Well, seven, really.
Annwyl stood a little behind Meghan, head bowed, eyes downcast, almost invisible. If it wasn’t for the dull glint from the amulet, I wouldn’t even have noticed her standing there. She seemed...less real than the faeries surrounding her, more shadow than anything, and the rest of the fey didn’t appear to notice her, either.
They did notice me and Kenzie when we walked into the room. “Ah, there he is,” Puck announced, grinning as we approached the table. His green eyes flashed mischievously as he gave us a mocking salute. “All hail the conquering hero. Winning battles before the war even starts, hey, Ethan Chase?”
I willed my face not to turn red. Off to one side, Glitch coughed loudly, covering his mouth with a fist, and Meghan and Ash shared a brief, secret smile. I forced my thoughts away from what that could mean and reminded myself to punch Goodfellow in the jaw before this was all over.
“If we can get back to business.” Oberon’s voice was not amused, and the murmurs from the rest of the fey swiftly died down. “Now that the mortals have finally arrived, perhaps you can tell us why you have summoned this council, Iron Queen?”
“Yes.” Meghan took a step forward, standing tall as she faced the rest of the table. “There has been a new development regarding Keirran,” she announced, commanding everyone’s attention instantly. “I realize no one has seen Keirran or the First Queen, but I believe this is important enough to call a council. There might be a way to stop Keirran without killing him, to break whatever hold the First Queen has on him.”
“And why would we do that, Iron Queen?” Titania asked, her smooth, high voice making me bristle with dislike. “Your son is a traitor to Faery. He betrayed us all and sided with a usurper, an offense punishable by death. Prince Keirran will show us no mercy. By his own admission, he seeks to annul the courts. Why should we stay our hand?”
“Because he is still my son,” Ash said in a cool, low voice, staring the Summer Queen in the eye. “And no matter what Keirran does, whatever madness drives him to betray his own, that will not change.” A thread of steel entered Ash’s voice, a promise and a subtle threat to everyone there. “I will not allow my son to be destroyed in front of me. Not when there is a chance to save him.”
“I have to agree with ice-boy,” Puck added, pushing himself off the wall. “This—this whole war and destruction and gloom and doom thing—isn’t like the princeling. I mean, I’ve known the kid most of his life. I practically helped raise him, despite frequent threats on my life. It’s like certain unnamed parties didn’t want me teaching him the good stuff.” He grinned at Ash across the table, before sobering. “Keirran would never want this,” Puck went on, shaking his head. “And I’m kinda uncomfortable with the thought of taking him out if the real problem is that he’s lost his soul.”
“And what of the prophecy?” Oberon asked. “We all knew this was coming, and despite what Keirran was, the warning remains. The Iron Prince will unite the courts or destroy them. He has already chosen his path, and it is Destroyer. No one can argue that.”
“Um.” Kenzie’s voice surprised us all. Stepping around me, she walked up to the table as a couple dozen faeries all turned to her. “Not to be rude,” she said, as Oberon and Mab regarded her with varying degrees of curiosity and amusement, “but, based on the wording of that prophecy, Keirran has already united the courts.”
Mab frowned. “Explain, human,” she said flatly. Kenzie rubbed her arm.
“Well, the prophecy didn’t exactly say he had to bring the courts together himself. But...he is the reason you’re all here tonight. Together. Under one banner—Summer, Winter and Iron.” Kenzie gazed around the table, at all the rulers, and shrugged. “So, if you look at it that way, then Keirran has united the courts. Against him, sure, but the prophecy didn’t say how or why. So, if he’s already united the courts, then that means he doesn’t necessarily have to destroy them.”
For a moment, there was silence, as all the fey, the kings and queens of Faery itself, appeared to be struck speechless. Or at least pondering Kenzie’s statement. Puck opened his mouth once, closed it, then leaned toward me.
“So, how did such a smart girl end up with you?” he muttered.
I snorted. “You got me.”
