The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey) (22 page)

“Please forgive this intrusion, Queen Titania,” Keirran said, his tone polite but unwavering. “We would have gone through the proper channels, but I’m afraid an audience with the Summer Court could not wait.”

“Is that so?” The queen smiled, beautiful and terrifying. “Then tell me, Iron Prince. What is so dire that you would dare break the rules of my court to speak with me? You do realize I could punish you where you stand for trespassing, but I find that I am in a curious mood today. What brings the elusive Iron Prince out of hiding?” Her gaze slid to me, and one elegant eyebrow rose. “And with the Iron Queen’s brother in tow. How very amusing. There are rumors about you circulating the courts, Prince—your disappearing acts have not gone unnoticed, and many people are looking for you. Have you come for Sanctuary, then?” Her smile grew even more evil. “The Iron Prince seeking refuge from his own kind? How delicious. Well, if you want to stay here, Prince Keirran, you’re more than welcome, of course. Provided you can meet the requirements.”

“I didn’t come for refuge, Queen Titania,” Keirran said before the Summer monarch could go any further. “I’m well aware that the Iron Court is searching for me. I will return to Mag Tuiredh soon. Your generous offer of Sanctuary is not needed at this time. But I did come...to ask a favor.”

Titania’s eyes gleamed, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.

“A favor, Iron Prince? Do go on.”

“You had a maiden named Annwyl in your court once,” Keirran continued, oblivious or uncaring of the glee in the queen’s eyes. “Do you remember her?”

“Annwyl.” Titania wrinkled her nose, appearing deep in thought. “The name does sound familiar,” she continued in a vague manner, though it was fairly obvious she was being coy. “Wasn’t she one of my servants? A simple, plain girl if I remember. It’s so hard to keep track of the help. They all begin to look the same after a while.”

Keirran didn’t show any outward signs of offense, but Kenzie stiffened beside me, eyes narrowing angrily. Hidden in her hair, Razor growled and mumbled under his breath. I hoped neither of them would lose it in front of Titania; that would play right into her game.

“Annwyl was exiled from the Summer Court and the Nevernever,” Keirran continued, his voice as coolly polite as before. If you didn’t see the stiff set of his shoulders, you wouldn’t know he was angry or upset. “She was banished, but she didn’t break any laws. I am officially requesting that you lift her exile and allow her to return to Arcadia, in the same manner and with the same expectations as before her banishment.” He hesitated a moment, then added, “Please.”

“Lift her exile?” Titania sniffed and sat back on her throne, regarding us with amusement. “Why in the world would I want to do that? If I banished the Summer girl, I’m certain I had good reason for it.”

You didn’t,
I thought angrily, and by the thinning of Kenzie’s mouth, I knew she was thinking the same. Titania must’ve caught something in our expressions, though, for her piercing, slightly feral gaze zeroed in on me.

“You’re being awfully quiet, Ethan Chase.” Titania’s smile sent a chill through my stomach. “Your disdain for our kind is well-known. You have never bothered to venture into the Nevernever before, not even to visit your sister. Why the change of heart?”

I swallowed the dryness in my throat and tried to keep my voice light, uncaring. “I’m just helping out a family member,” I said, shrugging. “When this is done, I’m going home, and you’ll never see me again.”

“How very noble of you,” Titania replied. “But being in my court means you are subject to my rules, and you are just as guilty of breaking the law as the prince. Therefore, you will share his fate should I decide to punish him. You
and
your little friend there.”

Panic flared as the Summer Queen’s cruel gaze fastened on Kenzie.
Calm down,
I ordered myself
. Don’t jump to her defense; that’s what Titania wants. If she suspects how much you care for Kenzie, she’ll use that as a weakness against you. Don’t give her anything.

“Queen Titania,” Keirran began, but she raised a hand, silencing him.

“I will be with you in a moment, Prince Keirran,” she said without looking his way. “Right now, I am very curious as to what the mortals are doing here.”

Kenzie remained silent, though I could see it was a struggle. I was amazed, and sort of proud, that Kenzie was keeping her head, not giving the queen anything that could be used against her. But Titania wasn’t done yet. “You are adorable, aren’t you?” the Summer Queen went on, regarding Kenzie with a lazy smile. Kenzie met the queen’s stare, quiet but unafraid, and Titania chuckled. “And quite fearless. You’d make a lovely rosebush, I think. Or perhaps a hart?”

