My blood chilled. Titania, Oberon’s wife and Queen of the Summer Court, was the last faery any of us wanted to deal with. Not only was she fickle, petty, and arrogant, but she also hated us—all of us: me, Meghan, Puck, and Keirran—with a fiery passion. She was one of the most spiteful fey in the entire Nevernever, and enjoyed toying with both humans and fey just because she could. But she was also one of the most powerful faeries in the Summer Court, second only to Oberon himself, and crossing her was a very dangerous proposition.
Meghan went very still, though her tone remained even. “That is an extremely risky favor, Leanansidhe,” she said. “One that will likely be impossible. You know this.”
“Yes, darling.” The Dark Muse gave her a smug look. “I do. I also know that you and the others in this room are all very clever. If you put your minds to it, I am certain you would figure something out.” She leaned back, crossing her long legs. “But, that is my offer, my dove, in exchange for telling you what I know about Keirran. Take it, or leave it.”
Enough of this.
I felt something in me break, like a film of ice over a raging sea. I was done being patient. This request, if not impossible, would be a waste of time and resources trying to appease yet another fickle faery queen. Bargaining was not the only way to achieve information, and Leanansidhe was not the strongest faery here, not anymore. It was time I reminded her that, not long ago, I had been an Unseelie prince, and the Nevernever had feared me.
“No.”
I stepped away from the sofa, letting my winter glamour fill the room. The temperature dropped, the fire in the hearth sputtered and died, and a sheet of ice spread over the ceiling with sharp crinkling sounds. Puck straightened quickly, his breath coiling into the air around his head, and Nyx went perfectly still in the corner. Meghan and Leanansidhe remained in their seats, both of them feigning calm, though I could feel Meghan’s surprise as I loomed over the Exile Queen, my gaze cold as I stared her down.
“I’m afraid it is you who misunderstands the situation, Leanansidhe,” I said in a frigid tone. “This is not a request. Our son is missing, the Between is in chaos, and the entire Nevernever may be in danger. You will help us—now—or you will come to regret it.”
Leanansidhe’s eyebrows arched, and the barest flicker of surprise and fear crossed her face. But she drew herself up and gave me a challenging smile. “Well, well, someone has gotten a little big for their britches,” she commented in an equally cold, dangerous voice. “May I remind you, Winter prince, that you are in my court, my realm, and there will be consequences for threatening a queen in their own territory.”
“You are not a queen, Dark Muse.” I didn’t break eye contact, and the ice on the ceiling lengthened to foot-long spikes, glittering and deadly. “You may call yourself one, and command the fear of exiles and half-fey, but you sit in a room with a true queen of Faery, Robin Goodfellow, the son of Mab, and a Forgotten assassin who is older even than you.” Deliberately, I rested my hand on my sword hilt, the threat perfectly clear. “Should we wish it, there will be nothing left of this realm. We will tear it down and scatter it to the Void, and you will become a fading memory that no one remembers. Until you, too, are forgotten, and the name of the Dark Muse vanishes from existence.”
Leanansidhe drew in a slow breath. I could feel her gathering her power, drawing in the glamour around her, and felt my own winter magic swirl in response. If she wanted a fight, I would happily give her one.
Then Meghan stood up, energy and glamour flickering around her like a storm, causing the lights to flutter and dance. Leanansidhe paused, the barest note of apprehension crossing her face, as the power of the Iron Queen filled the room.
“This benefits no one, Leanansidhe,” Meghan said again, her voice softer but no less firm. “Keirran’s city has been destroyed, his people lost, and a monster threatens the Between and the lives of everyone in the Nevernever. You will help us, because if the Between disappears, it will take your kingdom with it. It is in your own best interest that Keirran is found, and found quickly. Please.” She gestured, and the power level around her eased, though it didn’t vanish entirely. “Help me find my son.”
For a few heartbeats, Leanansidhe stared at Meghan, her expression unreadable. I curled my fingers around my sword hilt, as Nyx hovered in the corner and Puck casually shifted to a better position on the couch. Meghan’s gaze remained locked with the Exile Queen, as the silence stretched out and the tension in the room soared.
Then Leanansidhe threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, bravo darling, bravo,” the Dark Muse exclaimed, rising from her seat and clapping her hands. “A standing ovation for you, my dove—I was expecting the son of Mab to show his true colors again soon enough, but I was wondering when the mantle of power would start to affect you.” Leanansidhe’s lips twisted in a pleased smirk. “It’s intoxicating, is it not? Having all that power at your fingertips? Congratulations, you’ve finally learned how to act like a queen. Titania would be so proud.”
Meghan didn’t respond, but her jaw tightened. “Where is Keirran?” she asked once more, her voice carefully controlled. “Tell me, Leanansidhe. I know you at least have an idea of where he could have gone.”
The Exile Queen pursed her lips. “I really don’t know where your boy could have gone, darling,” she stated airily. “But I know who might. And I’ll tell you, my dove, but do remember...” She angled the point of her cigarette flute in Meghan’s direction. “I will not forget this. If you’re going to act like a queen, know there will be consequences when you throw your royal weight around in another queen’s territory. I’ve taken on Mab and Titania before—don’t think I’d be afraid to throw down with the Iron Queen as well.
“Keirran has gone into the mortal realm,” Leanansidhe went on, leaving that unsubtle threat hanging in the air between us. “That is the only logical conclusion—he cannot stay in the Between, and he has been exiled from the Nevernever, so the mortal realm is the only place left for him to flee to. The question is...where in the mortal realm could he have gone? Especially with a large group of Forgotten in tow. The human world isn’t safe for the Forgotten. They’re in constant danger of Fading away from the lack of glamour and the effects of iron and banality. Keirran knows this. Cut off from the Between and the Nevernever, he’ll be looking to find a safe spot for them, wherever he can. If he is trying to avoid detection himself, he will be in hiding. Finding him could prove difficult.
“However—” Leanansidhe raised two long fingers “—there are two people in the mortal realm whom he might try to contact. I believe you know them both, darling. They were instrumental in the last war, though one of them was the catalyst for the whole debacle with the Between temporarily vanishing.”
“Ethan,” I murmured. Meghan’s half brother. Ethan was fully human, but he had been born with the Sight, able to see the hidden world of the fey even when they were invisible. Admittedly, he had hated both me and the Nevernever for a long time, blaming us for taking his sister away, but was finally able to come to terms with Meghan and make peace with the faery world he despised. In the last war with the Forgotten, Ethan had become a champion of Faery, and might have singlehandedly stopped Keirran from doing the unthinkable.