[Note: This was originally included in Curse of Blades: Book 3, but as of July 28th, 2021, I began combining the 3 Curse of Blades books into a single one.]
As the days passed, Coulta felt his strength building. He could get out of bed for short periods, usually just to bathe with the help of one of his wives or Ralix, who didn't seem to mind. The attendant had come through the battle with a few minor scrapes from falling off his horse, and had apparently won the respect of most of the soldiers who used to scoff at him for wanting to fight when he killed multiple enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.
Wildas and Shelton were constantly busy during the day, but Shelton always made time to work with Coulta and his new powers before retiring for the night, and Wildas always spent the night with him, though chastely. For the first few nights Coulta had been far too exhausted to even think about sex, until Wildas started slipping into bed already smelling like it. Coulta tried not to let it get to him, but it just made him want to recover even faster.
Finally, on his sixth night of bed rest, Wildas kissed him and murmured, "Myri says it's all right as long as we're careful."
Coulta wasn't about to argue.
And, even though they heeded Myri's warning, it was still the most incredible of all their nights together. At first, Coulta assumed it was only due to his happiness at knowing Wildas was alive and well after what they'd gone through.
Then, after a long moment in which they both tried to catch their breath, Wildas asked, "What was that?"
Coulta looked at Wildas as he lifted his head and was stunned to see, in the light of the single night candle, a thin black line that was disturbingly familiar tracing its way from Wildas's right ear to his collarbone.
"I think it was a power share," he whispered, lightly tracing the line with his fingertips.
"But I'm not a sorcerer," Wildas pointed out, sounding obviously confused.
"It's the curse magic," Coulta tried to explain. "You should go see Shelton in the morning."
Wildas nodded. "But if power shares are always like that, I won't complain."
Coulta couldn't help smiling. "Me neither."
***
With the immediate threat of war over, and a coronation date yet to be set, the morning meetings of the court were no longer taking place on a daily basis, only every other day so that every member of the court knew what was being done to rebuild the country. Wildas was glad the next morning was not one with a meeting so he could speak to Shelton without worrying about his uncles.
Shelton was sitting at the desk in his office, holding the violet pendant of his necklace. His eyes were closed and Wildas knew he was speaking to someone outside the city. Wildas had a feeling it was one of his relatives who had been sent to one of the cities Varin had controlled to sort out whatever mess had been left. Shelton somehow knew he was there, though he didn't open his eyes, just pointed to a chair beside the dead hearth.
As Wildas sat and waited, he considered the fact that he felt no different than he had before this supposed power share had happened. The mark was still on his neck, though, and he sat rubbing it, even though it didn't hurt or even itch. He'd seen it in Coulta's mirror and Myri had taken special notice of it. It was like a thin vine that twisted from the very bottom of his ear to his collarbone, very similar to the marks that covered Coulta's body. What it actually meant, he had no idea.
Eventually, Shelton let go of his necklace and rubbed his face with both hands. "What do you need?" he asked as he removed his hands and looked at Wildas.
Wildas took his hand from his neck to point at it. "An explanation would be helpful."
Shelton raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting him to be strong enough to make love to you yet."
Wildas cleared his throat awkwardly. "We made it work."
It was good to hear Shelton chuckle as he got up from his desk. "Obviously." He walked over to Wildas and examined the mark.
"Why is it there?"
"Because the magic wanted it to be," Shelton answered. "Curse magic doesn't follow many of the normal rules. You are his soul-partner, but I'm not sure that's the reason. Many times, when sorcerers or sorceresses acquire powers their magic becomes tinted with whatever color magic they took on from the one who gave it. Sometimes, with very large power shares, their eye color may even change for a time. I think this might be a similar situation. Was he touching or kissing you here?"
Feeling utterly awkward Wildas admitted, "I'm not sure, but I don't think so. I don't truly remember what happened."
