Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel)

by Chester, Mireille

  The wood elf gave Whisk a pat on the head. “Follow me.” He turned on his heel and headed deeper into the woods that had magically appeared overnight. I looked at the massive trees with awe. Their roots seemed to push out of the ground and it was possible to walk under the trunks of the trees. I looked from one to another and nodded to myself. I was sure that I’d be able to ride Klora under them.

  “Chaela, let’s go.” Ian handed me my horse’s reins and swung up onto Klard.

  “Tell me I wasn’t so preoccupied with my apology to you that I didn’t see a complete forest here last night…”

  He grinned. “If I told you they were always here and that you were blinded by my dashing good looks…”

  “I’d slap you upside of the head.” I caught the piece of bread he lobbed in my direction and took a bite. “These trees are phenomenal.”

  He nodded. “It’s beautiful here. I’ve only been in these woods twice before with Alex. It’s just as amazing this time around.”

  I looked in wonder toward the sky. “I can’t tell where the trees end up there.”

  He followed my gaze. “Do you know I’m not entirely sure they do?”

  I looked to see if he was joking and saw he wasn’t. “Can we only see the trees because we’re with him?”

  Blarenagin looked back and grinned, his pointy teeth sending a shiver down my back. “It is, my lady.”

  I wrinkled my nose at the title and his chuckle made its way to me on the breeze. We walked in silence for a while, both of us entranced by the forest.

  “Now, you’re here to learn of the book I gave to Master Alexander.” Blarenagin’s voice broke through the quiet thoughts I was having.

  “That’s right.” I blinked my eyes as a city appeared in the trees.

  “And Master Ian, I believe you have a second reason for being here.”

  I glanced at Ian and caught him nodding. I cocked my head in question but was ignored.

  “Miss Chaela, the man who is in possession of the book is one who has disliked you for many years. He’s also the man responsible for Alexander’s and your father’s deaths as well as your aunt’s and uncle’s. It seems he blames you for the fact he was banished from the knighthood.”

  My stomach dropped. “Caleb.”

  “What I plan to do tomorrow, is to displace you to where the book is. It is most important that the book be returned to us.”

  “Why does Caleb want the book?”

  “There is a spell he desires in the book. Though not many know it, Knights have magical blood flowing through them. It passes down from father to son. Should this spell be cast, it destroys the Knights’ magic and therefore very efficiently kills them off.”

  “But Caleb is a Knight.”

  Blarenagin nodded. “In this book, there is also a charm to protect the one casting the spell.”

  Any more questions we might have had were ignored by the elder elf. I turned my attention back to our surroundings. The trees might have been the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. The entire forest gave off a feeling of peace and I realized that even Klora must have been feeling its effects. Instead of being on constant alert, his ears were relaxed so that they hung a bit to the sides and gave him goofy look. He blew out of his nose and shook out his mane. Whisk made his way around the tree trunks, investigating this hole in the ground or that crack in a large rock.

  From up in the tree houses, the sound of children drew my attention to the skyward branches once again. Too high up to tell if the child was a girl or a boy, one of the small elves leaned over a railing and waved to us. I smiled and waved back.

  “We can leave the horses here,” stated Blarenagin as he gestured to the stable that had appeared before us. Behind it was a lush pasture surrounded by a tall fence. “They’ll be fine here. I will show you to your guest houses and where dinner will be held. It should be served within the hour.”

  I frowned. “We just woke up.”

  The old Wood Elf smiled and shook his head. “The woods tend to make you relaxed so that you don’t notice the passage of time.”

  Looking up into the sky, I noticed he was right. The sun was now shining through the branches from the west. We unsaddled the horses and followed the little green man up one of the winding stair cases. Whisk followed us part of the way then whined and made his way back down to the ground. Looking over the edge of the railing as we reached the hanging boardwalk, I couldn’t disagree with his decision. I straightened with a gasp and stumbled into Ian who put a hand on my arm to steady me. I latched on to his arm and closed my eyes.

