The Dothan Chronicles: The Complete Trilogy

by Charissa Dufour

  “You forget, my lord. This is my keep, and those living here are under my protection. If you want companionship, I can send to the brothel for you, but the ladies here are off limits.”

  The king released his target and turned to glower at Lyolf. The woman took her chances and dashed to the small door used by the servants.

  “Are you challenging me?” demanded the king.

  “No sir, just reminding you that you are a guest in my home. You will not force yourself on anyone living under my protection. As I said before, I will go to the brothel myself and bring you a companion, if you wish.”

  “Then you better get a move on it,” snapped Wolfric before storming into his bedroom.

  It was a long night for Lyolf as he provided for his guest’s needs and, in the end, even the seasoned whore left his castle in tears.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bethany looked around the large room. Like the last three days, the room had started clean and tidy, but now, just after their midday meal, the room mirrored a war-torn city. Toys littered the floor, chairs lay over turned, and the twins did nothing to help Bethany control the seven boisterous children. Bethany knew the twins were challenging authority and that today would define the rest of their relationship. If she didn’t find a way to control the children—or at least distract them—the twins would mistrust her for the rest of their acquaintance.

  Erin stood near the doorway, his arms crossed and his face fixed into a dark glower. Like Bethany, he despised the two women sent from Carthind to watch over the children.

  “All right,” called Bethany, momentarily silencing the children. “Who wants to go swimming at the lake?”

  The children jumped up and down, each working to be the loudest of the group. Bethany held up her hands, and after a long wait, the children quieted.

  “Go to your rooms and get changed. I’ll meet you back here in five minutes. Okay?”

  Without responding, the seven children rushed out of the room and ran down the corridor to the two bedrooms they shared—one for boys, one for girls. Bethany hoisted Tobit, the youngest, into her arms and handed him over to Eleanor. Or maybe it was Eleanora. Bethany still hadn’t figured out which was which. Then again, she also didn’t care.

  “Get him changed and watch over the children while I change.”

  “And when, might I ask, will we have a chance to change?” asked the woman as she struggled with the one year old.

  “You will stay back and get this placed cleaned up, and prepare the next activity.”

  “And if we don’t?” asked the other twin.

  “Then I’ll send you back to Carthind to help the healers with the growing number of sick people. It is up to you.”

  Bethany didn’t know if she was bluffing or not, but after three months traveling with Erin, she had learned the power of a good bluff face. The two women stared at her, trying to gage the validity of her words. Eventually her words slid into place, and they burst into action. The one with Tobit scurried away to check on the children, while the other began tidying up the play room.

  With a wink, Bethany led Erin out of the room and down the hall to her own room.

  “Do you have something to change into?” she asked.

  “The ladies here have been very generous. I have my old travel trousers I can wear.”

  Bethany smiled, a swarm of memories invading her mind as she thought of their time together.

  “I’ll meet you back here,” he said before walked away.

  Bethany changed into her own trousers—new ones her mother had begrudgingly allowed her to make—and a clean tunic.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” demanded Debowrah as she met Bethany in the corridor.

  “I’m taking the children swimming to get some energy out.”

  “I think that is an excellent idea. You look tired. Can’t Eleanor and Eleanora take them?”

  “The twins haven’t exactly been helpful thus far. I don’t trust them enough to go on their own.”

  “Well, take them and some others too. I don’t want you out of the castle alone.”

  “I’ll have Erin with me,” Bethany said, her eyes running to the children sneaking back to the play room; all but the oldest children found their grandmother to be rather intimidating.

  Bethany watched as Debowrah glanced down at the floor for a short second. Something was working its way through the queen’s mind, but Bethany couldn’t guess how her simple statement might have affected her.

  “Yes, well, as much as I appreciate Sir Caldry’s efforts, I would prefer you take a few other guards as well.”

  Bethany wanted to argue, but decided to pick her battles—as her father used to say.

  “All right.”

  With the queen’s injunction, it took Bethany and the twins another hour to get the children out of the castle and on the road to the small lake used by the castle inhabitants. Bethany insisted they walk, though the twins argued to take a wagon. Bethany wanted the children completely tuckered out by the time they returned. The women took turns carrying Tobit, while Erin hoisted two-year old Rahel on his shoulders.

  Halfway to the pond, the three guards acquired their own burdens in the form of Salah, Lochesh, and Lilith. Only Dina and Joktan remained moving under their own steam. Bethany smiled to herself. They would eat their dinner and go straight to sleep when this was all over, giving the adults time to discuss the twins’ recent behaviors.

  When they reached the lake, Eleanor and Eleanora begrudgingly waded into the muddy water with the children, keeping the youngest in the shallows while Joktan and Dina practiced the strokes their father had taught them earlier in the summer.

  Bethany glanced up at Erin, a sad smile forming on her face. Her time with him was running out. Despite the promises he had made to always be there to protect her, she knew Miach would not allow him to accompany them to his home once they were married. On that day, she would not only lose her best friend but what little freedom she still had.

  She walked into the coppice of trees skirting the pond, leaving Erin to follow as she knew he would; it was his job to stay at her side from morning till night. They walked in silence for a few moments, letting the twins and guards watch over the children.

