The Iron Legends: Winter's Passage\Summer's Crossing\Iron's Prophecy (13 page)

“I can handle them.” I glanced at the crowd at the bottom of
the steps, seeing their wide smirks, their hungry gazes, and felt my resolve
grow. “I’m the Iron Queen—I should face the other rulers by myself first. And I
want you to send another message, Ash. The Unseelie Court is no doubt wondering
if their former prince is as strong as he was. They’re curious to see if a mere
mortal can protect himself and his queen in the Winter Court. If there is any
doubt, word will spread, and the other courts might see the Iron Court as weak,
easy to exploit.” I reached out and squeezed his arm, smiling fiercely. “That
doubt ends right here. I want you to make sure that everyone knows that we are
not
weak, that the Iron Queen’s knight is not
someone to cross. Ever.”

Ash’s eyes gleamed, the shadow of an evil grin crossing his
face. “As you command, my queen,” he said in a low voice, barely hiding his
glee. “I will carry out your wishes. Please send Mab and Oberon my apologies. I
will rejoin you as soon as I am able.”

I nodded and went through the door, nodding at Glitch to
follow, leaving my knight to turn and face the trailing crowd. I heard the rasp
of his ice-blade as it was unsheathed, and the shouts of the mob in the
courtyard. Footsteps scuffled over the ground, no doubt Winter fey scrambling to
attack…or flee. I felt an icy burst of glamour, probably from Ash, and another
yell of utter shock.

“What
are
you?” something howled,
and then there was a crash, and the sound of shattered icicles tinkling to the
ground. Laughter rang out,
Ash’s
laughter, jubilant
and defiant, making me pause.

What are you?

A good question. One that I’d asked myself on more then one
occasion. Physically, Ash was no different than before; lean and graceful, with
the same command of Winter magic and sword skills that made him such a lethal
warrior. He was still fierce, loyal, protective and could level an icy glare
that could make your insides freeze. In that regard, he hadn’t changed.

And yet, sometimes, he was so different. It would be insane to
ever think of Ash as soft, but the frozen shell that had always surrounded the
Winter prince was gone. He was…kinder now, able to empathize in ways he couldn’t
as a pure Unseelie. There were times when he seemed so human in little, subtle
ways I’d never noticed before, that I’d forget he had ever belonged to the
Winter Court.

It made me wonder. Was Ash human like me, a mortal with faery
glamour and magic left over from his life as a Winter prince? Or was he still
fey? A faery…with a human soul?

I didn’t know. And really, I didn’t care. Ash was Ash. You
couldn’t put a descriptor on him; there was no one who had done what he had, no
other like him in the entire realm of Faery. He was…unique.

Another yell echoed through the door. I continued down the hall
with Glitch and the knights as the clamor of battle rang out behind me, followed
by howls of pain and dismay. And I smiled to myself. Whatever Ash was, he was
the best at what he did. It wouldn’t take him long.

* * *

This year’s Elysium was held in Queen Mab’s ballroom,
and the place was already filled with fey. I left Glitch and the knights in the
hall just outside the entrance, and an Unseelie herald announced my arrival in
clear, high tones: “Her majesty Meghan Chase, monarch of Mag Tuiredh, sovereign
of the Iron territories and Queen of the Iron Fey.”

He paused, as if expecting to announce Ash as well, but of
course Ash was not with me at the moment. After a heartbeat, the herald nodded,
and I stepped into the room, to the stares of dozens of fey.

A long white table waited at the end of the room, with three
figures already seated and two empty spots farther down. Queen Mab, King Oberon
and Queen Titania waited for me as I walked across the room, my back straight
and my chin held high.

“Meghan Chase.” Mab’s greeting could not exactly be called a
welcome. The Unseelie monarch sat in the middle of the table, her long black
hair styled elegantly atop her head, pinned in place with icicles. “How
fortuitous of you to join us.”

“Queen Mab,” I said politely, and nodded to my father, to her
left. “Lord Oberon, Lady Titania.” The Summer Queen pursed her lips and
pointedly ignored me, but Oberon gave a solemn bob of his head. Not unfriendly,
but not really acknowledging me as a daughter, either. I stifled a sigh. This
was going to be a long night.

