Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel)

by Chester, Mireille

  I nodded.

  He grinned. “Well, then, I’m satisfied.” He stood. “This won’t hurt nearly as much as when I took it from you.”

  My heart jumped in my chest. “You’re giving it back?”

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “There are those out there, Chaela, who have things they don’t deserve. With or without the magic in your blood, man or woman, you were meant to be a Knight. It shows in everything you do.”

  “But what about the laws you aren’t willing to break? What of the other gods?”

  He laughed. “Are you worried about me?”

  I blushed. “A bit, yes.”

  His grin widened. “I’m Chael. The other gods tend to expect things like this from me.” He held out his hand and I placed mine in it. He brought it up to his lips. My knuckles started to warm where he’d kissed them, the feeling traveling up my arm and into my chest. Chael stood with a nod and disappeared back into the shadows.

  “Chaela, what’s happening to you?” Ian walked back into the bedroom.

  I snapped awake feel of Ian’s real hand touching my face.

  “You’re burning up. Chaela, wake up.”

  I smiled to ease the worry and took a deep breath as the heat lessened. I reached up and ran a hand through his hair.

  “What was that?”

  “Chael… he gave it back.”

  “You mean…”

  I nodded and snuggled back into his chest.

  Chapter Seven

  Ian straightened my belt and smiled. I tugged on the hem of his dark blue tunic and ran my fingers over his family’s emblem, a black eagle.

  “Are you nervous?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “A bit.”

  I ginned. “Me, too.”

  He grunted. “You’ve been through this before.”

  “But not as me.” I took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’ve been through worse.”

  He nodded and kissed me softly. “We have.”

  We both took a deep breath as the doors to the great hall were opened. General Krane smiled at us.

  “The king awaits you.”

  We made our way to the front of the room where the king stood, his wife and daughter on either side of him.

  “Ian, Chaela,” he nodded to both of us. “Your courage and loyalty have been endless these past few months. Both of you had more than your share of reasons to simply give up and forget about the rest of us. Despite all of these reasons, you stayed and fight, putting your lives before ours.” He pulled his sword and we knelt before him.

  As the king went through the motions of Knighting both of us, I thought back to the events of the past few years and I was slightly surprised that neither my first Knighting nor this one was number one on my list of favorite moments. I smiled as I remembered playing cards with my father and going for rides with him. I remembered the tender look on Ian’s face the first time he’d kissed me and how he always had a way to make me shiver no matter how innocently he touched me.

  “Stand Sir Chaela McKinney and Sir Ian Murphy.”

  We stood at attention, saluted the royal family then turned to face the roomful of Knights that had come to watch the event. I smiled at the sight of Harry, Hal, Mac, and John standing in a line. They saluted and we returned the honor.

  “To the end!”

  The Knight’s motto echoed through the room and I grinned up at Ian. “Drink?”

  He started to laugh. “Please.”

  Our friends fell into step beside us.

  “Where are we heading?” inquired Hal.

  “The pub.”

  Mac grinned. “You know they’re serving drinks in the great hall, yeah?”

  I chuckled. “Yeah.” I took Ian’s hand. “But after all of the excitement the past few days, all I want is a quiet meal and a good night’s sleep.”

  Everyone grunted their agreement and we made our way to the pub.

  Epilogue

  Ian leaned down and kissed me softly.

  “Don’t look so nervous. You’ll scare him.”

  I smiled. “I’m fine. I just… by gods, Ian, he’s so small! Is it possible we were that small when we went into training?”

  He grinned. “Actually, I think it’s safe to say you were even smaller yet.” We turned as our five year old came out of the cabin. The breeze messed his dark hair and he squinted his grey eyes as he looked up at us. I bent to place a kiss on the top of his head.

  “Do you like your tunic, Chael?” I asked.

  He nodded and looked down at the dark blue tunic with a black eagle on the left side and a black winged horse on the right. Ian gave my hand a squeeze before picking him up and setting him in his pony’s saddle. I swung onto Klora and Ian onto Klard.

  Once at the arena, we went to stand by General Krane.

  He nodded in welcome. “The tunic was a nice touch,” he commented.

  I smiled. “I thought so.”

  We watched as Chael waved to a blond boy.

  “I’m Timothy McKenzie. Who are you?”

  “I’m Chael McKinney-Murphy.”

  Timothy started to laugh. “Your parents named you after Chael? He’s the god of bad luck!”

  Chael shook his head. “My mom says that Chael is a god of great character and that it’s not his fault people can’t take a prank.”

  General Krane chuckled and I grinned.

  “Chael!” A black haired lad dropped his pony’s reins and ran over to tackle my son. The two fell in a pile, laughing. I smiled at Mac and Jasmine as they made their way over.

  “Poor Blair. He was so nervous this morning he refused to get on his pony until we told him Chael would be here.” Jasmine laughed. General Krane excused himself and made his way toward the twenty boys running wildly around the arena.

  “Alright, boys! Attention!”

  The boys scrambled to get into a line facing him. Chael’s gaze found ours and I smiled as he waved to us excitedly.

  “Should we go to Harry’s while we wait?” Ian took my hand and started to lead me away.

  “Let’s.”

  I cast one last look back to our son then turned my eyes to the sky. “Thank you.”

  Ian smiled down at me. “Do you think he heard you?”

  I nodded. “I know he did.”

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I need to thank my friend and fellow writer, Evonne Garnett, for inviting me to take part in Nanowrimo with her school group. Before that fateful email, I have to admit I’d never heard of National Novel Writing Month. Were it not for that invite, Chael’s Luck might never have been written.

