We stood a hundred or so paces away from the pit, observing the tangle of cables, vines, ice, and stone that blocked the way to Evenfall.
“Well, this is going to be fun,” Puck mused. “I bet all the beasties on the other side didn’t just give up and go home. It’s going to be like shaking a hornet’s nest.”
I stood close to Meghan and glanced at my son, waiting quietly beside me. My family and my closest friends were all I needed in the world. I would not fear the Nightmares, the creatures in the darkness, even my own Unseelie nature, if they were at my side.
“Is everyone ready?” Meghan asked. I nodded, and she raised a hand, calling her glamour to life.
With the groan of metal and trees and the shattering of ice, the knot plugging the hole to Evenfall peeled back. Instantly, smaller nightmares began crawling out, hissing and shrieking as they emerged into the light. They swarmed toward us, and we cut them down as we ran, not slowing as we approached the looming pit to Evenfall.
Just as we reached the edge, an enormous, familiar arm rose from the depths, sinking terrible claws into the stones, and the antlered head of an Elder Nightmare began rising from the black.
“Don’t stop!” Meghan ordered. “Keep going!”
The Nightmare roared as it spotted us, dark tendrils rising from the ground as it clawed its way from the hole. I felt the glamour surge in the air as all of us—me, Meghan, Keirran, Puck, and Nyx—sent a barrage of magic scything toward the creature. Lightning, ice, and moonlight daggers slammed into it, causing it to scream and reel back, as it lost its grip on the edge of the hole.
With a howl, it plummeted into the darkness, and we were right behind it. I grabbed Meghan’s hand as we reached the edge, feeling darkness, anger, hate, and fear swirling up from the abyss. She squeezed my fingers tightly, and we jumped, leaving the Nevernever behind, and plunging into the unknown of Evenfall.
* * *
Books by Julie Kagawa
available from Inkyard Press
Each series listed in reading order. Novellas complement the full-length novels but do not need to be read to enjoy the series.
The Iron Fey
The Iron King
(special edition includes the “Winter’s Passage”* novella)
The Iron Daughter
(special edition includes the “Guide to the Iron Fey”*)
The Iron Queen
(special edition includes the “Summer’s Crossing”* novella)
The Iron Knight
(special edition includes the “Iron’s Prophecy”* novella)
The Iron Prince, previously published as The Lost Prince
The Iron Traitor
The Iron Warrior
The Iron Fey: Evenfall
Shadow’s Legacy (ebook novella)
The Iron Raven
The Iron Sword
Shadow of the Fox
Shadow of the Fox
Soul of the Sword
Night of the Dragon
The Talon Saga
Talon
Rogue
Soldier
Legion
Inferno
Blood of Eden
Dawn of Eden (prequel novella+)
The Immortal Rules
The Eternity Cure
The Forever Song
*Also available as an ebook and in The Iron Legends anthology
Available in the ’Til the World Ends anthology by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, and Karen Duvall
ISBN-13: 9780369705648
The Iron Sword
Copyright © 2022 by Julie Kagawa
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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