Page 15 of Jeweler to the Blessed (Champions of Chaos #1)

She didn’t cause chaos. She inspired it.

— FROM CHAMPIONS OF KAVIOS

“ A bsolutely not,” Father said when I told him I started work for the Glanmores tomorrow.

After encountering the guard, I came home to give Mother the tonic.

Father arrived shortly after, confirming all the orders we completed yesterday had been collected.

Like many other shops in our neighborhood, he closed early for the festival.

Initially, we both focused our attention on Mother.

She hadn’t gotten out of bed today. The tonic’s effect was immediate, though.

Color sprang to her cheeks as she downed the vial.

She sat up before it was drained. We couldn’t wait this long again.

Father and I had returned to the family room to make a meal, where I told him about Alaric.

His voice grew quiet. “There is no way you’re going to Glanmore Castle. It’s the one place she doesn’t want you.”

I glanced down the hallway to Mother’s bedroom.

I had been about to question Father’s concern, but this made sense.

There was no question who the she was in that sentence.

Even I knew that everything Alaric did to teach me history, to teach me about the world outside Kavios, and to defend myself, was because Mother requested it.

Were any of us living our own lives, or were we each doing what we thought she wanted of us?

I paced in front of the fire. Feeling caged wasn’t unusual for me, but my day had left me on edge. Alaric always said not to make decisions from a position of weakness, but that was all I’d been doing today.

“We don’t have a lot of options, Father. Do you know where Uncle is?”

“He’s finally gotten himself killed.” Father turned again to look down the hallway to Mother’s room.

I sucked in a breath. “You don’t know that.”

He rubbed his hand through his hair, considering. “You know better than anyone the kinds of contraband he had in the workshop. If someone found them …”

“No one found the storage room. The workshop was just how Alaric would have left it. No one but myself and Vaddon had been in there.”

Father sighed. “If not the books, then chasing down the information within them. He didn’t know when to let something go.”

I tilted my head, not sure I understood this line of thinking. What from the books was Alaric tracking down? It was just another reminder of how little I knew about him. What did it say about me that even Father, who didn’t like the man, had ideas I didn’t about his whereabouts?

“What was he researching?” I wasn’t too proud to pursue any lead that might come my way.

Father’s lip flattened into a thin line as if realizing he’d said too much. His brow furrowed in thought, and then he waved dismissively. “Oh, it could be anything.”

“That’s not what it sounded like.”

He shook his head again. “We can’t count on Alaric’s return.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Neither can we have you in the castle.”

My hands balled into fists at my side. The weight of the day hung heavy like a millstone around my neck.

Alaric was missing. I was dragged to the castle.

My journey to Forest’s Edge was only a stopgap to the problem of Mother’s tonic.

The plans I’d so painstakingly made for myself were now out of reach.

The near street brawl impressed how volatile the city was.

I must have stopped paying attention when I decided to leave.

That all changed now.

“We can’t talk about this like it’s a choice, Father.

I have two options. One, I do what the prince requires.

They will assign me a bodyguard. The prince guaranteed the Blessed wouldn’t take from me.

Or two, I run. I leave Kavios and leave you and Mother to fend for yourselves.

You’ll have to procure the youngleaf with money we don’t have. ”

He sighed deeply. I didn’t dare hope he finally understood the responsibility I carried for this family.

“Let me guess. The prince will also pay you Alaric’s salary so we can afford the youngleaf?”

I nodded. “It’s the only choice, Father. You have to see that.”

“I could go.” This was unexpected. Even as Father made the offer, his gaze darted toward Mother’s room, and I knew it was an empty one. He couldn’t be separated from her. I said the one thing that would free him of guilt for not taking my place. He couldn’t do what Alaric and I could.

“They know I can source the adamas.”

Father’s head hung heavy with my words. “Fine.”

When he finally lifted his head, and his eyes met mine, they were resigned. “Go see your Mother. I’m sure she’s more alert now.”

I held in a sigh. Father and I would never truly understand each other in this.

We’d both lost Mother the day the Blessed stole from her.

What he didn’t seem to realize was that I’d lost not only my mother but also my father.

His whole world became caring for her, even at the expense of caring for me.

