The First Queen stiffened, power and glamour beginning to swirl around her, whipping at her hair. “Ingrates!” she raged. “Traitors! Obey my commands, or I will destroy you all, every last one of you!”
The Forgotten still didn’t move. The Lady swelled with fury and rose higher into the air, raising her arms. “Very well,” she growled, as lightning flickered around her. “If that is your choice, then you will all—”
She faltered, dropping several feet from the sky, her eyes going huge. The wind and lightning sputtered and went out. “What?” she gasped, as Keirran bowed his head, looking pained. “What is...? No. No, how dare you! Stop, I order you all to stop!”
Confused, I looked around. The Forgotten were still in the same spots, but their eyes were fixed on the First Queen as she flapped and wobbled overhead, trying desperately to stay airborne. I felt a chill go through the air, a faint, sluggish, pulling sensation, and suddenly realized what was happening.
They were draining her glamour. Sucking away her magic and her essence, as they had done to the exiles and half-breeds long ago. Dazed, I watched as the queen hissed and cursed and threw out lightning and wind and ice shards, but all of these sputtered and died before they reached any of the Forgotten. There were too many of them, I realized, hundreds of yellow eyes staring at the First Queen. Even her tremendous power was no match for the combined stares of the Forgotten.
“Iron Prince!” the First Queen cried, searching frantically for Keirran. I glanced at my nephew and found him watching her calmly, though his expression was grim. “Stop! Tell them to stop! You are making a terrible mistake!” Keirran didn’t reply, and the queen dropped lower, just a few feet off the ground now, her wings beating the air desperately. “All I wanted was to be remembered,” she whispered. “That’s all I longed for. To not be forgotten. And to finally defeat the Fade, for all of us. Is that...so terrible? Is it so terrible to be remembered?”
“No, my lady,” Keirran answered, as calm and polite as ever. “But there is wanting, and there is doing whatever it takes to achieve it, at the cost of everything around you.” His brow creased. “I didn’t understand that until recently. How obsession can rob you of everything, even your soul.” His gaze flicked to me very briefly. “Sometimes, holding on too hard is dangerous. You have to know when to let go.”
With a final cry, the First Queen collapsed to the flagstones. She was losing color now, wisps of glamour rising off her like smoke. A few feathers broke away, fluttering across the courtyard, and Keirran bowed his head.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “But I won’t allow you to hurt my family anymore.”
“You,” the queen panted, baring her teeth. Planting her palms on the ground, she pushed herself upright, eyes blazing. The Forgotten continued to stare at her, but she staggered forward, her jaw set in determination. “You are more than a monster, Prince. You turned them against me. You destroyed everything we worked so hard for.” She raised her hands, black nails growing from her fingertips, and Keirran took a step back. “I may die here, forgotten by all, but I will take you with me!”
She lunged, clawed hands reaching for Keirran’s face. I jumped between them, raising my weapon, and felt a jolt run up my arm as the First Queen slammed into the blade, the point sinking deep into her stomach.
Her eyes bulged, but she turned on me with a hiss, and her hands were suddenly around my throat, squeezing hard. I felt curved claws sink into my neck and cut off my air. Gagging, I tried shoving her off, but she clung to me with the strength of the dying, forcing me to my knees, and my vision started to go black.
There was a cry, as a furious, snarling Kenzie lunged to my side, bringing my other sword slashing down at the queen. The Lady shrieked and reeled away, one pale arm writhing into mist, as Keirran stepped up, his face hard and remorseful at the same time, and drove his blade through the Lady’s chest, all the way to the hilt.
The First Queen staggered, her face going slack with shock as she stared at the prince. Keirran met her gaze sadly.
“Goodbye, my lady,” he said. “You won’t be forgotten, I promise.”
He yanked the blade free and stepped away. The Lady shuddered, trembling hands going to her chest, as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d been stabbed. Her mouth moved, her gaze again seeking the prince, before she bent forward and collapsed in a pile of bones and feathers. Her color faded, leaking out until she was a pale, nearly transparent ghost. The razor-sharp wing feathers dissolved, leaving behind shattered bones. With a final tremor, the First Queen frayed apart, mist and shadows boiling over the ground from where she lay, and writhed into nothingness on the wind.