Meghan shook herself. “Regardless,” she said, taking control of the meeting again, “we think we have the answer to returning Keirran to himself.” She raised a hand, and Annwyl stepped up meekly, eyes still downcast. I heard Titania’s sniff of disdain and clenched my fists, remembering what the queen had done to her. The amulet pulsed around the girl’s neck like a sullen heartbeat, and some of the other fey drew back from the table edge.
“How interesting, Iron Queen,” Titania said, contempt oozing off her honeyed voice. “You have brought the prince’s disgraced, forbidden lover back into the Nevernever. Flaunting your disrespect for our laws, just as you and the Winter prince flaunted them years ago. Like mother, like son, I suppose.”
“Annwyl chose to come here,” Meghan said calmly, as I seethed with loathing toward the Summer Queen, wishing Meghan would just lose it and shove an iron pole up Titania’s ass. “She is under the protection of the Iron Realm, and you will not force her to leave again, Queen Titania. Her exile is over.”
“What is that thing she is wearing?” Mab inquired, staring at the amulet glimmering in the dim light. “I can feel its anger from here. A cursed object to be certain.”
“Yes,” Meghan agreed. “This is the item responsible for Keirran’s change of heart. Why he sided with the First Queen and the Forgotten. Why he has turned on us. If it’s destroyed, we hope Keirran will return to the way he was.”
“Then why not destroy it now?” Oberon wondered, and the air around him crackled, like the energy before a lightning storm. “Place the cursed thing on the table, and we will take care of it here.”
“No,” I said quickly. “It doesn’t work like that.”
All eyes shifted to me. “No one else can destroy the amulet,” I said. “If you do, you’re pretty much assuring he’ll lose his soul forever. Keirran has to do it himself.”
Another moment of silence as the circle of fey realized what that meant. “Then,” Oberon said slowly, “someone must take the amulet to Keirran, and either convince or trick him into destroying it. How do you expect to accomplish this, Iron Queen?”
“I will do it,” Annwyl said, quiet but firm, lifting her eyes from the table. “If I can get to Keirran, I can talk to him. He’ll listen to me. I can convince him to destroy the amulet.”
“And how do you expect to reach the Iron Prince, much less convince him?” Mab wanted to know. “No one has seen Keirran, or the Forgotten army, anywhere in the Nevernever. You cannot speak to someone who is not here.”
“Ah...I believe I can help with that,” said a voice, and the Thin Man appeared in the corner. Fey jumped, put their hands on their swords, uncertain whether or not to attack. Meghan raised an arm.
“Hold,” she said sharply. “I called him to this gathering. He is not an enemy. If you all would listen to him, he’s here to help.”
“A Forgotten?” Oberon gave the Thin Man a suspicious look, his face cold. “Why would you help us?” he demanded. “Your queen intends to destroy the courts, remake the Nevernever and give it to her followers. What do you seek to gain from opposing her?”
“She is not,” the Thin Man said firmly, “my queen. You all have forgotten the days before, when the Lady ruled. You chose to purge it from your memories, erase all knowledge of the First Queen, so that not even the Nevernever remembers what it was like before the courts existed. But a few of us remember. Oh, yes, a few of us know what will happen if the First Queen wins this war.”
“Which is why the amulet must be destroyed,” purred a familiar voice, and Grimalkin looked up from the middle of the table, his tail curled around his legs.
Nobody seemed shocked to see him. “The Lady’s secret weapon is the Iron Prince,” the cat went on, slitting his eyes at us. “On her own, she is powerful, yes, but he is the instrument that will bring destruction to the courts and the Nevernever. The prophecy is not about the First Queen. The Iron Prince has always been the key.”
“As I believe you know, the Iron Prince has learned how to open the Between,” the Thin Man said, picking up where Grimalkin left off. “That is how he has been able to avoid detection, and that is how the First Queen has been hiding her army of Forgotten. The prince will be with the Lady in the Between, so naturally, you will need someone to part the Veil, enter the Between and find him. And, as I am the only one here with that skill, I guess it falls to me.” He pointed to me. “I can take Ethan Chase and the Summer girl into the Between to find the prince. Beyond that, any convincing will be up to them.”
“If this creature can open the Veil,” Mab said, “let us march our armies into the First Queen’s territory and force them to engage us now.”
