Page 128 of Jeweler to the Blessed
It all came roaring in. The King’s Blessing. His commission that he would demand days later and the power it would grant him. I wouldn’t have as much time as I hoped.
“I don’t know when I’ll see you,” I said.
Mother held my gaze as if seeing my resolve. “We love you. You’ll do great things in her name.”
My gaze turned to Hart, who stood with his arms folded at the doorway. It was time to leave. I wouldn’t find any other answers here. He nodded in some unspoken understanding, and we slipped out my parents’ front door.
I searched the hallway. There were so many magicless families and so many more like them in Kavios. Could I really make their lives any better?
It wasn’t about wresting control of the city from Themis’s Champion, the Cursed King—it was about doing so from King Rodric. As I’d proved while trying to save Hart yesterday, my control over my magic was unpredictable. I’d spent too long burying my emotions. Feeling them deeply and freely enough to wield wasn’t something I could turn on by simply snapping my fingers.
I shook my head. Today, Alaric was my priority. If I could survive accepting the King’s Blessing, I could find a way to free the city.
Hart let me get situated with the gem preforming before the questions started. I was surprised it took him that long.
“Is this really what you want to do?”
My back was to him. He worked the foot pedal while I shaped the stone on the spinning blade. “Yes. I’m going to be Blessed. It’s the only way to save Alaric.”
Silence. I desperately wanted to know what emotions flitted across his face.
“What about … everything else?”
I’m glad he, like myself, couldn’t seem to decide what other aspects of this situation to focus on.
I huffed a laugh. “I don’t know. The best I can say is that I’ll figure it out later. I’m choosing to be Blessed.” I stopped working the stone and turned to face him. “I still want to free the captive. I’m not hiding from the fact that I’m Chaos’s Champion. I just can’t do anything today. You saw how hard it was to use my magic last night. And in the meantime, I must do this to keep Alaric safe.”
Hart nodded. “I respect your decision, but let’s not call it a choice. You’re taking a path you’ve been coerced into.”
I shrugged.
He stopped pushing the pedal and reached for my hips. It was the first time he’d initiated contact since last night. I let him draw me toward him. He positioned me between his legs as he sat on the stool.
“Mostly, I’m angry you’ll become everything you hate. Even if it’s in name only.”
I pushed back a lock of his hair that had fallen free from the knot. “It doesn’t matter. It will be a meaningless gesture to wear the adamas. I won’t take. I’m honestly not even sure I could. And it will buy me time to figure out everything else.”
“Buy us time.”
My lip curved into a smile. “I was supposed to be fleeing. Maybe joining Alysa and The Storm. You were supposed to be rid of me.”
Hart glared, unamused. “You were never going to be rid of me.”
Something inside me warmed, and his fingers weren’t even touching my skin. This—this was a choice I was glad to have made. The ground was moving around me, but Hart was my stabilizing force.
“What about the crown?” Hart asked.
“I’ll put it off another few days with this.” I held up my ring. “There is only so much they can expect me to do.”
I swallowed. It wouldn’t be much more time. I doubt it would be enough to learn about my magic.
“Rodric already proved he’d test the stones, so I can’t put quartz in.”
Hart’s fingers pressed into my hips, returning my attention to his intense gaze. “We’ll figure something out, Chaos. I just want to make sure we think everything through.”
Everything was a mess, but Hart’s dedication to systematically solving our problems was reassuring. “The best we can do is try to free the captive again. Maybe tonight? The Blessed celebrate the Blessing Ceremony the same as they do the Masquerade, right? Everyone should be distracted.”
He nodded.
