Curse of Blades (Blades #1)

Chapter 26

[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.]

Coulta's shoulder ached when he moved it too much and his legs felt a bit unsteady when he got out of bed, but he was happy that he had enough strength to finally leave his room and accompany Wildas to the Grand King's morning meeting. Apparently Wildas needed to formally present him to the court, though Coulta was sure all the people he was about to meet already knew who he was after all the time he spent following Wildas around, and certainly the story of how he'd saved the prince recently had circulated quickly. He knew Anil and Myri had already been presented to the court the evening before, but Myri had encouraged Wildas to wait to present Coulta at least until he'd had one more night of rest. Wildas had even kept to his own room that night so Coulta could rest better – they couldn't put off the meeting much longer, or it would make them look questionable in some way only tradition could rationalize. Coulta didn't think he'd be very good in a fight just yet, but he didn't think he would make a fainting fool of himself if he had some moments of rest during the day.

Wildas spent the fairly short walk to the Grand King's office explaining how Coulta was expected to act in front of the court, especially his father, and when they reached the door he gave Coulta's hand a quick squeeze. Coulta gave him a reassuring nod, then followed the prince into the crowded room. As soon as they entered, Rohan closed the door. Coulta immediately felt a prickling of unease in his mind, but put it aside. Best not to consider how many powerful people were looking at him.

"Glad to see you on your feet," Rohan told Coulta quietly.

"Glad to be on them," Coulta whispered with a nod.

As he followed Wildas through the crowded room, Coulta kept his gaze on the prince's back, ignoring the people muttering. Apparently some of these nobles thought he was dreary, frightening, or plain evil. He'd tried not to be so intimidating by wearing a silver shirt over black pants, instead of all black, but he was still wearing his sword belt. He knew people with magic could feel the curse and hoped there weren't many sorcerers in the court.

Stopping before the Grand King, Wildas and Coulta bowed, Coulta bowing more deeply.

Then Wildas turned to the room at large and motioned to Coulta. "I present to you my chosen future husband, Coulta of Arren."

The room was quiet, and Coulta avoided the gaze of everyone. The unease seemed to grow as he felt the eyes of the entire court boring into him.

"I approve," Grand King Deandre stated. "He has shown his worth before he even arrived in Ryal. You may both be seated."

Coulta turned to follow Wildas to their seats near the Grand King's desk, then stopped and looked to the corner of the room. He still felt uncomfortable, and he realized it was from more than his concern about meeting the court. Something wasn't right, though it wasn't anything immediately dangerous.

"Coulta?" Wildas asked.

Coulta could hear muttering in the room, and he could practically feel the Grand King's eyes on him. He also knew that Shelton was watching him from his seat beside Queen Yvona. He searched the corner with his eyes and used a small amount of magic, until he discerned that the source of his discomfort was a table behind the Grand King's desk. It was fairly small and was stacked with books and a single unlit candle, but what caught Coulta's attention was the cloth that draped down from the tabletop to the floor.

"What is it?" Wildas questioned quietly.

"I don't know," he answered. "Don't let them kill me," he added as he stepped toward the table.