The Iron Warrior
Page 21
I shook my head, imagining Kenzie trekking through the Nevernever, alone, following a gremlin toward Mag Tuiredh. “What about your dad?”
“He doesn’t know where I am,” Kenzie said without hesitation or remorse. “And, after everything that’s happened, he’ll probably think I ran away. Again. But, whatever. I’ll deal with him when I get back, when this thing with Keirran and the amulet and the Forgotten is done. I couldn’t stay home. Once I heard you were still alive...” She shivered, her voice breaking a little, before she composed herself again. “I had to be certain.”
“Kenzie...” I didn’t want to ask, didn’t really want to know, but... “What’s your condition now?” I asked, and felt her tense. The lump in my gut got bigger, and I closed my eyes. “You’re not really better, are you?”
“No,” Kenzie replied calmly. “The prognosis the same as before. I’m...supposed to go in for more tests next month. Provided I get out of Faeryland in time.” She squeezed my arm before I could protest. “But I don’t regret this, Ethan. And I wouldn’t have changed anything, so don’t tell me I should be home. There’s no way I could stay there, wondering if you were alive.”
I strengthened my hold on her, my throat suddenly tight. “I’m sorry,” I murmured, thinking of those long, awful months where Kenzie had been left behind. I’d been unconscious or insensible through most of it; Mackenzie had had to live through it all, dealing with the aftermath, thinking I was dead. Battling her sickness alone. “I wish I could have been there.”
Kenzie shifted in my arms so that she was kneeling in front of me. Soft fingers brushed my cheek, making my breath catch, as she gazed down with solemn brown eyes.
“You’re here now,” she whispered. “I’m just grateful for that. It’s not every day your boyfriend comes back from the dead.” A wry smile tugged at one corner of her lips, before she sobered once more. “I guess we both dodged that bullet.”
I gently pulled her down and kissed her. She instantly pressed forward, sliding her arms around my neck, her fingers in my hair. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I leaned back, drawing us both down until I was on my back, and Kenzie was perched above me. She didn’t hesitate, pressing her lips to mine, sliding her hands over my chest and shoulders. When her fingers slipped below my shirt, tracing my skin, I groaned. Pulling her close, I kissed her neck, trailing my mouth down her jaw, and Kenzie sighed against me.
“Kissy,” buzzed Razor’s voice from the ledge, dousing me with figurative ice water. “Kissy kissy, funny boy! Ha-ha!”
I groaned, letting my arms drop to the ground, and gave Kenzie a defeated look. She shook her head and sat up, a resigned smile on her lips.
“I suppose we should wait until we have a little more privacy,” she whispered, resting her palms on my chest. “Where gremlins and nosy faeries aren’t hovering around, watching our every move.”
“If that’s even possible,” I grumbled, sliding my hands up her arms. Her body felt good against mine, and I didn’t want to stop. But there was no way I would keep going while Razor was here, cackling at us from the ledge, seeing everything. The mortification would be too much. “Just remember, you wanted the Sight,” I said in a teasing voice. “And all the faery madness that came with it. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.”
Kenzie sighed. “It would be nice to take a bath without putting salt around the windowsill all the time.”
“Saint-John’s-wort,” I told her. “It works wonders. The flower, not the pill. I started buying it wholesale online just to keep faeries out of my room. Just make sure you replace it when it wilts or goes bad. Nothing like having a pisky pop into your bathroom when you’re in the shower.”
Kenzie laughed, then trailed her fingers down my cheek, her eyes suddenly intense. “I love you, Ethan,” she said softly, making my heart skip a beat. “You know that, right?”
“I love you, too,” I rasped, feeling my stomach twist with the understanding. “But, Kenzie, we’re still alive. We’re not going anywhere yet. It was close, we both got really lucky, but—” I reached up and smoothed a strand of hair from her eyes “—we’re still here. We have a little time.”
“I hope so.” Kenzie shifted again and settled into me, laying her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, feeling her heart beat, basking in the warmth. “There are still things I want to do.”
* * *
She was asleep a few minutes later, curled against me with her cheek on my shoulder, her breaths deep and slow. That was another thing I’d learned about Kenzie: she could fall asleep just about anywhere. Unlike me. I was way too paranoid to sleep in the wyldwood, particularly when we were out in the open. I was scared of waking up in a cage, or a pot, or halfway down some monster’s throat. If something did attack us in the Nevernever, I wanted to see it coming.
