Page 105 of A Court Bright and Broken

He dragged a drawer open and rifled through it, grasping something with a triumphant, “Aha—here it is.”

Then he hurried back to me, his long stride taking mere seconds to reach me. When he did, he knelt on the floor beside my bent knees and held out his closed hand.

When he opened his fingers, I gasped.

“My mother’s locket.” Astonished, I took the heirloom from his palm. “Wherever did you get it?”

A flash of suspicion pierced my heart. Hadhetaken it from me that day?

“I sent my soldiers to find the band of thieves,” he said. “They didn’t have the locket on them any longer—they’d already sold it—but theykindlyprovided the necessary information on its whereabouts. My soldiers were able to buy it back from its new owner and bring it here.”

A sense of awe blended with joy and filled my chest to the point it was almost painful. I held the locket inside both hands against my heart.

“I never thought I’d see this again,” I told him. “Why would you do that? Why send your soldiers to find it?”

His expression changed, looking almost shy. “Because it was precious to you.”

That explained nothing. In fact, it created even more questions.

“I guess I thought… maybe I’d see you again someday and could give it back,” he said.

Tears flooded my eyes, blurring the beautiful vision of his face, and my throat suddenly felt sore and blocked by something. I swallowed hard to clear it.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “This is without question the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

Stellon’s chin dipped down, and he cleared his throat.

“It was nothing. I’m just glad they were able to find it.”

He watched as I opened the locket and smiled at the sight of the two small portraits inside—one of my mother holding me as a baby and one of her alone. It was so good to see them again, to have her back in the only way I could.

“You must have the magic touch,” Stellon said. “I tried so many times to open it and never could. May I see it? I’ve been dying to know what was inside these past few weeks.”

I handed it to him, and Stellon studied the portraits.

He blinked several times. “It’s so strange… I feel as if I’ve seen your mother somewhere before. Did she ever work in the palace that you know of?”

“Not that I know of. She probably looks familiar because she looks like me.”

He glanced up at me then down at the locket again.

“Yes, that must be it.” After a few seconds’ hesitation he added, “She’s beautiful.”

Brimming tears blurred my eyes, making my smile wobble a bit.

My mother would have been forty-two years old this year, had she not been killed. I had no doubt she would have been every bit as lovely now, if not more so.

“She was.” It came out sounding hoarse.

For some reason, I missed her more in this moment than I had in a long time.

Stellon’s chin jerked up as his gaze left the locket and came to meet mine.

Spotting my tears, he reached out and cupped my face, gliding his thumbs beneath my eyes. His tone was gentle, his face taut with compassion.

“I am so sorry you lost her.”

I nodded, blinking and swallowing to try to keep the tears at bay. I had thought I was all cried out over the loss by this point, but apparently not.

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