Page 51 of Jeweler to the Blessed
She curtsied. “Of course. I can have hot water and food brought in.”
“What is your name?” I asked.
“Penelope.”
Not having to leave this room for these necessities was wholly satisfying. I was dirty and exhausted from the mines. Sadness and worry clung to me like bad habits. Washing and eating wouldn’t magically cure it, but they would be solid steps to catching my breath and collecting my thoughts.
“Nice to meet you, Penelope. Food and a bath sounds wonderful.”
Hart opened the door to leave. “Goodnight.”
He let a pause linger in the space between us before exiting. It left little doubt that he added the nickname, Chaos, in his mind, even if he knew better than to say it with an audience.
I was right. Eating and washing helped clear my head. Nothing had been solved. I still worried for Alaric and myself. The trip through the Oldwood today and into the mines was still unnerving. I couldn’t believe how quickly I’d failed to stay focused. The Oldwood’s pull was as strong as ever, no matter how much I’d attempted to numb myself to it.
Alaric had been right; I’d need an escort if I ever had the opportunity to leave Kavios as originally planned. I begrudgingly admitted that Hart proved a decent choice.
Still, the necessity was disappointing and utterly confusing.Why was I so affected by the woods? Hart didn’t appear to have any issues, nor did any of the miners.
I shook my head, having no answers, and focused instead on something I understood: jewelry making. If nothing else, I was a competent jeweler. I would craft the rings for the soon-to-be Blessed, and Prince Elias would continue his search for my uncle.
It felt like such a feeble promise from a man who held such power. The prince held all the cards. I wasn’t sure how to change that—wasn’t sure that I could—but I would certainly use everything Alaric taught me to try.
I’d laid out the other option for Father yesterday, but as I’d told him, it wasn’t a real one. I could run away. If I left, the Feared wouldn’t need to try to kill me. I’d no longer be granting the Blessed power.
They could try to recruit Father, but he couldn’t source the adamas. If he tried and failed, there was no telling what the royal’s wrath would entail. Not only that, if he was eventually returned to Mother in one piece, they’d have no funds for the youngleaf. While Hart hadn’t indicated he’d charge me coin, I couldn’t assume that’s how he operated with all his customers. Mother needed the tonic.
Leaving was a nice dream, a goal I’d believed attainable before Alaric went missing, but it was now out of reach due to the realities of my new family responsibilities. I sat on the bed and flipped through Alaric’s notebook.
The notebook held every design he’d ever created. He was meticulous about that, as he was when recording any experiments he did in his workshop. Things around him might seem in disarray, but he knew precisely what needed to be done and what he’d learned from a prior attempt.
Designing rings and the adamas gems to fit themwas no different.
Prince Elias was right in his assumption. Alaric had designed the new pieces already. I tilted my head in thought. This seemed like too much forethought for Alaric. He never missed a deadline, but he wasn’t exactly a planner. Alaric tended to procrastinate on his work for the Blessed. Why were these designs ready? With his disappearance, they must’ve been prepared days before the Selection.
I nestled deeper into the blankets as I flipped through the pages. The designs were lovely, but I wouldn’t say they were complicated or unique for Alaric’s skills. Instead, they highlighted what the Blessed cared about: the size of the adamas stone.
The four settings and gems for the Selected were straightforward. My brow furrowed as I studied the enhancement. This ring was thick with ornate carvings, and it looked familiar. The designs on the gold band stretched like licking flames over the knuckle, teasing the memory I needed. I recognized this ring. Hart had been wearing it the morning he’d visited Alaric’s workshop.
This design had been turned in to the prince for approval on the same day as the meeting with Hart. There was no way Hart could have been wearing it unless this design was a duplicate of a ring already in existence.
Why would Alaric be making a duplicate?
The name beside the commission was R. Lourd. I read Alaric’s scribbled notes in the corner next to the name. Usually, it was details about size, fit, or style. Here, it referenced another page in the sketchbook. I flipped to the referenced page.
It was a much earlier design, but it matched this one exactly. The commission name was the same: R. Lourd. This was the second commission of the same design for the same Blessed. I wasn’t familiar with enhancements, so maybe thismade sense. Usually, they served to give the Blessed a larger adamas stone. This one didn’t.
That wasn’t what bothered me, though. R. Lourd wasn’t even close to Hart’s name. The image of the ring on Hart’s finger wouldn’t be dismissed. Why did Hart have it? Why hadn’t he worn it since that morning?
It was odd that he didn’t display his adamas like the rest of the Blessed.
A simple answer swirled in my mind, but I didn’t want to think it. It added another layer of complexity to all the current spinning thoughts I had about Hart. But Alaric never did let me shy away from a difficult question. Holding his sketchbook, I couldn’t shy away from this new thought. What if the ring wasn’t Hart’s?
The Feared will have your gem for this.A reckless shout from a man in the street as we watched a Blessed beat a man for no reason. The conversation with Macen replayed in my head.Maybe the Blessed can no longer hide behind their magic gems.
What if R. Lourd didn’t have the original? What if it was missing—stolen?
I’d been searching for a link between Hart and the Feared. He’d reassured me about his intentions toward me but hadn’t addressed his relationship with them. Their conversation had been fraught in the alley. Hart had seemed … disappointed in Soren’s behavior. Some part of my mind had decided it had to do with the fact that Soren worked at Forest’s Edge, and Hart used it as a location to sell his contraband items.
