The Iron Witch (20 page)

“Well, if we’re being totally honest here, I gotta say I’m not too sure who the real bad guys
are
.” Xan looked over at her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Donna, but from what I’ve seen so far, your Order of the Dragon seems pretty damn shady.”

For a moment she couldn’t bring herself to reply. The thing was … Xan was right. Over the past week—and even before that—she’d felt her faith in the “rightness” of the Order begin to erode. Of course, she now knew that the real Maker was not, in fact, doing experiments on wood elves in his workshop, but this knowledge hadn’t restored her faith. All it did was add to her confusion.

“I know,” she said finally. “What we just saw in Simon’s lab … ” Her voice trailed off and she blew out a frustrated sigh. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“You mean, the possessed statue? Yeah, that was
nasty
.”

“Do you think it
was
possessed?” Donna shivered. “It did feel … sort of wrong, somehow. Twisted and dark.”

“Whatever it was, we were lucky it couldn’t see us under that bench. I thought we were caught for sure.”

That was one sentiment that Donna could get behind. As to the rest of it, she just wasn’t sure. And each minute that now passed brought them closer to the Wood Queen and the waiting elves; closer to the possibility that she could save Navin.

And she still didn’t know what the hell she was going to do.

The dark green leaves and ragged branches of the Ironwood waited, silent, under a full moon bruised by indigo clouds. Donna shivered, even in her warm coat and hat. She wished Xan would put his arm around her, then immediately berated herself for thinking like that when Navin was in such danger.
What was wrong with her?
She sighed, and was surprised to find that she was still shaking after their escape from the Frost Estate.

They were tramping through the undergrowth, in search of the entrance to the Old Path they’d used before. Donna had been quiet ever since they’d entered the Ironwood again; she couldn’t stop thinking about what was ahead of them, and all that had happened to her since meeting Xan at the party just this past Saturday. Her hand closed reflexively on the small pouch in her pocket, as though seeking reassurance that it was still there. Somehow, just knowing that the vial was safely in her possession gave her the strength to continue.

Xan came to an abrupt stop, his eyes wide.

The sound he’d heard made Donna’s blood freeze. Distant, otherworldly screams echoed through the trees, making her ears hurt and setting her teeth on edge. Her heart felt as though it had stopped beating, and her whole body was suddenly overcome with weakness. She felt as if she was about to faint.

It was like a high-pitched screeching, scraping along her nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. It sounded like a small child being murdered.

If she didn’t know any differently, she might have thought it was the sound of foxes. How she wished it was just foxes.

Xan met her gaze and she knew he saw her fear—his own face registered something she couldn’t identify. His eyes were guarded, their usual glow faded to a deep moss color, but there was something in his expression that let her know he wasn’t as cool as he might like her to think. “What was that?”

Donna swallowed, unable to get past the dryness in her throat. “
That
was our cue to move as fast as possible.”

He stopped her from walking past him, his hand gripping her arm above the elbow. “Was it what I
think
it was?”

She knew she was being horribly defensive, but she couldn’t help it. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Xan. I’m not a mind reader.”

Undeterred, Xan trailed his hand down her arm until he could clasp her fingers gently in his. “The Skriker.”

He made it a statement, so she didn’t bother to reply, although she didn’t take her hand out of his when they continued walking.

Xan led the way off the main path and they battled through the crowded bushes and ferns she recognized from their earlier trip, Xan once again pushing the brambles aside so she could climb through.

They arrived in the tiny clearing and stood close together. The trees seemed to loom over them, casting shadows upon shadows in the moonlight. Donna shivered, feeling that same heaviness resting on her shoulders and pushing at the base of her skull. She tried to make her breathing shallow as she anticipated the rotten smell of the damp, mossy tree trunks, but it was impossible to avoid smelling it. She wrinkled her nose.

Xan repeated the ritual magic that would allow them to walk the Old Path, gathering dirt and leaves from the cold earth. Donna knew that when he raised his head his eyes would once more be brightest viridian. The closer to the heart of the Ironwood they got, the more fey he became. The thought both scared and excited her.

