The Iron Warrior
Page 55
“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!”
“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!”
