I didn’t understand why Powell would have wanted to make them ever, but certainly the day of his wife’s funeral made little sense. I could imagine Alan retreating to the forge, but he’d find something that couldn’t be ruined to pound while working through his emotions. The goblets, with their inlays of crystal, would have required delicacy—even if Powell obviously hadn’t had the skill to make them well.
My fingers dug into Alan’s wrist as I pictured the goblets in my mind.
“Mina?”
“The goblets. What if those aren’t bits of colored crystal decorating them, but glass? Has Powell ever taken them with him into the city?” They had been in the cabinet when I visited the smithy thefirst time, but perhaps he only had to renew the charms every other visit.
“No, but I think a few of the crystals would pop out easily enough. With that side turned to the wall, I’d never notice if they were missing.”
I twisted around. “We need to check.”
Alan leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “Let’s go now. We can sneak in through the forge and no one will see us enter the shop. Powell should still be at the tavern this early in the evening.”
We rushed back to the village. We didn’t break into a run, but both of us moved faster than normal. I didn’t even hesitate leaping across the stepping stones, thankful I had plenty of practice by now crossing the stream. Once on the other side, Alan laced his fingers with mine and led me toward the forge, staying out of view from most of the other houses without thought.
He slid open the doors to the forge only enough for us both to slip through, then quietly closed them again. It was dim enough that I could never have navigated through safely, but Alan knew every inch of his domain and led me unerringly to the side door. Once in the shop, there was enough light from the front window that I didn’t risk tripping.
We crossed to the back wall and the display cabinet.
“I forgot it was locked,” I whispered.
“That’s not a problem.” Alan reached behind the finial, where he had hidden the copper chain, and pulled down two thin metal sticks. He inserted them into the iron lock.
Even if Alan hadn’t created this lock, he’d understand how the mechanism worked. I wasn’t surprised he knew how to pick a lock. But I hadn’t expected him to have the tools so close at hand.
He grinned at me. “Even when I thought leaving Skorsa would be a waste, I still contemplated making my escape. I figured if I ever ran, I might want to bring a gold candlestick with me.”
The lock clicked open, and he lifted it from the hasp holding the doors closed. Pulling them open, he grabbed both goblets, handing one to me. I looked over it, confirming that what I had assumed were bits of crystal were actually glass marbles. But which ones were charms?
Alan rotated the goblet in his hand, then suddenly rapped it against the heel of his palm. Two marbles popped out into his hand. He put the goblet back on the shelf, turned so that the missing pieces wouldn’t be visible from the front of the cabinet. Then he handed me the marbles and took the second goblet, giving it the same treatment as the first. Nothing popped out this time.
I held the marbles—the charms—tight while Alan returned the second goblet to the shelf and locked the cabinet once more.
Once that was done, however, he stopped moving, staring at my fist.
“Let’s destroy some charms,” I said, holding them out once more.
He didn’t take them. “Right. This way.”
I followed him back to the forge, stopping a few steps inside. With the door to the shop still open behind me, I could see a little more, but not much. Alan moved farther inside, grabbing a hammer, then coming back to me. I gave him the first marble. He placed it on top of an anvil, nudging it until it stopped rolling. His arm lifted high, then with an exhale, he brought the hammer down on the glass.
It splintered, the tiny shards looking almost pretty, glittering on the dark surface.
I handed Alan the second marble. He repeated the process, staring at the mess for a moment in silence. Then he set the hammer down and looked at me. “Did it work?”
“I have no idea. I admit, I rather expected a big flash of light, but I’m not sure why.”
“That would have been more dramatic. I can’t help but wonder if those weren’t charms.”
“We’ll have to test.”
“How? You’ve said it yourself: the charms have had a hold on everyone for years. Even if I did just break them, those thought patterns will still be deeply ingrained.” Alan turned away, returning to the anvil a moment later with a dustpan and brush. He carefully removed all evidence of what we had done, shifting things in the rubbish bin so that the glass shards weren’t on top.
I closed the door to the shop and stepped up to where I had just seen him standing. I searched for his hand, and he laced his fingers with mine once more. “They weren’t mind-bending charms, though. So, it isn’t the thought patterns, but the emotions. For a test, you need to interact with someone whose emotions shift easily. Someone fickle enough to form a new impression quickly.”
Even in the darkness, I could see the way Alan’s eyes went wide, the whites standing out. “Oh, no. There has to be another way.”
I laughed. “Kayla will be the quickest to act differently around you, and you know it.”
