Page 60
The prince hovered anxiously on the edge of the path. “How’s the leg?” he asked, sounding faintly guilty. Not guilty enough, I thought sourly. I prodded the gash and winced.
“Hurts like hell,” I muttered, “but at least the bleeding’s slowed down. ” Removing my belt, I wrapped it several times around my leg to make a rough bandage, clenching my jaw as I cinched it tight. The gash on my arm was still oozing sluggishly, but I’d have to take care of it later.
“Where to now?” Keirran asked.
“Belvedere Castle,” I replied, desperately hoping Kenzie and the others were already there, waiting for us. “We agreed to meet there, when this was all over. ”
Keirran looked around the dense woods and sighed. “Any idea what direction it might be?”
“Not really,” I gritted out and glared at him. “You’re the one with faery blood. Aren’t you supposed to have some innate sense of direction?”
“I’m not a compass,” Keirran said mildly, still gazing around the forest. Finally, he shrugged. “Well, I guess we’ll pick a trail and hope for the best. Can you walk?”
Despite my anger, I felt a tiny twinge of relief. He was starting to sound like his old self again. Maybe all that madness down in the Lady’s throne room was because he’d been glamoured, after all.
“I’ll be fine,” I muttered, struggling to my feet. “But I’m going to have to tell Kenzie that you’re really not at all helpful on camping trips. ”
He chuckled, and it sounded relieved, too. “Be sure to break it to her gently,” he said, and took my weight again.
Fifteen minutes later, we still had no idea where we were going. We were wandering up a twisty, narrow path, hoping it would take us someplace familiar, when Keirran suddenly stopped. A troubled look crossed his face, and I glanced around warily, wondering if I should pull my swords. Of course, it was going to be really awkward fighting while hopping around on one leg or leaning against Keirran. I had hoped our fighting was done for the night.
“What is it?” I asked. Keirran sighed.
“They’re here. ”
“What? Who?”
“Master!”
A familiar wail rent the night, and Keirran grimaced, bracing himself, as Razor hurled himself at his chest. Scrabbling to his shoulders, the gremlin gibbered and bounced with joy. “Master, master! Master safe!”
“Hey, Razor. ” Keirran smiled, wincing helplessly as the gremlin continued to bounce on him. “Yeah, I’m happy to see you, too. Is the court far behind?”
I frowned at him. “Court?”
They emerged from the trees all around us, dozens of sidhe knights in gleaming armor, the symbol of a great iron tree on their breastplates. They slid out of the woods, amazingly silent for an army in plate mail, until they formed a glittering half circle around us. Leading them all was a pair of familiar faces: a dark faery dressed all in black with silver eyes, and a grinning redhead.
Keirran stiffened beside me.
“Well, well,” Puck announced, smirking as he and Ash approached side-by-side. “Look who it is. See, ice-boy, I told you they’d be here. ”
Ash’s glittering stare was leveled at Keirran, who quickly bowed his head but, to his credit, didn’t cringe or back away. Which took guts, I had to admit, facing down that icy glare.
“Are you two all right?” From Ash’s tone, I couldn’t tell if he was relieved, secretly amused or completely furious. His gaze swept over me, quietly assessing, and his eyes narrowed. “Ethan, you’re badly wounded. What happened?”
“I’m fine. ” A weak claim, I knew, as my shirt and half my pant leg were covered in blood. Beside me, Keirran was rigid, motionless. Razor gave a worried buzz from his neck. What’s the matter? I thought. Afraid I’m going to tell Daddy that you nearly let me be skewered to death? “I got into a fight with a few guards. ” I shrugged, then grimaced as the motion tore the dried wound on my shoulder. “Turns out, fighting multiple opponents in armor isn’t a very smart idea. ”
“You think?” Puck came forward, shooing Keirran away and pointing me to a nearby rock. “Sit down. Jeez, kid, do I look like a nurse? Why are you always bleeding whenever I see you? You’re worse than ice-boy. ”
Ash ignored that comment as Puck briskly started tying bandages around my various cuts and gashes, being not particularly gentle. “Where are they?” the dark faery demanded.
I clenched my teeth as Puck yanked a strip of cloth around my arm. “There’s a trod under a bridge that will take you to their lair,” I said, pointing back down the path. “I’d be careful, though. There’s a lot of them running around. ”
“Don’t hurt them,” Keirran burst out, and everyone, even Razor, glanced at him in surprise. “They’re not dangerous,” he pleaded, as I gave him an are-you-crazy look. He ignored me. “They’re just…misguided. ”
Puck snorted, looking up from my shoulder. “Sorry, but are we talking about the same creepy little faeries that tried to kill us atop the castle that night? Evil gnomes, toothy hands, tried to suck out everyone’s glamour—this ringing any bells?” He stood, wiping off his hands, and I pushed myself to my feet, gingerly putting weight on my leg. It was just numb now, making me wonder what Puck had done to it. Magic, glamour or something else? Whatever it was, I wasn’t complaining.
