Page 72 of Earthbound

I’m not staring at her behind!

Then you’re staring at Amnan’s. So pick what truth you’d rather go with.

Yeeran laughed and nudged Pila towards the prison.

—

It had been a long time since Yeeran had been to this side of Mosima. Not since she was a prisoner there herself.

Before we were bound, Pila said.

Yes.

The jail itself was a crumbling old building, rarely used. Justice worked differently in Mosima with crimes being punished by labour, not by isolation. So the cells had only ever been used on elves who were unfortunate enough to have stumbled upon the fae.

Not that Yeeran could still stand by that conclusion. Not with Furi’s kiss still lingering on her lips.

I am very fortunate indeed.

Malak, on the other hand, was not. He looked miserable in his cell.

‘Bad night?’ she said.

‘Oh, thank the light, Yeeran, please, let me out of here.’

She shook her head. ‘It’s not going to be that easy.’

He groaned. ‘At least get me a cooked meal–they’ve only sent me stale bread.’

Yeeran had asked the faeguard to take care of him, but clearly, they had their own definition of what that meant.

The fae will have even more reason to hate the elves after Cely’s death.

Wounds can’t stay open forever, Pila said. All things eventually heal.

The obeah’s hope lessened some of Yeeran’s despair.

‘The water too was brackish. I’m not convinced the guard didn’t spit in it,’ Malak said.

‘I’ll see what I can do, but in the meantime, if I remember correctly…’ She went to the cell opposite and lifted one of the floorboards. ‘Komi used to keep a bag of pistachios here. Aha, there we are. They might be a little stale.’ She shrugged and handed them over with a smile.

Malak didn’t take them. ‘Pistachios aren’t going to fix this. I’m a prisoner, Yeeran.’

‘A guest,’ she corrected him.

He sat back on his heels.

‘Come on, it could be worse,’ she said.

‘Yeah, I could be Motogo,’ he said. He met her gaze, laying bare the accusation.

Yeeran looked away first.

‘I can’t believe Motogo’s really gone,’ he said quietly.

‘I know.’ The two officers who had been Yeeran’s seniors were both now dead.

Malak scrubbed a hand over his face. ‘I thought the whole thing might have been a nightmare.’