Must be nice.
“He’s on our side,” I insisted, as the knight gave me a blatant look of contempt. “He’s working with us to stop the First Queen and the rest of the Forgotten, so everyone can just calm down. And we have important information on the war, information that all the rulers will want to hear. But, hey, if you don’t want to let us pass, let it be on your head when the Iron Queen finds out.”
The knights glared at me. “Wait here,” one finally ordered, taking a stiff step back. “I will inform the rulers of your arrival. They can decide what to do with you and your...friends.”
Spinning on a heel, he marched rigidly into camp, while the second knight returned to his post, still watching me with hooded eyes.
“Charming,” Kenzie said, as Razor peeked out of her hair and made faces at the retreating knight. The Thin Man sighed.
“I was afraid this might happen,” he said, and cast a tired glance back at the trees. “Perhaps I should go,” he mused. “Join the Wolf in waiting for you at the edge of the forest. I would not want our mission jeopardized because of the suspicion of the courts.”
“No,” I said. “We wouldn’t have gotten this far if not for your help. You’re staying with us. The courts are just going to have to suck it up and act like reasonable adults for once.”
The Winter knight did not return, but after several tense minutes, the clanking of armor could be heard coming toward us, and a squad of Iron knights marched up to the bridge. “Prince Ethan,” the one in front called. “Please, forgive the wait. If you and your friends would accompany us, we will take you to the Iron Queen.”
I breathed out in relief. Meghan herself had called for me. No having to argue our way past an irate Mab or Titania. We were going directly to see my sister.
I hoped she wasn’t too angry that I had snuck off without her permission. Again.
Glowering, the Winter knight stepped aside to let us pass. I was sorely tempted to smirk at him as we crossed the bridge, but I had just made that “reasonable adult” comment a moment ago, so I refrained. The Iron knights surrounded us, keeping a wary eye on the Thin Man as they did, and we started through the camp.
Faeries stared at us, curious and suspicious, as we followed the knights down the muddy streets. Of course, we had to go through the Unseelie side of camp to get to Iron’s territory, so most of the fey—goblins, redcaps, ogres and the like—looked like they might have attacked us if we hadn’t been surrounded by a wall of iron and steel. Several redcaps trailed alongside the knights, staying just out of reach, and snarled or hurled insults at us, the Thin Man especially. A chill hung over everything, and the air was thick with tension and the threat of violence. Everyone here was twitchy, I realized, eager for battle and bloodshed. I kept one sword out, just in case, and wondered how close the First Queen’s army was and how soon before all hell broke loose.
We finally stepped free of the Winter camp, much to my relief, and the mob of Unseelie fey soon disappeared as we crossed into Iron’s territory. The city of tents looked much different under Meghan’s banner. Unlike the wild chaos of the Unseelie camp, where the dwellings were thrown together in haphazard rows wherever there was room, the tents here were organized in perfectly straight lines, almost like a grid. Instead of torches, lampposts flickered on the corners, iron poles growing right out of the earth. Faeries still stared at us curiously: hacker elves, wire nymphs, Iron knights and swarms of the ever-present gremlins all watched us as we made our way through the camp. But, notwithstanding the gremlins, many of them bowed or nodded as I passed, still treating me like a prince. It made me uncomfortable, but it was better than being called a “tidbit” by a shark-toothed redcap itching to take a chunk out of me.
As we passed beneath a watchtower, a gaggle of buzzing, high-pitched voices rang out, and a swarm of gremlins appeared, clinging to the tower walls. They chattered and waved, garbling at us in their nonsensical language and sounding like a staticky radio station.
Razor popped out of Kenzie’s hair, a huge grin crossing his face as he bounced and waved back, buzzing nonstop. Kenzie winced, tilting her head as she waited patiently for the gremlin’s excited flailing to stop. Razor turned to her, ears pricked, expression hopeful, and she smiled.
“Go on,” she said, and the gremlin took off, shooting up the tower to join the rest of the swarm. They laughed and shrieked in maniacal joy, jumping all over each other, until the entire throng skittered away and was lost from sight. Kenzie shook her head.
