Castle Rushen from The Lost Expedition

In the opening chapter of The Lost Expedition, the final book in The Dream Rider Saga trilogy, the witch Morrigan returns to Castle Rushen, her childhood home on the Isle of Man.

This is a real castle, and I toured it back in 2013 while on the Isle of Man, taking interior and exterior photos of the castle, including the one to the right that inspired these thoughts by Morrigan upon entering the castle:

An arched entrance led to a narrow, zig-zag route between stone walls rising ten meters above her. Passing under a small portcullis bearing the unnecessary sign "The Ancient Portcullis," she glared at the words, resenting the reminder of her own age.

In an alcove inside the gate, she stopped before a declaration emblazoned on the stone wall in gold letters:

The Fortress of the Kings and Lords of Mann

Kings and Lords? No mention of the women who lived here. No mention of Charlotte, wife of James Stanley, Lord of Mann. Charlotte, who ruled here after her husband's execution. Ruled and held the castle, the last person in the three kingdoms to surrender to the Roundheads.

And no mention of the coven of witches who helped Charlotte defend this fortress. The witches who had lived here.

And died here. All save one.

Not that she expected such a mention. Women and witches? No man would immortalize either in those days.

Or in these days, for that matter.

Beside the golden words on the wall, a scarlet triskelion hung—three legs inscribed within a circle, equally spaced and radiating from the center—the symbol of Mann.

Click on the thumbnails to the right to see more photos of the castle, including the dining hall where Morrigan's mother appears in the fireplace, and in the same room, the tapestry that Morrigan moves aside to find the keyhole for the enchanted wall that hides the Unicorn Tapestry.

And you can read more about Castle Rushen and its history here.