The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey) (27 page)

Guess that’s my cue.
I raced across the ice, right for the mountain looming in front of me. Any other time, it probably would’ve blasted or stomped me into paste, but it had its hands full at the moment, with Puck dancing on its snout and Ash fending off blasts of icicle wind, hurling his own ice daggers back. I reached the place Keirran stood, in the shadow of the monster’s bulk, surrounded by ice eddies. Ash had been right; overhead, the elemental’s chest and stomach were open in places, blue light streaming through the cracks and holes in the armor. It was also ungodly cold this close to the monster; each breath stabbed like a knife, and I could see frost creeping over my skin, ice forming in my hair and eyelashes.

“Keirran!” I gritted out, slashing through a whirlwind as I joined him. “Hurry up and kill it! Let’s get this done so we can get the hell out of here!”

He nodded, slicing an eddy that came whirling at us. “Keep them off me for a second!”

I lunged forward, protecting his back, as Keirran dropped his head and closed his eyes. Light formed in his hand, a pulsing globe of pure sunlight, growing hotter and stronger with every passing second. I spun and whirled around him, cutting at the eddies that got too close, wincing each time something hit me. But nothing struck Keirran, who was throwing off waves of heat now, melting the frost on my skin.

“For Annwyl,” I heard him whisper, and he thrust his hand up, between the cracks in the armor.

There was a searing flash of light, and a shudder went through the ground. The elemental threw up its head and roared, shaking the cavern, as bits of stone and ice began falling from its bulk, smashing to the ground. The ice eddies shuddered and collapsed into piles of rubble as the monster roared again and started to collapse.

“Keirran!” I spun toward the Iron Prince, but he lay motionless on the ground, all his color washed away. Dodging a huge chunk of armor, I grabbed Keirran’s arm, slung it around my neck and hauled him upright. The elemental was crumbling like a cave-in, stone and ice smashing around us. Clenching my jaw, I leaped forward, pulling Keirran out as I did, and the huge bulk of the elemental collapsed with a deafening roar, sending ice and rock flying everywhere. Something hit me in the back and I fell, bringing Keirran with me as I tumbled to the icy ground, stunned.

Gasping, I let Keirran go and rolled to my back, staring up at what was left of the elemental. The cold blue light was gone, and only a shifting mountain of stone remained, spreading over the ice. I was relieved, and at the same time, I felt abruptly guilty. We had just destroyed an ancient force of nature, probably the only one of its kind. And for what? To appease a fickle faery queen who cared nothing for any of us. I had no quarrel with this creature; we had strolled into its home and woken it up when it had been sleeping peacefully, not hurting anything. I wondered if the thing hadn’t been trying to kill us, would Keirran still have struck that final blow?

I felt tainted. I’d allowed myself to become an assassin of the fey, carrying out their dirty work. I’d sworn I’d never do that. I’d sworn a lot of things, back before I met Keirran. My only comfort was that the prince was family and that Annwyl at least would get to go home.

Keirran groaned and stirred, pushing himself to his knees. His color had returned, though he looked paler than before, faded out and exhausted. He met my gaze and offered a faint smile...right before Ash swept up, hauled him to his feet by the collar and slammed him back against a pillar.

“What have you done, Keirran?”

The dark faery’s voice was cold, furious. I scrambled upright, feeling my bruised, aching body groan in protest, unsure if I should step in or not. Keirran winced, but didn’t try to struggle or break free.

“What I had to.”

“You had to kill the spirit of the Frozen Wood.” Ash narrowed his eyes, unappeased. “You had to wake an ancient elemental that has been asleep for centuries, fight it in its own territory and destroy it. Because you had no choice.”

“You told me how to kill it,” Keirran pointed out. “You didn’t have to.”

“Yes I did. Because I know you. If I hadn’t arrived, if I hadn’t said anything, would you have stopped? Or would you have kept fighting an unwinnable battle until it destroyed you all?” Ash paused, waiting for Keirran’s reply. The prince met the icy gaze for only a moment, then looked at the ground. Ash nodded.