Kenzie shivered, clinging to me, as we watched the last traces of mist fade away. “Did we win?” she whispered, as I pulled her close and held her against me, just listening to the sound of her heart against mine. “Is it really over?”
Keirran took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s done,” he said. “The First Queen is gone. The war is over.”
As usual, the Forgotten were silent. No cheers, no shouts, no jumping up and down in celebration. They surrounded us, dark and unmoving, their eyes solely on Keirran. One shadow disentangled from the rest and edged forward, until he was a few feet from the prince.
“Iron Prince,” it whispered. “The Lady is gone, and we have no purpose, no home. We have given up everything to follow you. What will become of us now?”
Keirran glanced at me, then swept his gaze over the rest of the Forgotten, waiting on the edges. “I don’t know,” he admitted softly. “I’m not certain what will happen or what will become of us, but I will promise you one thing. I won’t forget you. The Lady’s way was wrong, but she was right about one thing—you deserve to be remembered, to not Fade away into oblivion. I’ll do my best to make a place for you in the Nevernever, but...I have a lot to answer for, and the courts might not be willing to listen. But I won’t abandon you. I’ll try my hardest to make them see. That’s the best I can offer right now. I hope it will be enough.”
“Keirran!”
My heart jumped as a deep, familiar voice rang out through the courtyard. Keirran straightened quickly, a flicker of relief, joy and utter terror going through his eyes before he turned toward the entrance.
Ash, Puck and the Wolf strode through the gate, parting Forgotten before them like birds. Ash’s cloak was torn to shreds, and Puck had a bloody gash across one cheek, but other than, that they seemed fine. Like they hadn’t fought their way through an entire army to get to us. Leanansidhe was not with them, but I had zero doubts that the self-proclaimed Exile Queen was alive and well. She had probably gone back to her own pocket of reality as soon as the battle was over. Puck and Wolf eyed the Forgotten on either side, the Wolf curling a lip in silent warning as they passed, but Ash’s bright, intense stare was only for Keirran.
I glanced at the prince. He stood, rigid, in the center of the courtyard, watching his father approach. I looked closer and saw that his hands were shaking, before he clenched them into fists at his sides. The Forgotten drew back into shadows as Ash walked across the flagstones and stood a few feet in front of Keirran.
“Father.” Unable to meet those piercing eyes, Keirran’s gaze dropped to the ground. Ash didn’t say anything at first, his expression unreadable as he faced his son. “I...”
He faltered, wincing. “There is nothing I can say,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Nothing that would ever be acceptable. I know I’ve disappointed you beyond reason—”
Ash took one step forward, hooked the back of Keirran’s neck and pulled him close. Keirran let out a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes shut, collapsing against his father, and the two of them stood like that for a few heartbeats while the Forgotten watched silently from the edges of the courtyard. Kenzie leaned against me, and Puck crossed his arms, the faint smirk on his face failing to cover his relief.
“No matter what you’ve done,” Ash murmured, his low voice barely reaching us in the quiet, “or what you tried to accomplish, you’re still my son. Nothing will change that, Keirran.” He closed his eyes, bowing his head, as the faintest of smiles crossed his face. “Although, you have no idea of the trouble you’re in when we get home.”
Keirran gave a shaky laugh and nodded. “I figured,” he choked out. Ash released him, briefly pressing a palm to the side of his face, before turning to us.
“Ethan,” he said, sounding relieved, as well. “Kenzie. You’re safe. Where is the First Queen?”
“She’s gone,” I replied, not missing the flicker of pain and guilt that went through Keirran’s eyes. “For good this time. She won’t be coming back.”
Ash took a quiet breath and let it out slowly. I thought I could see the tension leave him, some great burden lift from his shoulders as he opened his eyes. “Then it’s truly over,” he said. “The war is done.”
“What happened to Leanansidhe?” Kenzie asked.
“Oh, you know Lea.” Puck shrugged. “She went back home when she was done making eardrums explode.” He stuck a finger in his own ear, rubbing vigorously. “She was going to have a chat with the princeling, here, but ice-boy convinced her to let it go.” He wrinkled his nose. “Still, I’d avoid her for a few decades if I were you, princeling. She’s not terribly happy with you or your friends right now.”
