Page 99 of Jeweler to the Blessed
“I require a gem for each point on the crown.”
It wasn’t as if I could refuse him, but he proceeded to try to convince me.
“This piece will be the ultimate test of your skill. So many gems in so small a space for one bearer. Do you know what that does?”
I couldn’t imagine what so much power would do. How many would he take from to fill them all? How many emotions? How many years from their lives would it be? I shook my head slowly in response.
He seemed happy enough to tell me. “You will be personallyensuring the protection of Kavios. The defense of the Kingdom will no longer be a worry.”
His smile showed too many teeth for me to believe the response.
Was it a worry to begin with? I weighed what I was supposed to think versus what I knew of the other kingdoms on the continent. We controlled adamas production, but as I’d recently learned, champions didn’t need adamas to wield magic.
I’d thought Kavios was protected because of the magic—and I was sure that was true, to some extent. Magic and the natural landscape of mountains and the Oldwood didn’t make it an easy target. But what if another champion wanted the stones in their city?
Hart had said Chaos’s Champion ruled Linia, but I had no idea about Aven. Maybe they considered Rodric’s idea to impose order to be a good one. My hand grew unsteady at the thought.
There was also the more obvious answer: Rodric feared the Cursed King and the rebels. In his mind the city may need protection from internal threats as much as external.
As if on cue, a blue glow overtook the gem. “All will be well. Kavios will be safe. You will assure it.”
I nodded slowly, allowing my body to mimic one of the citizens impacted by the calming drug of his magic. This was too much power. I’d already seen what the king could do to Kavios. The way he wrapped a soft blanket of calm over the city at the Cornucopia.
His magic was too strong. It removed the citizens’ ability to think, the ability to consider their fears and their joys. It wasn’t enough that he took their emotions. He also took away their ability to feel.
The irony was not lost on me. I’d started hiding my feelingslong ago, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. They were becoming increasingly insistent in recent days—demanding to be felt. There was my anger the night of the Selection Festival, my fear of Vaddon’s attackers, my anger at the captive’s fate in the mines. And then there was every emotion Hart provoked that I still refused to acknowledge. Just because I didn’t wear them on my sleeve didn’t mean all citizens of Kavios didn’t have a right to. I envied those who laughed as easily as they cried and those who weren’t afraid to show their heart or mind to everyone they deemed worthy.
I’d created this wall around myself that was taller than the castle towers. It was formed of harder stone than the gems we painstakingly carved from the mine. It meant that nothing was visible to tempt the Blessed, but it also meant not much got in.
It worked for me—or at least, it had been working.
It had been too long since I’d replied. The king had said I was contributing to the defense of Kavios. There was only one response to that. I dipped my chin and slipped into another curtsy. The less I said at this moment, the better. I could hide things, but I was no actor. If I tried to speak disingenuously, it would be to the detriment of whatever plan I devised not to do this.
And I wouldn’t do this—my decision had solidified.
Prince Elias stepped down from the dais, returning the gems to my hand. My nostrils flared. I felt dirty reclaiming them, disgusted by what I’d done—what they’d been used for.
“We’re glad you agree, Emberline. I know you have much to do with setting the stones, but we’d like this piece as soon as the Blessing is complete.”
I nodded again. There was no other response. The prince’s words were gentle, but they weren’t a question.
“You’ll be well rewarded for this, Emberline.” The king looked down over the prince and me at the foot of the dais.
I didn’t contemplate what it meant. It was the dismissal I needed. Turning on my heel, I walked more briskly across the floor than I had upon entering.
“We’re excited to see what you can do.” The king spoke to my back as the guards opened one of the doors and let me slip into the hallway.
30
He’s fading fast. Adamas she’s touched helps sustain him. Getting it to him is a problem.
— ALARIC SARE’S LETTERS TO ISABELLE ARKOVA
Hart followed me into my room after my audience with the king. It was early enough that the sentries weren’t present yet. He stood by the door while I paced before the fireplace.
“What did he want?” Hart asked.
The king wanted seven adamas gems added to his crown.
