Page 79 of The Iron Vow

The cait sith let out a heavy sigh. “I would not be here were I not.”

“Brave souls,”whispered the Nightmare King.“You give up much, but do not make a final decision yet. One final choice remains. Perhaps the hardest decision of all.”He paused, briefly closing his eyes as if to gather his thoughts.“The glamour itself will not be enough,”he continued.“Someone must remain apart to summon the Evenfey into the real world. They must be the conduit to pull them from the Dream into reality. Be warned—the amount of will and magic this requires will be greater than anything they have faced before. They must be able to withstand all the glamour and memories as the Evenfey are pulled through them into the real world. The damage this will wreak on the body and the mind will be extreme. It is almost certain they will not survive the experience.”

The ground dropped away, plunging me into a pool of despair. So, it seemed no matter what, someone was going to have to die tonight. Who would it be? Who could I ask to make that choice? My soulmate? My best friend? I looked around at my family, and on their faces, I saw what I feared. They wereallwilling to step forward and be that sacrifice. And my heart cried at the thought of losing any of them.

No. I couldn’t watch that. I was the queen.

This responsibility was mine.

“You don’t have to do this, Meghan,” Ash said, his voice low and, though I was the only one who heard it, desperate. “It doesn’t have to be you.”

I closed my eyes. “I am queen,” I whispered. “I can’t ask anyone else to make that choice. It has to be me.”

“No.”

Shocked, I glanced over as Nyx stepped forward, her expression steely. “Iron Queen,” she said, as Puck turned with her, the fear in his eyes clutching at my heart. “This is not your choice to make. You have a family, and a kingdom that depends on you. My Order is gone. There is no one...” She stumbled over the words, catching herself. “There are fewer who are waiting for me to come back. I would gladly sacrifice my existence to give my kin another chance to live.”

“Nyx.” Puck’s voice was choked.

“I’m sorry, Puck,” she whispered, glancing at the distraught Summer faery beside her. “I love you, but I have to do this. Please understand.” She gazed up at the tree, the lights of the candles reflected in her eyes. “This was my world, and these were my kin. I am Evenfey. This decision falls to me.”

“It would make sense.” Grimalkin’s voice echoed strangely in the expanse, deeper and somehow terrible. “However, this sacrifice isnotyours. You are the last Evenfaery. Your glamour is required for the ritual. But more important, you cannot withstand what is needed to pull the Evenfey out of the Dream. The conduit must be able to bear all the glamours within themselves. Summer, Winter, Iron, wyld, and the Nightmare magic of Evenfall. And out of all of us, there is only one who can.”

No.I clenched my fists, feeling them start to shake.Please. I can’t lose him again.

I looked over to where he was standing, and saw a small, sad smile cross his face. Keirran raised his head and sighed. “It’s me,” he said simply. “That’s what the crypt keeper meant. It’s always been me.”

“Child of three worlds.”In the water, the Nightmare King turned fathomless black eyes on Keirran.“Prodigy of the Lady. I feared you would not make it this far. I feared you might be struck down before you ever breached the seal. The creature that sat the throne, even in the Dream, was powerful. Even in sleep, he could exert some measure of control over the Elder Nightmares. He did not even know why he wanted you dead, but he sent Nightmares into the mortal world and the Between, searching for you.”

“Why?” Keirran asked. “Why destroy my city and the Forgotten just to get to me?”

“Because you bear the mark of the Lady,”said the Nightmare King.“And like the Lady, you betrayed your own. You fought for one who destroyed a realm, who caused the extinction of an entire world.”

Keirran’s jaw tightened, but he gave no other sign of what he felt. “I would take it all back if I could,” he said softly.

“If only we could undo the past.”The Nightmare King’s voice held no bitterness, just weary acceptance.“I came here, to my throne room, as Evenfall Faded around me. And as I let sleep take me into oblivion, I heard the Nightmare Tree whisper one last time. The final prophecy for this world. It told me, ‘Only one who stood at the Lady’s side can bring the Evenfey out of the darkness again.’ For many years, I despaired in my dreams. The Lady’s circle was gone; the fey who stood beside her, who took part in sealing our world, were dead. But then, recently, I began to hear whispers from the world above in my dreams. I reached out, through the Nightmare Tree, and found the thinnest of cracks where the roots barely touched the outside world. Where the anger of the mortal realm, the hate and fear, reached me even in my dreams. By then, Evenfall was already gone, Faded away, but I heard whispers of the Lady’s return, and the one who stood beside her. Her new champion. And so, I waited. I was on the verge of giving up, of letting myself Fade, but I held out hope that, somehow, you would make your way to Evenfall and find me. To give my people the chance to exist once more.”

Keirran bowed his head. “I would be honored,” he murmured, “to give the Evenfey back their lives, and correct what was done to them so long ago. To heal all the harm the Lady brought and make things right again.”

The trembling had moved from my hands to my whole body. “Keirran,” I breathed, and my son looked up at me, the hope, grief, and resolve in his eyes making my throat close up.

“Please,” he whispered, his gaze never leaving mine. “Let me do this. For everything I’ve done, all the mistakes I’ve made. Let me finally do something that matters.”

I met my son’s crystal gaze, seeing all his wounds: the pain, the grief, and the past he could not forget. But beneath it all was a quiet acceptance, and a determination to set things right, once and for all.

The tears flooding my eyes spilled over my cheeks at last, and I held back a muffled sob. Beside me, Ash let out a shaky breath.

“We can’t stop you, Keirran,” my husband said, his own voice unsteady. “You are a king of Faery, and this is your decision. Any of us would do the same.”

“I know.” Keirran bowed his head, then looked at me, his gaze pleading. “But I need to hear, before I do this... Please, I need you to let me go.”

The tears continued to stream down my cheeks. I let them fall, meeting the anguished gaze of my son. “I understand,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out. “It’s all right, Keirran. You know what you have to do.” Just as I had, all those years ago. It was little comfort. Knowing I had done the same for the Iron fey, when I had willingly traded my life for theirs that day beneath the tree, did not shatter my heart any less.

“Dammit, princeling.” Puck swiped at his face, giving Keirran a look that was angry and proud all at once. “I didn’t want to cry today. I don’t know why your whole family feels the need to make me bawl like a baby every few decades.” He sniffed loudly, managing to dredge up a shaky grin. “Ah, but it was a good run. We had some fun times, didn’t we? I guess now I’ll finally get to tell the story of you and me in the hydra nest.”

“Try not to shock them too badly,” Keirran murmured with the faintest of smiles, and held out a hand. “You’re a good guy, Puck. I learned a lot.”

“Not enough.” Puck took the hand and yanked Keirran into a brief, one-armed hug. “Apparently, I didn’t corrupt that sense of ultimate noble sacrifice that keeps plaguing your family.”

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