“That’s what I thought.” His voice, though it had thawed the slightest bit on that last part, hardened again. “Do you realize what you’ve done? That spirit is what kept the Frozen Wood alive. With it gone, Mab will lose this territory, either to Summer or the wyldwood. She’ll blame Summer for the destruction of her territory, and probably Iron when she hears who dealt the final blow. You’ve probably started a war.”

“It was to save Annwyl!” Keirran’s outburst made Ash pause. The Iron Prince glared at his father, his face suddenly tormented, eyes glassy. “It was the only way to get Titania to relent, to stop Annwyl from Fading away completely. I had to do it.” His gaze narrowed. “I would’ve thought that you, of all people, would understand.”

Ash sighed, and to my extreme shock, pulled Keirran forward so that their foreheads were touching. “I do understand,” the dark faery murmured, and Keirran squeezed his eyes shut. “More than you know. But this wasn’t the way, Keirran. You should have come to us. We would have worked something out. But you had to go do everything alone, and now matters are even worse.”

Keirran slumped, clenching his fists, but didn’t say anything. Ash released him and stepped away, casting a somber look at the mountain of rubble that was once the spirit.

“I have to go to Mab,” he muttered as Puck appeared beside him, looking grave. “See if I can convince her not to declare war on Summer or Iron. Keirran—” he stabbed a terrifying glare at the Iron Prince “—go home. Right now. You, too, Ethan,” he added, glancing at me. “I’m sure your parents are worried about you.”

“No,” Keirran whispered, and Ash’s icy stare fixed on him. He swallowed, but remained firm. “Not yet. I have to go back to Arcadia, make sure Titania lets Annwyl return to court. Please.” He met Ash’s gaze, imploring. “Let me do this one final thing. I’ll go home after that, I promise. And I’ll never leave Mag Tuiredh again.”

“I’ll take them back to Arcadia, ice-boy,” Puck added, his voice uncharacteristically grim. “And I’ll send him home afterward. Both of them.”

Ash stared at Keirran a moment longer, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll allow it, this once. But you had better be waiting for me when I return to Mag Tuiredh, Keirran. We are going to have a long talk. Goodfellow...” He glanced at Puck. “Inform Oberon we’ll be contacting him soon, as well. He’ll want to know about this.”

Puck nodded. Ash spared one last look at me and Keirran, his gaze lingering on the prince. Then he whirled away in a swirl of black, stalked into the shadows and was gone.

Kenzie.
As soon as Ash left, I spun toward the place I’d left the girl...and nearly ran into her, coming up behind me.

“Oof.” She staggered back a pace, but I caught her and swept her into my arms, holding her tight. She hugged me back fiercely. Razor peeked out of her hair and grinned at me, but I ignored him.

“Hey, you,” she whispered into my shirt. “Looks like you managed to slay the dragon.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, not wanting to say how much I regretted it. That destroying something so ancient and primal, something that had kept a part of Faery alive, seemed wrong. Not to mention we might’ve sparked a war. Pulling away, I gazed at the mountain of rubble that was once an ice spirit and grimaced. “We should’ve never come here.”

“Was that Keirran’s dad that just left?” Kenzie went on, looking in the direction Ash disappeared. I nodded. “Where’s he going in such a hurry?”

“Oh, just to visit Mab.” Puck sighed, shaking his head as he walked past. “You know, catch up, have some cookies, maybe prevent her from declaring all-out war on the other courts. The usual.” He gave me and Keirran an unreadable look and rolled his eyes. “You two. I swear, this is
so
familiar. What’s that human saying about having a kid that turns out to be just like you?” He snorted. “Well, come on, then. Let’s get you back to Arcadia so you can see Titania, and we can put an end to this insanity.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

TITANIA’S DECISION

When we came out of the caves, what Ash had been talking about became abundantly and sickeningly clear.

The Frozen Wood was disappearing. The ice that had coated every leaf, tree, twig and branch was nearly gone, and the snow was melting away, showing patches of bare earth beneath. Water dripped from the branches overhead, turning the ground slushy, and mud sucked at our feet as we walked. Dead animals lay scattered about the wood, some still coated in frozen crystal, but many sprawled limply in the snow. Without the ice keeping them in a state of eternal preservation, they looked dirty and ugly, as did the once-pristine woods around them.

