Page 33 of Jeweler to the Blessed (Champions of Chaos #1)

Order will not go quietly.

— FROM CHAMPIONS OF KAVIOS

I didn’t have to pretend to be affected by what I’d seen at the Cornucopia.

The magic may not calm me, but the reality of the power stunned me into a stupor like the rest of those gathered.

I was listless as I waited for an appropriate excuse to slip back into the crowd or leave.

The prince hadn’t announced a new jeweler, which was probably for the best. He disappeared quickly after his speech. Vaddon descended the steps to greet me.

He nodded. “Emberline.”

Vaddon was the last person I wanted to speak to.

Now that I saw his face again, I couldn’t help but remember his too-convenient appearance at my door this morning and the following attack on the street.

I didn’t believe in that kind of coincidence.

Why would Vaddon set me up? He couldn’t be one of the Feared.

I wished I had spoken to Hart about it, but I was also unsure of him again after reading Alaric’s note.

No one was making this easy.

A long breath slid from my lips. At this moment, I was supposed to be infused with the king’s calming magic and the prince’s persuasion. It was not the time to confront Vaddon about trying to kill me. I could sense Hart standing at attention behind me. Vaddon spared him a glance as he addressed me.

He gestured to the street. “It looks like you enjoyed the festivities.”

The Selected had merged with their waiting families.

Only Deidre stood alone, to the east of the steps.

At a different Cornucopia, she’d be the most celebrated Selected.

Her story would be the one that motivated magicless families for another year.

Tonight, emotions were still mixed from the magic wielded by the Glanmores.

The only good news was that Deidre seemed too lost in her thoughts to notice.

“Did you need me for something?” I asked. Hart had said we’d been summoned.

“Oh, no. We just wanted to ensure you were close for the speech.”

I didn’t like that. The prince alluding to the Cursed King was not a mistake.

It was an intentional provocation of the city’s stirring unrest. My eyes widened slightly as I put the pieces together.

To soothe the fear, it first needed to be expressed.

Prince Elias had baited his audience, and they’d eaten poison berries from his hand.

Vaddon appeared to watch me closely. It was best to let him lead the conversation. I’d be left pliable if genuinely infused by calm and persuasion magic.

“It’s too bad about the trouble at the workshop this morning,” he said.

Hart stiffened behind me.

“I was lucky Hart arrived when he did.”

Vaddon nodded, glancing again at Hart. The corner of his lip curled down in disappointment. “Indeed. You will return to the mines in the morning. And we’ll need to see all the pieces the night before the Presentation. That’s two nights from now.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

I’d started slowly today, getting my bearings with the adamas, but now that I understood it, I expected to move faster tomorrow.

Vaddon turned on his heel without so much as a goodbye.

Hart was in front of me when he was out of earshot. “He let you out of the castle this morning?”

“Yes.”

As unsure as I was about Hart after reading Alaric’s note, I couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t pretending to be affected by the magic with me.

We’d shared a glance as the king’s calm was in effect.

I wanted to believe it was his own show of trust. He’d told me he’d been to kingdoms outside Kavios.

If my suspicion was correct, King Rodric used this magic to calm his citizens into remaining in the city.

Hart, having left, only further proved he was unaffected. Now the question was how?

Was he like me? I’d never met anyone else immune to the Blessed before. Even other Blessed were impacted by the magic.

“Chaos, are you listening to me?”

If he’d said something, I hadn’t heard it.

He pulled off his helmet and rubbed his forehead. I swear he growled as he did it. “That group? I told you. I didn’t recognize any of them as Feared.”

Hart certainly took my safety seriously, if nothing else. He was still stuck on why Vaddon wanted me dead.

I put my hand on my hip. “And let me guess, everyone got away.”

Hart arched a brow in question. “Why don’t you ask what you want to ask, Chaos?”

“Why do the Feared keep getting away on your watch?”

Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t fair. Yes, some got away, but just as many were dead at my feet.

He sighed. “I’m telling you. Those were not the Feared. Vaddon is not the Feared. There is another threat to you in this city.”

It felt too convenient, and I needed to get out of here.

