Page 46 of Jeweler to the Blessed
I folded my arms over my chest.
He looked pensive. “Alright, then. We’re going to build trust. You’re going to owe me a favor.”
That was too broad. I knew it. He knew it—but he didn’t seem to care.
Damn Alaric. Hart knew I wouldn’t let Mother’s condition worsen just because I couldn’t stomach how he leveraged his position. Whatever he asked, I had to agree.
When I replied, he was already striding past me, sure of my acceptance. “Fine.”
He called over his shoulder. “Knew I could count on you, Chaos.”
15
The firstborn’s grand plans crumbled with the discovery of chaos
— FROM CHAMPIONS OF KAVIOS
The towering entrance to the Oldwood Mine was even more impressive than I imagined. Alaric had described it to me—I’d read about it in his history books—the real thing was better.
With doors so tall I had to crane my neck, the width was as massive as that of the castle entrance. It seemed excessive. Even today, with wagons of quartz coming out, only one side of the doorway was open, and it was more than enough space.
I hadn’t thought the mines would be so grand, but with a copse of trees surrounding the entrance, it had an air of mystery, of majesty. I wished Alaric were here, so I could experience itwith him.
Satisfied there was no one around to attack me, Hart left me to my gawking while he alerted someone to our presence. Tamara and Gregory, the Blessed foreman and her right-hand man, returned with him.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Tamara said. “You’ve missed the break. Now we’ll have to take you down past active sites.”
Her tone didn’t imply that she cared for my safety, more that she was disgusted by the inefficiency of it all.
“Follow me and stay close. We go to the deepest part of the mine.” Immediately, she turned on her heel and led us through the door.
Hart took his place at my back as we began the descent. We had a long walk, giving me time to stew on our recent transaction. I couldn’t believe he demanded afuture favorfor the youngleaf.How Alaric trusted him when he’d been so quick to take advantage of the situation was beyond me. Had he leveraged my sick mother against me? I would need to talk to Alaric about his friend choices when he returned.
The thought sent a pang through my chest, like some part of me knew I wished for things I had no hope of getting. I buried my churning emotions and focused on the walk.
Keeping steady as I followed Tamara’s quick pace was more challenging than anticipated. The main path was wide, with room for carts and miners to walk side-by-side. She took us past multiple dig sites, and each path had two more offshoots to explore.
The mine was massive, which shouldn’t have surprised me. So many of the citizens were employed here. I knew the operation was extensive. The scale of the sprawl had my mind spinning. Our descent appeared to head west, and paths veered south. Did the path eventually return to Kavios? I hadn’t seen any maps of the mine layout in Alaric’s books. They must stretch beneath the Oldwood at least.
Lanterns hung in regular intervals on the path. This journey would be far more treacherous without what little light they offered. Too many people on these paths had worn them down. Combined with the dampness of the caves, I slipped twice as we journeyed deeper. As we continued to descend, I let my hand drag against the wall. My fingers grazed the cold dirt. When had I taken off my glove?
“Emberline.”
The voice. The one from the Oldwood.
I sucked in a breath as my foot slid again on the packed surface.
Hart’s presence at my back threatened to invade my space. His arm was outstretched, as if to toss me toward the wall instead of allowing me to fall into the open expanse. My breathing was heavy—it matched his.
I met his gaze over my shoulder. The fierceness there made me want to flee. He opened his mouth.
Gregory turned, hearing the disturbance. “Careful.”
“Don’t slow us down,” Tamara said.
I slid my glove on and rolled my neck carefully, collecting myself. Hart pulled back his arm and shook his head.
“Fucking Chaos.” His words were so low, only I could hear him.
