Chapter 234: A Promise Between Warriors
"What?!" Ollie said, turning to stare at Thane in surprise. He tried to pull back, to put a little space between himself and the older man, but the vampire’s grip on his shoulder held firm. "I, I’m not a knight," he protested. "I’ve barely started to learn how to fight and I don’t know the first thing about leading a village. Would the people even accept my leadership when I’m not a real knight?"
"You will be soon enough," Thane said, his amber eyes losing a touch of their mirth. "Ollie, you said you wanted to step up and become one of Ashlynn’s protectors. That means taking on more than putting on a suit of armor and learning how to fight. If you’re going to stand at her side, you have to shoulder some of the responsibilities that come with the position of authority she intends to put you in."
"I’m sure she would have done this eventually," Thane said. After all, he’d spoken with Ashlynn more than once about her notions of claiming her vengeance on the Lothians by installing herself as the Marchioness. She would need capable men at her side and since Ollie had volunteered, the things she needed to rely on him for would only grow over time.
"But right now, she’s not here, and neither is Mistress Nyrielle, so you’ll have to make do with me instead," Thane said. "I know, living under my rule is a fate worse than death, but since I don’t have permission to turn you into one of my progeny, you’ll just have to accept the burdens of knighthood instead. Only the rain will ever know how many tears you shed for this honor," he teased, slapping the young man on the back.
"Whether I’m a knight or not," Ollie protested. "I still don’t know anything about running a village. I’ve been struggling just to manage the kitchens and keep everyone fed!" There had been so many crises that needed to be solved each day.
Whether it was a shortage of meat or the sudden discovery that a group of children from the Clan of Painted Masks had made it a game to steal food as extra snacks and treats for their friends, he’d found himself constantly working to solve one problem after another that had less and less to do with simple cooking each day.
"You’ll learn, and quickly," Thane said firmly. "I said this was a bad time and I meant it. Solstice is almost upon us. Marcell and I don’t have very many hours of the night to work with between sunset and sunrise. This is why vampires like Mistress Nyrielle need a Seneschal to see to matters on their behalf during the day. I don’t get a seneschal, but I do have you, and I intend to put you to work."
"I know I’m asking a great deal of you, Sir Ollie," Thane said, holding out a hand toward the young man and addressing him like the knight he was certain to become. "But will you take up this burden? If not for Mistress Nyrielle and I, then for Ashlynn?"
Standing in the flickering candlelight of his personal office, Thane suppressed a momentary twinge of guilt as he held his hand out to Ollie. The problem of how to handle the influx of refugees was one that he’d wrestled with for an entire evening, debating with Jakob, the Marshal of the Vale, and Commander Bassinger until close to sunrise.