Page 98 of Jeweler to the Blessed
A smile briefly crossed his face. It felt as fake as it was fleeting. “I hear you’re quite good with adamas. The Presentation must go well. Even with our reassurance at the Cornucopia, rumors of the Cursed King still spread.”
I wouldn’t precisely call lulling the populace into a magic-drenched calm the same asreassurance. But that was just me.
“The people need more hope—more happiness to latch on to during the Selection.” He stroked his chin. “Do you know why your uncle lied to us about your talents?”
The shift in topic was unexpected. I couldn’t follow how one connected with the other in his mind. No matter how much I wanted to glance at the prince to glean his expression, I didn’t dare. The adamas in the crown still glowed green. It required a response.
“I didn’t know, Your Majesty. Many knew I apprenticed with him regularly.”
The king rolled his eyes. “Being a jeweler and being a jeweler who can find adamas are very different skill sets. He hid the more important of the two.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Thankfully, King Rodric hadn’t asked another question.
He stroked his beard again. His gaze finally left mine and fell to his son. “Elias speaks highly of your capabilities.”
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. Until this moment, I’d been feeling very confident about the stones, but now I wiped my sweaty palms briefly against my skirt.
He held out his hand. “Let me see the gems.”
I didn’t dare approach. The prince stepped toward me. His lip tipped up into a forced smile. Interesting that he appeared as intimidated by his father as I was. I pulled the gems from my bag and placed them in his cupped hands. He scaled the dais, holding them out for his father’s review.
“Send the girl in,” Rodric said.
Vaddon opened another large door near the front of the room. A young woman hesitantly stepped in. She curtsied immediately. My stomach churned, putting together what my mind hadn’t yet.
Her long brown hair fell in soft curls down her back as Vaddon led her to the dais. She looked older than me, but onlyjust. Rodric removed his crown, handing it to Vaddon, and plucked a single gem from the prince’s palm as she neared.
I couldn’t watch this. My confidence in my skill collided with the horror at what I’d done. I wanted to vomit.
The woman approached carefully as Vaddon gestured her forward.
She curtsied again the closer she got to the king. “It’s an honor to be used, Your Highness.”
The breath I’d been holding let loose. At least she wasn’t fooling herself about what she was getting into. No matter my morbid curiosity at my own skill with the gems, I still didn’t want to watch as the king’s hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist.
I found I couldn’t look away.
Her words weren’t false. The gem Rodric held shifted to yellow flashes as he stole joy from the woman. He held firm as he reached for another stone, swapping them out in his palm. Each gem he tested continued to pull emotion from the woman. Her joy turned to pleasure the longer he took. The last two gems flashed orange instead of yellow.
Satisfied, the king waved the woman away. Vaddon looked murderous as she took his arm, needing support to retrace her steps down the dais.
They’d all worked.
Not only could I source the adamas, I had shaped it into the powerful stone. While a part of me had known I’d done it based on the feel of the stones as I worked them, the horrifying reality of seeing my stones hold magic sent a shiver through me. I needed to get out of here. My legs felt like they could buckle at any moment.
“Very good,” the king said. “We have another request for you.”
My stomach still roiled. I hoped desperately that Hart and Icould free the captive tomorrow night. If even a sliver of me had been considering Hart’s path, working against Rodric from the inside, everything within me raged against it now. I couldn’t turn the gems over for the Blessing, even in service of a larger goal. Not when they were used for this.
The woman may have known what she was there for and even enjoyed it, but the power imbalance still stood. There was no freedom of choice when the king controlled our fates as he did.
He continued speaking, oblivious to my thoughts. Rodric returned his circlet to his head, ensuring the adamas gem faced me. “My crown requires more jeweling.”
The gem was already one of the largest I’d seen. The crown was much larger and sturdier than a ring. It was similar to the pendants, holding a more substantial gem.
How much more magic did he need?
As soon as I asked myself the question, I knew what he wanted. The crown’s design made it obvious. My head tilted as I considered how each of the points of the crown could hold its own gem. I was already calculating in my mind…there were eight points. The extra raw material Gregory had mined made sense even as understanding sent a chill up my spine.
