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“Did you two come to finish me off?” Seamus growled.
“The opposite,” Adam said. “So play nice.”
“Seamus of the Unseelie Court,” Silver intoned, “King of Coins, Guardian of the Watchtower of the East—”
“I’m going to die soon, you know.”
“I formally offer you aid.”
“In exchange for what?”
“Freely given. I am not ready to see our chess game end, old friend.”
“I am not your friend, elf.”
Adam sighed. “Seamus, with all due respect, will you just shut up and let him help you?”
“Why should I?” The leprechaun barked. “What’s in it for me?”
“You’re bargaining now, on your literal deathbed?”
Seamus coughed, which led to a deep groan. “If not now, when? But I should warn you that all deals may be final.”
“What do you want?” Silver asked. “In exchange for letting me save your life?”
“Him. I want Binder.”
“I’m not a Labubu doll.”
“No, but you’re a damn good page, better than this moron deserves.”
“I’m not weakening my court to strengthen yours,” Silver said.
“You know, it’s not a bad idea,” Adam considered.
They both looked at him.
“You two don’t talk. Your courts don’t talk. So maybe not me, as I have two jobs already, but what about some kind of exchange program?”
“I’m listening,” Seamus said.
“You mentioned the young fay in your territory don’t have futures. What if some of them went to RCC, or were given roles in Silver’s court, the way you put them to work on yours?”
Adam cautiously looked to Silver. He’d probably overstepped, but this was why Silver had made him Page of Swords, to build bridges. Sure, he’d meant between the immortals and the humans, but a chasm was a chasm.
“I would be amenable to that,” Silver said, though his eyes told Adam they’d be speaking about this later.
“So would I.” Seamus’s tone told Adam maybe he wasn’t as close to dying as he appeared.
And maybe this was what he’d really wanted all along.
“I will have an agreement written,” Silver said.
“And I’ll have my people check it. Now get on with it. I need to help my court.”
Silver pressed a hand to the bandage.
Seamus winced, but cold washed the air, and the leprechaun’s color went from jaundiced and green around the edges to something closer to its normal shade.