Keirran winced. “I don’t imagine anyone is,” he muttered, and looked back at the ring of yellow eyes, watching us all. “I just hope the rulers will spare the Forgotten,” he whispered. “They’re not a threat anymore, and I promised I would take care of them, somehow.” Ash narrowed his eyes, and Keirran dropped his gaze. “If...if the courts will allow it. If I’m still around...after they decide what to do with me.”
Ash gave a somber nod. “The Forgotten concern will have to be addressed,” he said, and looked at Puck, who shrugged. “The courts will have to decide what to do about them. But we’ll worry about that later. Right now...” He sighed, sounding tired, relieved and eager all at once. “Let’s go home. Meghan will be waiting, for all of us.”
That sounded good to me. Taking Kenzie’s hand, I laced our fingers together and began following Ash and Keirran out of the courtyard. The Forgotten watched us go, making no move to stop us or intervene. Their faces and expressions were impossible to see, but I noticed their eyes following Keirran as he walked away, and a lump settled in my gut. They thought they were never going to see him again.
“That’s funny,” Puck muttered. “I feel like I’m forgetting something. What was... Oh, right!” Striding forward, he reached out and smacked Keirran on the back of the head, hard.
“Ow!” Keirran spun around, one hand going to his skull, to face Puck’s challenging smirk. The Great Prankster raised an eyebrow, almost daring him to say something, and Keirran winced. “Okay, I guess I deserved that,” he muttered.
“Ya think?” Puck shot back, and his eyes were dangerous. “Trust me, kid, I’m only going easy on you because you, my friend, still have to face Meghan when we get back to the Nevernever. So, yeah, good luck with that. Otherwise, I’d probably kick your ass for what you put her through.”
At the gate, the Wolf snorted a laugh and heaved himself to his feet. “You’re all idiots,” he stated, shaking his massive head. “I’ll be glad to return to the Deep Wyld. Away from all this drama.” He eyed Keirran and Puck and curled a lip. “You all are the most delinquent pack I’ve ever seen.”
I smirked, but Kenzie suddenly slowed and pulled me to a stop. Puzzled, I glanced at her and saw she was looking back at the courtyard, her face tight with sorrow.
“Kenzie?”
Her expression fell. “I thought I heard him,” she whispered. “For just a second, I thought...” She sniffed, running a hand across her eyes. “I’m going to miss him,” she said. “Dammit. I’m going to miss his shrill little voice.”
My throat tightened at the thought of our smallest casualty. “I’m sorry,” I told her, because there was nothing else I could say. “Will you be all right?”
She nodded. “Yeah,” she muttered, squeezing my hand. “I’ll be fine. Just...let’s get out of here.”
I put my arm around her shoulders, and we turned away from the Lady’s castle, starting after Ash, Puck and the rest of them.
“Waaaaiiit!”
This time we both froze. I held my breath, and Kenzie was rigid beside me, listening, as a faint, tiny voice drifted over the breeze. I counted the seconds in my head, praying I had heard correctly, that my ears weren’t playing tricks on me.
“Wait!” the voice called again...and then he appeared, huge ears poking over the top of the wall. Kenzie’s hands went to her mouth, eyes widening, as the gremlin dragged himself atop the stones with one arm. “Wait!” he panted, glowing eyes huge and frantic as he stared down at us. “No leave! No leave Razor! Razor is here!” And he leaped into Kenzie’s arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE FORGOTTEN KING
The faery camp was silent as we stepped through the tear in the Between, back into the Nevernever one last time. Around us, the earth still bore the marks of the last fierce battle; uprooted trees and snapped limbs lay everywhere, tents had been flung to all corners of the camp, and long gouges had been raked through the dirt like claw marks. Everything was quiet as we slipped through the Veil. A squad of Summer and Winter knights straightened quickly as we came through, but other than the guards, there were no signs of fey.
“Huh,” Puck remarked, crossing his arms and gazing around at the destruction. “Well, that’s disappointing. No cheering crowd to welcome the heroes home? I’m wounded.”
