I set my jaw. I could feel Meghan’s worry, knowing she had to send our son back alone when we had come so far to find him. But she was the Iron Queen, and she knew her duty. Our kingdom was in danger, and as much as she wanted to make certain Keirran was safe, she knew she had to put the safety of the Iron Realm and Faery first. Even if it meant letting him walk into danger alone.
Inside, the anger of the Unseelie stirred again. Keirran might be safe for now. But the threat was still out there, looming closer to Faery, my world, and everything I cared for. What would I have to sacrifice this time? What more would I lose before this was over?
That anger flickered quietly to rage. Nothing, the Unseelie side whispered. No more. I will defend them. Whatever it takes.
“Nyx.” Keirran looked at the Forgotten standing quietly beside Puck. “I want you to go with them,” he ordered. “Back to the Nevernever. I want you there when the council of Faery rulers is called.”
The Forgotten blinked. “My place is here, Your Majesty,” she said. “My one obligation is to protect you. I am ashamed that I was not there in Touchstone when it fell—I should have been at your side. I have failed in my duty.”
“No.” Keirran shook his head. “There was nothing you could have done. And I want you to be present for this meeting. Once the Iron Queen returns to the Nevernever, a Faery council will be called to discuss this new threat. I need you there, to be my voice, and the voice of the Forgotten. They need someone representing them. Otherwise, the rulers of Summer and Winter will not think of them at all.”
Nyx set her jaw. I could tell she was reluctant, not wanting to leave her king behind, but she bowed her head all the same. “As you wish, sire. If these are your orders, I will carry them through.”
“Don’t be too ecstatic or anything,” Puck said, masking the flutter of emotion with a smirk. “I know we’re not that exciting to hang around, but we try.”
Nyx gave him a strange look as the Wolf rose gracefully to his feet, stretched once, and shook himself vigorously. “Come on, then,” he growled at Keirran. “The trod is this way. The sooner we fetch your pack, the sooner I can be done with this.”
Keirran looked at us all and smiled. “I’ll be fine,” he said, backing up toward the Wolf. “Don’t worry about me, or the Forgotten. We’ll be here when you come back.”
“Be careful, Keirran,” Meghan said.
“Call if you need us,” I added.
“I will.” Keirran nodded. “Good luck to you both,” he said formally, and for a moment, I marveled at how different he looked. Not like Keirran or an exiled prince any longer, but the King of the Forgotten. He had grown up too fast, and that made me both proud and melancholy at the same time. “Until we meet again.”
The Wolf padded out of the courtyard, melting into the night with Keirran beside him, and both vanished into the darkness.
Meghan closed her eyes, but only for a moment. When she opened them again, the pure determination of the Iron Queen stared back at us. “All right,” she said. “We have work to do. Grim, where’s the quickest trod to Arcadia?”
Part II
10
THE FAERY COUNCIL
I stood on the balcony of our private chambers, gazing out on the city of Mag Tuiredh, the capital of the Iron Realm. Which, I was pleased to discover, had not burned down or erupted into chaos in our absence. After returning to the Nevernever, Meghan and I had gone straight to Arcadia to call a Faery council, which was set to meet in the wyldwood the following night. We quickly returned to Mag Tuiredh, having not been home since Puck and Nyx first arrived with news of the Monster attacking the Between the first time. But there was no time to linger; the council beckoned, and we had only dropped in to check that our realm was still safe before heading out again.
Meghan entered the room, dressed in full Iron Queen regalia; flowing metallic cape that looked like liquid mercury, a silver-and-steel crown on her head. It was designed to impress and intimidate, both imperative if you wanted to be heard in a Faery council. I, too, had dressed for the occasion, my black armor and silver-lined cloak falling around me. I knew Meghan hated dressing up, but she understood fey politics. If it meant protecting her kingdom and family, she would play the part of the Iron Queen without hesitation.
“Glitch has sent for a carriage,” she said, stepping onto the balcony as well. “It should be in the courtyard now. We should probably get going.”
Her voice was determined, but her eyes were haunted. Flashes of emotion—worry, sadness, determination—pulsed from a glamour aura she wasn’t quite able to hide. I reached out and caught her arm, gently drawing her back. “Breathe,” I told her softly. “Your emotions are bleeding all over the place right now. The other rulers will be able to sense it.”
“I know.” Meghan took a deep breath, and the aura of tension and worry surrounding her faded somewhat. Being born into the mortal world, she didn’t have the decades of practice in shielding her emotions from other fey, but she had gotten much better in her time as queen. Rarely did she let her glamour aura slip now, and it was usually in moments of high emotion or stress. “I’m sorry,” she sighed, “I just... I’m worried for Keirran. I know he’s a king and we have to trust him but...” A furrow creased her brow. “Ever since the war with the Lady, I can’t stop thinking of what the first oracle told us. About our child, bringing nothing but grief.”
My stomach tightened. I remembered that prophecy. Several years ago, before Meghan and I were even married, we had gone to the last oracle for help. She had wanted Meghan’s first-born child as payment, and when Meghan refused, she responded with one line. One line that neither of us had thought much of in the moment, but now haunted our thoughts ever since.
You will not give it up, even though it will bring you nothing but grief?
Meghan covered her face with a hand. “What if it’s not over?” she whispered. “Maybe the war with the Lady and the Forgotten was only the beginning. What if that monster does get to Keirran, and he turns on us again?”
I took her by the shoulders, gazing into her eyes. “Then we will save him again,” I said firmly. “And again, as many times and as often as it takes. If he turns on us, we’ll bring him back. If something threatens him, we will eliminate it. No matter what he does, no matter what happens to him, he will always be our son. I will never stop trying to save him.” Putting a hand on her cheek, I stroked her skin as her eyes grew misty. “You and Keirran,” I said quietly, “are my entire life.”
She leaned into me, and I wrapped my arms around her, wishing I could take all her worry, all her grief and despair, onto myself. “I’ll protect you both,” I said darkly, a promise to myself. “Even if the world stands against you, I will be at your side. No matter what it takes.”