Turning, I strode down the barren hallway to Mother’s room.

She was sitting up in bed. “Ember, I’m so glad you’re here. Father and I want to go to the festival as a family.”

I leaned against the doorframe, wondering how to respond.

“You want to go to the Selection Festival?” I repeated. “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough?”

Of course, I had to go, but I didn’t think Mother was up for it. She’d been in bad shape only minutes ago.

“It will be good for us. With the wheeled chair Alaric made me, I’ll be fine.

” She folded her hands in her lap, looking down at them.

“He’s gone, isn’t he?” Her voice returned to the dreamier tone I was familiar with.

It was hard to converse when she was like this.

Part of her mind was elsewhere, and the thoughts between this conversation and wherever else she resided never seemed to connect.

“He’s missing,” I said.

Her fingers turned white as their grip on each other strengthened.

“Do you know where he is?” I asked. “Where I should look for him?”

Father wasn’t sharing what he knew with me, but that didn’t mean Mother would take the same stance.

She shook her head. “If anyone can help, it’s you.”

With Mother’s encouragement, we readied the custom chair and walked toward Cross Street.

People were everywhere. Groups like ours walked to the festivities, showing more emotion than I was comfortable with.

They laughed loudly, and some whispered excitedly of the attack I’d witnessed on the walk home.

There were also many theories discussed about who the Selected would be.

Maybe it was my experience with the crowd this afternoon, but the energy of those around us seemed to teeter between frenetic and excited—like the balance between order and chaos in Uncle’s books.

The citizens of Kavios felt too much—joy over the idea of the Selection and some anger at their place in this city.

And that wasn’t to mention lust, which was all too easy to get lost in with places like Forest’s Edge.

Emotions were high. The city was a powder keg. It might only need a match to explode.

A Blessed bumped into a man in front of us.

It was the same act I witnessed daily. Mother must have seen, too, because she reached for my hand as Father pushed her chair.

She was unbothered by my automatic flinch in reaction, holding tight to the hand she took.

I squeezed back, unsure if she was trying to tell me something or keep me from being bumped into in the crowd.

The march to Cross Street was like that to my own funeral. Each step we took increased the beat of my racing heart. With Father, I claimed I’d be fine at the castle. The prince said I’d be protected. Nonetheless, this role meant I was in as much danger from the Feared as from the Blessed.

The sun was about to set as we neared the corner of Cross and Centre.

Pushing away the weight of the day, I knew exactly where to look.

With the castle as a backdrop, Matthew held Jasmine’s hand as he took a knee, holding out the ring I’d carefully crafted as he asked her to share her life with him.

It was risky to propose in such an open space, but for whatever reason, the tradition dictated that this corner on the evening of the Selection Festival was lucky. Those who could afford the risk took it.

No matter how much Jasmine claimed to expect the proposal, the look on her face radiated joy. I hated myself a little as I wished she could hide her feelings quickly—before a Blessed chose to interrupt.

Mother’s gaze followed mine to Jasmine and Matthew. She gave my hand another squeeze. “Friends of yours?”

I nodded as we turned right onto Cross Street.

“Emberline,” Serena called, jostling through the crowd. I let Mother’s hand fall, allowing Father to push her chair as Serena fell into step beside me.

Her smile was huge. “You kept your secrets well. Jasmine wasn’t sure until the very last minute. Not even as Matthew walked us over to the intersection.”

“I’m glad it was a surprise.”

“My work here is done.” Her slightly slurred words led me to believe she’d started celebrating early. “I’m off to Forest’s Edge. You should come! Oh, wait, maybe not.”

I tilted my head in question. I hadn’t exactly wanted to go, but it was unlike Serena to revoke an invitation so quickly.

Answering my unasked question, she continued. “I was there this afternoon. The employees were talking about you behind the bar.”

The flow of people in the festival area was even trickier to manage than the regular sections of the city. I waved Mother and Father ahead, slowing to talk to Serena as we navigated the packed street.

“What did they say?” I asked. Soren’s anger still bothered me. While Ava genuinely seemed ready to help, having an enemy like Soren at Forest’s Edge would be a problem since I needed to collect Mother’s herbs regularly.