Page 93 of Jeweler to the Blessed
The largest ones, he hit. His powerful swings broke through them in moments. I couldn’t help but search for the glow of red somewhere, anywhere, on his person—a needed distraction from the sour taste of confusion.
Instead, I found myself sketching the outline of his well-muscled body in my mind. I bit my lip as he effortlessly lifted a boulder almost my size. Was I so distracted by a pretty face?
He wasn’t just a pretty face. Hart was a culmination of unimaginable choices. If Alysa worked outside the system, Hart worked within it. There were costs to doing so. Watching Hart break us free of the cave-in brought those choices to the forefront.
Gregory was gone when we broke through enough to see the path—probably to find Tamara to free us.
A few more swings and Hart finished. He turned to look at me, and a wary caution crossed his face. The space he cleared was large enough for us to escape. He gestured for me to crawlthrough the opening and took a few steps back, allowing the distance between himself and the opening to span.
He was giving me space again, like the first time he’d found me in an alley. That small knot in my stomach twisted like a dagger, already inserted and turned for additional pain.
He was Blessed. He’d made choices I didn’t understand. But he used his position in Kavios to do what he could for others. How many people at Alysa’s settlement were there because of him? Would Alaric have known of youngleaf without Hart?
I couldn’t tell him it was alright. Our gazes locked as I approached, stepping into his space. I took his hand, gently squeezing it. I hoped the action said what I couldn’t—that I might not like the Blessed, but I knew he was not the same as them.
28
I have an idea to test. It will buy them more time.
— ALARIC SARE’S LETTERS TO ISABELLE ARKOVA
The next day, when we entered the workshop, Hart was quiet. I still didn’t have the words to adequately describe how I felt, so I focused on planning instead. Someone was trapped in the mines, and they needed me to free them.
Whether she meant to or not, Alysa had given me hope with her transparency. There was another entrance to the mines—old and defunct, maybe, but it existed. Which meant I could get into the mines during the limited hours when no one was on shift.
The real problem would be getting into the adamas cavern. Hart had pulled at the door the first time we wereleft alone outside it. It hadn’t budged. Since I still didn’t know where his adamas was, I had no idea if he used magic to fuel his strength when he did.
I’d have to ask him. It would be my only chance of getting in. I opened my mouth to ask about the somewhat sensitive subject.
He beat me to it with his own question. “Can I see the note Alaric left you?”
“Go ahead.” I gestured toward the hidden room.
Hart parted the gold curtain, walking to where the shelf opened with the hidden latch. He’d seen me do it a few days ago, but the way he reached the exact right location behind the books told me he’d done it before.
“Did you study with Alaric too?” I asked.
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Was this part of the project he researched for you?”
Hart ignored my question and walked into the storage space.
I sighed. “It was in his copy ofChampions of Kavios.”
Silence followed my words. I walked toward the door and saw his fingers running along the edges of the text.
“He never let me read this one. He always claimed he didn’t have it. I knew, of course.”
“But you?—”
“What? Procured his collection for him? Yes—but this one couldn’t be purchased.”
“Why?”
I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but I could tell he wanted to share something with me.
Hart chuckled. “It’s the only copy in existence.”