“He’ll be back,” she sighed, as their buzzing voices faded away on the wind. “Can’t keep him away, I’m afraid. Did you know I spent about a month teaching my dog to ignore gremlins? My dad and stepmom thought he’d gone nuts, barking at things that weren’t there.” Her face fell then, her eyes going dark. “I wonder what they’re doing now?” she murmured, almost to herself.
My stomach turned. What were my parents doing now? What was going on at home? I knew months had passed in the real world since I saw my parents last, the morning I snuck off to New Orleans with Annwyl and never returned.
“Prince Ethan?” A knight’s voice broke me out of my musings. We had stopped at the entrance of a gray tent, much larger than those around it and guarded by another squadron of knights. I realized we stood in the very center of the Iron camp, and the banner of a huge white oak fluttered in the wind atop the tallest pole. “We’re here, sire,” the knight said with a short bow, and gestured to the tent flaps. “Her Majesty is waiting for you inside.”
I licked my lips, took a furtive breath and stepped through the flaps.
Inside the tent it was dim and cool. A large table stood in the center of the room, a map of the Nevernever spread across it. Colored pins had been pressed into the surface, marking skirmishes or battles or sightings of Forgotten, I didn’t know. I glanced quickly around for Ash and saw that neither he nor Puck were present.
But Meghan stood at the far end of the table, surrounded by Iron fey and looking imposing in a suit of silvery battle mail, a sword dangling at her side. Her hair had been pulled back, fully exposing her pointed ears, and she wore a glittering circlet of wire and steel on her brow. My skin prickled. This was the first time I’d seen her like this, a true Faery Queen, powerful and terrifying, ready to defend her lands.
“Rylan’s scouts are monitoring the situation, Your Majesty,” one of the faeries was saying. “They will inform us if there are any developments, but so far there have been no new sightings of Forgotten anywhere in the wyldwood.”
“Any sign of the First Queen, yet?” Meghan asked.
“No, Majesty.” The faery shook his head. “There have been no sightings of her or Prince—” he stumbled over the word, looking pained “—or Keirran, in the wyldwood or anywhere in the Nevernever.”
The Iron Queen nodded. “Very well,” she said. “Keep monitoring the situation and let me know if anything changes. If Keirran or the First Queen appears, inform me at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“That will be all. Dismissed.”
The fey in the room put a fist to their hearts, bowed and shuffled out, weaving around us with polite nods. The Iron Queen remained at the table, gazing down at the surface, until they were gone, and silence descended on the room.
“Ethan.” Meghan looked up from the war table. Her blue eyes were weary, sad, as they met mine across the room. “This is not where I wanted you to be, little brother,” she said, and her voice was more resigned than angry. “You should be home, not on the front lines of this madness. You promised me that you would stay away from the war.”
I swallowed. “I’m sorry, Meghan. But I can’t. This is my fight, too.”
“Stubborn.” Shaking her head, Meghan came around the table, her gaze flicking to the Thin Man standing behind me. For a moment, a steely look crossed her face as she recognized the tall faery for what
he really was. “And you are...?” she asked, a note of warning in her voice.
The Thin Man bowed. “An acquaintance of the family,” he said in polite tones. “You might not realize it, Iron Queen, but I have been watching you and your kin for quite some time. We are more connected than you know.”
“He’s a friend, Meghan,” I broke in, as the queen continued to regard him with suspicion. “He wants to stop the Lady and the Forgotten. He’s been helping us find a way to bring Keirran back.”
At Keirran’s name, Meghan blinked, and her gaze shifted to me, the sudden hope within making my insides tighten. “Then...you have found a way?”
“Yeah,” I said, and hesitated. “Well, sort of. It’s complicated.”
“Complicated.” Meghan briefly closed her eyes. “I saw Keirran at the Tir Na Nog council,” she went on. “I heard what he said. I know how strong he is, the great danger he poses to the Nevernever. I cannot allow my son to destroy those I care about.” Her gaze lingered on me. “I made a promise to my people that I would protect them, from all threats. Even if the greatest threat comes from my own blood.” She blinked rapidly, banishing the tears that were beginning to shine through, and stood firm. “I am queen. It is killing me but... I cannot let Keirran destroy this world, or the people whom I love. I will do anything to bring him home, but if he cannot be saved...”