Kenzie bit her lip. I could see she was trying not to say anything, and the queen turned a purely sadistic smile on me. “What do you think, Ethan Chase? Perhaps I will have
you
choose the girl’s form. Do you think she would make a better rosebush or hart?”

The panic in my chest grew, making it hard to breathe.
Dammit, I have to get her attention off Kenzie, but how?
A heartbeat, and then I knew.
I have to make her think I don’t care. If she believes nothing she’d do to Kenzie would upset me, maybe she’ll leave her alone.
Taking a furtive breath, I shrugged again and said in my most flippant, jackass-y voice, “She’s been following us around for days and she never shuts up. Turn her into whatever you want—maybe I’ll finally get some peace and quiet.”

My stomach twisted even as I finished those words, but I pushed down my fear and concentrated on not showing any emotion in front of Titania. Like sharks or wolves or rabid dogs, faeries could sense fear a mile away.

“Harsh words, Ethan Chase,” the queen mused at last, and I could see her scrutinizing me, maybe searching my glamour aura for the truth. “Do you not have any compassion for your fellow humans?”

I searched for that cold, hostile loner I was before I met Kenzie, and threw him up again, even managing a faint smirk as I stared at the fey queen. “Not when my fellow humans are annoying, pushy and won’t leave me alone. Maybe a couple weeks as a rosebush will teach her not to follow me into Faeryland. So, by all means...” I shrugged again. “I can’t stop you, so do whatever you want. It makes no difference to me.”

All the while, I could feel Kenzie’s eyes on me, and I hoped we would be around long enough for me to apologize.

Don’t say anything,
I begged her.
Don’t draw attention to yourself and maybe we’ll all get out of this without any major catastrophes.

Titania stared at us, while I forced myself to breathe normally, to give her the impression that I really was the coldhearted jackass who didn’t care if she changed one of his friends into a plant. The queen blinked and seemed about to lose interest, when Razor suddenly poked his head out of Kenzie’s hair, baring his teeth at the Summer monarch.

“Bad queen!” he hissed, flattening his ears. “Not hurt pretty girl!”

Titania recoiled. “Ugh! What is that...thing?” she spat, and the rest of the nobles drew away with gasps and cries of alarm. Rising, the queen towered over Kenzie, pointing at her with a slender white hand. “How dare you bring that abomination into my court, mortal? Out! Both of you—get out of my sight!”

Razor hissed and ducked back into Kenzie’s hair, and Keirran quickly stepped forward.

“Apologies, Queen Titania,” he soothed as the queen’s furious glare turned on him. My heart pounded, but at least she wasn’t staring at Kenzie anymore. “The gremlin is mine, so it’s my fault that he’s here.”

“You try my patience, Prince,” Titania said, narrowing her eyes. “I am quickly becoming annoyed with you and your little mortal friends, so perhaps you should all be on your way.”

“Of course. We’ll leave, as soon as we have your consent to let Annwyl back into Arcadia.”

“I do not bow to the requests of you, Prince Keirran.” Titania sneered. “This is my court, and you have no power here, even if you are the Iron Queen’s son.” She straightened, fixing us with a cold glare. “If you want me to raise this girl’s exile, you will do something for me in return.”

Okay, now we came to the heart of the matter. When asking a favor of any faery, always be ready to bargain for something in return. Keirran was prepared for it and simply nodded.

“What would you have of me?” he asked in a calm voice. Titania smiled again. Settling back on her throne, she regarded us all with a smug, pleased expression, making us wait.

“There is a place in Tir Na Nog,” the Summer Queen began, and my heart sank at the mention of the Winter Court, “in the region they call the Frozen Wood. It sits just beyond the Ice Maw, the chasm that separates the wyldwood from Mab’s territory. Do you know of it?”

“I’ve heard of it,” Keirran said cautiously.

Titania preened, looking like a cat with a mouse in its claws. “Deep below the wood lies an ancient creature,” she continued in a grand voice, and my heart sank even further as I suspected where this was going. “It has been sleeping for centuries, but its very presence keeps the land above it eternally frozen. The Cold it generates is a living thing itself, stealing into the wood, snuffing the life from all who venture there. Nothing can live in the wood for long—creatures that wander or get caught out in the open become trapped in ice, forever.” The queen gave a disdainful sniff. “Barbaric, don’t you think? And all because of this creature. Something should be done.”