Shelton smiled and sat down. "Of course you don't. Power shares tend to be incredibly... intense. Not remembering the details ensures that the power will be used, not passed back and forth for pleasure purposes. That's also the reason why most sorcerers can't share power every day."
"Is this something you know from experience?" Wildas asked innocently.
"I did have a different life before I came here," Shelton answered with a shrug. "I've helped friends before. As I was saying, though. It's possibly different with Coulta, and I suggest you find out. It would be best if you weren't the only one of your spouses with such an obvious mark when it comes time for the coronation. After that, I'll help all of you learn to use it."
"Is he still –"
"Yes. That was one of the first changes I looked for. He still lacks the life-giving force completely. All the spirits did was break the curse."
Wildas nodded, slightly relieved that Coulta wouldn't need to drink a daily tea just to make sure only Wildas fathered their children. He assumed it wasn't much of an inconvenience, but it was still a requirement unique to marrying the Crown Prince. "Will the mark go away if I use the magic?"
"It might," Shelton answered. "And it might get larger if you take on more magic."
"And why am I getting this magic if I have none of my own?"
"As I said, curse magic doesn't follow the normal rules of magic. It can pass on to any lover, without the sorcerer having any control over it at all. Normally, sorcerers can decide who they share powers with, but this isn't true of those with curse magic. The magic can't be controlled when it comes to power shares, though that's the only difference, aside from it being a nearly limitless source of power in the sense that it replenishes itself far faster than the usual magic."
"Then why is it taking him so long to get his strength back now?" Wildas asked, confused.
Shelton sighed and leaned back in his chair. "As far as I can tell, the curse must have been broken after he had used all of his usual magic and reached the point of no return, which is when the sorcerer is guaranteed to die from it, unless another sorcerer can lend strength, as I did the night after the attack by the archers. The curse would have broken in the moment he would have died."
The thought of how close he had come to losing Coulta filled Wildas with horror. He pushed that away as best he could. "And do you think the spirits broke it intentionally?"
"I don't know if they did, or if it was their presence at the time of the drain on his magic that caused it. I am sure it wouldn't have happened without them, though."
Wildas nodded. "I'm thankful for them."
"I am, as well."
***
Myri had been surprised by the strange mark on Wildas's neck, even after they explained that it was supposedly a power share. As far as she knew, power shares weren't possible unless both people involved already had magic, and she knew Wildas had none. And the explanation Wildas relayed from Shelton that night while Shelton worked with Coulta made her even more surprised.
"He wants all of us to take on this magic that even he can't explain?" she questioned.
Wildas gave her a tired look. "I trust Shelton."
She felt suddenly ashamed of herself for questioning the only father Wildas had left in his life now. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I've had so many long days healing the wounded since the battle that it's starting to get to me."
"You've had long days?" he replied with a sarcastic laugh, stunning her.
"Let's not fight," Anil interrupted before Myri could think of anything to say. "We've all had long days for our own reasons."
Wildas sighed and rubbed his face. "You're right, Anil. I'm sorry, Myri."
She moved so she was sitting beside him on the bed and hugged him. "Would you like it if one of us was with you tonight?" she offered.
"At the moment I'm mostly concerned with getting a tea for my headache," he replied tiredly.
Myri gripped his hand tightly before going to her own room for her herbs. She could do with some tea herself.
***
Anil had only been with Coulta once before, on their wedding night, and she felt much more comfortable with him the second time. Being with Wildas so many times had made her less awkward about intimacy. What she wasn't prepared for, however, was just how incredible it got, how she felt almost as if she would go insane with the pure intensity of it.
"Wildas didn't warn you about that?" Coulta asked with a breathless chuckle when she commented on it.
She shook her head. "I suppose he thought to surprise me."
He smiled, then his expression turned thoughtful as he touched her chest. She watched as he traced the black mark that started below her left breast and looped around and above it. It came up the inside of her breast, and wasn't quite in the center of her chest.
"Why there?" she wondered.
"I'm not sure," Coulta replied, "but I think it's meant to be over your heart."
