The Iron Warrior
Page 69

She lunged, clawed hands reaching for Keirran’s face. I jumped between them, raising my weapon, and felt a jolt run up my arm as the First Queen slammed into the blade, the point sinking deep into her stomach.
Her eyes bulged, but she turned on me with a hiss, and her hands were suddenly around my throat, squeezing hard. I felt curved claws sink into my neck and cut off my air. Gagging, I tried shoving her off, but she clung to me with the strength of the dying, forcing me to my knees, and my vision started to go black.
There was a cry, as a furious, snarling Kenzie lunged to my side, bringing my other sword slashing down at the queen. The Lady shrieked and reeled away, one pale arm writhing into mist, as Keirran stepped up, his face hard and remorseful at the same time, and drove his blade through the Lady’s chest, all the way to the hilt.
The First Queen staggered, her face going slack with shock as she stared at the prince. Keirran met her gaze sadly.
“Goodbye, my lady,” he said. “You won’t be forgotten, I promise.”
He yanked the blade free and stepped away. The Lady shuddered, trembling hands going to her chest, as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d been stabbed. Her mouth moved, her gaze again seeking the prince, before she bent forward and collapsed in a pile of bones and feathers. Her color faded, leaking out until she was a pale, nearly transparent ghost. The razor-sharp wing feathers dissolved, leaving behind shattered bones. With a final tremor, the First Queen frayed apart, mist and shadows boiling over the ground from where she lay, and writhed into nothingness on the wind.
Kenzie shivered, clinging to me, as we watched the last traces of mist fade away. “Did we win?” she whispered, as I pulled her close and held her against me, just listening to the sound of her heart against mine. “Is it really over?”
Keirran took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s done,” he said. “The First Queen is gone. The war is over.”
As usual, the Forgotten were silent. No cheers, no shouts, no jumping up and down in celebration. They surrounded us, dark and unmoving, their eyes solely on Keirran. One shadow disentangled from the rest and edged forward, until he was a few feet from the prince.
“Iron Prince,” it whispered. “The Lady is gone, and we have no purpose, no home. We have given up everything to follow you. What will become of us now?”
Keirran glanced at me, then swept his gaze over the rest of the Forgotten, waiting on the edges. “I don’t know,” he admitted softly. “I’m not certain what will happen or what will become of us, but I will promise you one thing. I won’t forget you. The Lady’s way was wrong, but she was right about one thing—you deserve to be remembered, to not Fade away into oblivion. I’ll do my best to make a place for you in the Nevernever, but...I have a lot to answer for, and the courts might not be willing to listen. But I won’t abandon you. I’ll try my hardest to make them see. That’s the best I can offer right now. I hope it will be enough.”
“Keirran!”
My heart jumped as a deep, familiar voice rang out through the courtyard. Keirran straightened quickly, a flicker of relief, joy and utter terror going through his eyes before he turned toward the entrance.
Ash, Puck and the Wolf strode through the gate, parting Forgotten before them like birds. Ash’s cloak was torn to shreds, and Puck had a bloody gash across one cheek, but other than, that they seemed fine. Like they hadn’t fought their way through an entire army to get to us. Leanansidhe was not with them, but I had zero doubts that the self-proclaimed Exile Queen was alive and well. She had probably gone back to her own pocket of reality as soon as the battle was over. Puck and Wolf eyed the Forgotten on either side, the Wolf curling a lip in silent warning as they passed, but Ash’s bright, intense stare was only for Keirran.
I glanced at the prince. He stood, rigid, in the center of the courtyard, watching his father approach. I looked closer and saw that his hands were shaking, before he clenched them into fists at his sides. The Forgotten drew back into shadows as Ash walked across the flagstones and stood a few feet in front of Keirran.
“Father.” Unable to meet those piercing eyes, Keirran’s gaze dropped to the ground. Ash didn’t say anything at first, his expression unreadable as he faced his son. “I...”
He faltered, wincing. “There is nothing I can say,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Nothing that would ever be acceptable. I know I’ve disappointed you beyond reason—”
Ash took one step forward, hooked the back of Keirran’s neck and pulled him close. Keirran let out a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes shut, collapsing against his father, and the two of them stood like that for a few heartbeats while the Forgotten watched silently from the edges of the courtyard. Kenzie leaned against me, and Puck crossed his arms, the faint smirk on his face failing to cover his relief.
“No matter what you’ve done,” Ash murmured, his low voice barely reaching us in the quiet, “or what you tried to accomplish, you’re still my son. Nothing will change that, Keirran.” He closed his eyes, bowing his head, as the faintest of smiles crossed his face. “Although, you have no idea of the trouble you’re in when we get home.”
Keirran gave a shaky laugh and nodded. “I figured,” he choked out. Ash released him, briefly pressing a palm to the side of his face, before turning to us.
“Ethan,” he said, sounding relieved, as well. “Kenzie. You’re safe. Where is the First Queen?”
“She’s gone,” I replied, not missing the flicker of pain and guilt that went through Keirran’s eyes. “For good this time. She won’t be coming back.”
Ash took a quiet breath and let it out slowly. I thought I could see the tension leave him, some great burden lift from his shoulders as he opened his eyes. “Then it’s truly over,” he said. “The war is done.”
“What happened to Leanansidhe?” Kenzie asked.
“Oh, you know Lea.” Puck shrugged. “She went back home when she was done making eardrums explode.” He stuck a finger in his own ear, rubbing vigorously. “She was going to have a chat with the princeling, here, but ice-boy convinced her to let it go.” He wrinkled his nose. “Still, I’d avoid her for a few decades if I were you, princeling. She’s not terribly happy with you or your friends right now.”
Keirran winced. “I don’t imagine anyone is,” he muttered, and looked back at the ring of yellow eyes, watching us all. “I just hope the rulers will spare the Forgotten,” he whispered. “They’re not a threat anymore, and I promised I would take care of them, somehow.” Ash narrowed his eyes, and Keirran dropped his gaze. “If...if the courts will allow it. If I’m still around...after they decide what to do with me.”
Ash gave a somber nod. “The Forgotten concern will have to be addressed,” he said, and looked at Puck, who shrugged. “The courts will have to decide what to do about them. But we’ll worry about that later. Right now...” He sighed, sounding tired, relieved and eager all at once. “Let’s go home. Meghan will be waiting, for all of us.”
That sounded good to me. Taking Kenzie’s hand, I laced our fingers together and began following Ash and Keirran out of the courtyard. The Forgotten watched us go, making no move to stop us or intervene. Their faces and expressions were impossible to see, but I noticed their eyes following Keirran as he walked away, and a lump settled in my gut. They thought they were never going to see him again.