“Where is Ash?” Mab inquired, her dark gaze flicking to the
door behind me. “Has he not come? Is he not anxious to see his old court and
kith?” Her voice lowered, turned slightly dangerous. “Has he forgotten us so
quickly?”

“No, Queen Mab. Ash is here.” I was quick to reassure her,
knowing Mab took insult easily and held grudges forever. “He was…held up…for a
few minutes in the courtyard. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“I see.” Mab sat back, apparently mollified. “Good. I wish to
hear how Ash is getting along in the poisoned realm.”

I was about to reply that Ash was doing just fine, thank you,
when every light in the place—torches, the icicle chandeliers, flickering blue
candles in the columns—sputtered and went out.

Snarls and cries of alarm filled the air. Chairs overturned as
fey leaped to their feet, drawing weapons and glaring into the shadows. I spun,
searching for hidden dangers, for anything stupid or crazy enough to attack
during Elysium when the most powerful fey in all the Nevernever were in the very
same room.

“Silence!” Mab stood up, her voice booming through the
darkness, and instantly everything went completely mute. You could’ve heard a
pin drop. “Whoever is responsible for this will soon wish they had never been
born,” she rasped into the still darkness. “You will not embarrass me in my own
court in the midst of Elysium. Show yourself, now!”

She waved her hand, and lights sprang up again, candles and
chandeliers flaring to life. The faeries in the room blinked and cringed and
glanced around, wary of attackers and one another.

They didn’t immediately notice the old woman standing in the
middle of the room, where nothing had been before. But I spotted her almost at
once, and my stomach went cold with dread.

The oracle, ragged, dusty and as brittle as old newspaper,
turned the hollow pits of her eyes on me and didn’t look away. I heard Titania’s
sharp gasp, just as the other fey discovered the ancient creature standing in
their midst and surged away from her like she had a disease. But the oracle’s
sightless gaze never wavered, and she seemed to float over the ground like a
dusty wraith, until she stood a few yards from me.

“Oracle,” Mab stated in a flat voice. “Why are you here? What
is the meaning of this disturbance?”

The oracle ignored the Winter monarch, however, drifting closer
to me. “Meghan Chase,” she whispered, and the stench of centuries-old dust
filled the air, the smell of a grave or a tomb. “Iron Queen. Do you remember
me?”

“What do you want, Oracle?” I stood tall, keeping my voice
calm.

“Old Anna brings a warning,” the oracle whispered. “One that
has been ignored before. Do you remember what I told you, Meghan Chase? You and
your Winter prince. Do you recall what I said would happen?”

A murmur went around the room, and Mab’s glare sharpened; I
could feel it searing into the back of my head. Goose bumps prickled over my
skin, but I kept my voice firm. “No,” I said, taking a step forward. “You told
us a lot of things, and I gave you what I could. I did what I had to do, to save
my family. That’s all that was important.”

“You remember,” the oracle insisted. “Do you not? The one thing
you refused to give up. That which would cause you nothing but grief. Do you
remember now, Meghan Chase?”

For second, I didn’t know what she was talking about.

Then it hit me, and were it not for the hundreds of fey
watching, including the rulers of the other courts, I would have fallen as my
knees gave out. I remembered her words, so long ago, when I had first come to
Faery. I had traded away a memory for her help, but that wasn’t the only thing
the oracle had wanted.

“You will not give it up, even though it
will bring you nothing but grief?”

“Oh, God,” I whispered, and my hand slipped to my stomach. The
nausea, the sudden weakness and fainting spells. It couldn’t be.

“Yes,” the oracle whispered, and raised a withered hand,
pointing at me. “You know of what I speak. And you have a decision to make, Iron
Queen. What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them. I
have seen it. I know one of these will come to pass.”

“No,” I said in a shaky voice. No one in the room seemed to
hear us now. It was as if we were in our own small world, the oracle and myself,
and everything around us had faded into obscurity.

The withered hag watched me with the pitiless holes in her
face. “You know I speak the truth, Meghan Chase,” the oracle went on. “You know
the great power resting inside you. Power that can destroy, turn everything we
know into dust. But all is not lost.” She raised a shriveled claw. “I have a
proposition for you. We must speak further, but not here. Not like this.” She
drew back, the hollow pits of her eyes never leaving my face. “Time is of the
essence. Find me. You have friends who will show you the way. I will be awaiting
you, and your decision.”

