Page 62 of The Iron Vow

“What happens if a faery does not fit into any particular court?” Other Nyx wondered.

“There are the wyld fey,” I answered. “The ones who live in the wyldwood, or in the Deep Wyld across the River of Dreams. They’re not part of any of the courts.”

“But they still must obey the kings and queens of Faery,” Gilleas reasoned.

“To an extent.” I shot a look at Grimalkin, who lay on a nearby rock with his feet tucked under him. His eyes were half-closed, and he didn’t look remotely interested in the conversation. “It’s complicated.”

“Apparently.” Gilleas tapped his claws against his bony chin. “And what happens to a faery who does not wish to be part of a court,” he asked, “or who disobeys the king and queens?”

“They’re punished,” Ash answered. “It depends on the act, and what the ruler is feeling at the time, but exile or banishment from the Nevernever is the most common sentence.”

“Correction, ice-boy,” said Puck, holding up a finger. “They’re punished only if they get caught. The rulers can’t be everywhere at once, and what they don’t know can’t get you exiled. Thank goodness, otherwise I’dneverbe allowed back in.”

“I see.” Gilleas’s voice gave no hint as to what he thought about all this, but I felt those hollow eyes fix on me again. “And have you ever banished anyone from the Nevernever, Iron Queen?” he asked.

My stomach clenched. On the other side of the fire, Keirran had been sitting quietly, one knee drawn to his chest, staring into the flames. He didn’t look up or react as Gilleas asked his question, but a cold fist grabbed my insides and twisted them around until I thought I might be sick.

“Yes,” I replied, unable to look at Keirran as I did. “I have.”

Gilleas did not seem to sense the rising tension around the fire. “And what were their crimes?” he went on.

“Starting a war in the Nevernever.” Keirran’s voice was flat. He didn’t look up as he spoke, continuing to gaze into the fire. “Siding with a usurper and attempting to bring her to power again. Killing a member of the royal family. Trying to permanently destroy the Veil, so that all humans could see the fey.”

Silence fell, as Gilleas and the other Evenfey finally realized whom we were speaking of. Gilleas gazed at Keirran for a long moment, then turned and bowed his head to me. “My apologies,” he offered. “I did not realize... I did not mean to open old wounds.”

I wanted to tell him it was all right, that he couldn’t have known the details of the last war, but I couldn’t speak. Instead, I rose and walked around the fire until I reached the edge of the cliff, where the stones dropped away into an endless expanse of mist. Overhead, the full moon peeked through a few wispy clouds, lighting the sea below and turning it silver.

I heard the soft crunch of boots behind me, felt his presence step up to join mine. “I’m tired of this, Ash,” I whispered, gazing down into the churning sea of gray. “I want him to come home.”

“I know.” Ash slipped his arms around my waist. “Me too.”

“Eternal banishment is pointless,” I went on, leaning into him. “It’s just a slow death sentence. It’s a way for the rulers of Faery to not deal with a problem. Banish the faery responsible and forget they exist. But theydoexist. And for countless fey, once they’ve been banished, that’s it. There’s no way for them to correct what they’ve done, no hope to ever return to the Nevernever. Unless they’re someone like Puck, who is too useful to banish forever. Or unless the rulers need them to save the courts. Again.

“Keirran will never return to Faery,” I said, feeling a hollow despair as I spoke those words out loud. “He’ll never get to come home. Unless there is some crisis that needs him specifically. He and the Forgotten will stay in the Between, ignored by everyone. Why?” I clenched a fist on Ash’s forearm. “Because Faery doesn’t like change. Because the rulers are afraid of anything different, anything that doesn’t fit into their traditional version of normal. The Iron fey, the Forgotten, and now the Evenfey...but we areallfey. I just wish they could see it.”

“Maybe you can show them,” said a soft voice. Keirran’s, as he stepped up to join us on the ledge. The wind gusting from below tossed his silver hair and ruffled his clothes, as he gazed down at the valley with somber eyes. “The rulers won’t listen to me,” he said calmly, “but if we somehow save this world, the Evenfey will need someone to speak for them when we go back to the Nevernever.” He exhaled, leaning against the rock wall and putting his head back, gazing at the sky. “I just wish I could’ve been a better voice for the Forgotten and the Exiles,” he murmured. “If I had, maybe the war with the Lady never would’ve happened.”

My throat tightened. “Keirran...”

He glanced at us with a faint smile. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I have my own kingdom to take care of now. The Forgotten are content in the Between—or they will be, if things ever go back to normal—and I take full responsibility for what I’ve done.” He gave his head a small shake, still holding my gaze. “I’ve never blamed you for having to exile me—I know that’s how Faery works. And if we can save Evenfall, I can return to my kingdom knowing that I did something worthy.”

I’d started to answer when Ash suddenly straightened behind me. Puzzled, I turned to gaze over the valley again as Keirran did the same, and a chill crept down my spine.

In the far distance, over the silver ocean of mist on the horizon, I could just make out a pair of towers. Tall and pointed, they rose out of the fog, gleaming under the light of the moon, where I was certain nothing had been a few seconds ago.

“Mistveil,” Nyx breathed behind us. I hadn’t heard her get up and leave the circle, but she walked past me to the edge of the cliff, staring out at the horizon. “The Nightmare King’s castle. I remember now. We...” She paused, glancing back at the others, who had risen to their feet as well. “We were the king’s protectors,” she said. “We kept the castle safe from any that would threaten it and the fey who lived there. We weren’t assassins. We were...defenders.”

“Protectors of the castle,” Other Nyx said, as if she too, had just remembered. “The Crescent Order...we were his knights, who kept watch on everything within the castle and the lands around it.” A frown creased her forehead. “How could I have forgotten?”

“Perhaps the king did not want you to remember,” Gilleas suggested. “Perhaps he did not want you to come looking for him. Because if you were to find him, you might realize the truth of this world.”

Puck walked up beside our Nyx, gazing out at the distant keep. “Well, at least it’s closer than I thought it would be,” he said. “I thought we’d have to wander aimlessly for at least a day or two.” He stared at the castle a moment longer, then wrinkled his nose. “I don’t suppose it’s going to cooperate and stay in the same spot until we get there, is it?”

Nyx gave a tiny smile. “As I recall, it did like to disappear the second you took your eyes off it,” she said. “But the Order could always find their way to the castle. Maybe that still holds true.”

“Let us hope so,” Grimalkin said. “I do hate walking in circles.”

The forest rose around us, thick and uninviting. It was impossible to see more than a few paces away, trees and bushes swallowed by opaque, drifting fog. Strangely, it wasn’t as dark down here in the valley, a flat gray luminance shining through the mist, turning things surreal.

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