.

"I have to admit that I take them for granted. Other than the typical school trips as a kid, I've never really visited them. Sure, I'm game," Elise agreed.

"Yup, I'm up for whatever," Mist stated.

"Sure, I'm old. I like old stuff," Kara joked.

Elise rolled her eyes. "Oh please. I'm older than you. You are not old!"

While Mist coughed, I bit my lip to hold back my grin. Kara just smiled.

Too tired to stay up to watch the episodes of Murdock they had planned, I headed to bed before everyone else. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

After a good night's rest, I was up with the sun. Kara, Mist, and I headed out for another early morning hike. This time, we walked towards Dodd Wood, spending more time in the evergreen forests. The trails had more use, so we didn't stop to train, but I enjoyed the walk, regardless. With no repeat of the uncomfortable watched sensation, I was refreshed and energized by the time we got back to the cottage.

Elise was still asleep, so I set about making omelettes for us, and she joined us just as the food was ready.

"Oh! I meant to be up earlier," she apologized.

"Not at all. I'm glad you enjoyed your rest," I told her, handing her a plate.

Kara took care of the dishes once we were done, and we loaded up the RAV4 for our day of visiting castles. The ruins of Brougham Castle were our first stop. It was a thirteenth-century castle with the keep still intact, and an impressive double gatehouse. We spent a good hour scrambling through the ruins, taking photos, and imagining what it must have looked like in its heyday.

Next, we explored King Arthur's Round Table, an earthen henge believed to be of prehistoric origin. After reading the information posted at the site, I pulled Kara aside to ask her what it was really used for.

"Midgardian scholars are mostly correct. People used the stone henges as calendars to mark the seasons, but the Tuatha de Danann also used them as gateways, similar to our bifrost. Because of this, many mortals believed these to be holy sites and held rituals here, worshiping many of the Sidhe, and the Tuatha de Danann in particular, as gods, goddesses, or demons, depending on their characters. Although we sealed as many of the gateways as we could find when we exiled the Sidhe from Midgard after the last Sidhe-Asgardian war." She scowled. "It was an ugly, brutal time, but I was glad when Odin finally stepped in to stop the Unseelie atrocities. It was worth the Asgardian losses to protect the mortals."

"Wow. Clearly, I have a lot of history to catch up on, to understand the politics between the Sidhe and Asgard. What about King Arthur?"

"He was a real king in this area, and it's entirely possible this was used as a meeting place for him."

"It's cool to find out he was real. What about the legends..." I started to say more, but Elise came over to join us.

"Can you imagine living like that?" Elise asked.

"Disease, poor hygiene, women treated like property. Yep, fun times," said Mist, with a wrinkle of her nose.

Knowing she spoke from experience and wasn't just speculating, I laughed.

Our next stop was the ruins of Penrith Castle to view the walls and remains of the former home of Richard III. With the impressive walls still mostly standing, it was easy to see why they'd been able to hold out against the Scots.

Leaving the ruins behind, we then travelled to Lowther Castle and gardens. A more recent castle, with parts of it rebuilt, we spent a good couple of hours exploring it, before stopping for a late lunch.

Afterwards, we spent several hours in the one hundred and thirty-acre gardens, with its numerous paths, and a mix of old and new styles. Compared to the ruins themselves, the gardens were energizing, and I found myself not wanting to leave. As fun as it was exploring, it was exhausting, too. Although I'd always wanted to see castles and their tangible history, I seemed to have very little in the way of stamina.

"Shannon, I don't like the look of that storm rolling in," Mist said, pointing to the northwest where dark clouds filled the sky.

Surprise had me looking where she pointed. I hadn't noticed the storm building. Apparently, I was more tired than I realized. "Well, we've had such beautiful weather. Hard to complain that it's going to rain on the last bit of our trip."

Elise sighed. "Yeah, we've been lucky to have such nice weather, compared to the gloomy rain it often is. Let's head back. There's always indoor swimming at the spa."

"Now, there is a great idea," agreed Kara.

I seconded it. The soak in the salt water sounded heavenly as my feet had begun to ache, and I needed the boost of rejuvenating energy. This pregnancy thing was really starting to have downsides.