Page 74 of The Other Side

“Belem ensured that you’d keep coming for the last ten years. I doubt he imagined that you’d ever find Drum. He’s always manipulated you, Osian.”

“It makes no difference. I love Drum. That’s my heart speaking.” He put his hand on his chest.

The terrible thing was that he knew his brother was right. Belem would have compelled him to keep coming because it suited his needs.

Leaf hesitated, then asked, “Have you ever wondered why Drum was sent to this side?”

“Of course I have.”

“And?”

Osian shrugged helplessly. “When he and his parents moved into the neighbourhood, it was clear they didn’t love him. They never cared for him. His clothes didn’t fit him. His room was bare. They forgot to feed him. Drum spent more time at our place than theirs. You know he did. Maybe they didn’t want to have to deal with him fighting back once he matured into his magic.”

“He wasn’t their child.”

The room seemed to tilt. “What?”

Leaf swallowed. “Drum isn’t fae.”

The words refused to make sense. “I don’t…”

“He doesn’t have any fae blood.”

“He sensed the gate.”

“You showed him where it was. You were with him. Probably holding his hand.”

Not that gate. But Osian kept that to himself.

“He had a little magic even when he was a child,” Osian said.

“You thought he did.”

“But when we were children, we could hide anywhere. No one could find us.”

“We let you believe that.”

Osian frowned. “He could make coins disappear.”

“Practice.”

It was more than that. How did they appear on the other side of the gate? “He healed like I healed.”

“Mum helped him.”

Each answer knocked another brick from the world Osian thought he knew. He sat perfectly still. “So…” His throat tightened. “Drum’s a… a…”

He couldn’t say the word.

“A changeling.” Leaf said it for him.

“And they just threw him back when they didn’t want him anymore? That’s not allowed. Is it? They could have done it before? Why wait? When then? Why didn’t the Queen strip them of everything?”

“I have no answers. Mum suspected. She knew Drum well. She knew how much you loved him so she helped where she could. His fae parents have influence. Oliver is the Queen’s cousin, remember.”

“Does influence reach that far?”

Leaf met his eyes. “You know it does. I’m aware of some facts. Delfin and Oliver tried for a child for a long time. Delfin finally gave birth to a son. He was frail. Sickly. In their eyes…defective.” He paused. “Not what they wanted. Not what a high fae family should have.”