She took a better look and had to admit that he was right, it was definitely over her heart, from what little she knew of the human body. "And Shelton wants to wait until after the coronation to find out what we can do?"
He nodded and took his hand back. "If the magic forces you to use it without meaning to, we'll have to do this again. Or try to. Shelton thinks the marks will likely go away if you deplete the magic."
She gave him what she hoped was a teasing smile. "It would be so terrible if we had to do this again."
Coulta grinned and pulled her close. "It would be awful."
It was amazing to see the change in him from the serious, almost stern man she'd traveled with from Windwick, to the friend she had now who had found a sense of humor somewhere along the way, probably with the help of Wildas. Anil smiled as she nestled against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I wish I didn't need an excuse to spend a night with you," she confessed, tracing the black lines on his chest.
"You don't," he replied, sounding slightly confused. "I'd be happy to have you here. Myri, too. Wildas and I are soul-partners but that doesn't mean I don't need you, too. You're a wonderful person."
She felt herself blushing. "So are you."
He didn't say anything for a long time, just lay there caressing her shoulder. Then, just as she was starting to drift off, he murmured, "Thank you."
All Anil was conscious enough to do was kiss his chest where her head lay.
***
Wildas wasn't surprised to see where Anil's mark was. After all, he had called her kindhearted himself. Nor was he surprised when he saw Myri's mark the day after Anil's; hers started between her right middle and ring fingers, crossed the back of her hand, then passed below her thumb to wrap almost completely around her wrist. It could easily be a healer's mark.
There was a banquet that afternoon, in honor of the god Tysy, who would ensure that no drought or famine would plague Phelin during the hot summer days to come. Wildas was not looking forward to having the celebration without his father, but it would not be a good start to his reign if he skipped the holiday and anything unfortunate happened that summer.
At the encouragement of Shelton, Coulta remained in their rooms and Wildas, Anil, and Myri covered their marks as best they could. That was easy enough for Anil, who only needed a dress with a higher neckline, but Wildas and Myri found it difficult. Wildas had to wear a higher collar, with his hair loose about his shoulders. Myri had to wear silk gloves, which were supposedly out of style for that time of the year.
The banquet was held in the Great Hall, where tables had been arranged to seat the noble guests from the city. Once again, Varin's actions were seen in the lack of guests from outside the city. The surrounding lands were too busy being rebuilt by the stewards for those nobles to pay a visit as they normally would have. On a happier note, Wildas thought, Varin had mercifully not pillaged the farms outside Ryal, so there was no shortage of food for the meal.
Normally, the holiday would be joyous, with music and feasting and dancing into the night. This year, because of the death of the late Grand King, there would be no dancing and music would be quiet. Colors wouldn't be vibrant, either, only dull and mournful. At the raised table in the back of the Hall, the usual seating arrangement would be rearranged so that the Grand King's chair sat draped in black cloth, Shelton to its left and Wildas to the right. Yvona sat beside Shelton, and Anil was beside Wildas, with Myri on her other side.
When they entered the Hall, Wildas caught the muttered questions about Coulta's absence and if there would ever be a coronation at all. Reaching the head table, Wildas stood behind his chair and announced, "My husband has still not quite regained his strength enough for long social events such as this. However, his healer judges he will be fit for the coronation in four days' time."
They had planned to make the announcement later that evening, and when he glanced at Shelton as they took their seats he saw the sorcerer eying him with curiosity.
"You didn't hear their questions?" he asked quietly over the empty chair between them.
Shelton looked even more curious. "No, but I suppose I now know at least one of the powers you've acquired. Try not to listen too hard."
"I wasn't trying to listen," he hissed.
"I know. We'll learn about this another time, though."
Wildas reluctantly turned back to the meal that was about to be served, and saw both his wives giving him concerned looks. He discretely pointed to his neck and quietly explained, "I have much better hearing now, apparently."
"I hope we all were given useful powers," Myri commented.