“We took a lot of damage and a lot of casualties,” Ash replied grimly. “I imagine they’re regrouping and trying to recover from the last battle.”
Puck sniffed. “Still, you’d think at least someone would be here to greet us... Oh, well, there ya go.”
And the Iron Queen appeared, rising from a stump near the edge of the trees, obviously waiting for us. Striding to the center of the clearing, her gaze flickered over all of us, relieved and grateful, before it settled on Keirran.
Keirran swallowed hard. Ash gave him a warning look that clearly said don’t go anywhere, and began walking across the field, his long legs carrying him easily over churned ground and scattered limbs. After a moment, Keirran took a deep breath and followed, trailing his father until both stood before the Iron Queen.
Ash didn’t stop or slow down but walked straight into Meghan’s arms and kissed her fiercely. It was more relief than passion, though Meghan returned the kiss with equal intensity, clutching him tight. And for the first time, I didn’t resent it. I finally understood why Meghan had left, all those years ago. If the situation was reversed, I would do the same for Kenzie.
Ash and Meghan drew back, Meghan briefly pressing a palm to the side of his face, before turning to Keirran. He stood, head bowed, eyes on the ground between them, and didn’t look up as the queen stepped forward. I saw Meghan’s lips move, though her voice was too soft to be heard, meant only for Keirran, and the prince raised his head. His hands trembled as he replied, again too quiet to hear, and Meghan put both hands on his shoulders. One word, one look, passed between them, and then Keirran let out a quiet sob and fell into her arms.
Kenzie sighed, and I moved close, slipping an arm around her as she leaned against me. Razor snorted, giving me a resigned look before moving to her other shoulder. I barely noticed. Watching Meghan, Keirran and Ash, I felt the last of the tension finally drain away. It was done. I didn’t know what was in store for Keirran now, what punishment the courts would demand, but for us, at least, it was over. The Lady was gone, the amulet shattered, and the Iron Prince was home. This half of my family was finally safe.
Though the losses we
re still stupidly high; my throat still hurt at the thought of Annwyl, giving her life to save the prince she loved, and the Thin Man’s final words to the Forgotten. The Nevernever was a mess, the Between dangerously unstable. Keirran’s war had ripped this world apart, and those scars would take a long time to heal. Nothing would ever be the same.
Beside us, Puck gave a very exaggerated sniff and wiped his cheek. “Aw, it’s a Hallmark moment,” he remarked, while the Wolf snorted and rolled his eyes. “Remind me to never ever ever ever ever have kids, ever.”
The Wolf panted a grin. “I think the entire world would echo that sentiment, Goodfellow.”
“See? Never say I’m not a giver.” Gazing back toward the trio in the clearing, he winced. “Well, here come the courts. Things are gonna get interesting.”
I looked back. The courts had indeed arrived, with Oberon, Titania and Mab at the head, a large crowd of fey trailing behind. Quickly, we walked forward to join Meghan, Ash and Keirran, as the armies of Summer, Winter and Iron crowded the clearing, dozens of angry fey eyes fastened on the prince.
Keirran gently freed himself from Meghan’s arms, stepped back and lowered himself to a knee, bowing his head, as the rulers of Faery halted a few yards away. I could feel the angry energy swirling in the air, freezing temperatures making my skin prickle and static electricity making my hair stand up.
“Prince Keirran.” It was Oberon who spoke, and his voice was not friendly. “You have returned. Where is the First Queen?”
“She’s dead, Lord Oberon,” Keirran replied, keeping his head bowed. “She will threaten the courts and the Between no more. The war is over. The Forgotten have relinquished this fight...” His voice dropped a little. “As have I.”
“How convenient,” came Titania’s smooth, hateful voice. “Now that the First Queen is gone, you attempt to beg your way back to the court’s good graces. But we have not forgotten your crimes, the destruction you brought to the Nevernever, the lives you took, your attempt to destroy the Veil. The Iron Queen cannot protect you this time, Prince.” Titania narrowed her eyes, her lip curled in hate and triumph. “You are a traitor to Faery, and the law demands you must be punished. Death or eternal exile from the Nevernever. That is the reward for treason. And neither Mab nor the Iron Queen can argue with that. It is the ancient law.”