Page 18 of Chaos and Crowns

“You have a point though. I’ll go check on him and leave you ladies to have fun looking at jewels.” Thad disappeared out the door with a waggle of his fingers.

In his absence, Seraphina inclined her head towards a set of low cushioned stools.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll grab my collection so we can see what I might be willing to part with for your ruse.”

As Odelle perched herself on the stool, she asked, “If making the new crown is so difficult, why doesn’t Antony get one of the other Eteria members to help him?”

Seraphina picked up a small wooden chest off a vanity and brought it over to the sitting area.

“For one thing, Antony knows the best what the original looks like, considering he made that one,” Seraphina explained.

Odelle’s eyebrows shot up. He hadn’t mentioned that particular detail during their investigation.

“I’d guess it’s part of why he’s so set on fixing this situation himself. He probably feels responsible, especially considering that he takes a lot of problems personally even when he didn’t have anything to do with them. It gives him a tendency to throw himself at problems without thinking of asking for help, as if he has to do everything by himself to prove a point.”

Odelle digested this information silently, uncomfortable with the way Seraphina’s words smacked of a familiar sentiment. Antony wasn’t somebody she would necessarily have considered herself similar to, her naturally loud and unapologetic ways seemingly at odds with his gentle demeanor. The overwhelming need to demonstrate that she could pull her weight was something she understood though, even if she couldn’t imagine why a powerful immortal sorcerer would have the same inclination.

Seraphina continued on, setting a chest on the table as if she didn’t sense Odelle’s internal turmoil. “Besides, only another Smith would really be able to help Antony with the crown.”

As Odelle leaned in to take in the tangle of emerald and bronze jewelry in the chest, she frowned.

“A Smith?”

“How much has Nora told you about the Eteria?” Seraphina asked.

Odelle’s frown deepened.

“Oh, the basics I think.” Odelle paused, and Seraphina looked at her expectantly,

“You’re warriors who use a magical power called the Light to fight the evil Shadow. The Eteria went into hiding after your numbers were decimated by a battle against the Shadow in ancient Greece, and your ability to use the Light has been diminished ever since—and now the Shadow is gaining power again.”

Seraphina exhaled sharply through her nose in what might have been sarcastic humor.

“Of course Nora would focus on the battles and the fighting. She always did charge in spear first.”

Odelle bristled at Seraphina’s derisive tone but held her tongue. As a reporter, she knew better than to interrupt somebody who was giving her information.

“Nora, in her prior life with the Eteria, was a Warrior,” Seraphina elaborated, “But not all Eteria members are Warriors.”

“Oh yeah,” Odelle said, remembering something she had heard in passing. “Like Thad, he’s a Healer, isn’t he?”

Seraphina nodded. “Yes, and so am I. That’s why we both wear green. Adam is a Defender. And Antony, he’s a Smith. He uses the Light to make things. Magical weapons mostly, although Antony has a knack for other things as well.”

Odelle pictured the shimmering legs, shoved in the back of her closet where she wouldn’t have to look at them and be reminded of Antony every time she got dressed. They did fit like magic.

“The point is,” Seraphina continued, “None of us are Smiths. We’d be less than helpful.”

Odelle plucked a ring out of the jewelry box and held it up to inspect. The gold band was shaped like a snake, its tail curled around to hold a cat’s-eye emerald that showed a myriad of iridescent colors.

“This is beautiful,” Odelle admired.

Seraphina glanced at the piece in Odelle’s grasp and pursed her lips. “That was a seventy-fifth anniversary gift from my husband,” she commented.

Odelle hastily placed it back in the box. “I wouldn’t want to make you part with something so important.”

Seraphina shook her head, an odd expression on her face as she gazed into the pile of jewelry.

“He gave me all of this actually,” she explained.