Page 114 of A Court Bright and Broken

Sadly, the sudden twirl set me off balance, and my proclamation was marred by dizzy staggering.

Stellon was up and over to me so fast he was a blur. Maybe it was just my drunken perception. Before I could protest, he’d swept me off my feet and was carrying me to the bed.

The close proximity to his body was the opposite of what I needed right now. He was so solid, so strong. He carried me without trouble, as if I weighed no more than a pillow.

“Put me down,” I pleaded.

“I’ll put you down when we reach the bed,” he said sensibly. “I don’t trust your legs to hold you. You’re drunk, Firebug.”

“I am not,” I said then let out a loud hiccup.

“Fine, I’m drunk,” I admitted, flopping my head to his chest, suddenly too tired to resist.

He smelled so good I wanted to cry. Whatwasit with these Elves and their alluring scents? As far as I knew Stellon hadn’t bathed before the social tonight, and he’d no doubt exerted himself during the day.

Why then did he look perfectly fresh and smell so enticing he made my mouth water?

Laying me on top of the covers, he leaned over me, supporting himself with a hand on either side of my shoulders as he studied my face.

“Whydidyou drink so much? I warned you of the effects of that water.”

“I know. I just… I need to get better. Faster. I need to heal and get home to my family before…”

My voice trailed off as I curtailed myself from telling him about Sorcha.

“Before?” he prompted.

“Almost everyone I know is poor and suffering, but my family is worse off than most,” I explained. “The day I met you, I was at the Rough Market to sell my mother’s locket… for food.”

His smile dropped immediately, a line forming between his brows.

I went on. “We were all on the verge of starvation. It’s been a bit better lately, but without me there, I fear things will get badagain—even worse than before. I’m responsible for them. I have to help them.”

“I’m sorry, Firebug,” Stellon said. “I didn’t realize how bad things were for you. That’s quite a heavy load to carry all by yourself. Is it your father’s injuries that have you so impoverished?”

“That and the tithe,” I said. “We’re not the only ones. In my village, there are many families living on the edge because the tithe takes away any sort of margin they might manage to build. If someone gets sick or there’s a single bad growing season, it can mean starvation for the entire family—or going to work in a pleasure house for the one who’s supporting them.”

The look on Stellon’s face was stricken.

“That’s… terrible. Unthinkable really.”

It hit me that his life here in the castle was so isolated he honestly didn’t realize how much suffering abounded in the human villages he and his family presided over.

A few trips to the Rough Market, where people had money to buy, wouldn’t have given him the full picture of his subjects’ lives.

“You didn’t know,” I said, amazed.

“No.”

One hand came to his forehead and spanned it, gripping his temples as he straightened.

“Maybe I should have, but I didn’t.”

“Your father knows,” I said. “He must know. And he just doesn’t care.”

Stellon blew out a breath, running both hands through his hair as he paced a couple of steps. Then he returned and sat on the edge of the bed, taking one of my hands inside his.

“I’m going to fix it,” he vowed. “I’m going to send someone to your village with food and other supplies for your family. Justtell me what they need and where they are, and I’ll have it sent to them immediately.”

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