“Mab is going to be pissed,” Puck remarked, frowning at the devastation around us. “I hope ice-boy catches her on a good day.”

I helped do this,
I thought, wrenching my gaze from a scattering of dead birds around the trunk of a tree. My insides turned, making me feel sick.
If Mab declares war on Arcadia or Meghan’s court, it will be partly my fault.

I glanced at Keirran, wondering if he felt as guilty and horrified as I did. His expression was blank, unreadable, even as he faced the fallout of our actions, and I wanted to kick him.

Last time, Keirran.
I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the back of his head.
This is the last time you can expect help from me. I know you want to save Annwyl, but this has gone way too far. After this, after Annwyl is home, we’re done. Puck was right about you—you’re trouble, and I’m not going to get dragged into any more messes because of you.

“Hey.” Kenzie’s fingers brushed my arm, interrupting my dark thoughts. “I know that look,” she said, peering up at me. “That’s not your happy face, tough guy. If your eyes could shoot laser beams, Keirran’s head would explode. What are you thinking?”

“Look around us,” I whispered and gestured to the body of a stag we’d passed earlier. It had fallen into the mud, its legs rising stiffly into the air. “We did this. Keirran and I are responsible for this. We killed something we shouldn’t have, and now look at what’s happened.”

“So...what? You’re blaming him as well as yourself?”

“Mostly him,” I muttered, lowering my voice. “But yeah. Myself, too.”

Kenzie shook her head. “You and your guilt issues.” She sighed. “Not everything that happens is your fault, Ethan. Or anyone’s fault. Just because the fey can see you doesn’t mean the trouble they cause is on your head.”

“This is different,” I told her. “I wasn’t forced to do anything. This was a choice.”

“Yes, it was,” Kenzie agreed solemnly. “You chose to help a friend. You chose to go along with this request because it was the only way to save his life. To save both their lives.”

“It could start a war.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that now.” Kenzie’s voice was relentlessly pragmatic. “You can blame and point fingers and brood on what happened, but it’s already in the past, and it won’t help anything.” Her gaze lingered on a dead fox, a shocking red against a patch of snow, and her lip trembled. Razor peeked out of her hair and wrinkled his nose. “It’s over, and we’ll just have to deal with whatever comes of it.” I started to protest, but she cut me off. “Would you have done anything differently if you knew what would happen? Would you have let Keirran go by himself?”

I slumped. “No.”

“Then stop beating yourself up,” Kenzie said gently. “And let’s just get through this as best we can. We’re not out of here yet.”

* * *

Sometime later, but far earlier than I would’ve liked, we stood at the edge of the Seelie throne room, peering through the bramble tunnel at the Summer Queen’s court.

“Well,” Puck said cheerfully, “here we are. And Titania looks like she’s in a good mood today—that’s always a bad sign.” He glanced at Keirran, gazing into the throne room with dark, hooded eyes. “Think I’ll wait out here. Having me around might be too much of a distraction for our lovely queen, seeing how fond she is of me.” He snickered. “I’ll be out here if things get too hairy, or if you need someone turned into a hedgehog.”

His voice was sarcastic, but Keirran only nodded, his mind clearly on something else. He began walking toward the thrones, leaving Kenzie and I scrambling to catch up. I glanced over my shoulder once to see Puck, his eyes dark and troubled, ease back into the thorns until he was lost from view.

“Back again?” Titania regarded us disdainfully as we stopped at the foot of her throne. “That didn’t take long. And here I was hoping at least one of you would die or become frozen for eternity. How very disappointing.”

“We’ve done what you asked,” Keirran said, ignoring that last part. “The spirit of the Frozen Wood is dead. Now please rescind Annwyl’s banishment and let her return to court.”

Titania regarded us for a long moment. Then her lips curled up in a pleased smile.

“No,” she stated clearly. “I don’t think I will.”

I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach. Keirran stared at the Summer Queen in silence, but the air around him was turning cold.

“What the hell?” Kenzie burst out, unable to hold herself back. “You said that if we killed this spirit thing, you’d let Annwyl come back.”

“No, my dear.” Titania settled back on her throne, smiling triumphantly. “I said I would
consider
it. And I have. And the answer is still no.”