  “I think I just realized I’m afraid of heights,” I managed to mumble between the deep breaths I was taking to try and slow my heart. Suddenly, I was falling. The wood fell away from under my feet and my stomach dropped. My eyes flew open and I was staring at a hazy sky filled with rain clouds. A scream burst from my lungs and I clamped my eyes shut as I waited to hit the ground.

  Just as quickly, Ian’s arms wrapped around me and pulled me to his chest.

  “Shush, Chaela.” He laid his cheek on the top of my head. “What the hell was that?” he demanded of Blarenagin. He brushed the hair from my face and wiped my tears. “It’s alright. I don’t know what you saw, but you’re safe. I’ve got you.” His lips pressed to my forehead. “Shhh… I’m here.”

  I couldn’t do anything but cling to him and shake. Ian swore. “Let’s get you back on the ground.” It took a bit of effort on his part to pry my arms from around him so that he could cradle me properly to his chest. My tears soaked into his tunic and try as I might, I couldn’t stop them.

  Whisk whined and the horses came to investigate as Ian sat with me on one of the bales in the open concept barn.

  “She’s alright,” Ian told them and had I not been having a breakdown, I’d have laughed. He tucked my hair behind my ears. “You’re worrying the animals.” He took a deep breath. “Never mind the animals, your scaring the hell out of me.”

  I swallowed hard and managed to get myself partially under control. Whisk’s cool nose touched my cheek and I finally opened my eyes.

  “I’m alright,” I whispered. “I… gods, Ian… I was falling. I could feel it. I couldn’t stop it.” My throat tightened and I had to stop talking or risk breaking down again. I reached over and pet my dog to let him know all was fine. I looked past the large grey hound to the three horses standing in a semi-circle around us before looking at the ground which was a mere two feet from where I was, which was where I liked it. Suddenly embarrassed, I sat up and wiped my tears away. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what happened.”

  Ian frowned. “What are you sorry for?” He tightened his hold around my waist as I tried to stand.

  “I… I’m not sure. For scaring you, I suppose.”

  He shook his head. “You’re something else, Chaela McKinney.” He pressed his lips to the bridge of my nose. “I’ll go get our food and bring it down.”

  I groaned. “I feel like an idiot.”

  He smiled. “Don’t. It’s not every day I get to have a beautiful woman cling to me like that.” He let me stand and I wrinkled my nose at him.

  “Try not to get used to it. I’m not the clinging kind.” I tried to hide my smile but didn’t succeed. The fear I’d felt with the vision was receding. The animals, getting a sense that all was back to normal, wandered off to graze or sniff, whatever was their preference.

  Ian’s smile softened. “You’re alright?”

  I nodded. “I think so.”

  He stood and pulled me to him once again. “Try not to do that to me again, alright?”

  I thought of the feeling of falling and shivered. “No worries, there,” I mumbled. “Now… about that food…”

  I felt him smile against my hair. “Coming right up.” He gave me a parting squeeze before heading back up the winding staircase.

  I watched him climb up and meet Blarenagin who was still standing where we’d left him. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but by the way Ian s
tiffened and gestured as he talked, I was sure they weren’t discussing what was on the menu for dinner. He stopped and listened to what the wood elf had to say and I frowned as both of them looked over the railing at me.

  Ian turned back to the smaller man and his one forceful word made its way to my ears. “No.” With that, he headed off in search of food.

  Suddenly exhausted, I curled up in the straw and promptly fell asleep.

  *****

  “What do you mean, there’s nothing you can do about it? I’ve seen you work magic. I know you can do something!” Ian tried to keep his voice down so it wouldn’t carry down to Chaela. “She felt herself falling. You saw her! You were right here! Don’t tell me that was a small slip down a hill, for gods’ sakes!”

  “Master Ian…”

  “Don’t ‘Master Ian’ me! She’s not going to die because of a fall. I won’t let it happen!”

