Page 16 of Jeweler to the Blessed
I’d clung to hope that Alaric was simply somewhere I couldn’t go. He wasn’t in his shop or his rooms in the castle. The fact that Vaddon had already searched them indicated Alaric had missed a meeting a while ago. It was still early. This couldn’t all have been accomplished this morning. Where else had they searched? The Oldwood? The mine? Forest’s Edge? Given what I’d overheard with Alaric’s visitor yesterday, I couldn’t ask about those places. If Alaric was visiting the mines without the king’s permission, now would not be the time to bring it up. I’d need a way to search myself. A nervous energy overtook me as I cataloged Alaric’s potential whereabouts and what I’d need to do to find him.
Meanwhile, I stood in the prince’s office, unsure what he and Vaddon would do. They needed a jeweler. A green glow crept over the large stone on the prince’s pendant before I could consider what they’d ask.
I exhaled as the skin at the back of my neck prickled, but magic never overtook my mind. The prince wasn’t as nonplussed as he acted. He wielded persuasion, and I’d need to act affected.
The prince had said something to me. I knew from the green on his necklace that I should agree even though the words hadn’t registered. Being pliable was my only defense if he was trying to persuade me of something.
“Are you—” he started, and I was sure he would ask if I had Alaric’s talent sourcing adamas.
“Pardon me, but when did you last see Alaric, Your Highness?”
It was clear the prince needed me. At a minimum, he needed a jeweler. He’d be even happier if he realized I coulddirectly replace Alaric. I felt reasonably confident I could afford a few questions without earning his wrath.
Vaddon’s glare from across the room said he thought I was deserving of no such thing.
“I can’t say for sure. He missed a meeting last night with my father. We have guards searching the city—and the mines,” the prince said.
I schooled my features even as my heart beat faster at his words. They checked the mines. Had Alaric planned to go yesterday? Did they know of the unauthorized trip his visitor accused him of?
The prince continued. “Alaric …” He held my gaze. “Well, Alaric knew the risks.”
I couldn’t tell if the prince actually cared or if he was the city’s greatest actor.
“I’ve been requesting Alaric allow a personal guard for years, but he refused. I’ve honored his decision as he’d proved he could defend himself. But that didn’t erase the risk.”
Proved he could defend himself.An image flashed in my mind. Alaric, wearing adamas glowing red as he overpowered the Blessed who’d touched me—the one who’d taken from Mother. He had smothered her face with a pillow—suffocating her. Alaric proved the lengths he’d go to protect my secret from exposure. That day, He’d also proved that magic wasn’t only for the Blessed. It was for those with adamas—no matter how it was acquired.
A fact very few in the city seemed to realize.
I shook myself free of the scene I worked hard to repress. “Alaric was in danger?”
I feared the prince saw too much. He spoke gently again, as if consoling me. “Some in the city don’t appreciate his service to the royal family.”
The pieces the prince’s words danced around fell intoplace. Alaric was the only one capable of sourcing adamas. A Blessed without adamas couldn’t wield magic. I guessed it was a simple enough calculation to decide if you removed the source of the gem, then you removed the Blessed’s ability to make new wielders.
The Feared—a rebel group who believed such things—were whispered about in Woodside. I didn’t realize the prince knew of their existence.
Their plan seemed shortsighted since it did nothing about the city’s current wielders. But with the Selection Festival about to start, attacking the Jeweler to the Blessed would send a powerful message.
Unbidden, a voice I couldn’t entirely forget slid into my mind.“Are you in trouble? I’ve made it clear that an attack on your person is an attack on me.”Something rancid coated my throat. Was Alaric’s visitor yesterday one of the Feared?
I swallowed thickly. “You think the Feared … what? Killed him?”
Even breathing the idea felt like a betrayal. Alaric was fine. He had to be. He was just … somewhere, not here.
But Alaric would never willingly put me in this position.
Being in the prince’s study, in the castle, wondering if the prince and king’s advisor knew I had a talent for sourcing adamas was a situation Alaric had done everything to prevent.
If I was here … he might well be dead.
Prince Elias slid his hands into his pockets and returned to the front of his desk. “We don’t know, Emberline. Of course, we’ll continue searching for him. But you also must see our predicament. The city would revolt if the Selection didn’t proceed as planned. We can still announce the Selected, but the Presentation requires a jeweler, and they need time to prepare. Vaddon’s next stop is… your family home to collect your father.”
My heart stopped.
First, Father couldn’t source the adamas. Second, I couldn’t imagine the trouble he’d get into with the royal family. He was beyond forgetful when his mind was on Mother. The prince may seem kind, but I had no illusion that any disappointment would be met with the same soft words he currently used on me.
“If you take his place, we’ll take care of you. You’ll receive Alaric’s salary until he’s found. And you’ll have full access to the continued search for him.”