“Ah, no,” the Thin Man said with a grimace. “I cannot do that. Sending a whole army through the Veil takes tremendous power—power I myself do not have. Not only that, the Veil is still quite unstable. Packing that much glamour, power and emotion within the Between could have disastrous consequences. The Forgotten have no glamour and little to no memories, so they can slip between worlds without leaving any scars of their passing. That is not the case with your armies or yourselves. A war in the Between itself might very well tear it apart again. Perhaps permanently this time.” The Thin Man narrowed his pale eyes. “And I do believe that is exactly what the First Queen wants.”
None of the faery rulers argued with him, not even Titania. “So, fighting in the Between is a no-no, got it,” Puck remarked, and shrugged. “Okay, then. Let’s say Ethan and Annwyl convince the princeling to stop being a jerk and come home. Yay for that. Anyone have any ideas on how to lure the First Queen out of her safe little hidey-hole? Maybe she likes cake?”
“Master!”
A shrill cry rent the air before anyone could reply, and Kenzie jerked up. A second later, a tiny streak of darkness flew through the opening and launched itself at Kenzie with a cry.
Mab rolled her eyes. “Apparently we cannot get through even one meeting without cats and Forgotten and Iron fey popping in whenever they please,” she remarked, as Razor scrambled all over Kenzie, buzzing in a shrill, frantic voice. “What does the creature want, mortal? Silence it or get it out.”
“Razor!” Kenzie snatched the gremlin off her shoulder and held him at arm’s length. He hissed and crackled like a bad radio station, and she frowned. “I don’t understand gremlin, Razor. English! What’s going on?”
“Master!” Razor squawked. “Master coming! Master coming now!”
My blood chilled as, almost at the same time, the tent flaps opened and a Summer knight dropped to a knee in the frame.
“Forgive me, Your Majesties,” it gasped. “But there is a large horde of Forgotten approaching the Summer side of the camp. We think they mean to attack!”
“Ready the troops!” Oberon boomed, striding from the tent. “Gather our knights and protect the front lines! Go!”
Chaos erupted. Mab’s voice rose alongside Oberon’s, calling for her warriors, gathering them for battle. Meghan nodded to Ash and Glitch, and the two fey strode off, probably to take control of the Iron Realm’s forces and prepare them for war. I drew my swords, staying close to Kenzie and Annwyl, as faeries swarmed around us, heading for the Summer side of the camp. Gripping my blades, I started to follow.
“Ethan!” Meghan turned, the mantle of the Iron Queen surrounding her, snapping with power. “Keep back from the front lines,” she ordered, her tone brooking no argument. “Stay here where it’s safer. I don’t want you in the thick of things.”
“Dammit, Meghan, I can fight—”
“I know you can,” the Iron Queen interrupted. “But you have something else to do, Ethan, you and Annwyl.” She glanced at the Summer faery, a flicker of anguish crossing her face, before turning to me again. “Your fight isn’t with the Forgotten. It’s with Keirran. If no one else can save him, I must depend on you. So, please.” She grabbed my shoulder. “Stay here. Protect Annwyl and Kenzie. Will you do that, for my peace of mind?”
I slumped, nodding. “Yeah,” I muttered. She was right; much as I wanted to stand with her and the rest of my family, I couldn’t go throwing myself into battle with the Forgotten. I still had to deal with Keirran.
Meghan squeezed my shoulder, her eyes intense. “Stay safe, little brother,” she whispered, a sister once more, and whirled away. I watched her stride after the other rulers, knights and other Iron fey falling in behind her, and made my own promise to see her again when this was all over.
I walked back to Kenzie and Annwyl, who were hovering close to Meghan’s tent as the rest of the army rushed past them. Razor perched on Kenzie’s shoulder, eyes wide as he pressed close, muttering nonsense.
“You okay, tough guy?” Kenzie asked, watching me with concern. She seemed nervous about the impending attack but not frightened. Behind her, Annwyl watched the fey prepare for battle with the same calm resignation she did everything now. I sheathed my swords, then reached for Kenzie and pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her. Razor was either so anxious or shell-shocked that he didn’t even grin at me.
