Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel) (9 page)

“But what about you; your future? Surely you
can’t go on being a man for the rest of your life. What about
starting a family, or anything of that nature?”

I shook my head. “I love being a Knight. If I
were to reveal this secret to anyone, I’d be banished.”

We gazed at each other in silence for a
moment and I was surprised to see him blush.

“I… All I did was clean you up then put a
fresh tunic on you.”

It took a minute for what he’d said to
register before I started to laugh. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Ow…” I tried to stop laughing by taking deep
breaths which caused the stitches to pull on my side. “By gods, I
just… Whenever I imagined someone finding out, that was never the
first thing I thought they might say.” Another fit of laughter took
me and tears rolled down my cheek.

“What in the world did you expect me to say?”
Ian’s eyes were grey saucers in his head.

“I’m not sure. Maybe that I’d be exiled, or
imprisoned for impersonating a Knight.” My throat tightened. “I was
always afraid my father would be flogged for his lies, or
worse.”

Ian’s eyes flashed. “Just one of the reasons
I refused become a Knight.”

“You were to be a Knight?”

“Five years ago, I rode into Gleama with
every intention of becoming one. I was going by the market when I
saw a young child being flogged by a Knight. When I questioned why,
I was told the boy had taken an apple without paying. I never took
the test. I just left.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“The child was being beaten because he was
starving. I couldn’t be a part of something that would punish a
hungry child.”

“If you were going to take the Knight’s test,
you were born to one.” I gazed at him curiously.

“My father is Sir Gavin Murphy.”

“Sir Gavin’s son is dead.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “The last time I
checked, I was very much alive. This is what my father told the
others after I refused to take the test. To him, I am dead.” He
took a deep breath. “I’d prefer the rest of the world kept thinking
that I am.”

I looked him over carefully. “Well, I’d
prefer the rest of the world still thought I was a man.”

He nodded. “Now, have a rest and I’ll make
something to eat.”

I caught his hand as he stood. “Ian.” I
smiled. “Thank you. For everything; saving my life, twice, and
helping with my father.”

He gave my hand a squeeze and left me in
front of the fire. I stared into the flames and thought about my
next move. I knew the goblins were to the north. What I needed to
do was find them and steal the book back. I frowned. Who was the
masked man? Maybe that wasn’t the important question. Maybe what I
needed to be asking was what he was doing with goblins and what did
he want with the book?

“Ian?”

“Umm?”

“My father and I, we were sent to retrieve a
book. It was a black leather bound one with a strange symbol
embossed on the cover. Do you remember seeing it?”

He appeared at the back of the couch, a frown
on his face as he thought. He pointed in my direction with the
carrot he was holding. “I do remember that one. Let me see, now.
Alex got it from an old wood elf that stopped in during his
travels.”

“A wood elf?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

He nodded. “Yes, a wood elf. Just because
you’ve never seen one doesn’t mean they don’t exist, Chaela.”

I stared at him, speechless, though I
couldn’t make up my mind whether it was at the fact that the man
believed in legendary creatures, or because for the first time in
eighteen years, someone other than my father, uncle, or aunt had
called me by my birth name.

He hurried around so that he was kneeling
beside me. “Are you alright? Is it your side?”

“I’m fine. You surprised me, that’s all. I’m
not used to hearing that name.” I smiled. “Now, about these wood
elves.”

“You can laugh all you want, but I’ve seen
them. I made that exact same face as the one you’re making when
Alex told me of them. They live in the woods to the east, along the
coast.”

“And why did this particular elf bring Alex
this book?”

“To keep it safe, of course. Alex is a master
of enchantments and Blarenagin thought it safe here.”

“But why not keep the book with the elves.
They’ve managed to hide away for so long that most people think
they don’t actually exist.”

Ian shrugged. “I’m not sure. Alex wouldn’t
tell me the whole story, only that he was keeping the book
safe.”

I frowned. “Then why ask the king to send us
for it,” I wondered.

