King of Blades (Blades #2)

Bonus Micro Story #2

Kylar had been born with the ability to see the auras around others. It was magic he was told had passed to him from his second father, Second King Coulta, which had caused him much confusion as a child. Seeing the black line of magic that traced from his left eye to his chin - branching once to outline his cheekbone to his nose - replicated in multitudes across Coulta's entire body had caused him to feel more drawn to him as a father. He hoped his true father, Grand King Wildas, hadn't been too offended by the mistake. Eventually, he understood, though not completely until he was much older and it was finally explained to him how children were conceived and how magic was passed to lovers.

He'd learned to recognize the auras through observation. Coulta had no such skill, and even the elder court sorcerer, Shelton, had known no one who could help Kylar learn. At his advice, Kylar had started keeping a journal of experiences and the colors associated with them, until he'd developed an understanding of the most common ones. Shades of pink were for love and affection, varying in precise shade depending on who he was interacting with. The brighter was usually among his closest family and small number of friends, especially Siring, the son of the Algoman court envoy. He was close to Kylar in age, born shortly after the envoy and his wife arrived in Phelin six months after the end of a war against Dyrai in which the King of Algoma had given assistance. Kylar had been told of the conflict in his studies of history and politics, and his mother often spoke of how he had, as an infant, given warning of an assassin during the battle. He had no memory of such an event, but he knew his magic had always contributed to how he reacted to and interacted with others. Auras of black meant violent or cruel intentions, and was one of the first he easily identified, though he saw it rarely. As an infant it would likely have frightened him, even if he'd had no understanding of his magic.

He'd eventually learned that orange denoted fear or anxiety, yellow meant wonder or curiousity, and shades of blue showed low feelings of sadness, loneliness, and emotional hurt. Green was physical pain. Anger pulsed across the underlying emotions with streaks of black - he'd seen his mothers argue once and saw the pink of love rent repeatedly by lashes of black. Many colors he still had yet to understand by the age of eighteen, but he believed he would master them all one day.

Gray was the color he disliked nearly as much as evil intention. It was the color of deceit. He did not like to see it surrounding the people he loved, and he was deeply concerned when it began to surround his truest friend, Siring. Its appearance had grown in frequency over several months, and it was deeply distressing.

"Ask him about it," Kyla, his twin sister commanded. She was to be the general of his Royal Guard when their uncle Rohan retired, and her magic gave her great skills with weapons. "You've been worrying over this for months. He won't tell you what he's hiding from you unless you ask."

Kylar sighed. "I'm also afraid I don't want to know what it is he's hiding. What if I lose him from my life? I don't want that."

He wanted quite the opposite, in fact.

"I know you love him," she told him, startling him. "Anyone can see you love him. You sickeningly adore him. Maybe he's hiding similar feelings from you."

Kylar looked away from her, toward the horses they had come to watch graze in the pasture below the castle. He'd always loved the warhorses.

"I'm to go to Algoma in a month for a visit to the court," he said.

"I know. I'm to go with you."

He nodded. "So is Siring. I suppose I have a month to determine what is happening. I won't be able to travel with him and not know."

"You'd rather know before you're forced to continue to travel with him after finding out along the way."

He nodded again. She had always understood him. "I'll ask him."