A sudden wind rushed through the ballroom, resnuffing candles
and causing a few chandeliers to crash to the ground in a ringing cacophony. Fey
jumped and howled, and by the time Mab restored order and reignited the lights
again, the oracle was gone.

Chapter Three

“Explain yourself, Iron Queen!”

Shivering, I turned to face the Unseelie monarch, on her feet
and glaring at me over the table. Mab’s eyes glittered with distrust, and Oberon
didn’t look very reassuring, either. Titania, of course, was staring at me like
she was hoping my head would explode.

But they were the least of my worries, now. The oracle’s words
rang through my head, over and over again, staggering me with the
implications.

You know the great power resting inside
you.

What you carry will either unite the
courts, or it will destroy them.

You have a decision to make, Iron Queen.
Find me.

“I have to go.”

That
wasn’t well received. Mab
straightened, every inch of her bristling with offense. “You dare, Iron Queen?”
she asked in her scary soft voice. “You dare insult me in my own court? In front
of my own people?” Her black eyes narrowed, and she leaned across the table,
coating the glasses with frost. “You will tell me what is happening, or you will
prepare for the wrath of Winter.”

I stared her down. “No, Queen Mab. You will not threaten me or
my kingdom for this.” Mab didn’t move, but I could sense her shock; the daughter
of Oberon was no longer a cowering little girl. I gestured to the room behind
us. “You heard what the oracle said—this affects all the courts, not just my
own. I will not adhere to some ridiculous, outdated protocol when my realm could
be in danger.”

“The girl is right, Lady Mab,” Oberon said,
finally
coming to my defense. Better late than never,
I supposed. “A Summons from the oracle cannot be ignored. If she knows something
that threatens the stability of the courts, we must be prepared.”

“And what of Ash?” Mab snapped, a bit peevishly now. “I have
not seen my son in months. The Iron Queen makes decisions that affects them
both. What does Ash think of all this?”

“Ash,” said a cool, deep voice, suddenly at my shoulder,
“stands with the decision of his queen.”

I didn’t move, though my heart leaped and I wanted to glance at
him in relief. But I kept my gaze on the Unseelie monarch in front of us. “Ash,”
Mab said, switching her attention to my knight, standing tall at my side, “you
have not been home in months. Do you not care that your queen is breaking the
ancient traditions of Elysium? Do you not care that she would pit you against
your own court, if it came to war between us?”

I felt a blaze of fury at the Unseelie Queen’s manipulative
ways, but Ash’s voice remained calm. “This is not my home any longer,” Ash said
in a clear voice, making sure everyone heard him. “And if it came to war, I
would be the first on the front lines, defending the Iron Court.”

Mab looked stunned. I took advantage of her silence to bow and
step back. “We’ll be taking our leave now,” I told the rulers of Faery, ignoring
my pounding heart. Of the three, only Oberon nodded. Titania snorted in disgust,
and Mab continued to watch me with her dark, eerie glare. “I apologize for the
inconvenience, Queen Mab, but we must return to Mag Tuiredh. Please excuse
us.”

And, without waiting for an answer, I turned and left the
ballroom with Ash at my side, feeling the Winter Queen’s frosty gaze skewering
the back of my neck.

* * *

That was the easy part.

As soon as we were in the hallway, out of sight and sound of
the rulers, Ash turned on me, silver eyes bright. “I heard the commotion in the
ballroom,” he said, his voice low and intense, nothing like the cool, composed
nonchalance he had shown in front of Mab. “What happened? Why are we leaving
Elysium? What’s going on, Meghan?”

My legs were shaking. Now that I was away from the rulers, the
oracle’s words came back in a rush, threatening to drown me. I couldn’t think,
couldn’t explain. I needed time to compose myself, to sort this out. Ash had to
know, he was the other part of this equation, but the Unseelie Court was not the
place to break this kind of news. I couldn’t tell him now. Not like this.

“Home, Ash,” I said finally, desperate to get out of Tir Na
Nog, back to the familiar comfort of my realm. “Please. I’ll tell you everything
when we get home.”

He wasn’t happy, but conceded to my wishes, though I could feel
his eyes on me the entire ride back to Mag Tuiredh.

