“You sure, Wolf?” Kenzie asked. The Wolf panted a grin.
“Oh, trust me, it’s better this way. There’d probably be a panic if I went strolling down there now.” He shook himself, then turned back into the forest. “I’ll be close. If there’s trouble, just scream.”
Loping into the trees, he disappeared.
Stepping out of the forest, we headed toward the river and a wooden bridge that spanned the bank. Two sidhe knights guarded the entrance of the bridge, tall and slender, in blue-and-white armor with icicles growing out of the shoulders and helmets. The Winter knights glared at us as we approached, gauntleted hands dropping to their icy swords.
“Hold,” one growled as we stopped a few feet from the posts. “Identify yourselves, humans. This camp is off-limits to your kind.”
“My name is Ethan Chase, brother to Her Highness the Iron Queen,” I said, cringing at how douchy I sounded. But, as I discovered, the fey responded better to rank and pomp, and usually bowed to protocol. “Let us pass. I have an important message for my sister.”
The Winter knights eyed each other. It was obvious they didn’t care to be bossed around by a human and were stalling for a way to refuse. I crossed my arms and tried to look impatient and important. The knights finally dropped their hands from their sword hilts.
“Very well,” one of them said reluctantly, and stepped aside. “You may pass, Ethan Chase. The Iron Queen’s tent is on the east side of the camp.”
“Wait,” the other said, just as I relaxed. His gaze slid past Annwyl and Kenzie—thankfully, Razor had hidden down her shirt—and fixed on the Thin Man, waiting quietly behind us. The knight’s cold blue eyes narrowed, and he suddenly drew his sword.
“Forgotten!” he snarled. “That is a Forgotten! Traitor!”
He started forward, a murderous look in his eyes. I drew my swords and stepped between them, blocking his path.
“Not another step,” I warned.
Smirking, he tried shoving me aside using brute force; I dodged his arm, stepped in and put the tip of my sword against his breastplate. The icy armor frayed apart where it touched the steel, dissolving in the air like colored mist, leaving a small hole behind. The knight froze, staring at his ruined breastplate, and I smiled coldly.
“Last time I’ll ask nice.”
“How dare you bring that abomination here!” the knight spat, switching to indignant rage now that raw violence had failed. “How dare you bring a Forgotten into our very midst? The rulers will never stand for it.”
“Will you relax? He’s not with the First Queen.” I spared a split-second glance back at the Thin Man to make sure he was still there. He was, watching the knights calmly, an almost amused expression on his narrow face. I supposed if he was in any real danger, he could essentially make himself invisible. As long as he faced his opponents head-on, he couldn’t be seen.
Must be nice.
“He’s on our side,” I insisted, as the knight gave me a blatant look of contempt. “He’s working with us to stop the First Queen and the rest of the Forgotten, so everyone can just calm down. And we have important information on the war, information that all the rulers will want to hear. But, hey, if you don’t want to let us pass, let it be on your head when the Iron Queen finds out.”
The knights glared at me. “Wait here,” one finally ordered, taking a stiff step back. “I will inform the rulers of your arrival. They can decide what to do with you and your...friends.”
Spinning on a heel, he marched rigidly into camp, while the second knight returned to his post, still watching me with hooded eyes.
“Charming,” Kenzie said, as Razor peeked out of her hair and made faces at the retreating knight. The Thin Man sighed.
“I was afraid this might happen,” he said, and cast a tired glance back at the trees. “Perhaps I should go,” he mused. “Join the Wolf in waiting for you at the edge of the forest. I would not want our mission jeopardized because of the suspicion of the courts.”
“No,” I said. “We wouldn’t have gotten this far if not for your help. You’re staying with us. The courts are just going to have to suck it up and act like reasonable adults for once.”
The Winter knight did not return, but after several tense minutes, the clanking of armor could be heard coming toward us, and a squad of Iron knights marched up to the bridge. “Prince Ethan,” the one in front called. “Please, forgive the wait. If you and your friends would accompany us, we will take you to the Iron Queen.”
I breathed out in relief. Meghan herself had called for me. No having to argue our way past an irate Mab or Titania. We were going directly to see my sister.
I hoped she wasn’t too angry that I had snuck off without her permission. Again.
Glowering, the Winter knight stepped aside to let us pass. I was sorely tempted to smirk at him as we crossed the bridge, but I had just made that “reasonable adult” comment a moment ago, so I refrained. The Iron knights surrounded us, keeping a wary eye on the Thin Man as they did, and we started through the camp.
Faeries stared at us, curious and suspicious, as we followed the knights down the muddy streets. Of course, we had to go through the Unseelie side of camp to get to Iron’s territory, so most of the fey—goblins, redcaps, ogres and the like—looked like they might have attacked us if we hadn’t been surrounded by a wall of iron and steel. Several redcaps trailed alongside the knights, staying just out of reach, and snarled or hurled insults at us, the Thin Man especially. A chill hung over everything, and the air was thick with tension and the threat of violence. Everyone here was twitchy, I realized, eager for battle and bloodshed. I kept one sword out, just in case, and wondered how close the First Queen’s army was and how soon before all hell broke loose.