The Iron Warrior

  “Kenzie!” I lunged toward her as she collapsed, bleeding from a dozen small wounds all over her body.

  Keirran’s voice rang out as I scrambled forward, icy and unmerciful. “You might be immune to glamour, but Kenzie is not!” I ignored him and continued to spring toward Kenzie, as Keirran’s voice followed me. “Love is a weakness, Ethan! You might’ve stood a chance if she had not been here, but now you will die, because you cannot let her go.”

  Another strong pulse of glamour went through the stones, and I flung myself at my girlfriend. Just as I reached her, the ground erupted, thick roots and vines coiling into the air, sending rock and gravel flying. They snaked around Kenzie, lifting her away, out of my reach. I howled in rage and sank my blade into the trunks, trying to hack them down, but the roots were thick and gnarled, and resisted my efforts. Kenzie was raised high, vines circling her arms and legs until she hung twenty feet in the air. With a creaking and groaning of limbs, the knot of roots twisted, dangling her over the perimeter wall, into empty space.

  “No!” I whirled on Keirran, standing calmly with his arm outstretched, his eyes impassive. “Dammit, Keirran, don’t you fucking dare! Kenzie was the only one who stood up for you, even to me! She was your friend when I was ready to say screw it and walk out. You can’t—”

  “No?” Keirran’s voice was icy. “Why not? What is one human life to me, when thousands of exiles and Forgotten hang in the balance?” His eyes narrowed, hard and expressionless. “You don’t know me anymore, Ethan. Or what I’m willing to sacrifice. Don’t underestimate what I’m capable of.”

  “All right!” My voice broke, and I took a ragged breath, meeting his cold gaze. “Don’t hurt her,” I whispered. “You win. Do what you want with me, just...let her go.”

  “Ethan.” Kenzie’s voice echoed somewhere above me, weak and tight with pain. “No. What about your sister and your parents? You can’t let him—”

  Some of the limbs uncoiled, releasing her so that her legs swung out over the drop. Kenzie gasped, clawing at the vines to keep hold of them, and I nearly choked on panic.

  “Nooooo!”

  A tiny, furious cry rang out, and Razor landed on Keirran’s shoulder, beating him with his fists, teeth bared. “No, no, Master stop! Stop stop! No hurt pretty girl!”

  “Razor!” Keirran snapped, sounding exasperated. He gestured sharply, and the little gremlin flew away with a blast of wind, tumbling to the ground. Before he could recover, a root snaked down, lifted the hissing, squirming gremlin into the air and tossed him over the wall. Razor wailed as he arched over the stones, a tiny speck of black against the sky, and dropped out of sight. Kenzie screamed his name in horror and outrage.

  “Damn you, Keirran—”

  “I could send her after him,” the prince remarked calmly, and several coils loosened, dropping Kenzie a couple feet. She cried out, desperately grabbing the branches, but her fingers slipped, and she plunged downward. Only one vine, wrapped around her wrist, kept her from plummeting to her death. Frantic, I whirled and took a step toward him.

  “Keirran, stop! Dammit, you win already! Look!” I threw my swords aside, tossing them to the ground. “I’m done,” I choked out as he gazed at me. “I won’t fight you. Just kill me, if that’s what you want.”

  My chest felt tight with failure, knowing I’d let everyone down. Meghan, my parents, Guro, my whole damn world. I’m sorry, Kenzie, I thought, as Keirran finally lowered his arm and turned away from her. I never thought he would go this far. But if I can save only one person out of this whole stupid ordeal, it’s going to be you every time. I love you. Please, take care of yourself.

  Keirran raised his sword and pointed to the middle of the courtyard. “Here, Ethan,” he ordered quietly. “No more fighting. No more delays. We do it right here.”

  Numbly, I walked to where the Iron Prince pointed, facing him across the stones. He stepped forward, his steel blade glittering in the darkness. “Kneel,” he told me.

  I dropped to my knees on the flagstones. Small spatters of blood already dotted the ground where I knelt; in a moment, there would be a huge puddle spreading across the stones. Dead again, I mused. Only this time, I wasn’t coming back, and the Veil would be destroyed for good. Meghan, I thought as Keirran stepped in front of me, my skin prickling in the sudden chill. I hope you can forgive me.

