Chapter 22

As they dashed through the city, Lily kept her cloak pulled tight, wary of any guards that might recognize Oskar. Their footsteps echoed as they wove their way toward the courthouse, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. If they were discovered, they might have a hard time explaining why they had two gagged and bound people with them—Alfred and Alice Brewer.

As they neared the top of the hill, the courthouse came into view. Attached to the gaol by a covered walkway, it was an austere building of worked stone. Two guards stood at attention by the entrance.

Lily's pulse quickened. How would they get in? Oskar and Alfred were both wanted men. Those guards would surely try to stop them—

She had barely finished the thought when Bryn and one of his men materialized from the shadows to either side of the gate and subdued the guards with swift blows.

Lily winced, but Oskar squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It was necessary," he murmured.

They slipped inside the courthouse. It was a dark and unpleasant place with little to soften its bare, austere walls or flagstone floor. They spotted a stout pair of doors at the far end of the hall.

Oskar looked around at Magnus and Emeric. "This is it. Ready?"

They nodded. "Ready."

The three of them strode forward and kicked the doors. They burst open with a thunderous boom.

Lily followed them through and found herself stepping into a vaulted stone chamber crammed with people. Kai and Conall were seated on a bench down the front, metal shackles around their wrists. A jury of twelve men were seated opposite them and Eberwyn stood before them, waxing lyrical, waving his hands to make his point.

But everyone, Eberwyn included, froze as Oskar, Magnus and Emeric burst in.

Eberwyn was the first to recover from the shock. "That's him! Oskar Galbraith! That's the traitor and he's got more of them with him!"

Three men sat at a raised table at one end of the room. They were all in later middle age, two wearing the rich clothes that suggested the nobility, the other the long dark smock of a churchman.

Oskar had mentioned the king's justiciars. Is that who these men were?

Early morning sunlight filtered through the high windows of the packed courtroom, casting an ethereal glow on the faces of those gathered. Lily stood against the wall, her heart hammering, as she watched Oskar stride forward. Kai and Conall, seated on the defendant's bench, looked as shocked as everyone else at this sudden interruption.

"My Lord, Earl Elgin," Oskar called out to the graying man seated in the middle of the justiciars, the one who seemed to be in charge. "Please listen! I have evidence that will exonerate my friends and reveal the true traitor among us."

The murmur of the crowd hushed as all eyes turned to Oskar, who held up a parchment with a steady hand. Lily could barely breathe. They stood on a knife-edge and she had no idea which way this would fall.

The earl glanced at his two companions briefly then nodded.

"Approach," the earl commanded, his steely gaze fixed on Oskar.

Oskar walked up to the earl and handed him the document. "This reveals Eberwyn's involvement with the Disinherited and proves that he is trying to frame the Order of the Osprey. If ye compare the writing to Eberwyn's testimony against the Order, ye will see that it is a match."

The earl's eyes narrowed. "Grave accusations indeed."

As the earl and his two companions studied the document, doubt gnawed at Lily. What if it wasn't enough? What if Eberwyn managed to slip through their fingers?

"Silence!" The earl's voice boomed through the courtroom as murmurs began to rise. His eyes never left the parchment, his brows furrowing in concentration. The man's eyes darted back and forth between the damning document Oskar had presented and another written document which she guessed was Eberwyn's written testimony. She watched as the earl's eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.

"By the saints," he breathed, his voice barely audible. "It's a match." He passed the documents to his companions to examine and then looked up. "This is written in yer own hand, Eberwyn. Explain yerself."

"Yer Lordship!" Eberwyn barked, his face flushed with panic and anger. "This is outrageous! They are clearly attempting to frame me! Bailiff! Do yer job and arrest these people!"

The bailiff, the same skinny, pockmarked man who'd come to the aid of the people in the market following the fire, hesitated, glancing between Eberwyn and the earl, unsure of whom to obey.

"Dinna take another step, bailiff!" Magnus growled. "Ye have questions to answer too." He turned to the three justiciars. "My lords, on the night Alfred Brewer was broken out of gaol, Lord Eberwyn replaced the town guard with this own men so he would be able to orchestrate the whole thing. He paid the bailiff and his sergeants to look the other way during the escape. This document proves it."

Magnus strode forward and held out a rolled parchment. The churchman took it and unrolled it, his expression darkening as he read. He handed it to the earl.