“Well, obviously, someone found out about it
and Alex got wind of it somehow.”

“And what does the book do?”

“I have not a clue. Alex and I had an
agreement; I didn’t ask questions about him and he didn’t ask
questions about me.”

I ran my hands over my face, frustrated.

“Chaela.”

I uncovered my face and Ian grinned.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just like the look on your face
when I say your name.” He stood and returned to the kitchen,
leaving me once again to my thoughts, though this time, they leaned
toward the man now in the process of making supper. Was he
trustworthy? He had saved my life. Twice. I thought of how he’d
looked as he’d fought the two goblins. He was strong, that was
obvious. He was what people thought of when they thought of a
Knight. But it wasn’t his physique or strength that I was drawn to;
the gods knew I’d been around enough of those kinds of men that to
see one didn’t cause me to swoon. I smiled at the thought of myself
swooning. No, I didn’t swoon. I also didn’t stare or admire. Had I
ever done such a thing it would have been Chael’s luck that someone
would have noticed and questions would have been asked. I’d also
told myself at an early age that to start thinking of my fellow
Knights as men from a woman’s point of view would have been unfair
to myself. As a Knight, a man, I would never be able to be a wife.
What a shock it would have been to her on our wedding night! And
yet, Ian had managed to stir something in me, though I was unsure
as to what that might be.

Ian swore and dropped something heavy.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I’ll apologize ahead of time. I’m
not the best cook.”

My stomach growled. “I don’t think it will
matter at this point in time. I’m hungry enough I could eat a raw
steak.”

“Well, it won’t be raw.” He came into the
room. “Let’s try to get you sat up so you can eat properly.” He
frowned as he tried to come up with the best strategy to get me up
without tearing out the stiches he’d put in.

“I’ll just sit up.” I pushed myself up and
cringed at the pain.

“Hang on. Here, I’ll hook my arms under yours
and help move you.” He moved behind the couch, maneuvered himself
so he could do as he’d described. “Ready?” His voice was soft by my
ear.

“Ready.”

He promptly lifted me and pulled me back so I
was leaning back against the pillow in a more or less sitting
position. I tried to keep the pain off my face and smiled my thanks
as he handed me a plate filled with fried potatoes, carrots and
bits of steak all mixed together.

“Thank you.”

By the time I’d finished eating, it was all I
could do to lay down so I could go back to sleep.

*****

Ian watched her sleep in the glow of the
firelight. She was pretty. It was a miracle no one had ever noticed
how feminine she was. He shook his head. A runt. That was what
they’d told the world and that was what the world had believed. Of
course, he’d believed it also when she’d first told him, hadn’t he?
Well, of course he had. If someone tells you they’re a man, there’s
not usually a reason for them to be lying.

Good gods, but her whole situation frustrated
him. He tried to think what her father must have been thinking when
he’d first realized he was the proud father of a beautiful baby
girl. A spark of anger flared just as it did every time he thought
of little Chaela passing herself off as a boy because of her
father’s idiotic pride. How in the world had the man expected her
to keep living as such? She was a woman. Yes, it was impressive
she’d managed to fight her way into the ranks of the Shadow
Knights, but could she honestly say she’d be happy simply being a
Knight for the rest of her life? She said she was, and would; that
she was satisfied with this lifestyle.

Brainwashed, that’s what she was. She talked
like a man, acted like a man; he’d even go so far as to say he was
sure she thought like a man. Years of being treated like one had
forced her to bury the woman she really was deep inside of her.

There was also the fact that every breath she
breathed was for the Knighthood; one of the only things on the face
of this land he despised. More than once in the past few days,
they’d ended a friendly conversation with a heated argument because
of this topic. He blew a breath out of his nose.

Stop it, he thought to himself. It was none
of his business how she was raised, or who she spent the rest of
her life being. His main interest was in getting the man who had
killed Alex. If it meant he had to put up with this woman for the
next few months while they tracked the bastard down, then so be
it.