  “I’ll make it quick,” Keirran said almost gently, and raised his sword. I bowed my head but kept my eyes open, hearing my heart roar in my ears, bracing for the final blow. “You won’t feel anything, Ethan, I promise.”

  Searing light flooded the courtyard.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  ANNWYL’S CHOICE

  Keirran jerked, and I looked up as a brilliant light illuminated the darkness, driving back the shadows. It was hot and golden, like sunlight on a blistering summer’s day, blinding and intense. We both flinched back, and I shielded my eyes with a hand, squinting at the spot the radiance was coming from.

  Annwyl.

  Annwyl was glowing, a tiny sun that was almost too bright to look at. Around her, the Forgotten writhed and cringed away, shrinking back from the light, as the Summer girl stepped toward us, her hair floating around her like a halo. Her eyes glowed a savage green as she faced Keirran, who looked stunned.

  “Enough, Keirran.” Her voice rang out over the courtyard, clear and confident. And pissed. She strode forward, and I scrambled away from her, feeling warmth wash over my skin as she approached. I looked closer and saw tears streaming down her face, even as she held her furious gaze on the prince.

  “No more,” Annwyl said softly, and her voice was both resolved and incredibly sad. “This has gone far enough.”

  “Annwyl,” Keirran whispered, incredulous. He staggered back and dropped to a knee, bracing himself on the flagstones. “How...? Your magic...you have no glamour anymore.”

  “No, I don’t.” Annwyl stepped in front of me, putting herself between me and the prince. “This is your magic, Keirran. The amulet binds us together. Your glamour is what kept me alive all this time. I never used it before, because I feared draining you further and hastening your death. For so long, I denied myself magic, barely clinging to existence, because I was worried about you.” She breathed deeply, and the light expanded with her, pushing the darkness back. “I love you, Keirran,” she whispered, as the prince struggled to his feet. “But this cannot go on. I cannot stand here and watch you destroy everything you once loved. If you are willing to slaughter your own family, then the prince I knew is truly dead. And I...must make this right, for everyone.”

  “Annwyl...” Keirran looked almost nervous as he backed away, skirting the light. “Stop. Don’t make me kill you, too.”

  The Summer faery shook her head. “I’m already gone, Keirran,” she said quietly. “I have been for a long time now. But I plan to take you with me when my essence returns to the Nevernever. And maybe someday, when we’re reborn, we’ll meet again.”

  Now Keirran looked angry. He raised his arm, but Annwyl’s light flared hotter, brighter. The ground at her feet cracked, and grass began to emerge, crawling over the barren stones and spreading around her. The prince staggered, his color leaching away, as light continued to pour from Annwyl. Where it touched, flowers and ferns appeared, shocking bits of color in the dead gray courtyard.

  “Ethan,” Annwyl continued, without taking her gaze from Keirran, “go help Kenzie. I will deal with the prince.”

  “Annwyl—”

  “Go, Ethan Chase!” The Summer faery’s voice rang with authority, and I went.

  “No,” Keirran snarled, as I dashed for the wall. I saw him start after me, but there was a burst of heat from Annwyl, and the prince gave a cry of dismay and rage. I didn’t look back. Snatching one of my dropped swords from the ground, I raced to the wall and leaped onto the tangle of roots and vines,
climbing my way toward the top.

  “Kenzie!”

  She looked up at me, dangling over the vast precipice, one arm still tangled in vines. “Hang on,” I told her, and sank my blade into one of the vines coiled around her arm. Kenzie clung doggedly as I cleared most of the knot, then reached out an arm. “Here!” I yelled, straining for her. “Kenzie, take my hand.”

  Gritting her teeth, she lunged for it, clamping on to my wrist. I pulled her from the coil of roots, then carefully lowered her to the courtyard below. Relief stabbed through me as she hit the ground. Safe.

  But before I could relax, the roots beneath me went nuts, writhing and swaying like something on fire. Startled, I grabbed wildly for a vine, but with a sudden heave, the branch bucked me off, thankfully in the direction of the courtyard. For a few seconds, I was airborne and saw the ground rushing up at me.