I hadn’t found Ava, and I needed to talk to her.

No matter how ill-advised, I knew I’d have to sneak out and see her at Forest’s Edge—this time, without Vaddon’s help.

If what Hart said was true, as long as no one helped me leave without him, no one could set me up to be ambushed.

It was the best I could reassure myself.

“I’m going to my room,” I said.

He turned to storm after me up the steps. “You need to take your safety more seriously. I can’t protect you if you don’t protect yourself.”

He was not going to be happy with my next decision.

It’s not that he was wrong. I knew there was a real risk to me in the city. But finding Alaric’s note taught me that I couldn’t let the situation dictate my actions anymore.

Alaric was gone. He wasn’t returning, and I needed to find a way out of the mess I’d landed in.

I’d learn if Alaric had set up a delivery for Mother with Ava.

If there was any chance Mother would be fine without me, I could take more considerable risks.

If I no longer needed to search for Alaric, then my current cage would be built only of my responsibility to Mother.

It was time to test the strength of the bars.

Hart must have kept on talking as we scaled the staircase. I wasn’t listening. He grabbed my sleeve, turning me toward him. I didn’t flinch at the reach—only glared.

“The only reason I didn’t arrest that little prick was because I thought he meant something to you.”

My mind spun, trying to catch up with his words. Little prick— was he talking about Macen?

“If you want him gone, all you have to do is say the word.”

I tilted my head in question. “And what? You’ll have Macen arrested?”

“Sure,” he said.

His anger at Macen was genuine. I’d seen it in the Oldwood. This answer left something out. I squinted, reading between his statements.

“You’d have him killed?”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “He wouldn’t bother you again. Is that what you want?”

That was so not an answer.

“I don’t want you to kill him.” I turned and continued my hike up the staircase. “I told you I could take care of it myself.”

“I believe you. Like, I hope you believe me when I say I sent other guards after those who attacked you this morning. I haven’t heard if any were found.”

“Fine.”

I took a few more steps. Something he said still rankled, and I couldn’t stop from pausing our ascent. I turned to where Hart stopped behind me.

The words slipped out before I knew what I’d say. “He doesn’t mean anything to me. Macen. I thought he did once. I’ve learned from my mistakes. ”

“Glad to hear it.” That smirk curled his lip.

Without another word, I turned and scaled the rest of the staircase into the castle.

Two sentries guarded my door.

“I’ll be back early tomorrow, so we can get to the mines,” Hart said.

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything else.

He looked like he wanted to say more but decided against it. Instead, he turned to the guards. “I don’t care if the king himself comes for her. Don’t let her out without me.”

The guards glanced at each other. I couldn’t see their expressions beneath the helmets, but I assumed they were unimpressed with the command.

Not wanting to watch a fight, I closed the door.

My only way out tonight would be through the windows on the other side of the room.

They were high, but I could climb through one if I stood on the desk.

This was a perk of being considered a servant of the Blessed.

My bedroom was on the ground floor. I listened at the door for Hart’s argument to cease and his steps to fade.

It was now or never.

Quickly, I clambered atop the desk and unlatched the window.

I glanced out. No patrols were coming or going.

The wall around the city continued around the north side of the castle.

I wouldn’t expect the garden paths here to be heavily guarded, but I stayed vigilant.

Hart would be a living nightmare if he caught me.

I stood on my toes and levered one leg through the open window. Finding purchase on the external windowsill, I pushed off the other. I gripped the window behind me and crouched, looking down at the gardens. It would be a bit of a jump, but … I looked left and right … I had no other options.

Hoping it wasn’t as far as it looked, I closed my eyes and leaped.

The garden bushes ungracefully broke my fall.

Unable to stand in the dense branches, I rolled over, landing on a grassy garden path.

I assessed myself as I stared at the sky, wondering how it had come to this.

The sting of a few scrapes seemed to be the extent of my injuries.

I got to my feet and followed the path to the exit.

Once out of my room, getting around the castle was easier than I thought. Dirt-packed trails led down the hill toward the Eastern Gate. Ostensibly, these trails were for guards on patrol, but I saw none. They must have still been at the Cornucopia.