The scratches on it were deeper, more pronounced.
Matthias stared at the bauble. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s a piece of cheap glass.”
“It feels like so much more. Like…” He rubbed at the scratches with the pad of his thumb. “There’s a coating on it.”
“Figured it was painted once to make it resemble more expensive stained glass.”
Matthias held up the crystal drop as he studied it. “I’ve never seen anything like whatever was used to coat it, but it looks like it would be a lot more difficult and expensive to apply than the bit of nickel it would take to make stained glass.”
“There’s probably a story behind it. There always was with my father.” She tucked the pendant under the top of her dress.
“Maybe we should have the jeweler look at it today. He might be able to tell us what the coating is. Give us an idea where it came from and if it has a use. Might tell us a little more about your father.”
“That’s a thoughtful idea. I’d like to learn more. My father never talked much about his childhood, and it must date back to then.”
“Let’s ask and see.”
Sapphire dropped a shawl around her shoulders and followed Sir Matthias downstairs.
Her carriage was waiting, and she directed her coachman to take them down to a very fashionable section of the trade district. Matthias handed her in, then climbed up next to her. A moment later, the carriage was in motion.
Sapphire leaned against her husband, enjoying him hard and strong beside her as the houses become smaller and more crowded together the further from the Valerian manor they rode. The palace soared up behind them, its alabaster turrets scraping the sky. Beyond that was the temple to the Dragon Church. A veritable pillar of Tamryn, it marked the heart of Aerius and was a sign of Dracor’s power on the mortal plane.
Serena’s temple occupied the north side of the city and was flanked by the mage’s college on one side and the bustling marketplace and shipyards on the other. Most ships flew both the flag of Tamryn and a flag with a griffon to honor the goddess of wisdom.
South of them stood the temple of Thalia and the poor districts that surrounded it. While he’d one day amassed a fortune large enough to marry an aristocrat’s daughter, Captain Gregory Darrington had started as an orphan in those slums.
A plume of smoke darkened the sky in that direction, and Sapphire stared at it as she thought of her father. A lump formed in her throat as she cradled the scratched pendant. Her father had died three years ago, and while her grief had dulled, she still missed him terribly.
Gregory Darrington had taught her to wield a sword, ride astride, and shoot a bow. He’d also taught her to read ledgers and people.
Perhaps everything he’d taught her about people troubled her more than anything.
While Sapphire’s grandfather didn’t like her, Mara’s words solidified a motivation for murder.
Sapphire’s skin prickled, and she dropped a hand to touch the pendant beneath her dress.
Her grandfather wasn’t just touched by Rashalee, but he worshipped the dark goddess.
She’d always feared it on some subconscious level, but it hadn’t mattered. Lord Henry Carsons had distanced himself from his granddaughter, making it well known that she was less than his other grandchildren.
Sapphire had always assumed it was because of her father, but perhaps there was more to it.
A lot more.
She thought of her mother, a delicate woman that was careful to follow every social stricture and made sure she was never caught alone with a gentleman. Ever. Something she had warned Sapphire about repeatedly.
There had to be a reason for that.
Whether they were things said to terrify Julianna or things that that had been done to her, Lord Henry Carsons hadn’t protected his daughter from it. May have even been the root of it.
Matthias stroked her arm. “You okay?”
Sapphire uncurled the fists she hadn’t realized she’d made. “Thinking of my grandfather. Of what he did or said to mother. He’s proven he’ll kill to get what he wants, even innocent people like your family. I have to neutralize the threat he poses to us, and I’ve been considering ways to do it.”
Sir Matthias held her hand between both of his. “The Knights of Valor will prove he was behind the attack on my family’s farm, and when they do, the full extent of the law will crash down on him.”
“He’s good at getting away with it.”
“One of the men he sent after us survived.”
Sapphire paused. “The one you healed.”
“I didn’t think it would be enough. I was so angry and disgusted I couldn’t find the light like I normally do.”
Sapphire trailed a finger over his well-muscled forearm. “But you still found enough to save him. You are an amazing man.”
“We both have to trust in Dracor to see justice done and do all we can to help Him while avoiding Rashalee’s darkness. I want Lord Carsons to pay for what he did, but it must be justice and not revenge.”
Sapphire considered her husband’s words as he held her close. About what they meant. About the plans she was forming.
She wanted justice. She didn’t want to slip any further down Rashalee’s path. But how could she tell the difference between the two?
Before she could answer her question, their carriage stopped before one of the finest jewelers in Aerius, jolting her back to their reason for the trip.
A smile spread over her face as Sir Matthias handed her out of the vehicle and followed her into the shop.
But Sapphire’s joy dissipated when she saw her uncle.
Chapter 23
Donald Carsons, Lord Henry Carsons only son and heir, glowered at them.
Sir Matthias wanted to punch him and knock the smug expression from the aristocrat’s face. Instead he waved, an informal gesture he chose to illicit a response.
Lord Donald shoved something back into a velvet box and tucked the box into his coat. “Perhaps we can speak again when you aren’t entertaining such riffraff.”
“I would be careful calling Knights of Valor riffraff,” the man behind the counter whispered. “Dracor may hear you.”
Lord Donald ignored him and stomped out of the shop.
While he was sad to cost the jeweler a customer, Sir Matthias had no intention of allowing the Carsons family to dictate where he and Sapphire shopped or when.
“Sorry if we caused you any trouble,” Sapphire said as she stared after her uncle.
“You are never trouble, my dear,” Advik replied. His hair and skin were dark, and there was a sultry lilt to his words that whispered of his native lands. “Your relations are another matter.”
Matthias leaned against the glass counter. “How is swimming practice coming?”
Sapphire raised a brow. “Swimming practice?”
Advik chuckled. “So much water here. My son likes to play in the river with the other boys, but I worried because I could not swim myself. Sir Matthias had the older boys at the Temple of Thalia teach me.”
“You really do know everyone,” Sapphire whispered.
Matthias nodded toward the door. “What did my my uncle-in-law want?”
“So the rumors are true and you two are wed?” Advik asked.