Page 114 of The Other Side

The Queen received him in her garden room, light pouring through crystal windows onto beds of impossible blooms even though it grew dark outside. The mortal flowers stood in a great silver vase beside her throne of living branches, the leaves every shade of green. The colours of the flowers from the mortal world seemed almost shocking among the pale elegance of Faery.

He dropped gracefully to one knee.

“Queen of the Whispering Leaves, Lady of the Long Shadows, Empress of Beauty.” He lowered his head. “I humbly beg an audience.”

The Queen regarded him for several silent moments. Well, he guessed she did. He didn’t lift his head.

“So,” she said at last, “you thought to charm me with stolen flowers.”

She sounded curious rather than angry.

“Not stolen, your majesty. Freely given.”

“You’ve brought me a fascinating gift,” she continued. “Though in acquiring it, you’ve broken one of the oldest laws of Faery and crossed without permission.”

He drew a slow breath. “I hoped you would find them…intriguing. Many flowers on The Other Side only bloom fleetingly, but I could collect their seeds. Grow them here. Perhaps even breed varieties unseen in either realm.” He glanced briefly toward the vase and then at her. “Or you might preserve a corner of your gardens solely for flowers from the mortal world. No place in Faery could rival it.”

A faint smile touched her lips. “You bargain even now.”

“I offer what I can.”

“Stand and look at me, Osian.”

He obeyed. The breath caught painfully in his chest.

Every story told of the Queen’s loveliness failed to capture it. She wasn’t merely exquisite, she embodied beauty itself, as though every blossom in the room borrowed its colour from her. Her gaze held him effortlessly.

“What,” she asked softly, “were you doing on The Other Side? To go there without permission was beyond reckless.”

He couldn’t lie to her, but he could choose which truths to lay bare. He spoke of his love for Drum. How when Osian was almost of age, he’d come to court to ask for permission to look for him. How her majesty had been away and he’d spoken to Belem. He told her of Belem’s deal that offered him the chance to spend time looking for Drum in return for…doing Belem’s bidding, and how he used magic to prevent Osian from speaking of it. He spoke of how he’d found Drum. How Leaf was in the shadow halls and the reason. He told her of the list Belem gave him of things to get from the Other Side. He told her of the further deal Belem offered, that Leaf would be released if Osian continued to do as Belem asked.

When he’d finished, silence settled over the room. The Queen rose from her throne of branches and glided to the silver vase, gently tracing the petal of a mortal rose with a single fingertip. Something genuine shifted in her expression. Not irritation, nor anger, but a deep, calculating interest.

Finally, she asked, “Do you know what strikes me as strange?”

Osian lowered his eyes. “No, Your Majesty.”

“You never once asked for mercy.”

He hesitated. “I came to ask for justice for my brother.”

“So,” she murmured, almost to herself, “What is Belem up to?” She looked back at Osian. “Tell me everything again. In detail. This time leave nothing out. Tell it all. I know you didn’t lie, but you didn’t tell the whole truth.”

He spoke again, though he still shrank from detailing the exact, degrading nature of what Belem had demanded of him.

“You still avoid the truth of the price you paid.”

“I do.”

She exhaled. “I thought the changeling was dead. I was told he was dead.”

Osian was glad the subject was changed, but he had to be careful. “Maybe whoever told you that thought he was dead. With Drum’s help, I found the gate he was taken through from here to The Other Side. I didn’t recognise that part of Faeryland. But we found a missing mortal who somehow managed to slip through chasing a dog. He thought he and the dog had been gone for days but they were lost for four months of mortal time. Someone left food for him and his companion.”

“What sort of dog?”

What? “A little dog. I think a cross between a dachshund and a corgi. He was called Indie.”

She gave a heavy sigh. “I think I know who was responsible for that. She will be…talked to. How busy you’ve been, Osian.”