King of Blades (Blades #2)

Chapter 15

Two days later, Shelton visited the castle temple. Brother Pelles seemed to be waiting for him and rose from his seat in the middle row of prayer benches as soon as he entered. As usual, the temple was dimly lit with candles and filled with the smoke of burning incense.

"Blessings of the gods upon you, My Lord," Brother Pelles greeted him with a nod.

Shelton bowed his head in acceptance of the blessing, then asked, "Have you had any visions of events to come lately?"

Brother Pelles turned toward the altar and its statues of the Great God and Goddess. "The gods have not given me clear insight into what is to come, but they have made one thing known." He picked something up off the altar and held it out toward Shelton. "The one they call The Formerly Cursed will need great help in fighting the evil that will present itself soon enough."

Shelton took the offered object and discovered that it was a bundled chainmail shirt. From the weight and the way it felt in his hands alongside his magic, he knew the links were made of Altmyr. Within each ring was a tiny white gem.

"It was just completed from a store of Altmyr ore and gems that we have kept in our vault for generations."

Shelton didn't bother to ask why the temple had collected the rare metal or a large number of gemstone fragments. The priests believed they were directed by the gods, and they rarely did things without purpose.

"What am I to do with it?"

"Fill each stone with your own magic, and give it to him to wear in combat. It will give him more power for when his own starts to fail him. He may be more powerful than you are, but his magical stamina will never be greater than that of the one he will be fighting. Not even your physical aid will help, only an extra source of magic will benefit either of you."

Shelton nodded. Small though the stones may be, such a large number of them meant that the shirt could hold a great deal of extra magic. The trick would be finding a way for Coulta to wear it under his thick leather armor, with a thinner material that would allow the magic to pass easily. The Altmyr made it thinner but stronger than typical mail, but it would still mean having a larger leather shirt made. He would commission it himself while he filled the gems with magic, which would take days.

"Is there anything else I need to know of?" he asked.

Brother Pelles merely shrugged. "Nothing for now. As I said, the gods have given me few visions that I can interpret very clearly. I will send for you if an urgent one comes to me."

Shelton nodded. "Thank you."

"Blessings be upon you."

"Thank you," he repeated, then bowed his head once before leaving to begin his work.

***

The rest of the Second Month of Winter passed relatively peacefully. Wildas refused to not honor Shelton's birthday, despite the older man's protests. He did change his mind slightly and didn't call for a formal banquet. Instead, they had a small feast that evening with only family members. He did the same for Yvona later that month, as well.

Two days later, Shelton gifted Coulta with the new Altmyr mail shirt and leather armor that would fit over it. If it wasn't for the magic in the mail, Coulta would never have considered mail under leather to be practical. He would wear it, if only to ease the worry in Shelton's eyes.

The peace couldn't last.

Anil went into labor in the morning of the fifth day of the Third Month of Winter. Wildas canceled all appointments and, once everyone else in the castle knew the queen was in labor, the entire castle came to a standstill. There was excitement and fear in equal amounts throughout the halls. Childbirth was dangerous, even with the best healers. Would she survive? Would the baby be healthy?