Page 96 of Jeweler to the Blessed
Before long, the constant beat of his foot brought the tool to a steady spin. I worked on the new gems, or, at least, those for which I had commissions. They were due tonight. The prince wanted to inspect them before the Presentation. That took away any ideas I had of switching them for quartz. Part of me hated that I was excited to see him test the adamas—to know I cut and shaped the gem with the necessary skill to secure the stone’s magic. I shook my head. The adamas would be ready for his inspection, and I’d still have days to decide what to do for the Blessing.
Hart led me through the trappings of Cross Street as the sun set. It was startling to think that only days ago, this would have been my worst nightmare. A street packed with Blessed—bumping into passersby and taking on a whim.
Even as we walked, a man’s laugh was stolen from his lips. A Blessed passing by latched onto his exposed hand and pulled until the man’s smile faded. He stumbled forward as if nothing had happened. Hart spied it too, stepping closer to me as he did.
I clung to the satchel that hung across my body. Inside were the cut and polished adamas stones for the Blessed and the replacement. I still had to finish the settings, but this was all the prince requested before tomorrow’s Presentation.
Hart grabbed a helmet from the guard post at the castle entrance, and we walked silently to the prince’s study. There was only one guard outside the door today instead of his usual two. The guard held up his hand as I approached.
“She has a meeting,” Hart said.
The guard glared at Hart. “I’m aware. It’s just not here.”
“Where is it then? I was told to bring her here.”
“Change of plans. It’s in the throne room,” the guard replied.
Hart’s hands balled into fists at his side. He looked ready to break something.
I looked around. The castle was still a maze of hallways to me. “It’s fine. Do you know how to get to the throne room?”
Hart flared his nostrils, freeing himself from this new spiral. I wished I could see his face. The square lines of his jaw shifted as if he were gritting his teeth. This wasn’t that big a deal.
“Hart?”
He cursed under his breath. “Let’s go.”
With one final glare at the guard, he ushered me toward the throne room.
I whispered to him as he walked. “What is it?”
“I don’t like this.”
Didn’t like going to the throne room? I had yet to see the room at the heart of the castle. The room that would host the Masquerade in two days and the Blessing shortly after. It was said to be grand—the only place King Rodric had been seen in years.
King Rodric.
Hart’s anger, his … fear suddenly made sense. If I were meeting with Prince Elias and Vaddon, we would have done so in Elias’s study. There was only one reason we’d been redirected to the throne room.
Before I’d completed the thought, we were before a larger, ornate set of doors. Gold and blue swirls trimmed the edges. My head tilted back to take in the details. Two guards stood before the door, with another four waiting in the wings.
I was meeting with King Rodric.
“Are you coming with me?” I asked under my breath, without looking at Hart.
I knew the answer. He never attended my meetings with the prince. He certainly wasn’t invited to this.
“I can’t,” he whispered.
That was desperation in his voice—barely leashed.
My fingers itched to reach for his arm, to reassure him I’d be fine. My left hand twitched and stretched toward him before I let it fall back to the space between us. His eyes must have followed the motion, and amusement curled his lip, breaking his stoic determination.
“I’ll be right here.” He pointed to the line of guards. “And I’ll break through that door if you call my name.”
His words were whispered beneath his helmet—meantonly for my ears. They didn’t reassure me about what I faced, but I believed them for the genuine threat they were. I nodded and steeled my spine as I walked toward the guards. A green glow shone on the guard’s left hand. His questions differed slightly from what they’d asked outside the prince’s study, confirming my suspicions.
“Do you intend the royal family any harm?”