  I hit grass instead of stone, which was a blessing, though it still clacked my teeth together and sent a flare of pain up my side. Dazed, I looked up to see Keirran and Annwyl in the center of a magical whirlwind, leaves, twigs, rocks and ice shards swirling around them. Keirran had his sword raised, and Annwyl was unarmed, bursts of magic erupting all around them. The Iron Prince looked pale and weak, somehow less of himself, while Annwyl still blazed with her stolen glamour, her hair whipping around her head.

  Seeing us, Keirran’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his arm, pointing toward Kenzie, making my heart skip. On instinct, I dived in front of her as a lightning bolt flashed out, curled around me and slammed into the wall, barely missing her. “I will not be defeated, Ethan!” Keirran exclaimed, as I backed in front of Kenzie, shielding her as best I could. “Either you die, or Kenzie dies! The Veil will fall—”

  “No!” Annwyl thrust her palm toward Keirran, and a savage burst of wind lifted the prince off his feet, slamming him to the ground a few feet away. Stunned, he looked up as Annwyl stepped forward, the storm swirling around her. She raised her hand, and a ball of flame, lightning and pure sunlight formed in her palm as she held it out. Keirran staggered, looking pale and vulnerable as the Summer faery loomed over him.

  “Annwyl,” he whispered, his voice lost in the gale around them. “Stop. Please. Everything I’ve done...all of this...it was for you.”

  As he spoke, there was a shimmer of movement from the corner of my eye. I looked over to see one of my swords had lifted itself off the ground, the point angled at Annwyl’s back. Annwyl, facing down Keirran, didn’t notice.

  “I’m sorry, Keirran,” Annwyl said, as I leaped up and sprinted toward her. Her voice was choked with tears as she raised her arm. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

  The sword flew toward her. I slammed into the Summer faery, pushing her aside just as the blade reached us. At the same time, a blaze of agony ripped across my back as the weapon sliced into me, tearing a deep cut across my skin. I cried out and nearly fell, and saw Keirran’s eyes widen for a split second, then narrow sharply as he realized.

  Not immune to Iron glamour.

  He scrambled to his feet, raising his hand. Alone, in pain and unarmed, I could only watch as the air above him flared, and a dozen glittering knives flickered into existence. For a heartbeat, our eyes met. I saw a split-second hesitation cross his face, a heartbeat of regret, before he threw out his hand, and the storm of lethal blades flew at me.

  I flinched away and raised my arms, bracing myself to be skewered. I felt one of the knives graze my shoulder, tearing through my sleeve, making me gasp. I heard the solid, sickening thumps of iron hitting flesh, striking home, but felt no pain.

  Cautiously, I opened my eyes, and my heart dropped.

  Annwyl stood in front of me, arms crossed before her in an X, facing Keirran. For a few seconds, I could only stare, hopeful and horrified. Her back was to me, so I couldn’t see the damage, but she didn’t appear to be in pain. Maybe Keirran had missed. Maybe he’d redirected the attack at the last second.

  And then I saw the blood, dripping in puddles beneath her, as Annwyl gave a breathless gasp and fell backward into my arms. Her body was covered with knives, sunk deep into her chest and stomach, welling with blood. A thin line of red trickled from her mouth as she coughed, her delicate frame shuddering violently in my grasp.

  Keirran’s sword dropped from his hands with a clang.

  “Annwyl.” Sickened, I sank to my knees, cradling the Summer faery as gently as I could. Her eyes were glassy with pain as she gazed up at me, struggling to speak. “Hey, don’t try to talk,” I choked out. “Just hold on, we’ll...think of something.”

  She smiled gently and shook her head. I felt a soft touch on my shoulder and knew Kenzie had come up, that she had seen everything. Even as I held her, Annwyl flickered, becoming almost weightless in my arms. The amulet pulsed against her chest, as if desperately sucking in glamour, trying to save her life. But Annwyl continued to fade, her color slowly leaching away, even as blood soaked her dress and dripped to the ground beneath us.

  A shadow fell over me. I didn’t have to look up to know it was Keirran. Would he kill me, here and now? Drive a sword through my heart and let us both bleed out on the stones? But he was motionless, not speaking, adding to the eerie silence around us. The storm had faded, the grass and flowers had already shriveled and were blowing away. The brilliant light surrounding Annwyl had died, and everything was dark again, plunged into shadow. I couldn’t look at the prince, but Annwyl’s gaze drifted up, and she weakly raised a hand.

