Page 9 of Jeweler to the Blessed
Our trio was sobered by what we’d witnessed and kept our heads down as we continued walking. Farther down the road, as we finally exited Lower Hill, a Blessed woman pulled a man onto one of the side streets. The orange blinking of her ring signaled lust. The goofy grin on the man’s face said he was well aware of what he was giving and what she was getting. I wished the value exchange of emotion to the Blessed was always so clear.
When we arrived in Woodside at our building, I waved to Jasmine and Serena as they dipped into their first-floor apartments. Since Mother couldn’t work and Father spent much of his time caring for her, we all lived together. While it made sense financially, I counted having my own space as a fringe benefit of leaving the city.
The building held twenty units, most of which were filled with families like mine. I sighed in relief as I leaned against the cool stone wall and looked up the empty staircase. Scaling the three floors to my family’s apartment was much preferable to the streets of Lower Hill.
Though I doubted many shared my assessment, I found our hallway welcoming. Sure, the walls were gray stone, covered in a dinge that never entirely scrubbed clean, but each doorway had its own attempt at comfort. Some doors boasted white banners that matched those in the streets, representing the Blessed and the Selection celebration. Our door had vines arranged into a circle. These were from the Oldwood too. A further attempt to surround myself with the enigmatic forest, to soothe my reaction to it.
The door was unlocked.
“Father, what have I said about the lock?” I walked down the entryway into the open room encompassing the kitchen, dining room, and living space. He still hadn’t turned fromwhere he stood by the hearth, a fire crackling and a skillet set up to make breakfast.
“Father.” I tried again. He looked so disheveled. His hair was uncombed, and his tunic untucked, the buttons off by one all the way down.
“What work do we have today, Emberline?” He finally glanced up as I silently took his place and ushered him to a seat in the living space.
“We have two rings to finish today.” I was most excited to finish the one Matthew had commissioned for Jasmine.
He waved away my accomplishment as he sat on the chair. “Anything after that?”
I shook my head. “All eyes will be on the Selection and the ceremonies starting tomorrow. I’m sure commissions will return when it’s over.”
I frowned. At least, I hoped business would return. Alaric would take care of Mother and Father. I couldn’t worry too much about my decision to leave, though, as with Jasmine’s teasing that I wouldn’treallydo it, I wasn’t sure Father truly accepted my imminent departure either.
Father cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. “I hate this time of year too.”
The Blessed who took too much from Mother did so the night of Selection Festival. While Mother’s condition was never far from my thoughts, it hadn’t been the focus of my current melancholy. I empathized with Father anyway. “I know.”
“She asked about you—after the earthshake.”
“I was at Alaric’s. We were fine.”
Father’s face hardened. Whether from the mention of Alaric or the earthshake at the mines, I couldn’t be sure. I was confident Father would have cut off contact withAlaric years ago if he wasn’t essential to Mother’s treatment. They never quite saw eye to eye—especially about me.
I returned my attention to breakfast. “A Blessed man came by Alaric’s shop today, while I was there. It seemed like they were … friends.”
No matter how much they disagreed, Father knew more about Alaric than I did, and I was desperate to see if he knew anything about the stranger.
“Alaric doesn’t have friends. He has projects.”
I couldn’t help but hear the implication that I, too, was only a project to Alaric.
“Do you know where Uncle gets the herbs for Mother’s medicine?”
Father stood from the chair, heading for the desk in the corner of the room. “Why do you ask?”
Was that worry etching his voice? He rifled through the desk drawers. It didn’t surprise me since it concerned Mother’s health.
“The man said Alaric was late picking it up.”
Father’s back was to me, but his shoulders visibly tensed, and I could hear his following words through clenched teeth. “How late?”
Immediately, I knew this line of inquiry had been a mistake. It would only anger Father and further distance him and Alaric. I really should have seen that coming, but I’d been driven by my desire to know whatever Father did about Alaric.
“Just a day. It sounded like he would pick it up tonight,” I said.
“What exactly did they say?”
I considered this. The man had been very clear that he expected Alaric this evening. Had Alaric responded? The earthshake had cut off the conversation. “I’m not sure, but Alaric has never been late with Mother’s medicine.”
