Page 11 of The Iron Vow

The quiet sound of someone discreetly clearing their throat broke us apart. I looked back to see Keirran at the bottom of the stairs, politely not staring at us. I sensed no discomfort from the King of the Forgotten; he had grown up seeing his parents’ affection for one another and never had any reason to be embarrassed.

“I have been sent to inform you that Puck and Nyx have decided to take watch tonight,” he said a bit wryly, fully sensing the irony that he, a king of Faery, had been sent to deliver this message by a jester and an assassin. “Currently, they are both outside, one on the rooftops, the other who knows where, and they strongly suggest that the three of us get some sleep while we can.”

Ash snorted, showing how unlikelythatwould be. Keirran chose to ignore that.

“Also,” he went on, “Nyx was able to remember a bit about the Grave Lands and wanted me to extend this warning. They are, as one would expect, a blasted, rocky place with many species of undead, skeletal-type fey wandering around. It might be difficult to distinguish between what is a fey and what is a Nightmare, but she cautions against attacking creatures solely because they look frightening.”

I nodded. “We’re not going to get into any fights if we can help it,” I said, and he visibly relaxed. “We don’t have access to any magic here, so if even a small Nightmare spots us and decides to attack, my plan is to run away and not engage. Discretion very much seems the better part of valor right now.”

“I’m worried for Nyx,” Keirran confessed. “Puck is, too. Without glamour, she could Fade away on us at any time.”

“She’s strong,” Ash said. “And this is her world. She knows it far better than we do. Besides, Puck won’t let that happen. If it comes to that, he’ll poke and prod her to the point where she’s so irritated shecan’tFade away, even if she wants to.”

Keirran nodded, but his brow furrowed, and the shadow hovering behind his eyes grew darker. He stared out the doorway into the forest, his jaw set and his lips pressed tightly together.

“Keirran,” I prodded. “Something is bothering you. What’s on your mind?”

“I...” He sighed. Shaking his head, he turned to us again. “I’ve been going through this scenario in my head again and again,” he said in a bleak voice. “There’s no good answer. There’s no winning for any of us.”

“What do you mean?” Ash asked.

“Evenfall relies on the king’s Elder Nightmares to live,” Keirran said. “Somehow, they’re keeping the fey of this world alive when they should have Faded eons ago. If we kill the Nightmare King, we save the Nevernever, but the Evenfey will die because there will be no more Nightmares for them to hunt, and thus no more glamour. If we don’t kill the king and he wakes up, he’ll destroy the Nevernever and possibly take his vengeance on the mortal realm as well. Maybe we can put him back to sleep, but even that feels wrong. The Nightmare King and the Evenfey are victims of the Lady’s callousness and fear. She sealed this world because she was afraid of the Nightmare King and his power. I can understand his anger—the Evenfey did nothing to deserve this. Making sure the king doesn’t wake up just ensures Evenfall will continue on...like this. Where their only source of glamour comes from killing Nightmares. If we can’t open the seal because that will wake the king, we’re dooming the Evenfey to a life of misery and struggle. So...” Keirran made a frustrated, helpless gesture. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t see how any of this will have a happy ending.”

“I know, Keirran,” I admitted. And with that, the fear, uncertainty, and dread that had been plaguing me ever since I entered this world rose up like a tide. “Believe me, I want to make things right. What the Lady did was unspeakable. And the Evenfey shouldn’t have to live like this. But the kingiswaking up,” I went on. “And he does intend to destroy the Nevernever when he does. We can’t allow that to happen, either.”

“Maybe Grimalkin is wrong,” Keirran said. His voice had gone very low, and I figured it was in case the cat was listening. “Hearing the Evenfey speak of the king...they think he’s their savior, that he is the sole reason for their survival. That doesn’t sound like someone who is lost to madness. Maybe there is a way we can reason with him.”

“And if there isn’t?” Ash wondered. “If we reach the Nightmare King, and he is too far gone to hear us?”

“Then we do what we must.”