He stood before her, his hands full of earth and twigs. “Hold on to this like last time, Donna.”

They were linked by nature and magic as Xan spoke the ancient words that would open the door and take them into the Elflands. His skin glowed golden, seeming to compete with the cool moonlight that surrounded them, and his eyes sparkled brightly. Donna caught her breath as she felt the tug of power in her stomach and waited for her hands to start hurting.

The sudden wave of darkness wrapped itself around them, momentarily blocking out the dim light, and the scent of damp decay rose up. The smell almost made her gag as it crept between her lips and down her throat.

Then the choking blackness unfolded itself from them; Donna was relieved to once again see a fleeting glint of moonlight through the tall trees. And there was the Old Path, with trees lined up along either side and the green canopy overhead that made it feel more like a tunnel. Dry leaves and branches rustled and cracked underfoot as she took the lead, despite Xan’s protests. They walked down it, toward the clearing where she knew Navin was waiting. The thought of confronting the dark elves made her stomach tighten and her heart beat faster, but she tried to calm her breathing and think only of her best friend. He needed her.

The leafy roof finally opened out, and they stepped into the large clearing. Donna caught her breath as the sky appeared above her once more. It looked different, somehow, as though something in the world had shifted and they were on another continent. It was still nighttime, and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds with stars scattered haphazardly around it, but everything looked closer to the ground—as though she could easily reach out and touch that velvet sky.

The clearing was empty, the ivy-draped throne standing in the center as though it hadn’t been occupied for years. Moss crept up its wooden sides and into the seat, and Donna wondered if it was possible for time to move at a different rate here. There was an ageless, untouched quality to the air, as though it hadn’t been breathed for centuries and Donna and Xan were disturbing it just by their presence.

She turned slowly in a circle, foreboding making her stomach cramp and her throat dry. “This is weird. I expected it to be the same as earlier. I thought she was waiting for us.”

Xan nodded. “And she would know the minute somebody breached the door between our world and the Elflands.”

Donna walked toward the throne, frustration building within her. Was Aliette playing games with them? Had she lied? “We don’t even know where they’re keeping Navin, so what should we do?”

And then a shaft of moonlight fell onto the far side of the clearing as the Wood Queen entered, flanked by her six guards. They simply materialized among the trees and walked slowly forward, the pale glow of the moon making their gray-brown skin look sickly and old. They seemed less substantial than before, somehow. Weaker. Perhaps the queen hadn’t been exaggerating about their decline.

Then Donna cried out, recognizing Navin being prodded out from beneath the trees by one of the wood elves. His hands were bound behind his back and he looked tired and worn, but he was
there
. She desperately wanted to go to him, but knew that it was pointless to even try.
Not yet
, she thought.
Be patient
.

His dark eyes lit up at the sight of her. Donna tried to smile reassuringly, but she could only manage a half-hearted effort—her throat seemed suddenly too tight and she had difficulty swallowing past the lump there.

“Donna, you shouldn’t have come back here,” Navin called, his voice surprisingly strong.

She shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I would
never
leave you!”

His familiar lopsided grin flashed. “Yeah right, Underwood. That’s what you told me Saturday night before leaving me high and dry with the Geek Squad.”

Donna burst out laughing; she couldn’t stop herself. The relief that he was actually cracking jokes—even bad ones—was just so wonderful.

The Wood Queen swept onto her throne and settled herself regally, waiting for her minions to gather more closely around her. Two elves pushed Navin forward until he stood to one side of her carved wooden seat. The creature who seemed to be in charge of the prisoner planted twiglike fingers on Navin’s shoulders and pushed him to his knees.

“Have you brought it?” The queen’s brown face seemed more lined than before, and her black eyes were dull and sunken. There was something undeniably
tired
about Aliette. Donna suddenly realized that since the elves had been walking easily in the iron world, holding elaborate glamours in place, they must get their power from her. The Wood Queen was the main source of energy for her kin—but where did she get
her
power?