The night went on. On the ledge, Razor curled up and fell asleep as well, tiny buzzing snores coming from his fanged mouth. I shifted carefully, pillowing Kenzie’s head on my leg, letting her stretch out beside me. She mumbled something that included the words greyhound and tacos but didn’t wake up.
Crossing my arms, I leaned back and waited for morning, listening to the soft snores of my companions. Inside our shelter, everything was quiet, though I could hear things moving around outside, rustling branches and crunching leaves. Sometimes, a cry or a guttural snarl would echo somewhere in the forest, and at one point, I thought I heard singing, but it was too faint to make out the words.
“Ethan Chase.”
I jerked up. That was perfectly clear, a whisper filtering through the mossy curtain, coming from outside. It knew me, whatever it was, and it knew I was here.
Silently, I reached for my swords and drew them from their sheaths. Careful not to disturb Kenzie, I gently eased away from her, resting her head on her backpack before facing the opening, holding my blades at the ready. If something came lunging through the hole, it would get a sharp length of steel jammed through its teeth before I let it touch my girlfriend.
“We mean you no harm, Ethan Chase.” The whisper came again, sounding a few yards outside the trunk. “We only wish to talk. Please, come out and face us.”
Oh, great. There was more than one of them. I sighed, looking down at the girl. Sleep was precious in the Nevernever, and Kenzie needed to rest. I didn’t want to disturb her, though I was reluctant to leave her alone, too. But better that I go out and see what they wanted, rather than wait until they shoved their way into the trunk after me.
I debated for a minute, then rose quietly and looked at Razor, snoozing soundly on his ledge.
“Razor,” I whispered. “Can you hear me? Wake up.”
No answer. I stepped forward, raised my arm and prodded him with the flat of the blade. “Hey, wake up.”
He buzzed, twitched, and then glowing green eyes cracked open, peering blearily over the edge. “Quit it, funny boy,” he muttered, drawing farther back, away from my sword tip. “Go ’way. Stop poking Razor.”
Oh, that’s hilarious. The gremlin is telling me to stop bugging him. “I have to go outside,” I said quietly, and he frowned down at me. “Something is out there, calling my name. I have to see what it is and what it wants.” I cast a quick glance over my shoulder at the still-sleeping girl. “Keep an eye on Kenzie until I get back, okay? Make sure nothing happens to her. If something comes in, or the instant something weird starts happening, let me know. Can you do that, Razor?”
“He doesn’t know where I am,” Kenzie said without hesitation or remorse. “And, after everything that’s happened, he’ll probably think I ran away. Again. But, whatever. I’ll deal with him when I get back, when this thing with Keirran and the amulet and the Forgotten is done. I couldn’t stay home. Once I heard you were still alive...” She shivered, her voice breaking a little, before she composed herself again. “I had to be certain.”
“Kenzie...” I didn’t want to ask, didn’t really want to know, but... “What’s your condition now?” I asked, and felt her tense. The lump in my gut got bigger, and I closed my eyes. “You’re not really better, are you?”
“No,” Kenzie replied calmly. “The prognosis the same as before. I’m...supposed to go in for more tests next month. Provided I get out of Faeryland in time.” She squeezed my arm before I could protest. “But I don’t regret this, Ethan. And I wouldn’t have changed anything, so don’t tell me I should be home. There’s no way I could stay there, wondering if you were alive.”
I strengthened my hold on her, my throat suddenly tight. “I’m sorry,” I murmured, thinking of those long, awful months where Kenzie had been left behind. I’d been unconscious or insensible through most of it; Mackenzie had had to live through it all, dealing with the aftermath, thinking I was dead. Battling her sickness alone. “I wish I could have been there.”
Kenzie shifted in my arms so that she was kneeling in front of me. Soft fingers brushed my cheek, making my breath catch, as she gazed down with solemn brown eyes.
“You’re here now,” she whispered. “I’m just grateful for that. It’s not every day your boyfriend comes back from the dead.” A wry smile tugged at one corner of her lips, before she sobered once more. “I guess we both dodged that bullet.”
I gently pulled her down and kissed her. She instantly pressed forward, sliding her arms around my neck, her fingers in my hair. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I leaned back, drawing us both down until I was on my back, and Kenzie was perched above me. She didn’t hesitate, pressing her lips to mine, sliding her hands over my chest and shoulders. When her fingers slipped below my shirt, tracing my skin, I groaned. Pulling her close, I kissed her neck, trailing my mouth down her jaw, and Kenzie sighed against me.