"Preposterous!" Eberwyn spat, his face contorting with disdain. "Both those documents are forgeries—amateur attempts at deception concocted by these criminals."

Lily held her breath, watching as the earl and his companions scrutinized the documents, their expressions inscrutable.

Finally, the churchman looked up and fixed his eyes on the bailiff. "What say ye?" he asked the man. "Is what this document appears to show true? Did ye and yer men take a bribe from Lord Eberwyn? Be careful how ye answer. Remember that only truth may be spoken in this place. God is watching. He will know if ye lie."

The bailiff looked around nervously. His gaze flicked to Lord Eberwyn who was glaring at him.

He swallowed thickly and then faced the churchman. "I never took a bribe, yer Grace, I swear it. It's as Lord Eberwyn says: those documents are forgeries."

A faint flicker of triumph shone in Eberwyn's eyes as the churchman and the earl nodded thoughtfully. Lily's gut clenched. Was Eberwyn going to get away with this after all? No. No way. She was not going to let that happen.

"Wait," she said, stepping forward with clenched fists. "I have my own testimony to offer. I'm a witness to Eberwyn's crimes."

The earl leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "And who might ye be?"

"My name is Lily Jones. I'm a visitor here and I have nothing to do with the Order of the Osprey. I got caught up in all of this by accident but I saw what Eberwyn did first hand."

The earl regarded her with interest and gestured for her to continue. Taking a deep breath, Lily began recounting her experience as Eberwyn's hostage, detailing how he had coerced Oskar to break Alfred from jail by threatening her, Magnus and Emeric, how she had escaped and then returned to free the others, finding Alfred and Alice Brewer in Eberwyn's townhouse, along with the documents they'd presented as evidence.

As she spoke, her anger and frustration bubbled up, and she found herself striding closer to Eberwyn, pointing an accusing finger at him. "This man is a manipulative liar! Not a word he's said in this courtroom is true! He's the traitor and the one that should be on trial!"

Eberwyn's face turned a deep shade of red, his eyes blazing with fury and a murmur swept through the courtroom as the spectators absorbed her words. Lily caught Oskar's gaze, and he gave her a small nod.

"Ye give compelling testimony, my lady," the earl said. "And I canna ignore the written evidence presented." He fixed his gaze on Lord Eberwyn. "If I order a search of yer townhouse what will I find, my lord? If I order the bailiff's sergeants in here and ask them whether ye gave them a bribe, what do ye think they will say?"

Eberwyn's face contorted with sudden panic. Before anyone could react, he lunged at Lily with the speed of a striking snake. He grabbed her roughly by the arm, yanking her towards him, and pressing a knife against her throat. Her breath hitched as the cold steel pushed against her skin.

"Stay back!" Eberwyn shouted, his eyes wild and dangerous. "Or I'll slit this wench's throat!"

The courtroom erupted into chaos. Oskar strode towards them, fists clenched.

"Let her go!"

"Stay back, or so help me, I'll do it!" Eberwyn hissed.

"I'll kill ye!"

Oskar took another step, but Magnus's strong grip wrapped around his arm, holding him back.

"Dinna give him what he wants, Oskar," Magnus warned, his voice low and steady.

Lily swiveled her eyes and glared at Eberwyn, her voice unwavering despite the blade at her throat. "You won't get away with this."

"Shut yer mouth! Everyone move aside and let me pass!"

Eberwyn's grip on Lily's arm was like iron, forcing her to stumble and stagger as he dragged her out of the courtroom. They were allowed to pass unmolested. Lily could hear Oskar's voice calling for her as they moved out into the hall, but she couldn't see him—her world had narrowed down to the desperate man beside her and the sharp edge of the blade against her throat.

The chaos of the courtroom faded behind as Eberwyn forced Lily out into the yard and towards the gates. Her heart raced, each breath coming in short, panicked gasps.

"Damn you all!" Eberwyn snarled. He sounded crazed, almost incoherent with rage. "I was so close!"

He dragged her through the gate and into the street beyond. The clamor of the city washed over her, and Lily's eyes darted everywhere, looking for a way to escape. But Eberwyn's knife didn't leave her throat for even an instant.

"This way."

They started off, but they'd not gone more than ten steps when figures suddenly materialized out of the shadows around them.