This last was from Nyx, who suddenly appeared in the doorway and surprised us all. Keirran turned to her in shocked amazement as the assassin slid into the room. “My king,” she said, meeting his gaze. “I know you want to help us. I know you want to set things right in Evenfall. But I fear it could already be too late. You don’t feel the land like I do. Evenfall...” Nyx sighed, gazing back at the looming forest, a pained expression crossing her face. “It feels dead,” she stated. “Like it doesn’t really exist at all.” She paused a moment and took a few breaths, as if with that statement she was finally admitting a truth she hadn’t wanted to see. “I honestly do not know how Evenfall has survived,” she continued at last. “I was happy to be home at first, but...something feels wrong here. This is not the world I remember. I am starting to wonder if it’s even real.”

“Uh, the beasties we fought earlier were certainly real,” Puck said, sauntering into room. “Unless the bruise that is my whole body is just my imagination.” Seeing us, he gave a cheerful wave and a shrug. “I saw everyone was getting together and I didn’t want to be left out, especially if there’s a party. But I am confused as to why some of us seem to think the monsters we’re fighting aren’t real. They feel real enough to me.”

“Even if they are,” Nyx murmured, “what is left for us here? A realm that is dead, and a king who is lost to us.”

“What are you saying, Nyx?” Keirran asked.

“That some things cannot be undone,” the assassin said, though admitting it sounded painful for her. She stared at the floor, eyes unfocused, and when she looked up again, her gaze locked with Keirran’s. “I agreed to lead you through Evenfall to find the Nightmare King,” she said. “I did this knowing that he is very likely unkillable. That he has gone mad within his nightmares, and if he wakes, he will destroy the Nevernever and possibly the real world. And with all the fear, anger, and hatred being generated in the mortal realm, he would be powerful enough to do it. Even before Evenfall was sealed, the Nightmare King was more than fey. More than the ruler of a realm. He was, quite simply, a god.”

Her gaze flickered to Puck for the briefest of moments. For a single heartbeat, regret and something deeper shone from her eyes, before they hardened once more. “We are very likely not coming back from this mission,” she went on. “I knew that. I accepted it. But I still chose to lead you through Evenfall, because I knew that, even if the Nightmare King was unstoppable, you would do everything in your power to save the realm that could be saved. Right now, I am not certain Evenfall is that realm.”

Keirran seemed stunned into silence. Even Puck gazed at the Evenfaery in surprise. Nyx took a quiet breath and let it out slowly before she spoke again.

“I know you will do the right thing,” she said, looking at me now. “But when we stand before the Nightmare King, whatever we decide, there can be no hesitation. If we hesitate, all the realms will suffer for it. I am prepared to face my old king knowing I will most likely die. I will forfeit my existence to ensure Faery survives, if that is what is called for.”

I met her gaze as Puck straightened and tensed. The eyes of the assassin were bleak but resolved. She had already made the choice to stand with the Nevernever to stop the Nightmare King, even if it meant turning her back on her home. Nyx was not Keirran. There was no wavering, no second thoughts, no hoping for an outcome that was impossible. She was coldly practical on what needed to be done, even if it was killing her on the inside.

“Nyx,” Puck said quietly. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I am dedicated to seeing this through,” the Evenfaery replied, still holding my gaze. “Whatever it takes.”

Are you?was the assassin’s silent question. Not a challenge. Just the quiet affirmation of where she stood. Nyx was expecting to die facing the Nightmare King. She wanted to make sure we were as committed.

“I am,” I told her softly. “I will admit, I don’t know the answer here, Nyx. I can’t foresee what will happen when we find the Nightmare King. I know we cannot allow him to wake, and I know we have to help the Evenfey. But if the worst happens, I can tell you without hesitation, Iwilldefend my world and those I love to the fullest extent of my power.”

“We all will,” Ash said. “You don’t have to worry about that.” His gaze flicked to Keirran, standing a few paces away. The Forgotten King’s expression was conflicted, but as Nyx turned toward him, he took a deep breath, eyes hardening, and gave a single nod. “Yes,” he said simply. “As you said, we do what we must. I have those I want to protect, too.”

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