Somehow, Myri was not surprised by who her patient was for her first emergency healing. His room had been closer than the healing room, so they had the luxury of privacy, which allowed Sara to practically throw Wildas out of the room. The prince was close to distraught and refused to leave until Sara grabbed his arm and removed him from the room, shutting the door in his face. Myri wished she had been a bit more understanding, but they definitely didn't need him pacing the room the whole time they were working.
That still left the Second King, who was trying to stay out of their way while still holding Coulta's left wrist.
"If I let go of him, he'll die," Shelton told Sara when she gave him a stern look. "I'm using magic to sustain his life force. I don't think his wound is as much a problem as the fact that he drained himself."
"What happened?" Sara demanded as she cut Coulta's shirt away from the ugly arrow wound on his left shoulder. "Myri, is that water heated yet?"
"Almost," Myri replied. She'd had to jam the metal bowl into the dying embers when she realized there was no wood to stoke the hearth with.
"I'm not completely sure what happened," Shelton explained. "We were near the trees outside the city. He noticed something as we were preparing to leave. That's when we were attacked. Coulta put a shield on Wildas, but not himself. I had been working with him on his magic the whole time we were out there, so he shouldn't have been able to use that much power. Coupled with the injury, he ended up collapsing after only moments."
The water was finally heated and Myri got a cloth from Sara to dip in the water. Sara had her clean the wound while Shelton kept talking.
"The arrow was poisoned. I was able to stop it from doing any damage. Whatever is left in him won't be able to hurt him, if we get him through these next hours. He is going to need the strongest strengthening tea you can make."
"What of the attackers?" Myri asked.
"Dead. Rohan's men made sure of that. We won't know more until more men can be sent out to retrieve the bodies and make a thorough search of the woods. They'll have to start at first light, though, it's too close to dusk and the weather isn't with us. Until then, we're increasing the guards."
Sara leaned over Myri to look at the wound. "At least it didn't get very deep," she muttered to Myri. "The usual healing salve should suffice, wrapped tightly, with the strongest tea, as His Highness recommends."
"Will there be a guard posted at this door?" Myri asked as she took the cloth back to the bowl of water.
"Two," Shelton answered. "I'll be with him until he no longer needs me to sustain him. And I think even the the gods themselves would be hard-pressed to drag Wildas away."
Myri glanced at Coulta, who looked the most peaceful she had ever seen him. There was no pain in his face, just a quiet ease, the look of someone completely oblivious to his condition. Did he look that peaceful when he actually slept? Or did he look as intimidating as he did when he was awake?
Why was she wondering about that?
"Help me bandage him," Sara said suddenly, bringing her from her thoughts.
Myri nodded and went back to the bedside. She had a patient to care for.
Shelton had lent strength to other sorcerers and a few members of the royal family who were healing before, but his vigil that night at Coulta's side was the hardest on him. It wasn't only that Coulta's strength needed constant bolstering throughout the night, but that he knew exactly what Coulta was to Wildas. If Coulta didn't get through the night, there would be no consoling the prince.
He hadn't expected to be with Coulta past midnight, but it was obvious that Coulta was still using magic, even unconscious. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize it was the magic that Coulta used to hide the marks on his skin. He considered breaking the younger sorcerer's hold on the magic by force, but finally decided against it. Better to just keep lending him strength, instead.
Deandre and Yvona both stopped to see him before retiring for the night, and Shelton was glad that his spouses seemed to approve of what he was doing.
"Wildas and I both owe him our lives," the Grand King said quietly, putting a hand on Shelton's shoulder. "Do what you can for him."
Shelton nodded. "I am."
Yvona kissed his cheek. "Take care of him."
Wildas sat with him for a time after that, but, even as worried as he was, the prince eventually fell asleep. Shelton knew he couldn't afford to sleep, and requested several strong teas brought to him by the servants. The prince's even snoring was strangely hypnotic, though. Unfortunately, the other chair was too far away to reach easily.
Stretching out as far as possible with his legs, Shelton lightly kicked the prince's lower leg. Wildas startled awake and Shelton briefly struggled to get back into a comfortable position on his chair. "Go to bed," he said as he shifted awkwardly. "There's nothing you can do here. I will make sure you're the first to know if anything changes. Send a Guardsman in here, though. I need company that knows how to stay awake."
Wildas looked at Coulta for a long moment, rubbing his neck, then let out a heavy sigh. "All right."
One of the Guardsmen from the hallway entered when Wildas left and bowed to Shelton. "You wished to see one of us, Your Highness?"
Shelton nodded to the chair Wildas had vacated. "Please, sit. I need someone to keep me awake. Wildas wasn't very good at that. I know you Guardsmen have ways to stay awake on long watches."
The middle-aged man sat down, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "Yes, Your Highness. Some men recite songs or poems in their minds. Some think about family. When there are two or more men on duty, we talk quietly."
"Then let's talk," Shelton suggested. "Tell me about your family. Tell me about your home. You've got something of a country accent. Are you from a place close to the Algoman border?"
"I am, Your Highness –"
"Please, you don't need to keep using the title for now," Shelton interrupted. "It makes conversation too burdensome. What's your name?"
"Lince, Your – I apologize."
Shelton smiled. "It's all right. You were telling me where you were from."
Lince nodded. "A small city on the border. Millstone."
"I've heard of it. You're known for your flour."
The Guardsman seemed pleased that Shelton knew of his home. "That we are. My family farmed for generations, but I turned soldier. There was a band of bandits that pestered us for years, until a group of us took them down. After that, I thought I could make a living defending my people."
Shelton let a bit of magic flow into Coulta, then turned back to Lince. "Why did you join the Guard?"
Lince shrugged. "Wasn't moving up the ranks in the army. Thought, even if I never become an officer, at least I've made it into the Guard. Not many men can say that, considering how many try."
"Of course. You're one of the best five hundred men among the thousands of soldiers Phelin has."
Lince was clearly flattered by the praise. "Thank you."
"Do you have a family?"
He nodded. "Wife of ten years. Twin daughters who just turned eight years old. A son of five. And another daughter born just this winter."
Shelton smiled. "Congratulations then. Any of the children want to follow your lead?"
"One of the twins and my son," Lince answered with a fond smile. "They play with their wooden swords so often they're always covered in bruises."
Shelton chuckled, thinking of a very young Wildas and Rohan. "That sounds familiar."
He talked to two more Guardsmen after Lince's shift ended, constantly checking Coulta's condition. Dawn was starting to lighten the sky outside when he finally felt that the younger sorcerer was capable of recovering on his own. Shelton leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh.
"I can rest now," he told the Guardsman who was with him. "You may return to your post. Thank you."
He wasn't even aware of the young man leaving, he was so tired. Closing his eyes, he let sleep carry him away until a healer or Wildas disturbed him.
Which turned out to be much sooner than he'd hoped.
"Is he –"
"He's going to be fine," Shelton mumbled, forestalling the prince's questions. "Let me sleep for a moment, could you?"
Wildas let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. The healers will be here shortly, though."
"I'm sure," he agreed quietly. "Tell them another hour won't do him any harm. I'm sure it won't."
