“Oh dear god,” says Jake.
I cut him a glance. “Stop it.”
“Look, as much as I love that you’ve grown up in a place where you’ve got absolutely no hang-ups about crushing on a guy, I’m going to have to shoot the stars out of your eyes for a second, T.”
I turn that around in my head for a moment and come up with nothing. I’ve known him and Noah and Harper for long enough that they don’t often find a phrase that I can’t parse out. “Is that Disi talk?”
“No—well, sort of. I’m glad you’ve finally found someone to pine over, but—”
“I am notpining.”
He gives me a look. “There’s a reason I knocked when I came back the second time.”
“There was no reason to knock.” But heat crawls up my neck anyway, and I keep my eyes on the path.
“Uh-huh. And where’s your bow?” he says.
“I gave it to Jax. His bow was snapped in the fight with his father.”
I expect that to launch a new round of teasing, but instead, he says nothing, and we walk in silence for a while. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, but it’sweighted, like he’s thinking.
“What did you mean about ‘shooting the stars out of my eyes’?” I say.
“I mean it’s obvious you have a thing for this kid, and I get it. He’s not breaking any mirrors.” He pauses, and his voice drops a bit, gentling. “And I saw his father. I know why you got him out of there.”
At the mention of Jax’s father, I don’t feel gentle at all. “I wish the magistrate had been willing to hold him for longer than two weeks.”
Jake is quiet for a long moment. “You said Jax was holding a message for Alek, right? That’s the night you were hurt?”
“Yes. He wasn’t doing anything but holding the message. He hadn’t read it. And today, he told me he hasn’t seen Alek since that day. I don’t think he was lying.”
“If he’s not, I know why.” He pauses. “Alek has been seeing that baker—Callyn, right?—instead.”
I go still. “What?”
“He was there when we were going through the forge. She said he’s been coming to Briarlock to seeher.” He pauses. “He walked her back down the lane to the bakery. I didn’t follow them too closely, but I rode far enough to see him kiss her at the door—and it sure didn’t seem like a first kiss.”
Alek andCallyn? I try to realign every moment I’ve spent with Callyn, and I can’t draw any conclusions.
While I’m deliberating, Jake reaches a hand into the pouch on his belt and withdraws two small objects that appear to be a combination of wood and steel. When he holds them out, I take them from his palm. They look like wax seals, crudely formed. There are bits of black-and-green wax caked to the metal, along with a few spots of rust, and I study them, trying to determine whether I recognize the design.
Before I’ve figured it out, Jake holds out a folded scrap of parchment. I loop my free arm through Mercy’s reins to take it. The paper is well worn, dusty and stained in spots, as though various items have been shoved on top of it. When I unfold it, I see a dozen sketches of a seal that Idorecognize.
“The Truthbringers,” I whisper. Something in my gut clenches. I look at Jake. “Where did you get this?”
But I know. I know before he even says, “At the forge when we went to arrest his father.”
“Then it must be his father’s,” I say. “I asked Jax—”
“I asked his father. He swore he’s never seen that before. I also asked if he was working with the Truthbringers, and he said he only provides what’s needed from the forge. He says it wasCallyn’s father who got mixed up with the Uprising. Not him.”
My mind won’t stop spinning. I have so many questions. Does Jax know? Was he keeping that a secret? His voice was tense when he mentioned Callyn. Could this be why?
“The magistrate said the forge is a full two years behind on their taxes,” Jake adds. “The bakery isn’t much better. Did you know that?”
The clench on my gut tightens. I remember little Nora’s voice.Look at all that silver!“No.”
“Did you ask Jax about anyone else, or just Alek?”