  “Until I get a specific vision or feeling about a situation, there is not much I can do to rectify it.”

  Ian clenched his fists, trying to keep himself under control, knowing the elf wasn’t lying to him.

  “I’ll speak with some of the other elders before you leave. One of them may have an idea of what to do. It doesn’t make sense to me, young Ian. I’ve seen pieces of the future, and Chaela’s meant to do much more than she expects. However, my visions are not always a hundred percent accurate and some of them are subject to change as time goes by. If she sees herself dying in a fall, then I’m afraid that her vision may be the more accurate version.”

  The two of them bent over the railing and Ian swore at the sight of Chaela looking up at them. He turned back to Blarenagin.

  “No.”

  He thought of the look on Chaela’s face as the vision had come upon her. The surprise and absolute pure fear. Though physically she hadn’t fallen an inch, there was no doubt in his mind that she’d felt as though she was about to die. He’d pulled her to his chest and she clung to him. His back was starting to throb in a dull reminder that her nails had managed to leave proof of her fear. The feel of her heart pumping against his chest, her tears soaking into his tunic, her entire body shaking so hard he had to keep his from following suit; those weren’t the reactions of a woman who had seen herself falling off of her horse.

  He entered the hall where dinner was being served. Many of the elves there looked up at his arrival, but he looked at the floor and ignored all of them. He wanted to tell himself he wasn’t being very polite. Gods knew he’d been brought up with better manners than this. He took two bowls of some sort of stew and put some fresh rolls and two flasks of ale which he put in a sac one of the older elven women handed him.

  He started to walk away, but was stopped short by her surprisingly strong grip on his arm. Her light green eyes held his and he frowned.

  “The gods take care of those they care about.” Her voice was soft and much too young for the age of her body.

  “What do you mean?” Ian’s heart started to pound in his chest.

  She looked toward the sky and gestured up. “The one you worry about… she is in good hands.”

  Ian felt the blood drain from his face. “Now?”

  “Always.”

  He dropped the bowls and barely heard them break as they hit the floor while he ran back onto the catwalk. He rushed down the winding stairs, jumping the last ten to the ground.

  “Chaela!”

  He burst into the barn, his eyes scanning the area blindly as they adjusted to the dark. He shut the doors out of pure habit and sprinted to the opposite corner where Chaela lay in the hay. He dropped the bag on a bale and knelt beside her, scooping her up into his arms.

  “No, no… Chaela, please…” He breathed a sigh of relief as she lifted her head, her eyes still half asleep as they met his. She frowned.

  “What’s wrong? You look like someone just died.”

  Ian swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat. He closed his eyes and leaned his face into her hand as she touched his cheek. Her other hand moved up so that she was holding his face.

  “Are you alright?”

  He nodded and opened his eyes, finally trusting he’d gotten control over the tears of relief that had threatened to spring free.

  “Can you do me a favor?”

  She frowned. “What’s that?”

  “The next time you decide to fall asleep, could you wait until I’m with you?”

  “I…” Seeing that he was obviously upset, she nodded. Her stomach growled and Ian felt the blood rise up his neck.

  “I had food, I swear I did.” He let her go so he could go get the bag he’d dropped.

  “What happened, Ian?”

  He shook his head, not wanting to upset her. “It’s a long story. Actually, it’s a very short story that involved me dropping two bowls of stew.” He pulled the rolls out and handed two to her. “I did, however, manage to bring back rolls and ale.” He gave her one of the flasks and watched as she took a long swallow and closed her eyes as she savored the taste. “I can go back for more stew if you’d like.”

  Her green eyes met his. “No. I’d rather you just stay here.”

  His heart skipped and reaffirmed for him what he’d told Blarenagin. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to her. He took a drink from his flask and nodded. “I’d rather just stay here as well.”

  *****

  The dreams had been so frequent the past week that it came as no surprise when I found myself out in the middle of a meadow. I looked around for the tall man with black hair and black eyes, knowing he was the one who would appear.