  “Keirran.”

  Her voice was barely audible, and Keirran fell to his knees and grasped her hand. I finally looked at him and saw his face.

  My stomach twisted. His expression was emotionless, except for the single tear crawling down his face. Easing closer, he reached out, sliding his arms under Annwyl, taking her from me. For a second, I resisted; he had no right. But Annwyl’s gaze was only for Keirran, and knowing these were her final moments in the world, I let her go.

  Rising, I stepped back with Kenzie, who slid her arms around my waist and pressed close. And together, we watched the Iron Prince and the Summer faery’s last exchange. Kenzie sniffed, her tears dampening the front of my shirt, and I held her tight, too emotionally exhausted to wonder where we would be when this was over.

  “Annwyl.” Keirran’s voice was a whisper. His shoulders trembled as he bent over her, one hand hovering over the shards of metal jutting from her chest. Helplessly, he clenched a fist. “I never...meant for this to happen,” he breathed. “I...”

  The Summer faery shook her head. “No apologies,” she murmured, and Keirran instantly fell silent, his gaze tormented. “No empty promises, Keirran. There’s not...much time left.” She flickered again, her outline fading at the edges. Keirran closed his eyes, and a sob finally tore itself free.

  “I wanted to save you,” he said in a low, anguished voice. His hand lifted, trailing down her cheek. “What will I do now, Annwyl? How will I face anything...when you’re gone?”

  She reached for his hand, placing it over her heart, over the amulet pulsing against her chest. “Take back your soul, Keirran,” she whispered. He blinked, gazing down at her, and she smiled. “Please. Before I go, let me see you...as you were. As the prince I fell in love with.”

  He bowed his head, hesitating for a few heartbeats. When he opened his eyes again, they were glassy with tears, grief, regret...and resignation. Slowly, he nodded.

  Raising the amulet, he held it in his palm, and Annwyl’s hand came to rest over them both. Keirran’s fingers tightened, and the amulet began to glow. It grew hotter and brighter, until the two fey seemed to be holding a pulsing star between them.

  Finally, with the sound of breaking glass, the amulet shattered. Keirran jerked, stiffening, as swirls of light flowed from his palm and curled into the air. They spiraled up, casting a brilliant light over the kneeling faery, before turning as one and r
ushing down on him. Keirran hunched his shoulders as the spears of light slammed into his body and vanished beneath his skin. He shuddered, holding Annwyl close, as he flickered and pulsed like a strobe light, making it hard to look at him.

  Finally, the light sputtered and went out, plunging everything into darkness once more. Panting, Keirran straightened slowly and looked down at Annwyl.

  My throat tightened, and Kenzie clenched a fist in my shirt. I could barely see the Summer faery. She was so faint, a fading shadow cradled in his arms, growing dimmer by the second. Keirran gazed down at her, tears now streaming unchecked from his eyes, and gently pulled her close. His lips moved, though his voice was too soft to hear. I couldn’t really see Annwyl’s face, but I think she smiled at him. Slowly, one transparent hand rose, pressing against his cheek.

  And then she was gone.

  * * *

  For a long while after, the three of us didn’t move. Kenzie clung to me, weeping softly, her cheek pressed to my shirt. Keirran knelt on the flagstones, head bowed and shoulders hunched. I didn’t know what to do, what to say to him. I wasn’t even sure that he wouldn’t still try to kill me. Yeah, he had gotten his soul back, but that didn’t mean he would abandon his plan to destroy the Veil.

  “Ethan.” Keirran’s voice was a whisper, and he didn’t move from where he knelt on the flagstones. I tensed and felt Kenzie stiffen, too, holding her breath. Keirran raised his head, but he still didn’t look at us. “You should go,” he murmured softly, and with those words, he was himself again. The Keirran I knew before all this craziness happened. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or if I wanted to march over and punch him in the teeth. “The Lady...will be coming soon,” Keirran went on. “She’ll know the amulet has been destroyed, and she’ll be looking to kill you here, once and for all. Go, Ethan. You have to leave, or the Veil will fall. Take Kenzie and go back to the Nevernever.”