“No.” This time, it was Annwyl who spoke up, surprising me. The Summer girl stepped forward, her gaze beseeching, to face the Iron Queen.
“Your Majesty,” she whispered, dropping her gaze as Meghan turned to her. “My name is Annwyl, former handmaiden to Titania of the Summer Court. And I...” She trembled, took a deep breath to steady herself. “I am the one responsible for Keirran’s betrayal.”
“Annwyl,” Kenzie broke in, as Meghan stared at the Summer faery, her expression unreadable. “That’s not true. You didn’t make Keirran do anything. Everything he did, he had a choice. We all did. Don’t blame yourself for his actions.”
Annwyl shook her head. “I was weak,” she said, still not looking at any of us, especially not Meghan. “I knew I shouldn’t have met with him. If I had only heeded the laws back then, none of this would have happened.”
Meghan gave a slight frown. “Annwyl,” she said slowly, as if just coming to the realization. “The Summer girl from Titania’s court,” she mused. “You...are the one Keirran fell in love with?”
“I am so sorry, Your Majesty,” Annwyl said, and dropped to her knees, staring at the ground. “This whole mess can be traced back to me. Titania wanted me to meet with Keirran, to seduce him and earn his affections, and I couldn’t refuse the queen. I met with the prince several times, knowing I would have to betray him in the end, that Titania would demand it. But...” Her voice trembled, and she clutched her hands to her chest to stop them from shaking. “When she ordered me to ask Keirran to kill one of her rivals, a Winter Court gentry, I couldn’t do it. I had never disobeyed her before, and I knew she would exile me for treason, but I refused my queen’s direct command for the first time in my life and was banished to the mortal realm. Because I had fallen for Keirran, as well.
“I knew our relationship was forbidden,” Annwyl continued. “I knew we shouldn’t be together, even if Keirran scoffed at the old laws. I should have broken his heart that first time, convinced him that I despised him, that I blamed him for my exile. It would have been kinder in the long run, to let him go. I should have let him go.” Her eyes glimmered, and she finally looked up, meeting Meghan’s gaze. “It’s because of me that Keirran made all those bargains, and it’s because of me that he went to see the Lady that night. Your brother died, and Keirran lost his soul...because of me.”
Meghan closed her eyes. “Annwyl,” she said quietly, and the Summer girl winced, as if bracing herself for punishment. But the Iron Queen’s voice was calm as she opened her eyes and gazed down at her. “Stand up. Look at me. Falling in love is not a crime. Even if a relationship has been forbidden by the courts. I know my son. It is extraordinarily difficult to change his mind, about anything, once he makes a decision. I’m sure you have discovered how stubborn he can be.” Annwyl gave a tiny laugh that was part sob as she rose, and Meghan smiled sadly. “I knew Keirran had fallen for someone,” the Iron Queen went on. “He tried to hide it, but a mother always knows. I just hoped that whoever had captured his heart would treat it carefully, because he is very much like his father in that once he loves someone, he does it completely.” A pained look crossed her face, before it was composed again. “I don’t blame you for Keirran’s decisions. I cannot be angry at you and Keirran for falling in love. You protected him from Titania at the cost of your own freedom. That is not the decision of a faery who is merely playing the game.”
“Your Majesty is too kind,” Annwyl said, and her voice was somewhat choked. “But I don’t deserve your sympathy. Not when I have this.”
Slowly, Annwyl reached for the cord beneath her dress and pulled the amulet into the light. The copper disk glimmered in her hand as she held it up, staring at it like a live scorpion rested in her palm.
“This...is what is keeping me alive,” Annwyl whispered, as Meghan looked down at the amulet and went pale. I wondered if my sister could feel the dark magic pulsing within the copper disk. Or—and my stomach turned at the thought—could she somehow sense what the amulet truly contained? “This is what my existence is worth,” the Summer faery went on, her own expression wrinkling with disgust. “Keirran’s soul, and the destruction of the courts. I didn’t want this,” she whispered, as the metal disk reflected in her eyes. “I would have happily Faded away if I had known this would turn him into a monster.”
