For one crazy moment, my brain shut off, and I wondered if we had this all wrong. Maybe the Lady was a prisoner of the Forgotten, as well, maybe she had nothing to do with the disappearances and killings and horrible fate of the half-breeds.
But then I saw the wings, or rather, the shattered bones of what had been wings, rising from her shoulders to frame the chair. Like the other Forgotten. Her eyes shifted from green to pure black, and I saw her reach a slender white hand out to a figure standing at the foot of the throne.
“Keirran,” I whispered. The Iron prince looked none the worse for wear, unbound and free, as he took the offered hand and stepped closer to the Lady. She ran long fingers through his silver hair, and he didn’t move, standing there with his head bowed. I saw her lips move, and he might’ve said something back, but their voices were too soft to hear.
Anger flared, and I clenched my fists around my swords. Keirran was still armed; I could see the sword across his back, but he wouldn’t do anything that would endanger Annwyl. How strong was the Lady? If I burst in now, could we fight our way out? I counted four guards surrounding the throne, eyes glowing green beneath their bony helmets. They looked pretty tough, but we might be able to take them down together. If I could only get his attention…
A second later, however, it didn’t matter.
The Lady suddenly stopped talking to Keirran. Raising her head, she looked right at me, still hidden in the shadows. I saw her eyebrows lift in surprise, and then she smiled.
“Hello, Ethan Chase.” Her voice was clear and soft, and her smile was heartbreaking. “Welcome to my kingdom.”
Dammit. I burst from my hiding spot, as Keirran whirled around, eyes widening in shock. “Ethan,” he exclaimed as I walked forward, my blades held at my side. The guards started forward, but the Lady raised a hand, and they stopped. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I’m doing here?” I snapped. “I’m here to get you out. You can relax—Annwyl is safe.” I met the Lady’s gaze. “So are Todd and all the other half-breeds you kidnapped. And you won’t hurt anyone else, I swear.”
I wasn’t expecting an answer. I expected Keirran to spin around, draw his sword, and all hell to break loose as we beat a hasty retreat for the exit. But Keirran didn’t move, and the next words spoken weren’t his. “What do you mean, Ethan Chase?” The Lady’s voice surprised me, genuinely confused and shocked, trying to understand. “Tell me, how have I hurt your friends?”
“You’re kidding, right?” I halted a few yards from the foot of the throne, glaring up at her. Keirran, rigid beside her, looked on warily. I wondered when he was going to step down, in case we had to fight our way out. Those bony knights at each corner of the throne looked pretty tough.
“Let me give you a rundown, then,” I told the Forgotten queen, who cocked her head at me. “You kidnapped my friend Todd from his home and dragged him here. You kidnapped Annwyl to force Keirran to come to you. You’ve killed who knows how many exiles, and, oh, yeah…you turned all those half-breeds mortal by sucking out their glamour. How’s that for harm, then?”
“The half-breeds were not to be harmed,” the Lady said in a calm, reasonable voice. “We do not kill if there is no need. Eventually, they would have been returned to their homes. As for losing their ‘fey-ness,’ now that they are mortal, the Hidden World will never bother them again. They can live happier, safer lives now that they are normal. Wouldn’t you agree that is the better option, Ethan Chase? You, who have been tormented by the fey all your life? Surely you understand.”
“I… That’s…that’s not an excuse.”
“Isn’t it?” The Lady gave me a gentle smile. “They are happier now, or they will be, once they go home. No more nightmares about the fey. No more fear of what the ‘pure-bloods’ might do to them.” She tilted her head again, sympathetic. “Don’t you wish you could be normal?”
“What about the exiles?” I shot back, determined not to give her the upper hand in this bizarre debate. Dammit, I shouldn’t even have to argue about this. Keirran, what the hell are you doing? “There’s no question of what you did to them,” I continued. “You can’t tell me that they’re happier being dead.”
“No.” The Lady closed her eyes briefly. “Sadly, I cannot. There is no excuse for it, and it breaks my heart, what we must do to our former brethren to survive.”
A tiny motion from Keirran, just the slightest tightening of his jaw. Well, at least that’s something. I still don’t know what you think you’re doing, Prince. Unless she’s got a debt or a glamour on you. Somehow, I doubted it. The Iron prince looked fine when I first came in. He was still acting of his own free will.
“But,” the Lady continued, “our survival is at stake here. I do what I must to ensure my people do not fade away again. If there was another way to live, to exist, I would gladly take it. As such, we feed only on exiles, those who have been banished to the mortal realm. That they will fade away eventually is small comfort to what we must do, but we must take our comfort where we can.”
I finally looked at Keirran. “And you. You’re okay with all this?”
Keirran bowed his head and didn’t meet my gaze. The Lady reached out and touched the back of his neck.
“Keirran understands our plight,” she whispered as I stared at him, disbelieving. “He knows I must protect my people from nonexistence. Mankind has been cruel and has forgotten us, as have the courts of Faery. We have just returned to the world again. How can we go back to nothing?”