How am I going to tell him? What is he
going to think about all this?
I gazed out the window, Ash’s worried,
intense stare burning my cheek.
Oh, Ash, I wanted this day
to come, but I never thought something from our past would come back to
haunt us. What are we going to do now?

Glitch didn’t say anything when the carriage pulled to a halt
outside the palace, and no one tried to stop me as I strode down the halls; even
the gremlins, who would normally swarm around me like happy, psychotic puppies
whenever I entered a room, kept their distance. Only Ash kept pace with me,
saying nothing, though I knew that would end the second we reached our chambers.
I still didn’t know how I was going to tell him.

Beau glanced up from the bed as we entered the room, thumping
his tail against the mattress. I went to the dog and scratched him behind the
ears, still trying to collect my scattered thoughts. He pushed his nose against
my palm and whined, and I buried my face in his soft fur. My heart was going a
mile a minute, and my stomach twisted nervously as Ash’s footsteps followed me
into the room.

“All right,” Ash said, closing the door firmly behind us, “I’ve
kept quiet long enough. What’s going on, Meghan? What happened at Elysium?”

My mouth went dry. With Beau trailing worriedly behind me, I
walked to the glass doors across the room, opened them and stepped onto the
balcony, breathing in the night air. Far below, Mag Tuiredh, the city of the
Iron fey, sparkled under the full moon. My city. My Iron fey. The realm I had
sworn to protect from any and all threats, from without…and within.

What you carry will either unite the
courts, or it will destroy them.

“Meghan.” Ash was behind me in the door frame, his voice firm
yet pleading. “Please. Tell me what’s happening.”

I took a deep breath and walked back into the bedroom.

“I… We had an unexpected visitor,” I began. Ash came to my
side, not bothering to shut the balcony doors, and a cold breeze ruffled the
curtains. “In the ballroom. It was the oracle. She showed up out of nowhere and
freaked everyone out. Do you remember her?”

“I remember,” Ash said, sounding puzzled. “New Orleans. We went
to that cemetery to get a Token for her, to exchange for your memory. The Church
Grim chased us all the way to the edge of the grounds. What did she tell
you?”

I gripped the back of a chair to keep myself upright. My heart
was pounding against my ribs, and I could barely get the words out. “She…she
came to me with a warning. She reminded me that the thing that I refused to give
up will bring me nothing but grief. That—” my stomach cartwheeled; I swallowed
hard and continued in a whisper “—that what I’m carrying will either unite the
courts, or destroy them.”

“What you’re…” Ash stopped. Stared at me. I felt the energy in
the room shift the moment he got it.

“Meghan.” His voice was calm, controlled, but so many emotions
swirled just below the surface. “Are…are you…pregnant?”

I shivered and closed my eyes, not knowing whether to laugh or
cry or scream. “I think so.”

Ash exhaled slowly. I heard him sit, rather suddenly, on the
bed.

Silence fell. Beau whined and nudged his hand, but when that
yielded no reaction, he hopped up and sank down next to him with a groan, laying
his head on his paws. I closed my eyes and waited.

“What else did the oracle say?” Ash finally whispered, sounding
dazed.

“She has a proposition for me,” I replied, afraid to turn
around, to face him. Afraid that I would see fear, dismay or disappointment in
his eyes. “She wants me to find her, said that I have ‘friends who can show me
the way.’ She said she’ll be waiting for me, and my decision.”

“Decision?” I heard the frown in his voice. “What kind of
decision?”

“She didn’t say.” I was shaking, trying to hold back frustrated
tears. I needed to be strong, but I had just received the news that I was
pregnant, and not only that, my child could end up destroying everything I’d
worked so hard to protect. To top it all off, I didn’t know if Ash wanted a kid,
or was ready for a kid, or if
I
was ready for a kid.
“I didn’t have a chance to ask about the details,” I said, attempting to keep my
voice steady. “After reminding me of that little prophecy, she disappeared, and
I decided it was time to go home, screw what the other rulers thought.”

“Hey.” Ash’s low, soothing voice finally made me turn around.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, his eyes and face calm, and held out a hand.
“Come here a second.”

I stepped forward and put my hand in his. He drew me close and
wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his forehead to my stomach. “I’m
here,” he murmured, as I gave a shaky sob and bent over him, hugging him in
relief. “You’re not alone in this. We’ll figure it out.”