“You can’t be serious! She’ll die!”

Titania shrugged. “That is no concern of mine. All fey must Fade eventually. It is only a matter of when.” She looked over at Keirran, still standing motionless beside me, and smiled. “I would think you’d be grateful, Prince. After all, the Summer girl isn’t who you think she is. Why do you think she was at the river the day you met?” Her smile grew wider, more evil. “Because I told her to be there. I told her to seek you out, to seduce you, win your affections. She was only at those ‘secret’ rendezvous points because I ordered it. It would have been vastly amusing to have the son of the Iron Queen under my thumb, willing to do anything for my loyal little handmaiden.” She chuckled, before her lips curled in distaste and she gestured sharply in contempt. “Of course, the weak-minded girl went and fell in love for real and refused to betray you when the time came. So, naturally, I exiled her for her treason.
That
is the real reason Annwyl has been banished from the Summer Court, Prince. And that is the reason I will never take her back.”

Titania settled comfortably on her throne, looking down at us smugly. Keirran was breathing hard, fists clenched, the air around him turning cold. The Summer Queen noticed his reaction and smirked. “I’m afraid your efforts have been all for naught, Prince. Though I do appreciate you getting rid of the Frozen Wood for me. I only hope Mab and the Iron Queen are more forgiving than I.”

“Keirran,” I warned in a low voice. “Don’t lose it.”

He lost it.

An explosion of ice, wind and leaves erupted around Keirran, rattling branches and causing everyone to flinch back. The Iron Prince stood with his head bowed, fists clenched at his sides, while magic swirled and snapped around him, whipping at his hair and clothes. I stumbled away as ice spread out from where he stood and iron roots began emerging from the ground like snakes, rising into the air.

“Keirran, don’t!” I called, but my voice was lost in the gale. Keirran raised his head, his eyes glowing blue-white, his face fully transformed into the cold stranger I hated.

Titania was on her feet instantly, a cruel, eager smile stretching her lips, as Summer magic rose around her, as well. The rest of the nobles fell back, abandoning the glade, until it was only Kenzie and myself, watching the Iron Prince and the Queen of the Summer Court get ready to duke it out.

“Come, then, Iron Prince,” Titania said, raising her hand, and lightning flickered overhead, slashing the sky. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you turned on all of Faery, and your betrayal will not go unpunished. I have been waiting to do this for years.”

Keirran thrust out a hand, and the iron roots surged forward, stabbing at the Summer Queen. I tensed, but Titania made a casual gesture, and the ground before her surged forth with plants and vegetation, a virtual wall of vines and roots that swallowed the iron coils and dragged them down again.

“Your horrid Iron glamour has no power here,” Titania said calmly. “This is the Summer Court, and within Arcadia’s borders, the land bows to me!”

She snapped her fingers, and another tangle of roots surged from the earth, thorny and sharp, wrapping around Keirran. Kenzie gasped as the prince vanished into the crushing branches, but there was a burst of cold, and the roots turned to ice. They shattered, breaking apart like china, and Keirran stepped out unharmed.

Snarling, he sent a flurry of ice spears at the Summer Queen, who laughed and gestured, melting them to nothing. She responded by raising her hand, and a lightning bolt seared across the glade, right for Keirran, who raised his sword just in time. The white-hot beam struck the blade, sending him back a few steps, but he recovered quickly and lashed out again. A screaming gale of ice rushed toward the queen, who raised her arms, and her own whirlwind spun into existence around her, dispersing the wind and sending frozen shards ripping through the trees.

I staggered back, shielding my face as ice pelted my arms, tearing through my shirt. This was crazy. I had to do something before Keirran and Titania tore the court—and everything in it—to pieces. Glancing at the queen, my blood ran cold. She was smiling, her lips twisted into an amused, eager smirk as the wind shrieked around her. She was just playing with Keirran, with all of us. Dammit, I had to get him out of here before she got bored and turned the whole forest against us.

“Keirran!” I lunged forward, grabbing his arm. He spun on me furiously, eyes blazing. Wind and ice shards whirled around us, shredding my clothes and making his cloak snap furiously. “Keirran, enough! This is insane! We have to get out of—”

He threw me backward. I stumbled, but Kenzie darted past me, racing toward Keirran and the gale swirling around him. Titania raised her arm toward the prince, just as Kenzie lunged at Keirran, stepping in front of him and grabbing his shirt.

