Page 23 of Embrace the Serpent
Mirandel tore her eyes away from the rings, and her demeanor changed. “Yes. In truth, that is why I am here.” She took a deepbreath and leaned in. “I have come to advise you, if you will forgive my presumptuousness. You must go and apologize to Lady Incarnadine. Grovel properly, and she will be merciful. Perhaps enough that she will let you keep this place. You are a good jewelsmith—one of the best we have—and she will recognize that. You’ll take a hit, of course. No one will dare commission you for some time. But if you can hold out for, oh, six months or so, and if your work remains at this level, they will be back.”
Galen’s eyes gleamed. “I thank you most kindly for your advice. But there is no need. The task that Lady Incarnadine asked of me will be completed soon.”
Mirandel huffed. “You don’t have to pretend in front of me. I’m on your side. She doesn’t expect you to actually do it. She’s trying to teach you a lesson. Vyalis is her little pet.”
“Nevertheless,” Galen said, growing slightly more pompous with every breath, “it will be done.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Mirandel’s eyes narrowed. “You do know that piece was originally made by the Great Master Darvald—”
I choked on my spit.
Mirandel continued without pause. “With respect, Master Galen, no matter how nice your work is, how good you may be, you can’t expect anyone to believe you’ve done it. Drop the charade, and we can figure out how to save you.”
I was stuck onDarvald. Darvald, the legendary jewelsmith, whose work drove the divine peoples into the Serpent Kingdom.
Okay, so my design was wrong. Mystery solved, and I didn’t even have to lose a hand to know for sure.No onewas on Darvald’s level.
I was with Mirandel. Galen needed to go beg Incarnadine for mercy, instead of sitting there with that cocky smile.
Mirandel said, “Before Vyalis, another jewelsmith tried to do it. They found him bent over his table, eyes open, not a thought in his head. Three months he stayed like that, with his assistants pouring soup in his mouth, until he finally choked and died.”
She was talking about Master Joonis. Two years ago, his head assistant took over his shop under mysterious circumstances.
Galen’s smile only grew. “If you’re so sure I can’t do it, why help me?”
Mirandel leaned back. “Don’t mistake me. I offer my help, but not for nothing. I want your assistant.”
My heart stopped.
The smile dropped from Galen’s face. “That’s out of the question.”
Mirandel’s gaze met mine. “You do know that she’s an Imperial Ward. A runaway. Harboring her will bring Incarnadine’s wrath down on your head.”
I would’ve felt less exposed if I was standing there naked.
Galen laughed. “Saphira, an escaped ward? Please.”
His gaze bored into the side of my face, but I couldn’t look away from Mirandel.
“Why?” I whispered.
Her lips curled in a smirk. She rose, tossing her silken hair. “You have a choice to make, Master Galen. Give Saphira to me, unharmed, untouched, and I’ll help you keep your shop. Or, Lady Incarnadine will take her and your livelihood both. You have a day to decide.”
She strode out the door and paused on the threshold. “Oh, yes.My handmaiden will be along shortly with payment for the rings. Lovely work.”
Galen shut the door.
A long moment of silence stretched between us.
“Saphira,” Galen said, “is this true?”
My voice was stuck somewhere deep in my belly, and it wormed its way through my teeth. “Yes.”
“You hid this from me?”
Hysterical laughter was bubbling up in me. Did I hide this from him? What kind of a question was that? Of course I did. Should I have danced on the rooftops, singing,I ran away from Lady Incarnadine,’causeshe killed my family, please don’t send me back?
Of course I didn’t tell him the truth. Instead, I made myself valuable to him. So if he ever learned my secret, I would be worth more to him than the reward Lady Incarnadine would give him.
