Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel)

by Chester, Mireille

  “By gods, how are you here, unharmed, if he pushed you off of a cliff?” Hal took me by the shoulders and turned me in a circle to inspect me for injuries.

  “While we were with the wood elves I had a vision of falling. Blarenagin put a charm on me for when the vision came true. I just had to say a phrase to activate it if ever I fell. I thought I was dead, actually. I yelled the words and nothing happened. That is, not until I was about five feet from the ground. Then, it was like something caught me and set me down ever so softly.” I remembered the grin on Caleb’s face as he’d managed to rip my chain from my neck as he’d pushed me over the ledge. “Bastard!”

  We all turned at the sound of someone running toward the shack.

  “Mac!”

  “Brian, what is it?”

  Brian, a young Knight-in-training, entered the shack and took an appraising look at me. Harry cleared his throat.

  “You have news?”

  “I do, sir. You told me to stay around the pub and to report should Caleb do something suspicious.”

  Hal nodded. “And?”

  “They just hauled a man out the back, beat him, and dragged him to the dark haired one’s house.”

  I frowned. “Did they say anything? Who was the man?”

  “He called the man Ian Murphy, sir, but he must have been mistaken. Didn’t Sir Gavin’s son die five years ago?”

  He looked, wide eyed as I rushed past him.

  “Chael! Hang on a second! Getting yourself killed won’t get him out of there!” Harry grabbed my arm and spun me around. I hooked my leg under his and dropped him on his back.

  “Just because I’m wearing a dress, Harry, don’t forget I’m still a Knight.” I pulled him up.

  He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s a bit confusing, yeah?”

  I grinned. “Try being me the past eighteen years. And it’s Chaela.”

  “What?”

  “My name. It’s actually Chaela, not Chael.”

  “Alright, then, Chaela.” Mac put a hand on my shoulder. “You say you’re still a Knight, then let’s handle the situation like it.”

  I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. “You’re right. Do you have a clue where this house is?”

  He nodded.

  “So what’s the plan?”

  He grinned. “We kick in the door and get your man out.”

  “And the book. We need that book.”

  Everyone nodded.

  Hal rubbed his hands in anticipation. ‘Let’s get to it, then!”

  Mac took Jasmine by the hands and kissed her softly. “Go to General Krane. Get him out of bed if you have to, but be sure to tell him everything that’s happened tonight.”

  She nodded. “Be careful.”

  By the time we’d gone five blocks, I’d tripped three times on the hem of my dress.

  “Hang on,” I muttered. I took the skirt where Jasmine had shown me and yanked on the fabric. It resisted momentarily before giving way at the seam. The rest of the trip to the pub was uneventful.

  Once there, Mac poked his head in and shook his head. “They’re not in here.”

  “So we hit the house and hope he’s there?”

  I took a deep breath and looked at the sky. “Chael, you’ve plagued me my whole life. Please, please let him be alive. That’s all I ask.”

  Harry squeezed my shoulder and stepped in front of me.

  “Don’t start,” warned Hal. “You were never very good at kicking down doors. This has got nothing to do with you actually being a woman.”

  I nodded. “Just do it already.”

  The twins grinned. “One, two, three!”

  The door didn’t stand a chance against the two of them and we rushed in while we had the element of surprise. The sound of chairs scrapping backwards and shouts of surprise had my three friends running toward the table to take on the two men I didn’t recognize. Caleb ran into the room from another just as I was dropping my cloak to the ground and reaching for my slaggens. I caught a glimpse of Ian behind him, tied to a chair. The blood made a dark, thin line along the side of his face from the cut about his eye and soaked into the gag. I felt the anger ignite in me and twirled the slaggens before pointing them at Caleb. The shock on his face was comical and I sneered.

  “You’re dead!”

