Page 12 of The Other Side

“Wow,” Fin said. “I wish I’d seen it.”

Osian shot them looks of profound gratitude.

“A Ladybower Dragon Wing!” his mother predictably gasped. “Where? Tell me!”

And Osian was safe.

The reprieve lasted until the meal ended. His brothers clapped him on the back with their customary see-you-soon, then vanished, leaving him alone with his parents.

“Be careful,” his father muttered, pulling him into a brief hug.

“There’s a few supplies in your satchel,” his mother said.

“Thank you.”

“Make sure you come back,” she added, her voice tightly coiled.

Osian gave her an extra-long hug, then collected his violin case, bag and the satchel, and stepped out into the crisp night air. It was a two-mile walk to the crossing place and though his night vision was good, he was glad the moon was out. As usual, he made sure he wasn’t followed. If he was, Belem wouldn’t let him cross. It had happened.

When he reached the rendezvous point, he looked around for coins and found ten. His heart swelled and he gathered them up into his satchel. He was sure Drum had sent them across, by accident or on purpose. A year before he’d disappeared, Drum had mastered the trick of letting a coin roll over and under his hand and he’d been so pleased with himself. Osian’s mum had made such a fuss of him. Osian thought Drum was still doing the trick somewhere on The Other Side, sending the coins to him. He wanted to believe he was doing it on purpose.

Osian sat on a rock to wait. He would have begun searching for Drum the day he’d vanished, but like Drum, he’d only been ten. Osian had been heartbroken that they’d been torn apart. It had made him so ill, his mother had called a healer. The pain had been deadened a little, but the hole in Osian’s heart was still there.

No faery was allowed through the Veil until they were twenty. Even then, permission was rarely granted, the circumstances had to be exceptional and could only be done with the Queen’s blessing. He didn’t really have that. By the time he’d convinced Belem to open the gate for him, Osian was almost twenty. Every year following, he’d crossed between the faery and mortal world, pouring his energy into a quest his family and Belem considered hopeless. One month on The Other Side was far less in Faery time, so his absence was easy to hide, and his beloved flowers could survive his absence, but if he was caught…

Maybe what he was doing was hopeless. But he couldn’t give up. Even when he returned having failed, he felt better for at least having tried. For a while, until the desperate yearning grew again.

“Osian!”

Belem’s deep voice made him cringe. Osian stood and kept his face carefully blank as Belem approached. The Queen’s consort was beautiful in the way predators often were. Tall, muscular, always smiling. He was dressed in shimmering blue, his silver hair spilling down his back like liquid metal. His wings were out, his customary show of dominance. Nothing about Belem should have been frightening. Yet every encounter left Osian fighting the instinct to recoil. Osian’s wings, tight inside him, seemed to shiver. He always feared Belem would cut them off.

Belem dragged the backs of his fingers down Osian’s cheek. His nails were as sharp as a cat’s claws. Osian didn’t move.

“Hello, pet,” Belem whispered.

“Hello.”

“You were such a good boy three nights ago. You pleased me.”

Do not shudder. Say nothing. Don’t react.

Belem slipped a hand into Osian’s pocket, ostensibly to give him currency used by mortals. In reality, the touch lingered elsewhere. A lingering brush against his cock. Any sign of resistance or repugnance and the crossings would end. But no way would he go hard.

“I’ve put a shopping list in your pocket too.” Belem purred the words into his ear, dripping poison into him.

Last time, he’d had trouble fulfilling the list.

“I can’t get stuff like caviar from the village shops,” Osian blurted.

“Find a way.”

How? You moron.

“What’s on the list this time?”

“Sugar, spices, cheese, marbles, jewellery. A few other fun things.” Belem withdrew his hand, then gave Osian’s arse an affectionate squeeze. “One mortal month. See you soon, my love. No time at all. Off you go.”

Osian turned and walked straight at the rock. It always crossed his mind that Belem might not let the Veil open and he’d end up breaking his nose, but he guessed that while the dickhead was getting what he wanted, he’d allow this to continue.