  I need to thank all of my online writing friends. You are truly a second family to me and your encouragement and support is inspiring.

  As always, I need to say a big thank you to my husband. For all the times you’ve cleaned house and done laundry while I stayed lost in my imaginary worlds, I love you, my sweet.

  Praise for ‘The Chosen One Trilogy’

  (Crossover, Journey, Destiny)

  Mireille Chester’s adult paranormal series

  “I have loved these books, loving the imagination of the author that has took me on this fantasy journey, the world she has created and the Characters and species. I have loved the romance, the family dynamics, the morality of it and I would love to see this trilogy made into a movie, it’s that good! I would recommend them to anyone; these books are hidden gems that I’m so glad I discovered.” ~ Melanie of Book Passion for Life

  “Mireille Chester has sent me on an emotional roller coaster ride that hours (and even days) after finishing this book, I still find myself tearing up when thinking about some of her incredible characters.” ~ Cath of My Book Chatter

  “I did not want this series to end because Hayden and Jasper have such a raw love for each other and had such love for their family that I laughed, cried and screamed at this book because they went through so much but in the end true love prevails and they are liv
ing proof of it!” ~ Tee of A Diary of a Book Addict

  Coming December 2012

  the much anticipated young adult debut of the Quelondain world.

  Tyler’s Story

  It’s been five years since his twin brother Trent was killed and Tyler has been on his own ever since. When he stumbles across Heidi, a human from the other world who’s just crossed over, he vows to get her home against his better judgment. What he doesn’t realize is that to keep his promise, he’ll have to risk his life and the one thing he’s managed to keep to himself since the war… his heart. Still, a promise is a promise and Tyler doesn’t break his. After facing human rogues, packs of Majs, and Zerpanays, he’ll have to decide… can he bear to let go of the one thing that’s managed to bring him back to life? Will he finally find enough peace to return home?

  “Tyler, run!” John’s cry caused Heidi to jump. The echoing screech raining down on them from the sky made her freeze with fear.

  Tyler grabbed her hand and started to run along the river, looking for anywhere to hide. Heidi cried out in pain as she tripped and fell, her shoulder slamming into a large rock. Tyler stopped, ready to come back for her.

  “Keep going! I’ve got her!” John hauled Heidi to her feet. The Zerpanay shrieked and Tyler fell forward as an energy blast pushed him off of the ground. He landed face first in the dirt and leaves with a grunt, turned so he could look back for John and Heidi. His heart jumped in his chest. Both of his friends had been knocked down by the blast thrown by the creature that now stood over them. The thirty foot long serpentine body moved in a wave using the ten pairs of legs it stood on. It lowered its head, the dark brown feathers, glinting in the sunlight. Heidi screamed as its long red tongue flicked over her. John kicked up with all of his might and managed to roll himself onto Heidi. He tensed, readying himself for whatever came next.

  The Zerpanay screamed and bared its two rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

  Tyler scrambled to his feet and pulled his dagger, a growl rising in his chest. He threw the blade as hard as he could. The creature threw its head back as it embedded itself to the hilt in its blood red eye. It shook itself, dislodging the knife. Its fiery gaze honed in on Tyler.

  He swore under his breath, but stood still until he was sure it would come after him and leave his friends alone. The Zerpanay stretched its wings and took to the air. Tyler shifted and ran as fast as his four legs could carry him over fallen trees and large rocks. The creature screeched and Tyler was knocked flat by the energy blast it pushed at him. His leg screamed in pain as sharp teeth dug into it, the beast plucking him from the earth as it flew over him. He watched the ground sink away below him.

  “Tyler!” Heidi’s scream made him twist so he could make sure she was alright. Not being able to angle himself to see as a wolf, he shifted back and he cried out as the teeth cut deeper into his thigh. The Zerpanay swooped back in the direction it had come. Tyler caught the flash of the sun reflecting off of something metallic hidden in the woods to their left. The wind caused his eyes to tear and he wiped at them, trying to see what was below him. He felt a magic nudge slam into him and the Zerpanay grunted with the force of it. It rocked sideways, its jaws opening with its screech. Tyler’s first thought was to thank the moons he was free of the Zerpanay; his second, was to wonder what it was going to feel like to die when he hit the ground.

  One second he was seeing the dirt and leaves rushing up at him and the next, he was lost in a black fog with specs of flashing light. He felt small hands on his face and lips on his forehead which caused him to wonder why he could feel Heidi’s hands and nothing else. After a fall like that, he should have been in pain, yet he felt peaceful.

  “Tyler, please!” Heidi’s tear filled voice floated through the fog and his throat tightened. The specks of light became fewer and the dark fog thicker. Heidi’s sobs began to fade and as the darkness finally won out. His last thought was of his brother.

  About the Author

  Mireille Chester was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1979 and moved to Saskatchewan when she was eight. Writing is one of her many passions which also include reading, drawing, painting, animals, and the outdoors. She is a stay at home mom and wife.

  Her first series, The Chosen One Trilogy, is the first of her adventures which are based in the world of Quelondain. The three stories, Crossover, Journey, and Destiny follow the adventures of Hayden Carlson when she suddenly discovers a world filled with magic and finds herself caught up in a war that could wipe out almost every being that lives there. The trilogy has been described as a great mix of epic and paranormal fantasy.

  Mireille now lives in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with her husband and their three children as well as multiple animals. She hopes to keep readers entertained with her magical worlds and enjoyable characters.

  http://mireillechester.com is where you can learn more about her books and follow her blog.