  I shook my head. “You just wish I was.” I lunged at him, my blade sliding over his forearm as he tried to dodge the blow. He fell backwards as he tried to avoid the other blade. Behind us, the fighting had already stopped and by the look on Caleb’s face, he’d just realized his friends weren’t going to be coming to his aid. He managed to roll away from my next attack and my sword stabbed and stuck into the floor. I moved my other to my good hand and chased after him as he disappeared into the other room.

  I watched as he threw himself through the window and disappeared into the night. I cried out in frustration.

  “Chaela.”

  The sound of Ian’s voice behind me made my throat tighten and I turned slowly. I saw him swallow hard.

  “What’s wrong?” I walked toward him and put a hand on his chest.

  “You’re here.” His voice stuck in his throat and he cleared it.

  “Of course, I’m here.” I looked up at him. “Are you alright?”

  He nodded once and pulled me to his chest. I felt him take a few deep breaths before he pressed his lips to my forehead. He looked down and smiled.

  “What are you wearing?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Well, I was wearing a dress, but I kept tripping over it.”

  He grunted. “Of course, I would miss seeing that.” He opened his hand and held it up to me. I could see where his fingernails had dug into his palms with the effort to keep a hold on the chain. “I think you lost something.”

  “Where…”

  He shook his head, turned me, and brushed the hair away from my neck. His fingers traced the line of my shoulders and I shivered. He gently closed the clasp on the chain. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, the solid form of him against my back reaffirming he truly was here and that all was well.

  Harry cleared his throat from the doorway. “Is this what you were looking for?” He grinned and held up the book.

  Ian’s arms tightened around me before letting me go. “That would be the one.” I smiled and we returned to the living room. All of us stood at attention as General Krane walked through the decimated front door. Jasmine raced past him and threw herself into Mac’s arms. He smiled.

  “I’m fine. We’re all fine.”

  “Actually, I got an elbow to the mouth,” mentioned Hal. His brother punched him.

  “By the looks of it, Ian is the one who took the brunt of it,” commented the General as he shook his head. “By gods, Ian, why did you let him tell us you were dead?”

  Ian shrugged. “I seemed best at the time, sir. Does he know I’m here?”

  “I didn’t tell him and I don’t plan on it. You’re a grown man. If you feel like disappearing again, it’s up to you.” He turned his attention to me, his shock obvious. “Chael…”

  “Sir?”

  “I’m at a loss.” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “What in the world are my Knights thinking?”

  “Sir?”

  He shook his head. “Never mind. It’s of no importance right now. We’ll deal with you later. Jasmine was telling me quite a story on the way over.”

  I nodded and Ian and I explained to him what we believed to be happening. We started with the book, my aunt and uncle’s murder, how my father and Alex had died, Caleb’s part in it, and finally, what had just happened.

  General Krane tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought. “Alright. Let’s get the two of you to the castle. You can stay in a couple of the guest rooms. Tomorrow, I’ll inform the king of what is going on.” He stood. “He’ll request your presence at the queen’s birthday feast tomorrow evening.” He gave his head another shake. “I’ll take down the warrant for your arrest, Chael, so you’ll be f
ree to walk around the city.”

  “It’s Chaela, sir.”

  He looked at me and smiled for the first time since he’d walked into the house. “It does explain a lot.” He shook his head and left.

  “I don’t know if I should be insulted or relieved,” I muttered.

  Ian put an arm around me. “About what?”

  I looked up at him and then gazed around at my friends. “No one seems very surprised by the fact that I’m a woman.”

  Harry grinned. “Chaela, we all knew there was something off about you, but really, since you can fight and ride with the best of us, the fact that you might be a woman never crossed our minds. You were just a runt.”

  I started to laugh and watched as the guards General Krane had brought took the two prisoners away. “Tomorrow night is going to be horrible.”

  Ian grunted. “I’ll say.”

  I gave his waist a squeeze. “We’ve been through worse.”

  He kissed the top of my head and smiled. “We have.”

  Once we’d made it to the castle, we were shown to our rooms. Ian walked me to mine. He took my face in his hands and I closed my eyes at the feel of his thumb moving along my cheek. His lips brushed against my forehead before he pulled me to his chest.