*****

“Alright, now here’s the best way to go.” Ian
held the map up in the air in front of us.

“Why not take the mountain path?” I pointed
where I was looking.

He shook his head. “No. The ridge is
completely taken over by the barbarians. If we head that way we’ll
be killed on sight.”

I grunted, not sure I agreed with him.

“Chaela, trust me on this one.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. So we’ll take the
long way, detour around the mountain, and go by way of the sand
plains until we reach the home of the wood elves.”

He nodded. “Let’s have a look at your side
and then we can get a good night’s rest before we leave in the
morning.”

I turned on the couch and pulled my tunic up
in the back to show him the cut which, after five days, was
starting to heal nicely. His one hand rested on my waist as he used
the other to dip a cloth in some warm water so he could wipe it
clean. I closed my eyes and tried not to jump when he put pressure
on the wound.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

He stood and smiled. “Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams, Ian.” I watched him head up
the stairs to where he’d been sleeping to give me privacy.

I waited until I could hear his breathing
slow before I sat up and reached for the long piece of cloth I used
to wrap my chest to flatten it. Thankfully, my mother had not been
a big breasted woman and I had taken after her in that department.
I pulled my tunic off over my head carefully, and started to wrap
the fabric around myself. Pain flared up my side as I reached back
to grab the loose end of the wrap. I groaned, trying to stay quiet.
Three tries later, I still hadn’t managed to grab the end I needed.
I jumped in surprise, my heart in my throat, at the feel of a hand
on my shoulder. The sudden movement caused the wound to pull and
the pain flared. I spun to face the intruder, making sure to keep
an arm across the fabric on my chest to keep it up.

Ian stood before me wearing only his pants.
He frowned. “Going somewhere?”

“I…” I took a deep breath. “Actually, yes. I
thought I’d leave tonight.”

The hurt in his grey eyes was obvious.
“Why?”

“It’s just, you see, I’ve been thinking and
it’s for the best.” I watched as he ran a hand through his shaggy
dark blond hair.

“Oh?”

I nodded. “It’s my luck, Ian. Can’t you see?
My mother died, I was born a girl. I’ve been bad luck from the
moment I was conceived. A few weeks ago, my aunt and uncle were
murdered, my father’s dead, and the book I was sent to recover is
stolen. If you stay with me, only bad can happen to you.”

“What does your aunt and uncle being murdered
have anything to do with your luck?”

“It just does.”

He took a deep breath. “Chaela, your only bad
luck was being born to a father who didn’t want a daughter.”

I felt my anger start to stir low in my
belly. “You have no right to talk about him that way. He treated me
well. He loved me. I wouldn’t change a thing about my life.” I kept
my voice down at a reasonable level, though I couldn’t keep the
shaking out of it. “I am a Shadow Knight. Does that mean anything
to you? There are less than fifty of us, Ian. Being a shadow is a
great honor that not many receive.” I started to say more but
stopped as he held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

“You’re right, Chaela. I had no right to say
that.”

We stared at each other for a moment.

“Look, whether or not we get along, or like
each other, or agree on anything is of no matter. You want to find
the book and I want to find the man who killed Alex and since the
two of them are more than likely in the same location, it simply
makes sense to travel together.” He sounded tired and I knew that I
was one of the reasons behind it.

“Who said I didn’t like you?”

He raised an eyebrow at me and I grinned.

“Look, Ian, I’m sorry. I really was thinking
about you when I decided to leave. I was sure that being on my own
would be best for everyone. It would be easier, yeah?”

“On my stress levels, yeah.” He smiled and I
relaxed. “Chaela, you can’t possibly think you can go off on your
own.”

“Of course I can! I can take care of myself.”
I waited for him to make a comment. When he didn’t, I realized he
was purposefully staring at me standing before him, half-naked,
unable to dress myself. “Chael’s luck and blast it all, just help
me get dressed.”

He grinned and brought me my tunic. “Do you
want help with the band?” He started to laugh and I followed
suit.