Curse of Blades (Blades #1)

Chapter 16

"I read the letter your father left you," Asema began. "The first thing you must know is that, if your mother told him that she had linked your soul to another, then it is the truth. It's clear she was an Asir." When she saw Coulta's obviously confused expression she explained, "The Asirim are people whose powers are connected to the human soul. Creating links between two kindred souls is a skill possessed by the Asirim with the greatest power, which your mother must have had.

"However, just because she found a soul to free you, does not mean you will ever be completely free of the curse itself. It is incredibly difficult to completely break a curse, even when you find the one you are linked to. You will find that person, if you haven't already, but even the greatest love may not be enough to utterly sever the curse, so don't go expecting a first kiss or a night of lovemaking to do it. Curses are powerful magic. It is most likely that, in order to break the curse, you would have to save your soul-partner from certain death, and that act would require so much energy from you that it would unravel the curse itself.

"It would not be wise to go looking for this danger, as these acts walk a fine line between breaking a curse and killing all those involved. Such an event may never occur, in which case you will live with your curse until you die. Having a soul-partner is what makes that life bearable, because the other person would not take advantage of you in any way. You may still be bound to that person because of your curse, but you will not be suffering from it."

She paused, then rested a hand on Coulta's arm. The man was staring into the fire, an unreadable expression on his sharp face.

"Ask anything you need to," she told him gently.

"Will I ever find this person?" he asked, barely loud enough to hear. "How will I know?"

"If you have not found your soul-partner yet, you will," she answered. "Your souls are constantly searching for each other. As for how you will know, you simply will. You both will be drawn to each other and fall in love. It won't be a person you feel a wild, lustful need for, however. It will be someone you simply long to constantly be close to. Passion and lust may come later, but the need for simple intimacy will be what draws you together. You will know."

Coulta shook his head, then asked, "If I do find this person, and someday the curse is broken, will the soul-link end, too?"

"No. The link and the curse are tied together by nothing more than your mother's desire to give you a good life. She found your soul-partner to help you. There is always the possibility that the curse may weaken once you are with your partner, but it is a very rare case. Even then, a full destruction of the curse will not end your love."

Coulta just nodded and remained silent as he stared at the fire. Was he trying not to hope for too much, given the life he had been living until only days ago?

"What can you tell me about my magic?" Coulta finally asked, glancing up.

"First, what are the marks on your skin that your father mentioned?" Asema asked, making Shelton wonder how he had forgotten about those.

Coulta didn't say anything, but Shelton was fascinated when he saw black lines appear on the younger man's visible skin. They crossed his face, neck, and the backs of his hands like a thousand tiny vines, swirling and twisting as they went. Coulta pushed back his sleeves to show that they went up his arms as well.

"They cover my entire body," he told them quietly. "My father taught me to hide them before he abandoned me. I rarely let them show."

Asema took his hand and traced the lines across it. "Sometimes curses do leave visible marks on the body. I have yet to understand why. It is probably best to keep them hidden, so as not to frighten anyone."