Free Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel) by Mireille Chester Page A

up and light grey eyes met mine. He
smiled and proceeded to pull a piece of jerky out of his pocket.
Whisk quickly put his teeth away and sat, his tail thumping the
ground. I rolled my eyes.
    “Whisk, you’re a traitor.”
    “My name’s Ian.” He patted Whisk on the head.
I turned and walked away, ignoring his shout of ‘wait, son, I want
to help’. I sat by my father’s body. I registered the man’s light
footsteps coming into the kitchen and I tensed, my hand on my
dagger should I need it. I looked across my father as he sat.
    “My name’s Ian.”
    “Chael.” I tried to keep the tears from
spilling from my eyes.
    “Was this your commanding officer?”
    I nodded then shook my head. “Yes. He’s my
father.” I could tell he was observing me. “What?”
    “I was just thinking you look a bit young to
be a Shadow Knight.”
    “I’m eighteen. I’m just small.”
    We sat in silence for a moment.
    “Do you want help to get him onto a
blanket?”
    I nodded, unable to get any words past the
lump in my throat. Ian moved to his head and I took my father’s
feet in my hands. We laid him under one of the large apple
trees.
    After rummaging through the shed, Ian was
able to find two shovels.
    “Do you have any particular spot in
mind?”
    I nodded. “The cherry tree. My mother’s
buried under one.” I tried to take solace in the fact that my
parents could finally be together again after such a long time
apart. I stabbed my shovel into the ground.
    By the time the hole had been dug, I was
aware my side was throbbing horribly. I took a deep breath and
tried to ignore the pain. Ian sat to catch his breath.
    “Are you alright?”
    I bent over to ease myself to the ground and
cried out as the throbbing turned into a sharp pain. Ian rushed to
my side helped me onto my back. A nervous shiver ran through me at
the shocked look on his face.
    “What?”
    His eyes wide, he lifted the hand he’d had
under my back so I could see it. It was covered in blood. The
memory of the pain as the masked man had tackled me, stabbing
through my thick leather vest flashed through my head. I realized
Ian was pulling at the laces that held my vest together. I slapped
his hands away.
    “Leave it. I’m fine.”
    “You’re bleeding. Now take the damn thing off
so I can have a look at it.”
    I shook my head. “Help me get my father in
his grave first.” I sat up and quickly lay back down as spots
swarmed my vision.
    “Chael!” Ian swore under his breath,
something to do with Chael’s luck, and I tried to protest as my
vest was pulled over my head. This was quickly followed by my
tunic.
    Ian paused for a fraction of a second before
turning me onto my side to inspect the wound. He pressed his hands
over the wound and the last thoughts I had before I passed out from
the pain was that this man must have amazing self-control not say
anything about what he’d just seen.
     
    *****
     
    The crackle of the fire was my first
indication I was alive. The next was the pain that raked through me
when I tried to sit up. A hand pressed me back down to the
mattress.
    “Don’t get up. Try not to move. I put a few
stiches in, but I’m not a healwife by any means and I’d rather not
have to do it again because you tore the other ones out.” Ian’s
light grey eyes met mine and he smiled. “How are you feeling?”
    “My father’s dead, I’ve lost the book we were
sent to find, and I managed to get stabbed.” I tried to glare at
him, but couldn’t find it in me. None of this was his fault.
    “Here, have some water. You’ve been out for a
whole day. I was starting to worry.”
    I took the cup gratefully.
    “I hope you don’t mind, but I finished
burying your father while you slept. I also buried Alexander.”
    I noted the sadness in his voice. “What was
he to you?”
    “A friend. I’d always stop in if I was going
by. He was a good man.” He fell silent and he frowned with the
thoughts going through his head. He looked me square in