  “I’ve missed you,” Erin said, taking Bethany by surprise as he took her hand.

  Bethany stopped to look at him as a sense of contentment settled into the pit of her stomach. She liked having her hand engulfed in his, making her feel safe. A frown began pulling on her lips, and Bethany pulled her fingers away from his grasp.

  “Erin, I’m betrothed. Please don’t make me say…”

  “Say what?” demanded Erin when she trailed off. “Say that you’re miserable? Say that you hate Miach? Say that you wish you’d never come home?”

  Bethany shook her head, hating the truth in his words. But she wouldn’t admit to any of it. If she said it out loud, the truth would overwhelm her. Though, for once, she wished Erin far away, she forced herself to look up at him.

  “Don’t make me say something that will hurt you.”

  Her words stilled the protest forming on his lips. Erin ground his teeth together in an age-old gestures she had grown to love. He always ground his teeth when he was frustrated. Erin opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a scream.

  Neither of them hesitated in racing back to the little lake. They returned to find the whole group in hysterics. One guard was paddling out to the center of the lake, where a limp Joktan floated face down. Before Bethany could do anything, Erin was diving into the pond and racing to meet the guard. Bethany forced her legs into motion and began running around the pond to the side where the younger children waited.

  Erin and the guard reached the boy at the same time. They flipped him over and began tugging him back towards the shoreline, only to find him stuck. Erin dove under the water. Bethany held her breath as she waited for him to surface. It felt as though an eternity had passed when he finally emerged, his dag
ger caught in his teeth.

  The guard immediately started dragging the limp boy back to shore, followed by Erin. Even from the shoreline, Bethany could see Erin panting with the exertion of swimming after being under water for so long.

  The other two guards helped drag Joktan up onto the grass. Bethany dropped to ground and rolled Joktan onto his side before pounding him in the back with her small fist. She knew how a person might drown, but not what to do next. Even the healers had difficulty bringing someone back from a watery grave. She pounded on his back with all her might, tears of fear leaking down her cheeks. Had the boy been alive, she would have been hurting him.

  As Bethany’s arm began to tire, she felt two warm hands grasp her shoulder and pull her back, away from the dead boy.

  “No,” she choked out, trying to claw her way back to her nephew.

  Erin wrapped his arm around her shoulder, dragging her against his chest. He rocked her back and forth, his strong arms keeping her from fighting back.

  “He’s gone, Bethany. He’s gone,” he repeated in her ear.

  Through her tears, Bethany saw the shock of the twins and the grief of her other nieces and nephews. Slowly, her mind cleared of the fog and she stopped fighting Erin’s grasp. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his stubble against her cheek. If she wasn’t careful, she would turn to him for all the comfort he could give her. Instead, she patted his arm.

  “I’m okay now,” she said through a tight throat. “I need to see to the other children.”

  It didn’t take Bethany long to get the children walking again, with Joktan’s body draped in Erin’s strong arms. Bethany felt her stomach twist as she thought of the scene awaiting them at the castle.

  They passed through the gatehouse, the guards taking in their tearful faces and Joktan’s limp body in one swift glance. Bethany nodded to one of them before jerking her head toward the keep. The guard ran off, calling for the king and queen mother.

  The slow procession barely made to the keep’s wide stairs when Gilead and Debowrah, followed closely by Miach and the king’s counselors, burst into the bailey. Like the guards, it didn’t take them long to grasp the gravity of the situation.

  “What happened?” asked the queen mother in a choked voice.

  “He drowned,” answered Bethany.

  “How?” demanded Gilead, sounding more angry than sad.

  Bethany turned to look at the twins, waiting for them to answer. She didn’t want to admit she hadn’t been at the pond when the tragedy took place. More importantly, she didn’t want to admit to Miach that she had been alone with a man, even if it was her bodyguard. Knowing Miach he would not see the difference.

  “He… he went out deep,” began one of the twins. “I told him not to go so far in, but he wouldn’t listen. He…”

  “He got caught in the vines,” said Erin, speaking for the first time. “Princess Bethany tried to save him, but couldn’t.”

  Gilead and Debowrah stared at Erin, their ire easily transferring to anyone.

  “Eleanora, Eleanor, please get the children cleaned and changed. I’ll send someone up with their dinner in a little bit.”

  For once, the twins obeyed without any argument. The children quietly sniffled as they marched up the steps and into the large keep.

  “Guards,” continued Bethany. “Will you see to it the pyre is built for tonight?”

  The guards bowed and ran, no doubt feeling the tension in the air.

  “Bring him inside,” ordered the queen before Bethany could speak up.

  Bethany trailed behind the others as they moved into the great hall. Debowrah led Erin to a clean table, motioning him to lay the dead child out. A maid servant appeared with a white cloth, which the queen draped over the body.

  That night, after the children had gone to bed, the adults filed out to the courtyard, Joktan’s body carried on a board between Gilead, Obadyah, Erin, and one of the king’s counselors. Carefully, they placed the child on the pyre and lit the dried kindling. The fire licked up the pyre, slowly engulfing the little body. The air filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh.

  It was a long, sorrowful wait, held in silence as they honored the lost child.