I buried my face in his hair, letting the cool, soft strands
brush my cheeks. He was my rock, the one thing I could lean on when the world
was crumbling around me. “I guess I made a rather strong impression for my first
Elysium as queen,” I murmured, finally starting to feel a bit steadier, like the
ground wasn’t cracking under my feet. “I just hope I’m invited back after this.
Mab is never going to forgive me for walking out on her.”

I felt him smile. “She’ll get over it.”

“You think so?”

“Not really.”

I groaned, and we both fell silent.

We stayed like that for a while, holding each other, offering
comfort and support, yet lost in our own thoughts. Ash was quiet; I wondered
what he was thinking, if he was pleased or terrified at the notion of becoming a
father. Not only that, the father to a child who might or might not grow up to
destroy the courts. How did one reconcile that? Was there a way to ever be
prepared for something that extreme?

I couldn’t ask him yet. I still didn’t know how
I
felt about it.

“When do you want to leave?” Ash murmured at length. And his
voice, though it shook ever so slightly in the beginning, was steady by the end.
I took a deep breath.

“Tonight,” I said. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until
this whole thing is resolved.” He nodded, and I pulled away to pace the room.
Ash watched quietly from the bed. “Though, I’m not even sure how to find the
oracle,” I mused, turning to face him. “She didn’t say where she would be. I
guess we could go back to the Voodoo Museum in New Orleans—”

“You will not find her there, human.”

I spun, my heart leaping at the familiar, bored voice. Through
the open doors, silhouetted against the night sky, a furry gray cat perched on
the balcony, watching us with moonlike golden eyes.

At the sight of the intruder, Beau jerked upright, bristling
and showing his teeth. He tensed to lunge, but Ash put a hand on his neck and
murmured a quiet word, and Beau calmed instantly, sinking back to the bed. The
gray cat yawned, unimpressed, and gave his paw a couple licks.

“Hello, Iron Queen.” Grimalkin sighed, as if this meeting was
encroaching on his valuable time. “We meet yet again. Sooner than I had
anticipated, but I suppose it is to be expected.” He shook his furry head,
contemplating us both. “Why is it that neither of you can manage to stay out of
trouble for a single season?”

Ash rose from the mattress, his expression wary and puzzled.
“How did you get in here, cat?” he asked, frowning. Grimalkin sniffed.

“I climbed.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

It hit me then, what Ash was saying. “Wait a minute,” I echoed,
striding out to the balcony, where the cat regarded me lazily. “How
are
you able to be here, Grim? You’re not an Iron
faery, you still can’t be in Mag Tuiredh without being poisoned, and I’m certain
you didn’t take that journey to the End of the World for
yourself
.” Grimalkin snorted, as if such a thought was highly
offensive. “How are you doing this?” I continued, frowning at him. “And if you
say ‘I am a cat,’ I swear I will throw you off this balcony.”

Grimalkin sneezed with amusement. “Worry not, human,” he
stated, slitting his eyes at me. “I am in no danger. It is all part of the deal
I worked out with the former Iron lieutenant.”

“Ironhorse?”

“Mmm, yes.” Grimalkin scrubbed a paw over his ear. “You can say
his…hmm…spirit still inhabits the amulet I procured, that as long as it remains
intact, I am exempt from the poison of the Iron Realm.” He yawned again, curling
his whiskers. “I do not know how long it will last, how much time I have left in
the Iron Realm, but the former lieutenant was one of the stronger fey, after
all. His last wish was to protect you, even if he could not be there himself.”
He sniffed and yawned again, showing a flash of pointed teeth. “Still, I doubt
it will last forever, and I certainly do not intend to stay here any longer than
I have to. Time is of the essence.” Flicking his tail, he gazed up at me. “Shall
we get on with it, then?”

“Then, you know,” Ash said from behind me. “You know about the
oracle’s prophecy.”

“You humans are so very adept at stating the obvious.”

“Do you know where she is?” I asked. “Where we’re going?”

Grimalkin blinked at me. “I do,” he purred, holding my gaze.
“And I will ask no favor to lead you there. That has already been taken care of.
I am to guide the Iron Queen, her knight and one other through the wyldwood, to
a place called the Wishing Tree.”

I could tell by the way Ash went motionless that he knew about
this place. “What’s the Wishing Tree?” I asked, looking back at him.