INTO EVENFALL
I strode over to Meghan, who was kneeling on the rough stones of the ruins, and gathered her in my arms as she collapsed against me, her breaths coming in short gasps.
“That’s not the end of it,” she panted. “The Nightmare King...he’s still coming. Once he wakes up, he’ll destroy the Nevernever, and possibly the mortal world as well.”
“Breathe,” I told her softly, as the rest of the rulers gathered around, all looking grave. They had seen the power of the Nightmare King; even the fragments of his nightmares were enough to have them worried. A triumphant-looking Wolf padded out of the shadows to join us, and a raven swooped in, changing to Puck in a cloud of black feathers. “We’re safe for now,” I said to Meghan. “You’ve sealed the way to Evenfall—nothing is coming through, for a little while at least.”
“That is not a seal,” said a scornful voice, and Grimalkin materialized a few paces away, gazing down at us from a broken pillar. We hadn’t seen the cat since the original seal was broken, and I was relieved that he was all right. Though he remained as disdainful as ever as he curled his whiskers at the pit. “That is a plug. And it will not hold for long. Evenfall will keep coming, as will the Nightmare King, when he regains consciousness.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?” Puck wanted to know. “We can’t sit here and keep replugging the hole forever.”
Nyx shimmered into view, crouched on a broken pillar much like Grimalkin. Her golden eyes were hard as she gazed down at us. “The Nightmare King is tied to Evenfall, much as the rulers of the courts are tied to their realms,” she began. “His emotions and state of mind affect all those who live in Evenfall. And right now, he is angry, enraged, and full of hate. Even half-asleep, he affects his world, and the fey who live there. I could feel his rage when I crossed over—it frightened even me. If you ever want peace with Evenfall, if there is any hope for reconciliation...”
“We’re going to have to take care of the Nightmare King,” Keirran said, finishing for her. “Either put him back to sleep, or...”
Everyone fell silent as we realized what had to be done. If it could even be accomplished. Keirran stood quietly a moment, his brow furrowed in thought, then raised his head to the Evenfaery perched above us.
“Nyx.” The Forgotten King’s voice was hesitant, and the cold gaze of the assassin turned on him. “I know how you must feel,” he began. “I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be. What was done to you and all the fey of Evenfall...” He shook his head. “It’s unforgivable. I have no right to command, and I’m in no position to request anything of you, but...if the Nightmare King wakes up, it could be the end, for all of us. I’m asking not as a king, but as a friend; would you take us to him? Would you lead us through Evenfall to find the Nightmare King?”
The Evenfall assassin didn’t move for a few heartbeats. Nothing more was said; even Titania was silent as the Evenfaery considered. Finally, she rose and with a ripple of her cloak, dropped gracefully from the pillar to stand before Keirran.
“King Keirran.” Her voice was stiff, quietly formal. “I am angry,” the assassin went on. “I can only imagine what I’ve lost—my home, my purpose, myself. My kin.” An anguished look passed over her face, but vanished in the next heartbeat. “Everyone I knew is gone. I am the only one of my Order left. We all perished serving the Lady, the very one who sealed our world and sentenced us to die. I will not forgive that. I will never forget again.
“But the Lady is gone now.” Nyx raised her head, her voice flat and pragmatic once more. “She tried to take over the Nevernever, and you defeated her. There is no one left to take vengeance on. And the Nightmare King—” her jaw tightened “—is not the king I remember.
“I cannot forgive what happened,” Nyx went on. “I cannot forget that my world was taken from me. But the Nightmare King intends to destroy the worlds that are left...and I can’t allow that. I’ve lived here too long.” For just a moment, her gaze flickered to Puck, and the shadow of emotion passed between them both. “I see the ones who call this realm their home.”
Nyx paused, then gracefully sank to one knee before Keirran. “I swore an oath,” she stated calmly. “My allegiance is still yours, Forgotten King. It might make me a traitor to my own kind, but if the Evenfey are lost to rage and madness, then I will not regret what I must do. I will guide you through Evenfall to find the Nightmare King, or the place where he currently sleeps. I cannot promise anything more than that.”
Keirran visibly relaxed. “I’m grateful, Nyx,” he whispered, which was the closest anyone came to saying “thank you,” in Faery. “I know this must be hard.”
“We do what we must,” the Evenfaery replied. “Though I doubt any of you will be able to kill the Nightmare King, even if we do find him.” She rose, giving the rest of us a solemn glance. “So, now the question becomes, who is going into Evenfall with me?”
“I am,” Meghan said, as I knew she would. “Ash and Puck as well,” she continued as we both nodded. “I won’t ask anyone else.”
“I’m coming, too,” Keirran announced, making me frown. “The Forgotten could be Evenfey,” he went on, glancing at me, as if he could sense my thoughts. “At the very least, they have been hurt so badly by the Lady and her kin. I owe it to them, to try to end this. As King of the Forgotten, I need to make things right.”
I set my jaw. I didn’t like that Keirran was coming along. But he wasn’t just my son; he was the King of the Forgotten, and I couldn’t tell another ruler what to do. I would just have to protect him, and Meghan, as best I could. Without giving in to the darkness.
I felt Meghan’s sigh, and knew she, too, wanted to say something, to prevent Keirran from coming with us into Evenfall. But Keirran had grown up, and had his own people and kingdom to worry about. The Iron Queen understood that. “Then let’s not waste any time,” she said quietly. “Grimalkin? Are you with us as well?”
“I am, Iron Queen.” The cat gave a solemn bob of his head. “I have not yet been to Evenfall, but it does not matter. Someone must come along to point out the obvious.”
The Iron Queen turned to the other rulers. “After we go in, will you seal the way behind us?” she asked.
“Yes,” Oberon said gravely. “And we will remain here, to guard the way and prevent anything from coming out.” Titania thinned her lips but didn’t argue, and Mab gave a grim nod. “And if you fail,” the Summer King continued, “if the Nightmare King does awaken and makes his way into the Nevernever, we will be here to welcome him.”
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