Page 36 of Jeweler to the Blessed (Champions of Chaos #1)
“Father came in when necessary, usually to deal with customers. He wasn’t ignorant of the appearances, though it often seemed like it.”
Hart scoffed. He opened his mouth to say something else, likely a scathing assessment of my father’s character.
I stopped him. “I always thought it was a beautiful story of a love I didn’t understand. My father and mother were always so happy. They had their own language in gazes and smiles and laughs.”
“It sounds nice,” he said.
I sighed. “Maybe. They were a unit. But then she was gone, her mind and body somewhere he couldn’t follow. They were so connected. Her pain was his. He couldn’t continue his life when hers was on hold.”
“It sounds like the lesson is not to let your partner go somewhere you can’t follow.”
My lip fought curling into a smile at Hart’s attempt to lighten the mood. Of course that would be his answer. “Once Alaric created the tonic and Mother’s condition stopped deteriorating, Father worked with me again.”
Hart nodded.
“I’ve learned not to take all the guilt myself. I was not responsible for the Blessed’s actions.” I hesitated, and then the secret part slipped out. The part I repeated often in my head but rarely gave life to in words. “Even if it should have been me.”
My gaze locked with Hart’s. Something passed between us, an understanding I didn’t expect. I saw my pain reflected in his features.
“I can’t say I understand your Father’s, or even Alaric’s, actions … but that … I understand.”
I believed him. We had a bone-deep understanding—he, too, knew what it was to wonder how things could have gone differently, what might have changed for your loved ones if they had.
Suddenly, I felt too raw. I wrapped my arms around myself. The open hallway was too exposed. So many emotions flooded me. I didn’t know what to do with them—where to put them. My sadness at our mother’s stories mixed with something close to contentment at knowing someone saw my pain and understood.
I shook them off.
This hardly fixed my and Hart’s problems. He was still Blessed—still had some connection with the Feared. Under duress, he may have admitted Alaric had taken care of the tonic, but he hadn’t exactly let me out of my end of the blackmail.
We couldn’t be … whatever this was.
I was unsure how to break the strange intimacy. “We should go.”
He nodded and followed as I led him up the rest of the stairs.
At some point, as I entered the apartment, Hart stopped following me. He must have decided to stand sentry in the hallway, which was probably for the best. I was unsure what I would find inside.
Father was sitting by the fire, watching a pot of water near boiling, likely for Mother’s tea. He startled. “Emberline. What are you doing here?”
Although I had seen him only a few days before, the distance between us felt like it stretched years.
“I came to check on Mother’s tonic delivery. Did we get it?”
He looked confused. “Yes, someone dropped it off maybe an hour ago.”
The relief that flooded me was more than I could bear.
My knees felt weak. Even as Hart leveraged his side of our deal, he’d held true to the one he had made with Alaric.
Did this make a difference? I didn’t know, but a weight lifted to think I could make decisions without worrying they would cost Mother her tonic.
I swallowed the surfacing emotion. “Alright, I have to go. ”
He stood to pour the water over the tea leaves. “Say hello to your mother first.”
I didn’t want to argue. Quick steps led me down the hallway to her room. It was late, but Mother’s eyes were open, and she smiled like she’d seen the stars light up the night sky for the first time.
“I’ve missed you, Ember.”
I bit my lip to stop the tears from welling in my eyes. Hart’s comment about my name echoed through my head. I didn’t know what to make of it. Everything Hart did confused me. Words like those begged me to trust him. But his actions told me to be wary.
“Will you come give me a hug before you go?”
I didn’t ask how she knew I was leaving so soon, but I didn’t hesitate, stooping to wrap my arms around her. I lost the battle against the brimming tears, and one slipped down my cheek.
“The Cursed King is coming.”
Her eyes were cloudy, but I knew she’d recently had tonic. The nightmare magic hadn’t been seen again since the festival. I wasn’t naive enough to think he’d left Kavios, but I’d hoped to avoid a confrontation.
Her voice was still airy when she continued. “Chaos knew what she was doing.”
I shook my head, unsure what to make of the statements. They sounded like a refrain from Champions of Kavios, but I couldn’t place them.
Her tonic may be taken care of, but standing there with Mother reminded me that it didn’t provide the certainty I hoped for about my next move.
Leaving still felt out of reach. The prince had threatened Father once already.
They wouldn’t leave him alone if I disappeared.
They’d come for him, even if he couldn’t source the adamas .
Mother couldn’t travel. She needed to stay close to the youngleaf source. I still didn’t know where it came from. It seemed, with every step I took toward freedom, a new obstacle blocked my path.
“We’ll be alright, love.” She answered my unspoken fears.
“What do you mean?”
She squeezed tight and whispered into my hair. “Be careful and stick close to your guard.”
I collected myself while she refused to expand on her comments.
We separated, and I departed. Hart paced the hallway like a caged animal.
He was close to the door as I opened it, like he’d contemplated following me.
It wasn’t until he turned and I met Hart’s gaze that I realized I hadn’t told Mother I had a guard.