The light inside sputtered, flickering even more weakly against the cold. The darkness pressed down, suffocating it, and the storm of power and rage tore at it viciously. It pulsed one final time, a last attempt to exist, before snuffing out completely.
“Ash, stop!”
Something grabbed my arm from behind. I spun, power and ice flaring around me, and met Meghan’s eyes.
Her expression was anguished as she gazed up at me, and the terror on her face made me pause, the maelstrom inside sputtering for just a moment. The Unseelie snarled at her, urging me to strike her down, the once-human queen who dared challenge me.
“Stop,” Meghan whispered again, her fingers shaking as they clutched my arm. “Ash, please don’t do this.”
“Get back.” My voice dropped the temperature of the air between us, and Meghan shivered. Wind tore at her, snow and ice chips pelting her skin, but she didn’t flinch or step away. “This must be done.” I raised an arm toward the pit, toward the Monsters and the wave of enemies fighting their way through the blizzard. The horde of smaller enemies slowed down the Nightmares, but their combined auras sent pulses of hate and dark glamour rippling through the air, spreading inky tendrils over everything. “We’re not going to stop them otherwise. This is the only way.”
“At what cost?” Meghan asked. Her grip on my hand tightened, searing hot against my skin as she shook her head. “Ash, look at me. Can’t you see what you’re becoming?”
I looked into her eyes. A pale, white-haired creature met my gaze, icy veins completely covering his neck and spread across his cheeks. His eyes, empty and completely blue, hovered on the edge of madness as he stared at me.
Shock and unease rippled down my spine. I’d seen that look before, in the eyes of Queen Mab, just before her wrath froze a room, or encased a creature in ice to endure a living death for eternity. I’d felt the fear when she turned that gaze on me, knowing that when that madness took her, no one was safe. Mab ruled through violence and terror, as was the legacy of the Unseelie Court. That heritage, that inheritance of anger and ruthlessness and bloodlust, was mine as well.
Though I had chosen to give it up. To forge a new legacy.
“I feel it, too,” Meghan whispered. Her hands shook, and she closed her eyes, her brow creasing as if in pain. “I can feel the power of this place, the anger and the hate, urging me to use it. To give in and let the rage consume me. It’s overwhelming.” Her eyes opened, defiance and determination shining through the tears. “But if we listen, we’re only going to become what we’re fighting against. I refuse to rule the Iron Realm through fear and violence. And I refuse to let these creatures turn me into one of them.”
She stepped closer, ignoring the ice spreading over her cheeks and forehead, the frozen crystals forming on her lashes as she gazed up at me. “I know what you’re doing,” she whispered in a shaky voice. “I know you’re scared. But we’ve gone through so much together, Ash. I can’t let you do this. You have been my husband, my knight, my partner in everything. I will not watch you turn into the Winter King.”
“We could lose everything, Meghan.” Unexpectedly, I felt my voice start to choke up, and struggled to hang on to the anger and fury, trying to shield myself from everything else. “Are you...are you all right with sacrificing Keirran, the Iron Realm, the entire Nevernever?”
“No,” Meghan replied softly. “Of course not. I will fight with everything I have, and I will continue to fight as long as I have the breath to keep going.” Her hands rose, framing my face, her palms searing spots of warmth against my cheeks. “But if I lose you, Ash, if you become one of them, even if we win, it wouldn’t be worth it. You’ve fought so hard for your soul—some things are not worth sacrificing.”
“Listen to her, Ash.” Puck appeared behind her, green eyes solemn as he stared at me. “I’ve seen the Unseelie side. I know what you can become. Remember Ariella’s vision?” He crossed his arms. “I don’t want to meet the Winter King, no matter what the circumstances are.”
“Would you rather die, then, Goodfellow?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’d rather die fighting beside my friend, than have to face him as an enemy one more time,” he snapped, and the emotion in his voice startled me silent. Puck sighed, raking a hand through his hair, and shook his head. “All stories come to a close eventually, ice-boy,” he said. “I was planning to live forever, but you know what? This is a good end. So, come on.” A wry smile tugged one corner of his mouth. “You, me, and Meghan. Let’s make this epilogue unforgettable.”
I glanced down at Meghan. She smiled, and her hand rose to my face once more, pressing against my cheek. “I love you, Ashallyn’darkmyr Tallyn,” she whispered. “I will be proud to stand with you to the end. If we die fighting, I will die as myself. And trust that Keirran and the ones who come after will be able to stop them.”
I closed my eyes, feeling something hot slide down my cheek. The fury and hatred roared, telling me to give in, that we were going to die if I didn’t use the power of my rage. Darkness churned through me, anger and hatred feeding the bloodlust, urging me to destroy.
No. I opened my eyes, meeting the gaze of the woman I loved. The reason I went to the End of the World to earn a soul. I will not become what I’m fighting against. What will it matter if we win, if I become the enemy? The cycle would never end. I would lose everything regardless.
Meghan was still watching me, her own gaze teary. Bowing my head, I took a deep breath, and released the fury and hatred that had been with me for so long. It wasn’t as hard to relinquish as I’d thought. I just had to make the choice, not to hate, not to let fear and rage fuel my every decision. To let it go and forge a new path. The dark vortex swirling around me weakened, dissipating into the air and finally fading into nothing.
As the howling blizzard sputtered and died, a field of half-frozen creatures looked up, blinking away snow and ice. Behind them, four huge silhouettes still loomed, casting their shadows and black tendrils over everything. With renewed snarls and howls, the horde of creatures charged us, bounding over the snowy ruins. The four Nightmares let out challenging roars that shook the pillars and stalked forward, their movements slow but inevitable. They knew they would get to us eventually, and there was no escape.
Watching them approach, I felt resolve spread through me, replacing the churning rage. I would still protect my family. I would still fight with everything I had to keep them safe. But I would not let hate and violence consume me. I was not pure Unseelie, the legacy of death and darkness tainting everything I touched. I was something more. And now, as the fury cleared and released the bloodlust clinging to my mind, I felt as if I had surfaced from the depths of the abyss. I wasn’t as strong, but I was free.
I felt a touch on my shoulder, and looked back into Puck’s green eyes. “Glad to have you back, ice-boy,” he said seriously. I gripped his hand, and the smile he gave us both was a little sad as he gazed across the ruins. “Though I think it’s going to be a pretty short reunion. Kinda sad if you think about it; who’s going to pester Titania when I’m gone?”