“The killings will stop,” Keirran insisted. “The queen promised me they would stop. ”
“They have a queen?” Ash’s voice had gone soft and lethal, and even Puck looked concerned. Keirran drew in a sharp breath, realizing his mistake.
“Huh, another queen,” Puck mused, an evil grin crossing his face. “Maybe we should drop in and introduce ourselves, ice-boy. Do the whole, hey, we were just in the neighborhood, and we were just wondering if you had any plans to take over the Nevernever. Have a fruit basket. ”
“Father, please. ” Keirran met Ash’s gaze. “Let them go. They’re only trying to survive. ”
The dark faery stared Keirran down a few moments, then shook his head. “We didn’t come here to start a war,” he said, and Keirran relaxed. “We came here for you and Ethan. The courts will have to decide what to do with the emergence of another queen. Right now, let’s get you both out of here. And, Keirran—” he glared at his son, who flinched under that icy gaze “—this isn’t over. The queen will be waiting for you when we get home. I hope you have a good explanation. ”
Meghan, I thought as Keirran and Puck took my weight again, and we started hobbling down the path. Questions swirled, all centered on her and Keirran. I needed to talk to my sister, not just to ask about my nephew and the “other” side of my family, but to let her know that I understood. I knew why she left us so long ago. Or at least, I was beginning to.
I couldn’t speak to her now, but I would, soon. Keirran was my way back to Faery, back to my sister, because now that we’d met, I was pretty sure not even the Iron Queen herself could keep him away.
“Ah. ” Puck sighed, shaking his head as we headed into the forest. “This brings back memories. ” He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Don’t they remind you of a pair, ice-boy, from way back when?”
Ash snorted. “Don’t remind me. ”
Epilogue
Belvedere Castle looked eerie and strange under the moonlight, with armored knights standing guard along the top and the banner of the Iron Queen flapping in the wind. It was as if we’d stepped through time into King Arthur’s court or something. But the small group of humans clustered on the balcony sort of ruined that image, though it was obvious they couldn’t see the unearthly knights milling around them. Occasionally one would break away from the group and walk toward the steps, though when they reached the edge they would turn and wander back, a dazed look on their face. So, a glamour barrier had been placed over the castle, preventing them from going anywhere. Probably a good idea; the former half-breeds didn’t even know who they were and wouldn’t survive for long, ou
t there on their own. Still, it was faery magic, repressing the will of normal humans, keeping them trapped, and it made my skin crawl.
“What will happen to the half-breeds now that they’re human?” I asked as we approached the first flight of stairs, knights bowing to us on either side.
Ash shook his head. “I don’t know. ” Gazing up at the top of the steps, he narrowed his eyes. “Some of them are probably Leanansidhe’s, so she might take them back, see if they regain their memories. Beyond that…” He shrugged. “Some of them may have been reported missing. We’ll let the human authorities know they’re here. Their own will have to take care of them now. ”
“One of them is a friend of ours,” I said. “He’s been missing for days. We need to take him back to Louisiana with us. ”
Ash nodded. “I’ll make sure he gets home. ”
Keirran stopped at the foot of the stairs, his breath catching. I gritted my teeth as the abrupt halt jolted my leg, then followed his gaze up to where Annwyl stood at the top of the steps, waiting for him.
I sighed and pulled my arm from his shoulders. “Go on,” I said, rolling my eyes, and he instantly leaped up the steps, taking them three at a time, until he reached the top. Uncaring of Ash, Puck or any of the surrounding knights, he pulled the Summer girl into his arms and kissed her deeply, while Razor jabbered with delight, beaming his manic smile at them both.
Puck shot a look at Ash, his green eyes solemn. “I told you, ice-boy. That kid of yours is trouble. And that’s coming from me. ”
Ash scrubbed a hand over his face. “Leanansidhe,” he muttered, and shook his head. “So that’s where he’s been disappearing to. ” He sighed, and his silver gaze narrowed. “The three of us are going to have to have a talk. ”
Where’s Kenzie? I thought, gazing up the stairs. If Annwyl and the former half-breeds were safe, she had to be here, too. But I didn’t see her near the top of the steps with Keirran and Annwyl, or in the cluster of humans wandering around the balcony. I felt a tiny prick of hurt, that she wasn’t here to greet me and tried to ignore it. She must have her reasons.