“Kissy,” buzzed Razor’s voice from the ledge, dousing me with figurative ice water. “Kissy kissy, funny boy! Ha-ha!”
I groaned, letting my arms drop to the ground, and gave Kenzie a defeated look. She shook her head and sat up, a resigned smile on her lips.
“I suppose we should wait until we have a little more privacy,” she whispered, resting her palms on my chest. “Where gremlins and nosy faeries aren’t hovering around, watching our every move.”
“If that’s even possible,” I grumbled, sliding my hands up her arms. Her body felt good against mine, and I didn’t want to stop. But there was no way I would keep going while Razor was here, cackling at us from the ledge, seeing everything. The mortification would be too much. “Just remember, you wanted the Sight,” I said in a teasing voice. “And all the faery madness that came with it. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.”
Kenzie sighed. “It would be nice to take a bath without putting salt around the windowsill all the time.”
“Saint-John’s-wort,” I told her. “It works wonders. The flower, not the pill. I started buying it wholesale online just to keep faeries out of my room. Just make sure you replace it when it wilts or goes bad. Nothing like having a pisky pop into your bathroom when you’re in the shower.”
Kenzie laughed, then trailed her fingers down my cheek, her eyes suddenly intense. “I love you, Ethan,” she said softly, making my heart skip a beat. “You know that, right?”
“I love you, too,” I rasped, feeling my stomach twist with the understanding. “But, Kenzie, we’re still alive. We’re not going anywhere yet. It was close, we both got really lucky, but—” I reached up and smoothed a strand of hair from her eyes “—we’re still here. We have a little time.”
“I hope so.” Kenzie shifted again and settled into me, laying her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, feeling her heart beat, basking in the warmth. “There are still things I want to do.”
* * *
She was asleep a few minutes later, curled against me with her cheek on my shoulder, her breaths deep and slow. That was another thing I’d learned about Kenzie: she could fall asleep just about anywhere. Unlike me. I was way too paranoid to sleep in the wyldwood, particularly when we were out in the open. I was scared of waking up in a cage, or a pot, or halfway down some monster’s throat. If something did attack us in the Nevernever, I wanted to see it coming.
The night went on. On the ledge, Razor curled up and fell asleep as well, tiny buzzing snores coming from his fanged mouth. I shifted carefully, pillowing Kenzie’s head on my leg, letting her stretch out beside me. She mumbled something that included the words greyhound and tacos but didn’t wake up.
Crossing my arms, I leaned back and waited for morning, listening to the soft snores of my companions. Inside our shelter, everything was quiet, though I could hear things moving around outside, rustling branches and crunching leaves. Sometimes, a cry or a guttural snarl would echo somewhere in the forest, and at one point, I thought I heard singing, but it was too faint to make out the words.
“Ethan Chase.”
I jerked up. That was perfectly clear, a whisper filtering through the mossy curtain, coming from outside. It knew me, whatever it was, and it knew I was here.
Silently, I reached for my swords and drew them from their sheaths. Careful not to disturb Kenzie, I gently eased away from her, resting her head on her backpack before facing the opening, holding my blades at the ready. If something came lunging through the hole, it would get a sharp length of steel jammed through its teeth before I let it touch my girlfriend.
“We mean you no harm, Ethan Chase.” The whisper came again, sounding a few yards outside the trunk. “We only wish to talk. Please, come out and face us.”
Oh, great. There was more than one of them. I sighed, looking down at the girl. Sleep was precious in the Nevernever, and Kenzie needed to rest. I didn’t want to disturb her, though I was reluctant to leave her alone, too. But better that I go out and see what they wanted, rather than wait until they shoved their way into the trunk after me.
I debated for a minute, then rose quietly and looked at Razor, snoozing soundly on his ledge.
“Razor,” I whispered. “Can you hear me? Wake up.”
No answer. I stepped forward, raised my arm and prodded him with the flat of the blade. “Hey, wake up.”
He buzzed, twitched, and then glowing green eyes cracked open, peering blearily over the edge. “Quit it, funny boy,” he muttered, drawing farther back, away from my sword tip. “Go ’way. Stop poking Razor.”
Oh, that’s hilarious. The gremlin is telling me to stop bugging him. “I have to go outside,” I said quietly, and he frowned down at me. “Something is out there, calling my name. I have to see what it is and what it wants.” I cast a quick glance over my shoulder at the still-sleeping girl. “Keep an eye on Kenzie until I get back, okay? Make sure nothing happens to her. If something comes in, or the instant something weird starts happening, let me know. Can you do that, Razor?”