  “Have you decided who you are, yet?”

  I raised an eyebrow at him as he materialized beside me. “Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to be asking the question? It’s my dream after all.”

  He grinned. “By all means, then. What would you like to know?”

  I looked him straight on, knowing exactly what I wanted to know. “How do I die?”

  He blinked and shook his head. “I can’t answer that one.”

  “Can’t, or won’t?”

  “Can’t.”

  I blew out of my nose in frustration. “Fine. How about this. Will I fall?”

  He frowned. “Chaela…” He help up a hand as I opened my mouth to voice my irritation. “Yes. You will fall. Having said that, you will fall in more ways than one.”

  I growled at him. “Good gods, can’t you ever just give me a straight answer?”

  He seemed to take a minute to think about it. “No.”

  “And why not?”

  He grinned. “Well, then, what would be the fun in that?”

  I blinked and he disappeared. Blasted, good for nothing,… I still had no idea who he was, but he was starting to rank at the top of my most irritating people’s list right along with Chael and Ian. The thought of Ian brought a smile to my lips. Maybe he wasn’t on that list anymore. I closed my eyes and let myself drift out of the dream.

  I awoke to the smell of straw and the feel of Ian’s arms around me. I’d turned in my sleep so that I faced him. I recalled the fear and relief on his face as I’d woken up the previous night. He refused to tell me what had happened, but I knew that whatever it was, he’d been shaken by it. He hadn’t left my side the entire time we’d eaten and had only moved away long enough to get our blankets to lie on the straw.

  I smiled as his lips pressed to my forehead. “Good morning,” I whispered.

  “Morning.”

  I gazed up at him and was glad to that a good night’s sleep had erased the previous night’s worries.

  The barn door opened and Blarenagin appeared in my line of vision.

  “It is time.”

  I yawned. “No coffee first?”

  He shook his head. “You will leave the horses and dog here. They’ll be fine and you can return for them once your quest has ended.”

  I frowned. “I don’t think so.”

  “I cannot displace animals. Simply people.”r />
  Ian sat up and nodded. “We’ll come back for them, Chaela. We need to get that book.” We got our packs together and I gave the horses a hug.

  “You guys be good. No funny stuff, Klora. Klard, keep your son in line, yeah? And True, You’re in charge. You know how boys get.” I gave them all another pat on the neck then knelt to let Whisk lick my face. “And you… you keep an eye on all of them.”

  He whined and placed a paw on my leg. I swallowed hard. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Master Ian, I believe the object you seek is in that direction.” He waved toward one of the tree houses we could see from the barn.

  “I’ll find you in a few minutes.” He smiled and I watched as he jogged up the long staircase to the catwalk.

  “You’re fond of him.”

  I started to object to Blarenagin’s comment then stopped. It seemed the old elf indeed had a way of knowing things and denying this was simply futile.

  “I am.”

  He nodded. “He’s a good man.”

  My gaze found the tree house Ian had entered. “He is.”

  We were quiet until the subject of our short conversation reappeared at our side. Blarenagin didn’t miss a beat.

  “There are a few things you need to know about the spell,” he explained as we walked. “One is that it must be cast on the night of the new moon. Also, the caster will need a goblin’s tear, a bat’s foot, a pinch of horse hair, the trunk of an elf tree, and the sun’s blood.”

  I repeated these things to him then again to Ian who also repeated them back.

  I gave Whisk one last pat on the head. “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle Klora?”

  Blarenagin smiled and nodded. Ian took my hand. The wood elf mumbled something under his breath, touched my shoulder, and closed his eyes.

  “Should you find yourself falling, miss Chaela, all you need to do is say the word ‘yenstid’.”

  “But…” The feeling of falling returned, though not as badly as when the vision had appeared the previous day.

  He shook his head. “Yenstid.”

  “Yenstid.”

  “Good.” He closed his eyes again then frowned.