Page 42 of Jeweler to the Blessed
“I thought I did,” Hart said.
“What does that mean?”
“That not everyone is who you think they are. Soren proved that yesterday. I won’t let him get that close to you again.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer to my question, but the determination was, unfortunately, reassuring. I knew I shouldn’t let it cloud my judgment.
“It’s odd, isn’t it? Alaric asked me only a day ago to escort you through the Oldwood.” He raised his brow. “I don’t think this is what he had in mind.”
Of course he did.In mere seconds, he’d overcome both of my objections. Alaric had pleaded with me to accept an escort through the Oldwood with my plans to leave. I didn’t think Hart was lying about it. He couldn’t have known about the request unless Alaric had discussed it with him.
I shook my head. “He asked … you? Who are you?”
His lip tilted into a smirk I was becoming too familiar with. “We’ve been through this.” He pointed to his chest. “Hart.My Guardif you prefer.”
No one could blame me for rolling my eyes. “How do you know Alaric?”
“We’re friends.”
I clenched my teeth. “I gathered that. How did you happen to become friends?”
“You already know the answer to that, don’t you? It’d be why you were at Forest’s Edge already yesterday.”
This man was infuriating. I assume he meant they became friends through Alaric’s need for youngleaf, but I’d be damned if I continued to press for information Hart already thought I had. I wished Alaric hadn’t left me so in the dark about … everything.
“Do you know where he is?”
Finally, Hart seemed to sober. He shook his head.
“Then I’ll thank you for not judging my attempts to find him.”
He dipped his chin, conceding. “Come on, Chaos. We need to get going to make the return trip before nightfall. Do you need anything before we go?”
He sent my mind scattering with a simple question. My excitement to learn about the process in the mines had overshadowed thoughts of what tools I would need. I may not know precisely what was expected of me, but I could make a few educated guesses.
The miners did the physical work, but they needed my talents to pick the location they mined. I had no idea how potential new spots were identified.
My stomach knotted as I realized I wouldn’t require tools. I’d have to do what I hated: trust my gut. No matter how unhappy it made me, my gut instinct was how I’d determined adamas from quartz every other time Alaric tested me. I might as well admit that was how I’d proceed in the mines.
Getting to the mines was another issue.
“Let me grab my tool kit from the back.” It didn’t hurt to look prepared.
Hart raised his left hand, coming fully into view in the front of the shop. He carried the mentioned kit. “I figured you’d need this.”
He continued forward, not stopping to hand me the bag as he headed toward the door.
“I can carry it.”
I took the handle from him as he passed. My gloved hand slid against his fingers wrapped tight around the handle. I flinched back, and he released the handle immediately. Moving the bag to my other hand, I stretched my gloved fingers. My breathing was uneven. It was a mark of how careless I’d been in the last few days that I hadn’t considered the movement more carefully.
Rationally, I knew he couldn’t steal my emotions through the gloves. I even knew the prince had mandated no one take from me. Nothing about this situation was … safe, but I was protected from my usual fears.
That wasn’t the problem. The more important problem was that something about Hart had me disregarding my proximity considerations. They’d been non-existent yesterday when the fight broke out with the Feared. And that didn’t contemplate what his voice did to me.
He hadn’t moved since I’d snatched the bag. His stillness bothered me. Knowing I was fine, I swallowed but silently reprimanded myself for the judgment lapse.
It wouldn’t happen again.