“We should probably find somewhere safe to hole up,” I muttered, watching the last of the Iron fey scurry off after their queen. “From the looks of it, things are going to get pretty crazy.”
“Do you think Keirran will be with the Forgotten army?” Annwyl asked, her voice distant as she stared after the rulers. I frowned at her.
“Even if he is, you can’t go charging after him yourself, Annwyl,” I warned. “He’ll be surrounded by Forgotten, and there will be faeries fighting and tearing each other apart. It’s too dangerous to look for Keirran now.”
“I know,” she answered, much to my relief. “I understand what’s at stake, Ethan Chase. I won’t endanger that.”
“Smart girl,” said the Thin Man, turning into existence beside us. “Glad to see that we are all keeping our heads.” His gaze rose past us, following the direction where Meghan and the kings and queens of Faery had vanished into the dark. “Strange that the Forgotten would choose to attack now,” he mused, narrowing his eyes. “This seems most unlike them. Why march at us head-on when they can all slip through the...”
His eyes widened. “Oh, you clever boy!” he hissed, and strode forward. “Call them back!” We all stared at him, and he whirled around, vanishing from sight for a split second. “The army must fall back! The rulers must return at once! The Forgotten are about to ambush us from behind!”
“Ethan!” Kenzie gasped. “Look!”
I spun. Behind us, a crack appeared in the air, a tear in the fabric of reality. As I watched, horrified, it swiftly widened, showing the misty darkness of the Between beyond. And then a flood of shadows and glowing yellow eyes poured out of the breach like ants and swarmed to attack us.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE DESTROYER
“Run!”
I pushed Kenzie forward as Razor gave a screech of terror and bounced away. “Go!” I yelled. “We have to get to Meghan and the rest of the army. Go!”
They went, sprinting through the tent aisles, the Thin Man and myself close behind. I spared a glance over my shoulder and saw the massive horde of Forgotten still pouring from the gap, a flood of dark shadows. Some were normal-sized; some were larger and malformed, with huge heads and arms that dragged the ground when they walked. A few were enormous, towering over their smaller kin as they lumbered forward. I saw a dozen different types of Forgotten in one glance, but they were all blurred, indistinct shadows with wisps of darkness trailing behind. Featureless silhouettes exce
pt for their glowing yellow eyes.
And they were catching up. A pack of lean, doglike things raced toward us, making no noise as they leaped over tents and between aisles. One raced beside me, snapping pointed jaws at my ankles, and I cursed as I drew my sword. It leaped aside as I slashed at it, and the rest of the pack closed in. I felt one’s teeth snag my jeans and stumbled with a stab of fear, barely catching myself. If I fell, that would be it. The dogs would maul me to death, and I’d be swallowed whole by a black flood of Forgotten.
Snarling, I hacked at one dog and saw it erupt in a billow of shadow before it disappeared. At the same time, another pair of sharp fangs closed around my ankle, and I felt myself falling.
Just as I hit the ground, there was a blur of darkness, much bigger than the Forgotten hounds, as something huge bowled into the pack with a roar, knocking them aside like stick figures. The pack yelped and scattered, and I shoved myself upright as a massive furry creature bounded to my side, long fangs flashing in the darkness.
“Wolf?”
“Go!” the massive faery snarled, facing the oncoming horde. “I’ll slow them down. Move!” Baring his teeth, he roared a challenge, making the ground tremble, and sprang forward, straight for the army of Forgotten. Who, though I couldn’t be sure, seemed to hesitate as the enormous Wolf barreled toward them like a freight train. Then Kenzie dragged me to my feet, and we continued to run.
I caught a glimpse of silvery battle mail between tents and angled toward it, feeling the silent flood of the Forgotten at my back. “Meghan!” I howled, and the figure turned, eyes going wide as she spotted me. “Meghan, turn the army around! The Forgotten are here—”
There was a blast of wind overhead, and a huge, winged Forgotten landed in front of us with a shriek. Flaring dark, spiny wings, it reared back to strike.