Page 69 of The Iron Vow

“This is strange,” Gilleas said at last.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Puck chimed in. “I swear, if I see one more statue turn its head when it thinks I’m not looking, I’m going to find a sledgehammer.”

“No,” Gilleas said, sounding annoyed. “I mean it is strange that the castle is this empty. Not that I want to run into any of them, but where are the Nightmares hiding? There were dozens last time I was here. I had to use every scrap of knowledge I had about the layout of the castle, every hidden door and secret passage, to avoid them.”

“Uh, but that’s a good thing, though, right?” Puck asked. “Not having to fight our way through swarms of giant beasties to get to the king seems like a win to me. No complaints here.”

“Perhaps. But why are they not here? It seems unlikely that something would frighten off Elder Nightmares. And if somethinghasscared them away, that is even more disturbing. If there is something in the castle that has caused the Nightmares to flee...”

“That is something we do not want to run into,” I finished.

“Exactly,” Gilleas agreed. “So, that begs the question—where are the Nightmares, and what caused them to disappear? If the king still dreams, this is where all the Nightmares originate. There should be at least a few roaming about.”

“Maybe...” Other Nyx began, and paused, her face going pale as if she just realized something.

Varyn cocked his head in her direction. “What?”

She swallowed. “Maybe...the king isn’t dreaming them anymore,” she finished softly.

My steps faltered, and a somber air descended over the entire group. There was nothing to say to that, to voice what that could mean, and we continued in silence.

The castle went on, one chamber or hallway flowing into another. We passed room after empty room, seeing no signs of life anywhere. No fey, no Nightmares, nothing. And the silence continued to pulse in my ears.

“It wasn’t always like this,” our Nyx said, pausing in an arched doorway that opened to an elegant dining hall. A long table stretched the length of the room, with hooded statues in the corners and a magnificent gold chandelier hovering overhead. The table looked pristine, plates and goblets set out for a feast, but the chairs were empty, the surface spotless. “I remember when the castle was alive,” Nyx went on. “I remember grand feasts, hunts, and masquerades with a thousand different faces. We watched over them all, always in the wings or in the shadows. Protecting them.”

My vision flickered. For a moment, I saw the dining room, but everything had aged a hundred years. The chairs were overturned and broken, the chandelier lay shattered on the surface of the table, and an enormous crack had split the wall behind it. Dust motes floated on the air, and everything had darkened with rot and time.

I blinked, and the room was normal again. The dining table sat untouched, the chandelier hanging motionless above it. No cracks marred the wall, and the chairs stood silently around the table. The scene was as it was before. Except...all the statue heads had turned...and were now staring at me.

“Did anyone else see that?” Keirran muttered into the silence.

Gilleas let out a long breath. “I believe,” he said slowly, gazing at the stone figures with their hollow eyes on us, “that the king knows we are here.”

“Yes,” Grimalkin agreed. “The only question remaining is, which king is it?”

“What do you mean, cat?” Varyn asked. “There is only one Nightmare King.”

“Is there?” Grimalkin gave the Evenfaery an unreadable look. “Or are there two versions of him that have persisted throughout this journey? The Nightmare King who grieves for his world and his lost people, who has kept the memory of Evenfall alive through the sheer force of his will? Or the king who is lost to madness, who wishes revenge against the Nevernever and the fey who sealed him away from the rest of the world? They cannot exist at the same time, within the same entity. And yet, we have seen evidence of both, in Evenfall, and the Nevernever. So which persona is the real Nightmare King?”

“You’re making my head hurt again, cat,” Puck said, frowning. “Besides, does any of this matter? Who cares which king we get?”

“It matters,” Grimalkin said, briefly lacing his ears back, “because it will determine the outcome of this entire journey. I admit, I have seen no evidence of the madness of the king while we have been in Evenfall—on the contrary, everything I have witnessed suggests that he grieves for his world and has tried to keep the memory of his people alive the only way he can. However, we cannot forget what we saw beneath InSite. That king threatened to destroy us and everything he came across once he was awake. Which king we get, as you say, is the very reason we do not have a firm plan. The reason we have been floundering from the beginning.”

“We have been floundering,” Keirran said, sounding almost angry, “because there has never been a good choice. Because it’s not a matter of killing a tyrant to free a world, or fighting a war with a clear enemy. Evenfall—this realm and everyone in it—relies on the Nightmare King. If we kill him, the world Fades. If he wakes up, the world disappears. If he remains asleep for eternity, what then? The Evenfey are stuck here, in this living nightmare with no escape.” He gave a frustrated sigh and raked a hand through his hair. “There are no happy endings here,” he whispered. “No good choices.”

“And yet, a choice must be made,” Grimalkin returned firmly. “The status quo cannot remain.” His tail lashed his flanks, and his eyes narrowed. “This world is dying. Even the Nightmare King cannot sustain it forever. That is the harsh truth, Forgotten King. Even if all decisions are unfavorable, a decision must be reached, or this entire journey will be for nothing. A true leader understands that sometimes, sacrifice is called for. The difficult part is coming to terms with what must be given up.”

“Forgotten King.” Other Nyx stepped forward. “Iron Queen. Everyone.” She paused, glancing briefly at Varyn, who gave a tiny nod. “Varyn and I have been talking,” she went on. “About the king, about Evenfall, and about everything that has happened since you arrived. We are eternally grateful that you came, that you are willing to risk so much to save Evenfall. No matter what happens, we will remember that.”

Keirran’s brow furrowed as he realized where this was going. “Nyx...”

“But what kind of life is this for our people?” Varyn added, sounding more resigned than I’d ever heard from him. “You said it yourself,” he went on, looking at Keirran. “There are no good choices here. I thought we might save this world, but even if the king remains asleep, this is the only life we can look forward to. The only life anyone can look forward to. My brothers...all they will ever know is pain and fear and constant struggle. Fighting for an existence that will never change. Maybe itwouldbe better if it all disappeared.”

“We’re not real,” Other Nyx said, as Keirran stiffened. “Evenfall isn’t real. This is just a dream, and who are we to ask the king to sleep forever? All dreams end eventually, and...” She looked back at Varyn, who gave a solemn nod. “We’ve accepted it.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” Keirran shook his head, his blue eyes suddenly anguished. “It’s happening again,” he whispered. “Everything I tried to accomplish with the Lady, everything we touched...we destroyed the things we were trying to save. I couldn’t save the Exiles or the Forgotten...or Annwyl...” He closed his eyes. “And now there is an entire world that is Fading away in front of me. Am I supposed to just watch it disappear forever?”

Gilleas, who had been standing quietly to the side, raised his head. “It is very difficult to save something that is not there, Forgotten King,” he said. “Even if you knew the Lady, you were not part of the circle that sealed us away. I have watched you all fight for us, bleed for us, and promise what you could. That is more than we could have asked for, especially for a realm that is already gone. I bear you no ill thoughts. Conversely, you have saved me from a lifetime of attempting the impossible. The time I have spent traveling with this odd group has been more memorable than all the years I was consumed in the library. It was...freeing, to finally know the truth.” He lifted one thin hand in a resigned gesture. “But with the truth comes a certain realization. As Nyx said, all dreams must end eventually. That is not to imply that I do not wish to live, to exist. But I know that our world is Fading, and what is left is not a place I want to spend eternity in. Perhaps it is time to let it go.”

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