“Keirran, stop—”

Titania released a bolt of lightning, and in the space of a blink the deadly chain sizzled across the glade, turning everything white for a split second, and slammed into Kenzie’s back. My heart stopped as she arched back with a cry, then collapsed against Keirran.

“Kenzie!”

I couldn’t think. I didn’t even see Titania anymore. I lunged across the clearing and threw myself at Kenzie and the prince. Keirran was gently lowering her limp body to the grass, his face white, as Razor screeched and bounced around in utter terror.

“Oh, God,” I heard Keirran whisper as I reached them. “What have I done?”

“Get away from her!” Shoving him away, I knelt and gathered Kenzie to me, cradling her gently. Her head lolled to my chest, and my hands shook as I stroked her face. “Kenzie, wake up,” I whispered, feeling my heart lodge somewhere in my throat. “Dammit, don’t do this to me. Open your eyes.”

She didn’t move, and I forced down my panic, trying to think. My trembling fingers touched the skin below her jaw, searching for a pulse, a beat of life. My heart eased slightly. It was there—rapid and frantic, but alive.

“Ethan,” Keirran whispered, but Titania’s voice rang across the glade, ruthless and unmerciful.

“We are not finished, Iron Prince!” The Seelie monarch still stood in a whirlwind of Summer magic, her hair whipping about and her eyes, scary and cold. “If you dare attack me in my own court, you and your friends will pay the consequences. Turn and face me!”

Keirran looked back at the Summer Queen, but all the fight had gone out of him. The cold stranger had disappeared; the Iron Prince looked pale and grief-stricken now, beaten. But Titania smiled, gathering her magic for another assault; she wasn’t going to let him go.

However, as she raised her arm, a flock of screaming ravens suddenly descended from nowhere, flapping around her. At the same time, Puck appeared beside me, dragging me upright with Kenzie still in my arms.

“You know, I thought it was obvious that there are certain things you just don’t do!” he shouted, glaring at Keirran. “Things that are too ludicrous for even me to think of! Like, oh, I don’t know, picking a fight with the freaking Queen of the Seelie Court! What the hell are you thinking, princeling?”

The cloud of ravens around Titania exploded in a burst of fire and feathers. Puck grimaced and pushed me toward the exit as the Summer Queen’s furious gaze found us again.

“Go!” he ordered, giving me a shove. “We have to get out of Arcadia before things get really hairy.”

“You will not help them escape, Robin Goodfellow!” Titania called, raising both her arms. Power rippled out from the Summer Queen, causing the very ground to shudder and churn like ocean waves. “I will send all of Arcadia after you if I must! The Iron Prince is mine!”

We ran from the throne room with Puck at our backs. Roars rang out behind us, and when I glanced back, I saw several huge creatures claw their way up from the forest floor. They were vaguely wolf-shaped, but their bodies were made of roots, vines and thorny brambles. Their eyes blazed with green light as they howled and loped forward, following us into the tunnel.

“Oh, goody, she’s called in the hounds,” Puck remarked as the first of the wolf-creatures stuck its thorny head around a corner and snarled at us. “She’s only done that twice for me. You’ve really pissed her off, princeling.”

The wolf leaped forward, and Puck waved a hand, causing part of the bramble tunnel to grow together, blocking its path. It roared and smashed into the barrier, snapping twigs and branches, trying to push through. The Summer prankster glanced back at us.

“You three get out of here,” he snapped, nodding down another passage that snaked off into the shadows. “There’s a trod to the mortal realm through there. I’ll stay back to lead them off the trail. Get going!”

The things on the other side of the bramble wall roared and shook the branches, nearly through. We ducked down the tunnel, following the narrow passage through twists and turns, hearing the howls of the wolf pack and the shouts of pursuing Summer fey echo behind us. I held Kenzie tightly, almost frantic to get her out, to get her back to the real world, where there were no ice spirits or wolf monsters or angry faery queens. She was still limp and unresponsive, her body light and frail in my arms.