I sighed. “You want us to kill it.”

The Summer Queen blinked. “Why, Ethan Chase, what a horrid idea. Certainly I would not risk offending Mab by suggesting you slay the beast. However, if the creature does meet some untimely demise, well, nothing can live forever, can it?”

Keirran looked grim. “If we do this,” he began, “you’ll raise Annwyl’s banishment and allow her to return to the Summer Court?”

“You make this sound like a contract, Prince Keirran,” Titania said, looking surprised. “Such an idea might spark a war between Summer and Winter. No, this is just a friendly conversation. Do what you wish, but if the creature does perish in some unfortunate event, it would please me greatly, and I will consider raising the girl’s exile. Provided you don’t perish on the way to the beast’s lair. That would be a tragedy. Now...” She leaned back, waving a hand. “I’ve become bored with this. Remove yourselves from my court, before I turn you all into rabbits and call in the hounds for entertainment.”

I shared a glance with Keirran, and he nodded. Silently, we bowed once more and left the queen’s presence, slipping back into the bramble tunnel and moving well out of earshot of the court before we stopped.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” I muttered, only now realizing my hands were shaking. “At least she didn’t turn us into marmosets or anything.”

Razor emerged from Kenzie’s hair, buzzing and hissing like a furious cat. “Bad queen,” he stated and leaped to Keirran’s shoulder, clinging like a leech and glaring back toward the court. “Not turn Master into rabbit. Bad.”

Kenzie was unusually quiet. In the shadows of the bramble tunnel, she looked pale, and her eyes were dull. “You okay?” I asked, knowing I was probably annoying her by asking about her health so often, but I couldn’t help it. Falling in love had apparently kicked my overbearing tendencies into overdrive.

She nodded without looking at me, and I moved closer. “You did good back there,” I said, half teasing, wanting her to argue, to see some kind of reaction. “I was sure you’d jump in and tell Titania what she could turn herself into.”

“I wanted to,” Kenzie replied. “But you and Keirran seemed to be doing fine on your own, and I didn’t want to make it harder. I do try to keep my promises, Ethan. Even though I poke my nose where it doesn’t belong, tag along when I’m not wanted and talk too much.”

“Hey,” I said quietly, taking her arm. “You know I didn’t mean any of that. I was just trying to throw Titania off.”

“I know,” Kenzie said and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry, I’m just tired. It’s hard hearing your shortcomings listed off in such an obvious manner. I know I can be pushy, and stubborn, and overbearing.” She turned away, not meeting my gaze. “I’ll try not to whine at you anymore.”

“Come here,” I muttered and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. She leaned against me and closed her eyes, and I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” I whispered into her hair. “And for the record, I don’t want you to change, ever. I’m glad you were pushy and stubborn and wouldn’t leave me alone. I wouldn’t be here now if you weren’t.”

Kenzie sniffled. “So, what you’re saying is you
want
me to boss you around.”

“Me, Keirran, Razor, everyone,” I answered, making Keirran snort. “The kings and queens of Faery, too, if they would ever stop turning people into rodents every five minutes.”

She squeezed my waist. “Well, now I regret not telling Titania where she could stick her rosebushes.”

Keirran smiled. “I’m sure you’ll get the chance later,” he said as we drew apart. “After all, we have to return to the Summer Court when we’ve finished this task for Titania.”

“So we’re still planning to do it,” I said, glaring at him. “Head into Mab’s territory, cross this Frozen Wood, find this ancient power or whatever is sleeping beneath it and somehow manage to kill it.” Keirran nodded solemnly, and I half laughed. “Normal day in the Nevernever.”

“What’s normal?” said a voice behind us, and Puck poked his head out from behind a cluster of branches. “Sorry I had to split,” he apologized, grinning as he came into the open, dusting himself off. “Man, trolls can sure hold a grudge. You’d think she’d be flattered I think so highly of her food. Anyway.” He crossed his arms and gave us an appraising look. “Did you say you were going into Tir Na Nog? Lemme guess—you met with our lovely queen, she threatened to turn you into lemurs or something ridiculous and then she told you to go complete some ludicrously impossible task for her. Am I right?” When we nodded, he shook his head. “I thought so. Well, you know what this means, don’t you?”