  “Have a good night, Chaela.”

  “Sweet dreams, Ian.”

  I made my way to my bed and flopped onto it. Someone had put a clean pair of pants and a dark blue tunic on the bed. I stripped, used the hot soapy water in the wash basin to clean myself, and pulled on the clean clothes. I thought of Ian in the next room, doing the same. He’d looked so shocked at seeing me there. It made me wonder what Caleb had told him. I suddenly regretted not having had a chance to tell him how I felt about him. I got up and frowned at the sound of a knock on my door. I opened it and smiled.

  “I was just on my way to see you.”

  He took my hand, shut the door, and led me to the bed. “Do you remember the night we were assaulted by the sand plains?” He watched as I slid under the covers before joining me. I turned so I was facing him.

  “I do.”

  He swallowed and brushed the hair out of my face. I frowned. “Ian…”

  “I… do you remember asking me to hold you. That you needed to be held.”

  I nodded.

  “I need to hold you. I lay in the other room and suddenly I was sure I’d dreamed that you were here. I need to sleep with you in my arms so that when I wake up in the morning, I know I wasn’t dreaming.”

  The raw emotions in his voice and the fear in his eyes overwhelmed me and all I could do was nod before he pulled me to him, his arms like vices around me. I felt him shake and I wrapped my arms around him. Not sure of what else to do, I pressed my lips to his chest.

  “I’m here, Ian.” I cleared my throat. “I’m here.”

  He finally relaxed, took a deep breath, and pressed his lips to my forehead before letting me go so I could press my back against him. His fingers laced with mine.

  “I’m here, Ian.”

  His breathing evened out and mine followed suit. Soon, I was sleeping soundly.

  *****

  He felt the tears soaking into his arm before he heard her crying. She still lay on his arm, but he’d rolled onto his back. He turned onto his side, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest. She shook her head, though whether it was at the fact he was holding her or it was to tell him she didn’t want to talk, he wasn’t sure. He moved backwards and rolled her so he could see her face. He frowned, wiping the tears from her cheeks and she closed her eyes at the feel of his thumb over her skin. He leaned toward her and had one second to ask himself what in the world he was doing before his lips touched hers. She jerked in surprise, her eyes flying open to look into his. He pulled back slightly. Such beautiful green eyes, he thought. When she didn’t try to stab him, he moved up on his elbow and looked down at her, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. She bit her bottom lip nervously and he smiled softly. His lips brushed against hers tenderly and his heart skipped at the feel of her fingers running through his hair. He moved his kiss down her neck so he could bury his face there. His tongue ran across her collar bone and he smiled at the way she shivered under him. He kissed his way back to her mouth where her tongue met his. She sighed.

  “Are you alright?” he whispered, his forehead against hers.

  She nodded. “I’m just glad I have you back.” Her hushed voice broke and she tilted her head so she could kiss him again.

  He lay back down and pulled her to his chest.

  “When I heard Caleb had you… I couldn’t get here soon enough. I prayed to every god I could think of that you wouldn’t be hurt. I even prayed to Chael.” She frowned and touched the cut over his eye.

  He smiled.

  “What?”

  “The look on his face when Mac, Harry, and Hal came crashing through the door. It was priceless.” He kissed the end of her nose. “Though not as priceless as when you walked in behind them looking like a wild woman.” He remembered her green eyes flashing as her gaze had fallen on Caleb. Her hair, past her shoulders by this time, had blown across her face with the wind. She’d twirled her slaggens in her hands and pointed to a shocked Caleb with them. His throat tightened and he swallowed hard. “By gods, Chaela, I thought you were dead. He told me he’d killed you.” He closed his eyes and held her. “When you walked in…”

  She laid a hand on his cheek and ran her thumb over his lips. “I’m here, Ian. I’m much harder to get rid of than he gave me credit for.” She frowned. “Bastard. I can’t believe he managed to get away.”

