Page 78 of Jeweler to the Blessed
Hart set his drink down and leaned over me again. His brow arched, reminding me our show wasn’t over. “And just like that, Alaric left you trapped in the position he hated.”
Tears pricked behind my eyes. His words were harsh, but they weren’t incorrect.
He leaned in, his breath warm against my neck. “I want to help you.”
The scent of the liquor on his breath reached my nose. It was more intoxicating than the drink itself. “Why?”
His chuckle shot jolts of pleasure through my body. I was holding on by a thread. “Maybe because none of this is fair. Or maybe because you don’t deserve this fate. Maybe I just think you need it.”
That was rude but accurate.
He paused again. “You’re supposed to have a choice. A real one.”
“What does that mean?”
He shook his head before he started speaking. “I was so mad at Alaric when he left. So mad when I found you—realized you were?—”
His words cut off, but I could remember his anger that afternoon in the alley. Then the way it had shifted as he seemed to recognize my fear of being in close quarters with a Blessed.
“It doesn’t matter. I wish he’d trusted me with more, but?—”
“I know that feeling,” I said. “Although a wise woman toldme trust isn’t transferable. I don’t think loyalty or friendship are either. Please don’t help me because you think it’s what Alaric would want. I only want your help if it’s because you want to give it.”
His mouth was at my ear. “Alaric is the farthest thing from my mind.”
I couldn’t stop my lips from tilting into a smile. We’d covered so much ground tonight. This discussion might have been needed, but things felt too heavy, too serious. I wanted something lighter to break the tension. “Tell me something true.”
He didn’t hesitate. “I do live here at Forest’s Edge. There are stairs to my apartment in the alley.”
I laughed. Then pushed him back to look at his face. He was serious. “What?”
“I know you’ll find this hard to believe since I’m so good at it, but I’m notjusta guard. I own this place. Originally, I became a city guard to help the Feared. Then, when your uncle went missing, I decided it was worth getting assigned to you.”
My heart beat rapidly again as his thumb at my waist slid back and forth in a gentle caress. “Why did you want to get assigned to me?”
He leaned back farther and picked up his drink to take a sip. “At first. It was to see what Alaric was hiding.”
I needed the momentary distance to clear my head. My attempt at light conversation brought us back to all of this. At least he was giving me the honesty I craved. I just wasn’t sure how much more I could take tonight. I swallowed. “And now?”
He arched an eyebrow, set down his drink, and rolled back over me. His hand moved to the strand of hair falling from my braid again. He wrapped it around his finger. “Now, I think you feel trapped. But I want to show you your options. Seeing how I collect the youngleaf will be good for you.”
This was what I wanted: an ally who knew what was happening in this city—someone to help me decide my next move when so much seemed unstable.
“I’ll go with you tomorrow. But now, I need to return to my room.”
He gave me space, letting me scoot out from beneath him. As I stood and straightened my clothes, he parted the curtain, gesturing for me to go.
Tonight had been a huge gamble, but I thought it paid off. I wanted to know what he knew. There was more outside the city he was trying to show me, and I wasn’t one to turn down information. I’d take all I could before the Blessing Ceremony.
24
They are more alike than either of them would ever believe.
— ALARIC SARE’S LETTERS TO ISABELLE ARKOVA
True to his word, Hart was at the door to my room before the sun rose. Something passed between us when our eyes met. With the night guards standing sentry just behind him, I couldn’t comment. Mostly, I wanted to believe something had changed for us last night. Eager to learn more about the youngleaf and his role in its distribution, we walked in companionable silence to Alaric’s shop.
If the youngleaf’s properties were as varied as Hart said, it was a critical resource for the city’s residents. Where was it grown? How was it distributed? I had many questions, and the answers might help me think of a future for Mother outside ofKavios. If I could get her and Father out of the city with a steady youngleaf supply, maybe I’d be free to run.
