Page 113 of The Other Side

“I want to see Leaf,” Osian demanded. “I want to know he’s unharmed or the Queen will hear of how a lord of the Seelie court holds a fae of a lesser house without a formal tribunal.”

Belem’s smile faltered, just for a fraction of a second. The mention of the Queen always carried weight, even for one as arrogant as him.

“Very well,” Belem said, rising slowly from his chair. “You may see him. But do not think for a moment, Osian, that you are the one holding the leash.”

The heavy oak doors of Belem’s study clicked shut behind Osian, leaving him in the cold, echoing corridor. Two of Belem’s personal guards stepped up on either side of him. They didn’t speak; they simply gestured him forwards.

Eventually, they took him down the spiral stone staircase that led to the lower, damper levels. It was a long way down. The air tasted of wet stone and old dust and the light grew dimmer the deeper they went. When the guards finally unlocked a heavy, reinforced door, Osian was pushed inside. He had one moment to wonder if he’d just voluntarily entered his own cell when he saw Leaf.

He was sitting on a low stone bench in the corner, his head in his hands. At the sound of the door opening, Leaf bolted upright. His eyes, wide and anxious, locked onto Osian.

“Osian!” Leaf scrambled to his feet, rushing forward, though he stopped a few paces back, his eyes darting to the guards who remained stationed just outside the open door.

“Are you hurt?” Osian asked quickly, keeping his voice low but steady. He reached out, gripping Leaf’s shoulders, checking for any obvious signs of mistreatment.

“No, just locked up like a stray dog,” Leaf muttered, his voice trembling slightly before he forced a bit of his usual fire back into his tone. “What’s going on? Why is Belem doing this? What does he want?”

Osian understood from Leaf’s words that he didn’t want Osian to talk in the guards’ hearing. He leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. “He’s trying to force my hand. He wants me to agree to a new deal to free you.”

Leaf groaned. “You are not to agree. Promise me. He compelled me to lie to you.”

Osian’s jaw tightened. “I tried to bluff him. I told him I’d take this to the Queen. I said holding a member of a lesser house without a formal tribunal is a breach of court law.”

Leaf’s breath hitched. He looked toward the door, then back to his brother, a mix of hope and sheer terror warring on his face. “The Queen? Osian, are you insane? You want to drag her into this?”

“It’s the only card I have left to play,” Osian whispered back fiercely. “Belem is powerful, but he won’t defy the Queen. If we petition for a formal tribunal, he’ll be forced to bring this before the High Court. He won’t be able to hide his dealings, or what he’s been making me do.”

“Or,” Leaf countered, his hand closing around Osian’s forearm hard enough to leave bruises, “she decides we’re more trouble than we’re worth and sweeps us all away. You know how the Queen looks at the lesser houses, Osian. To her, we’re insects. If Belem convinces her we’ve committed even the smallest crime, she’ll have us executed to preserve the peace. Or he’ll just make us disappear.”

“We’ve done nothing wrong. We have nothing to fear.”

Leaf let out a bitter laugh before pulling Osian into a tight embrace.

“You think innocence matters?” he whispered. “Once you stand before the Queen, there’s no taking it back. If you can’t prove Belem’s corruption beyond any doubt, you’ve signed every one of our death warrants. There has to be another way. Isn’t there some loophole in the bargain you made?”

“He didn’t make me think I was still bound. He wanted me to continue just to free you. I think our original deal is done.” Think but he wished he knew. Osian rested his forehead against his brother’s. “But this isn’t justice. It’s extortion. If I don’t go to the Queen, we’ll stay Belem’s puppets forever. I won’t let him destroy your life as well as mine.”

A guard outside the cell cleared his throat. Another joined him. Their time was over.

Leaf closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. “If you do this…if you ask for an audience with the Queen…” His voice wavered. “You must have enough to destroy Belem completely. Otherwise, we’re walking straight into the executioner’s noose.”

Osian leaned close, his lips over Leaf’s ear. “I know a place on The Other Side where we could hide if it comes to that. A safe place. For all of us.”

Leaf gave a hollow, broken laugh. “All of us?” he murmured. “Our lovers? Our friends? Every servant who’s ever shown us kindness? Every soul Belem decides is guilty by association?” He pulled back, his eyes shining. “We love Faery, Osian. We love the Queen. We just don’t love…him.”

Osian swallowed the lump in his throat. “I won’t stop until you’re free.”

He pressed a kiss to Leaf’s brow, forced himself to let go, and walked from the cell without looking back.

By the time the guards escorted him toward the palace gates, the weight of what he’d done had settled on his shoulders like an iron yoke. He could barely breathe.

The Queen would have received the flowers by now. She would know he’d entered Faery from The Other Side. She would know he’d lingered within the palace grounds. Perhaps she’d already decided his fate and wouldn’t call him back. He’d stepped one foot beyond the gates, his hope fading and his stomach sinking when hurried footsteps echoed behind him.

“Osian!”

He turned. It was the palace guard who’d carried the flowers to the Queen. “The Queen wishes to see you.”

Osian’s heart lurched. He refused to let hope take root again. Hope was dangerous. Hope made disappointment more painful. Silent and tense, he followed the guard towards the heart of the castle.