"And where do ye think ye are going?" asked Bryn Fletcher, stepping forward with a wicked smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Who are ye?" Eberwyn snapped. "Get out of my way."

But Bryn only moved closer. "I'm glad we bumped into ye. There are some things I'd like to talk to ye about—such as ye setting us up to take the rap for yer little jailbreak."

Eberwyn licked his lips, his eyes darting between the men that surrounded him. "I'll pay ye!" he cried. "I have gold, lots of gold! Get me out of here and ye'll be well rewarded!"

"Ye hear that boys?" Bryn said, looking around. "He'll reward us. But I'm thinking we'll take a different reward this time."

He drew his knife.

"Stop or I'll kill her!" Eberwyn cried.

"Nay, ye willnae. Ye dinna have the stomach for it. Ye get others to do yer dirty work dinna ye? Now let her go."

Eberwyn hesitated, weighing his options. His grip on Lily's throat tightened, making it hard for her to breathe. Desperation clouded his once-arrogant gaze.

She looked around desperately, searching for something, anything, that might help her. Her gaze settled on a tall figure standing on a cart maybe twenty paces away, behind the ring of Bryn's men and out of Eberwyn's sight. Her heart lurched and relief flooded through her as she recognized the figure. Oskar. He met her gaze and nodded once.

In response, Lily brought her boot down hard on Eberwyn's foot, hearing a satisfying crunch. He howled in pain, his grip on Lily loosened, and she was able to duck out of the way. The next instant, she heard a whistling sound, a thud, and a grunt.

She straightened and turned to see the hilt of a knife sticking out of Eberwyn's shoulder. His hand sprang open, the knife clattering to the ground. Lily spun to look at Oskar, hand still raised from where he'd thrown the knife. He jumped down from the cart and raced over as Bryn's men closed on Eberwyn, pressing him down and binding his hands behind his back. Oskar placed his hands on Lily's shoulders.

"Are ye alright?" he asked urgently, his eyes filled with concern.

"Y-yes," Lily stammered. "I'm okay."

"Thank the Lord," Oskar breathed, pulling her close and wrapping his strong arms around her. "Thank all the saints as well. And the Fae for that matter."

"Oskar?" she asked uncertainly. "Is it done? Is it over?"

He let out a slow breath and pressed his forehead against hers. "Aye, it's over, love. The justiciars have ordered the release of Kai and Conall and the arrest of Alfred, Alice, and Eberwyn. It's over."

Relief flooded through her, turning her muscles to water. She clung to Oskar, relying on him to hold her up. It was over. Really over. No more danger. No more intrigue and conspiracy. She could go home. Back to where she belonged.

Where she belonged? Home? All this time she had thought that was the twenty-first century, but now, standing wrapped in Oskar's embrace, she wasn't so sure anymore.

He stared down at her intently, eyes never leaving her face. She didn't see relief in his expression at all. He didn't seem pleased that this was all over, that his friends had been cleared and the Brewers captured. He seemed...distraught.

"Oskar?" she said, brushing a strand of red hair out of his eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I canna do it, Lily," he replied, his voice low and husky. "Damn me to Hell, but I canna do it."

"Do what?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "Let ye go. I've been telling myself all this time that when the time came, I could do it. I could let ye go, I could let ye go back to yer time, I could make the unselfish choice. But I canna. I canna live without ye, Lily."

Lily's breath caught in her throat. "What are you saying?"

"That I want ye to stay," Oskar replied. "That I want ye by my side for all time. That I want ye to be my wife. Will ye marry me, Lily?"

For a moment Lily stood in stunned silence. Then, like a whiff of smoke on the wind, all her doubts blew away. Was the twenty-first century her home? No, she realized suddenly. Her home was this man. This wild, wonderful man in front of her.

"Yes," she whispered. Then louder, "Yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Oskar blinked, staring at her as though unsure of what he'd just heard. Then his brain seemed to catch up with his ears.

"Really?" he asked. "Truly?"

Lily nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. "Really. Truly."

A smile unlike any she'd ever seen on him broke over Oskar's face, and his eyes lit with joy. Cupping her face, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

"If I'm dreaming, dinna wake me," he murmured.

"You're not," she replied. "Here. I'll prove it."

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him like she never wanted to stop.