  Bethany was just beginning to drag her tired, aching body up the steps to the family level when she felt an arm grab her and pull her into a deserted servant’s corridor. Assuming her assailant was Erin, she quickly leaned into his chest. It only took her a second to realize the mint she smelled did not come from Erin. Bethany glanced up, finding herself face to face with Miach.

  “Disappointed?” he asked.

  “I-uh. I’m sorry, sir. That was very forward of me.”

  “What’s this I hear about you going off with that Caldry?”

  Bethany kept her face neutral, knowing he would ask about Erin. She didn’t want to reveal anything.

  “I’m not sure what you mean, Lord Miach. I went for a walk in the woods while the children s-swam,” she said, choking on the raw memory. “Sir Caldry had to accompany me, as per the king’s orders.”

  “Then you should have taken one of the ladies with you. What did I say to you before?” he demanded, grabbing her shoulders and roughly pushing her against the wall.

  “Not to be alone with another man. I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t think Er-Sir Caldry counted.”

  “He has a penis, doesn’t he?”

  Bethany did her best to act surprised by his crude question. “I-I would presume so, but…”

  “Then you’re not to be alone with him. Got it?”

  Bethany swallowed against the fear and sorrow filling her chest. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good,” barked Miach, slamming her against the wall one last time before leaving.

  Once again, Bethany slunk to the floor, wondering what else could go wrong today. Before she could force herself back to her feet, the door creaked open, revealing Erin. He slipped in, closing the door behind him.

  “You can’t be here,” she said, her voice coming out in a rough whisper.

  “Just try and make me leave,” he said, squatting down beside her and pulling her to his chest, knees jutting out on either side of her.

  “Miach…”

  “Miach went to his room. I watched him go into his bedroom before coming to you.”

  “If he catches us.”

  “He won’t.” Erin paused. “Did he hurt you?”

  Bethany shook her head against his chest and winced as a headache flared. She had bumped her head against the wall when he shoved her, but she wouldn’t tell Erin that.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “You’re not a very good liar.”

  “Funny how you’re the only one who can see past my lies.”

  “Guess I just know you better than anyone else,” suggested Erin.

  Bethany nodded, enjoying the feel of his soft tunic against her cheek. He was dressed as though he was about to turn in. Normally, he wouldn’t leave his room without his layers of armor, but at present he wore nothing but a pair of doe hide trousers and a white tunic. Even in the dim light, Bethany could see his scarred chest through the tunic’s open lacing.

  A heat flushed her cheeks and warmed her belly as she thought of how close she was to him, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Without meaning to, she tilted her head to look up him. In response, he gazed down at her, his green eyes darkening with some emotion she couldn’t fathom.

  As if a fire had begun to burn, the narrow closet heated up until Bethany feared she would begin to sweat in his arms. She caught her breath, wondering why she felt so strange. Before she could process her thoughts or catch a glimpse of his, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers.

  Bethany felt a flash of heat scorching her from her lips to her toes. She returned the pressure, shifting slightly from her recumbent position. Erin’s arms tightened around her body, drawing her up until their bodies pressed against each other. Their mouths worked together. Slowly, Erin pressed his t
ongue into her mouth.

  The princess began to reciprocate, her need taking over her mind, until suddenly a dark voice sung a warning. Some small part of her mind remembered what Miach had just said. Without thinking further, Bethany pulled away, turning her head when Erin’s iron grasp kept her against his chest.

  “Erin, stop,” she said as he began to kiss down her jaw line.

  It took every ounce of willpower to say the words. To her relief, the knight instantly stilled. Slowly, he released her and pulled away.

  Bethany climbed to her feet, swiftly followed by Erin.

  “You must remember, Erin, I am betrothed.”

  “You don’t have to be,” he said, hinting at their choice to run away together.

  She wanted to say yes. She wanted to leave and never lay eyes on this place again, but she knew she couldn’t leave, knew she wouldn’t leave. She had a duty to her people.

  “I choose to be,” she said, each word a stab to her heart.

  Bethany kept her eyes on the ground as she pushed the door open, afraid to look at Erin and see the hurt in his gaze.

  “I cannot be alone with you again,” she whispered before ducking away.

  Like so many night before, Bethany cried herself to sleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Pelor watched his wife head for the door of the great hall, no doubt heading up to their room for the night. She turned back and threw him a wink. Like so many other times, Pelor forced a smile to his lips in response, though inwardly he groaned. The woman was insatiable. In the two weeks since their marriage, he had “enjoyed” more sex than the entirety of his twenty-nine years. Sometimes he couldn’t even rise to her demands for a second round. Evidently her mother had never explained that men needed time to recoup.

  The knight glanced over to where Arabelle had been sitting. The queen mother had already gone to bed, to enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep. Pelor dreamed of such luxury. Mirabelle was not bashful about waking him up when she thought he had had a long enough rest.

  Granted, the queen deserved whatever peace would come to her since the sudden death of her youngest son. Josric had passed away from the awful illness spreading throughout Tolad. Thankfully, Josric was the only case within the castle. Unlike much of the city, the castle inhabitants had gotten away virtually unscathed.