“I have it, your majesty.” Donna’s voice rang out clearly. She thought of her mother and tried to catch a glimpse of the locks of hair hanging from Aliette’s belt, but the shadows made it difficult to see.

The queen leaned forward, unable to contain her eagerness. “Then give it to me, girl, and you can take the boy and leave.”

Xan glanced anxiously at Donna and she flashed him a reassuring look; she knew how much he wanted to secure Maker’s freedom, too.

“We won’t leave without both Navin
and
Maker,” she said. Her voice was steady. Once again, Xan’s hand rested in the small of her back, giving her comfort.

“I don’t believe that was the arrangement,” grated the Wood Queen. The surrounding elves made loud clicking sounds in their throats and seemed to crouch lower, their black eyes staring at Donna with unnerving malice.

“You didn’t honestly think I’d leave Maker here, did you?” Donna asked, swallowing her dread. “Either we leave safely with both of them, or you won’t be getting anything from me.”

Aliette sneered, her cracked face looking more than ever like the bark of an old tree. “And what—foolish child—is to stop me from
taking
the elixir from you?”

“Because I happen to know that what I’ve found is all that remains. The final drops of the elixir of life. If you force me to do it, I’ll make sure you never get your hands on it.”

The queen’s eyes narrowed to ebony slits, her lipless mouth opening in an ugly gash of rage. “How dare you threaten me!”

Her voice scraped along Donna’s nerves and made her stomach clench; the ache in her hands increased, but she refused to show any sign of fear.

Stepping forward, she shook off Xan’s restraining hand. “Either you let us all leave safely, or I’ll destroy it.” She desperately hoped her face held absolute conviction, and that the queen couldn’t hear the frantic beating of her heart.

The trees whispered and shook their leaves as the Wood Queen rose from her throne. She grabbed Navin by his thick black hair and wrenched back his head. She was holding a dagger carved out of some sort of dark wood; it looked smooth and sharp, its handle elegantly shaped in a curve that wrapped around her gnarled fingers.

Donna gasped and tried to run forward, but her way was immediately barred by two crouching, hissing wood elves. She felt Xan’s arms wrap around her waist and pull her back, her feet dragging in the cold earth as she tried to resist. “Let me go!” she yelled.

Xan’s grip was firm and he shook her, whispering fiercely in her ear. “Stop it, Donna. She won’t do anything while we’ve got the elixir.” His mouth was virtually touching her earlobe, his cheek brushing against strands of her hair.

She wrenched herself from his arms, gasping, then stood still as a stone, gazing in horrified fascination as Aliette stroked the strange blade along Navin’s exposed throat, his vulnerable flesh stretched taut across his Adam’s apple.

“Well, well.” The Wood Queen’s expression might have been a smile, if she’d possessed a human face. “Perhaps you can be persuaded to be reasonable after all, Donna Underwood.”

Navin was breathing heavily, but his dark eyes met Donna’s without fear. “Whatever they want, don’t do it. Not for me,” he murmured.

Donna ignored him and tried to get her expression under control. “If you harm my friend in any way, you will
never
get what you want.”

“It appears we’re at an impasse,” replied the queen, in her voice of dead leaves. “How unfortunate.”

“It’s only unfortunate if you hurt any of my friends.”

Xan nodded, joining her. “Including Maker.”

“Right,” Donna said. “We don’t even know if he’s safe.”

The Wood Queen sneered, but gestured to the creature closest to her. She whispered something in their strange language of clicks and scraping sounds, and the elf ran back into the trees.

Moments later, Donna’s eyes lit up as she saw Maker being pushed forward. The old alchemist seemed unharmed on the surface; he walked with a pronounced limp, but that was normal for him, and he looked grubby and tired, with bits of leaf and twig stuck to his gray hair and beard, but other than that he looked remarkably healthy. Donna almost smiled—Maker was a fighter, there was no doubt in her mind about that, as he had proven time and time again when they’d argued over her treatment and rehabilitation.