I shook my head, incredulous. “I hate to break it to you, but I promised someone I wouldn’t leave without the Iron prince, there.” I stabbed a sword at Keirran, who raised his head and finally looked at me. I glared back. “And I’m going to keep my promise, even if I have to break both his legs and carry him out myself.”
“Then, I am sorry, Ethan Chase.” The Lady sat back, watching me sadly. “I wish we could have come to an agreement. But I cannot allow you to return to the Iron Queen with our location. Please understand—I do this only to protect my people.”
The Lady lifted her hand, and the bone knights suddenly lunged forward, drawing their swords as they did. Their weapons were pure white and jagged on one end, like a giant razor tooth. I met the first warrior bearing down on me, knocking aside his sword and instantly whipping my second blade at his head. It happened in the space of a blink, but the faery dodged back, the sword missing him by inches.
Damn, they’re fast. Another cut at me from the side, and I barely twisted away, feeling the jagged edge of the sword catch my shirt. Parrying yet another swing, I immediately had to dodge as the others closed in, not giving me any time to counter. They backed me toward a corner, desperately fending off blindingly quick stabs and thrusts. Too many. There were too many of them, and they were good. “Keirran!” I yelled, ducking behind a column. “A little help?”
The knights slowly followed me around the pillar, and through the short lull, I saw the Iron prince still standing beside the throne, watching. His face was blank; no emotion showed on his face or in his eyes as the knights closed on me again. Fear gripped my heart with icy talons. Even after everything, I still believed he would back me up when I needed it. “Keirran!” I yelled again, ducking as the knight’s sword smashed into the column, spraying me with grit. “Dammit, what are you doing? Annwyl is safe—help me!”
He didn’t move, though a tortured expression briefly crossed his face. Stunned and abruptly furious, I whirled, stepped inside a knight’s guard as it cut at me, and lunged deep. My blade finally pierced the armored chest, lancing between the rib slits and sinking deep. The warrior convulsed, staggered away, and turned into mist.
But my reckless move had left my back open, and I wasn’t able to dodge fast enough as another sword swept down, glancing off my leg. For just a second, it didn’t hurt. But as I backed away, blood blossomed over my jeans, and then the pain hit in a crippling flood. I stumbled, gritting my teeth. The remaining three knights followed relentlessly, swords raised. All the while, Keirran stood beside the throne, not moving, as the Lady’s remote blue eyes followed me over his head.
I can’t believe he’s going to stand there and watch me die. Panting, I desperately fended off another assault from all three knights, but a blade got through and hit my arm, causing me to drop one of my swords. I lashed out and scored a hit along the knight’s jaw, and it reeled away in pain, but then another swung viciously at my head, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to completely avoid this one.
I raised my sword, and the knight’s blade smashed into it and my arm, knocking me to the side. My hurt leg crumpled beneath me, and I fell, the blade ripped from my hands, skidding across the floor. Dazed, I looked up to see the knights looming over me, sword raised for the killing blow.
That’s it, then. I’m sorry, Kenzie. I wanted to be with you, but at least you’re safe now. That’s all that matters.
The blade flashed down. I closed my eyes.
The screech of weapons rang directly overhead, making my hair stand up. For a second, I held my breath, wondering when the pain would hit, wondering if I was already dead. When nothing happened, I opened my eyes.
Keirran knelt in front of me, arm raised, blocking the knight’s sword with his own. The look on his face was one of grim determination. Standing, he threw off the knight and glared at the others, who eased back a step but didn’t lower their weapons. Without looking in my direction but still keeping himself between me and the knights, he turned back to the throne.
“This isn’t the way, my lady,” he called. Cursing him mentally, I struggled to sit up, fighting the pain clawing at my arms, legs, shoulders, everywhere really. Keirran gave me a brief glance, as if making sure I was all right, still alive, and faced the Forgotten Queen again. “I sympathize with your plight, I do. But I can’t allow you to harm my family. Killing the brother of the Iron Queen would only hurt your cause, and bring the wrath of all the courts down upon you and your followers. Please, let him go. Let us both go.”
The Lady regarded him blankly, then raised her hand again. Instantly, the bone knights backed off, sheathing their weapons and returning to her side. Keirran still didn’t look at me as he sheathed his own blade and gave a slight bow. “We’ll be taking our leave, now,” he stated, and though his voice was polite, it wasn’t a question or a request. “I will think on what you said, but I ask that you do not try to stop us.”
The Lady didn’t reply, and Keirran finally bent down, putting my arm around his shoulders. I was half tempted to shove him off, but I didn’t know if my leg would hold. Besides, the room seemed to be spinning.
“Nice of you to finally step in,” I growled, as he lifted us both to our feet. Pain flared, and I grit my teeth, glaring at him. “Was that a change of heart at the end, or were you just waiting for the last dramatic moment?”