“This is the amulet Ash was talking about?” Meghan asked. “This is what contains Keirran’s soul?” And though her voice was still calm, I could hear the bridled fury, horror and despair beneath. Annwyl must’ve sensed it as well, for she went white to the point I thought she might pass out. But she nodded firmly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Can it be destroyed?” Meghan asked in that same calm voice. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the amulet, and I felt the immense power gathering around her, like the energy before a storm. As if she would shatter it herself in a moment. “Would that free Keirran’s soul and return him to us?”
“It can be destroyed,” Annwyl said slowly, her voice trembling. “But...”
“Keirran has to do it,” I finished, and Meghan’s gaze flicked to me. “Of his own free will. He has to make that choice himself.”
“I see,” Meghan murmured, and the energy around her flickered and died. I watched the realization creep over her, the same huge problem that had been plaguing me ever since I left Guro’s house. How the hell were we going to convince Keirran, the self-proclaimed Destroyer of the Courts, to shatter the amulet himself? “And do you have a plan for how you’re going to do that?” Meghan asked, as if reading my thoughts.
Not really, I thought, but thankfully Annwyl beat me to it.
“I will talk to him,” the Summer faery said. “He’ll listen to me. At least, I hope he will.” She closed her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I hope he is not so far gone that he has forgotten about us.”
I nodded. “If Keirran will listen to anyone, it’ll be Annwyl,” I told Meghan. “The only problem will be getting to him. We don’t really know where he is, except that he’s never far from the First Queen, and that there’s probably going to be a huge army of Forgotten between us.”
Meghan’s brow furrowed. “Ash and Puck are scouting the area where the Forgotten were last seen,” she said. “There have been skirmishes along the borders, places where the Forgotten pop up out of nowhere, but we’ve never glimpsed the real army. No one has seen Keirran or the First Queen, either, though we suspect the Forgotten are getting ready to launch a full attack. If we can somehow reach Keirran before that happens, we ca
n save him at the very least. But if he attacks with the Forgotten...” Meghan trailed off, shaking her head. “Even if I cannot strike the final blow, the other rulers will show him no mercy. If Keirran leads the Forgotten to war, we cannot hold back. The First Queen cannot be allowed to win.”
“Iron Queen,” the Thin Man said, and stepped forward. “If I may... I have information about the First Queen that your people might not. I am willing to share it with you, and everyone, in the hopes that we can defeat the Lady. But we must work together. The First Queen of Faery ruled for a very long time before she was finally overthrown and forgotten. Do not underestimate her. She is not an opponent to take lightly.”
Meghan nodded and straightened, looking at all of us. “I will call for a war council,” she announced. “Mab and Oberon will want to hear this, and I want to explain the amulet to them. Maybe convince them not to slaughter Keirran on sight.” Her eyes flashed, that dangerous energy swirling around her again, before she moved away. “I’ll need to call a few of my forces back, so it could be a few hours until they show up. Until then, I’ll have someone clear out a few tents. You all look like you could use the rest. Annwyl—” she glanced at the Summer faery “—I know that staying in the Iron camp is probably unpleasant for you. Will you be all right? I can speak to Oberon if you want to stay within Summer.”
“I’m grateful, Your Majesty,” Annwyl replied. “But there’s no need. I...I don’t feel the iron sickness like I should. Maybe the amulet sucks it away, but...” She looked down at her hands. “I don’t think I’m entirely here, anymore. And, after what happened with Keirran and the Summer Queen, none of my kin really want me around. Titania made it very clear, within Arcadia at least, that I was the cause of Keirran’s betrayal. There were even rumors that I was the one who ordered Keirran to attack the queen, to force her to lift my exile. So, I am not welcome in the Summer Court any longer, and there are likely those within Summer that wish me harm. If it’s all the same to you, I would rather stay on this side of the border.”