  “At least we have the book.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “You know, before I thought you were dead, I’d convinced myself I wouldn’t see you again.”

  Her frown deepened. “Why is that?”

  “When we parted ways, I was sure that had I not been transported away, you would have killed me.”

  “I did want to kill you. You can’t just tell someone something like that when there’s a good chance you’ll never see them again! By gods, Ian! ‘Chaela, I need you to know, I love you,’ and poof! You disappear in a cloud of smoke.”

  He started to laugh.

  “It’s not funny!”

  “Oh, come on, now. You can’t tell me you didn’t know!”

  “It doesn’t matter if I knew or not, you’d finally said it! I’d never even had a kiss to remember you by.”

  “Ah, I see. It’s the kiss you’re upset about.” He nuzzled her cheek and brushed his lips gently over hers. She shivered and he deepened the kiss, relishing the way she responded to him. “And what about you, then?” he asked huskily.

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “What about me?”

  He rolled his eyes and she grinned. He touched her face softly, gazing deeply into her eyes. “Chaela, I do love you.”

  She smiled softly. “I know.”

  He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, she laced her fingers behind his head to keep him close.

  “Ian.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I do love you.”

  He smiled and pulled her to his chest, his hand running up and down her back. “I know.” He felt her sigh and he realized that for the first time in a very long time, he was truly happy. Whatever it was that tomorrow would bring, this night, this moment, was perfect.

  *****

  I awoke with a sigh at the feel of Ian’s lips on the back of my neck. I reached back and ran my fingers through his hair.

  “Good morning,” I said softly.

  He hugged me close in answer. “It’s actually more along the lines of good afternoon, by the looks of the light outside.”

  There was a knock at our door.

  “Are the two of you decent?” inquired Jasmine.

  “Of course, we’re decent. What do you take me for?” I asked.

  She let herself in and raised an eyebrow as we sat up in bed. “I take you for a woman
who is in the same bed as the man she obviously cares about.” She grinned. “I also take you as woman who lived most of her life as a man.”

  I threw a pillow at her and got out of bed to show I was most certainly still fully dressed. Ian laughed.

  “I object to that last one. Not all men simply want to get a beautiful woman into bed to satisfy his needs.” He smiled as she left the room and returned with a large bag. “What’s in there?”

  She laughed. “Dresses.”

  I shook my head. “No. Now that I don’t need to hide, I’m sticking to pants and tunics.”

  She rolled her eyes. “These dresses aren’t for walking around in everyday, silly. These are my ball gowns. We’re going to find one that fits you for tonight.”

  Ian got out of bed and straightened the covers so she could lay them on the bed. He smiled. Jasmine pointed to the door.

  “You can go get cleaned up and Mac has some clothes for you as well. He’s in the lunch room with Hal at the moment. They’re expecting you.”

  Ian grinned and saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.” He stopped as he passed me and his gaze softened. “I’ll see you later.” He tilted my chin up with his fingers and kissed me softly. I smiled as I watched him leave.

  Jasmine cleared her throat. “Are you ready?”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “No. Quite honestly, I was planning on waking first thing in the morning and leaving.”

  She started to laugh.

  “Honestly, Jasmine, I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous to go to anything. It was one thing to put up with the Knights teasing me because I was small. I was used to it and really, I think most of them did it in good fun. Tonight, those who haven’t already heard will find out I’ve been living a lie; that I’ve been lying to them for the past eighteen years. And Ian… by gods, his father told the world he’d died! What’s going to happen when he sees his son stroll into the room and with me on his arm to boot?”

  She smiled. “Do you want to know what I think?”

  I nodded.

  “I think that you’ve spent the past eighteen years ignoring what people think about you. I don’t think you should pick up this habit now. Now, come on. We’ll wash your hair and this time, you’ll let me put the eye smudge on. I want to see Ian’s mouth drop when he sees you.”