Page 80 of The Iron Vow

“My king.” Nyx raised her head as Keirran pulled back. Her normally composed face was tormented, her golden eyes haunted as she met his gaze. “I’m so sorry,” she said, and looked at me and Ash as well. “This decision... It should have been me.”

“No, Nyx.” Keirran put a hand on her arm. “Your whole world was taken from you. That’s enough loss for a lifetime. I want to give you the chance to start again.” He glanced at Puck, and a faint smile crossed his face. “Find happiness together. That’s my final order.”

Nyx seemed on the verge of tears, but she drew herself up, composing herself with a quiet breath. “I think we can try that,” she whispered.

Keirran smiled, though his own eyes were bright as he turned back to me and Ash. “I’m not afraid,” he said. “I’m happy that it’s me. That I’m the one who has to do this. I just...” He stammered to a halt, closing his eyes, as the tears finally spilled over. “I wish I could have gone home, one more time.”

I opened my arms, and he stepped into them, clinging to me as tears streaked both our faces and a thousand memories replayed in my head. I remembered Ash holding his infant son for the first time, his eyes shining with both pride and terror as he gazed down at him. I remembered a silver-haired boy perched on the tallest ledge of the Iron palace, laughing as gremlins swarmed around him. And I remembered an icy stranger striding into a Faery council, looking me straight in the eye, and declaring war on us all. Even then, though his face had been cold and his expression completely blank as he stared at me, I hadn’t seen him as anything but my son.

“I love you, Keirran,” I whispered. “That has never changed.”

A shiver went through him, and the arms around me tightened. “Thank you,” he whispered back. “For everything. For not giving up on me, even when I deserved it. I couldn’t have had a better life than the one I had in the Iron Realm. I hope... I hope this last thing I do will make you proud.”

Pulling back, he turned to face his father, who immediately reached out and drew him close. “I have always been proud of you,” I heard Ash murmur, causing fresh tears to burn my eyes. Keirran gave a muffled sob, bowing his head, but Ash’s soft, steady voice never wavered. “We are not our past,” he went on, uncaring of the streaks of moisture down his own face. “No one is unworthy of forgiveness. No one is truly so far gone that they cannot be saved. The hardest part is forgiving ourselves, and moving on.”

“So people have told me,” Keirran whispered. “But... I think I finally understand.”

“Forgotten King.” Grimalkin’s deep, quiet voice drifted into the emptiness. The cat stepped forward, his usual impatience gone, his golden eyes somber as he gazed up at us. “The Dream fades,” he told Keirran, who stiffened. “It is time.”

29

THE END OF THE DREAM

“I’m ready.”

I watched numbly as Keirran turned to the throne, gazing down at the figure in the water. With a start, I realized the real throne was already empty, and only the reflection of the king was left. Overhead in the branches, the thousands of candles flickered, growing dim, and a few winked out entirely. The Nightmare King had not said anything during our last exchange, and now gave us a solemn bow of his head.

“The Dream is almost done,”he whispered.“I cannot hold on much longer. If you are prepared, I will send the final remnants of my power into the tree. Everyone but the conduit must then pour as much glamour into the tree as they can. When it is time, when it is enough, the conduit must summon all the memories through himself and into the real world again. What happens to the Evenfey beyond that is in your hands.”

A ripple went through the still water at our feet, breaking the king’s reflection. When the ripples faded away, the throne sat empty. The Nightmare King was gone.

Keirran drew in a deep breath. Silently, he walked up to the empty throne and ran his hand along the stone armrest. There was a moment of hesitation, the faintest hint of uncertainty crossing his face, before his eyes calmed and he slowly sat down on the throne.

Leaning back, he closed his eyes, and a flutter of awe went through him. “I can feel them,” he whispered. “All their voices, all their memories. They’re all right here. And the roots of the tree touch all parts of Evenfall. Even...”

A furrow creased his brow. “The Nevernever,” he breathed. “I can feel it. There are cracks in the seal, not enough to draw glamour in, but...it’s right on the other side.”

For some reason, the thought of the Nevernever and home twisted my heart and caused my eyes to burn with tears once more. “All right,” I choked out. “The Dream is almost over, and we know what we have to do. Let’s finish this and bring everyone home. Keirran...” My throat closed on his name; I took a shaky breath to open it again. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” My son didn’t open his eyes, but a small, genuine smile crossed his face as he settled further onto the throne. “I love you all,” he said quietly. “The times we had, I will never forget.”

As one, we spread out around the trunk, facing Keirran and the Nightmare Tree. Me, Ash, Puck, Nyx, and Grimalkin, our reflections shining clearly in the water beneath. I could see the branches of the tree spread out above and below, the candles flickering like dying stars. I saw Keirran on the throne, eyes closed, patiently waiting for the Dream to end. Suddenly I could hear voices around me, hundreds of whispers swirling through the limbs.

Ash was behind me then, arms circling my waist. I could feel him shaking against my back, and I gripped his hand, feeling his fingers tighten on mine. Several yards away, I saw Puck step forward, reach for Nyx, and take her hand. Grimalkin sat alone, tail curled tightly around himself, facing the tree. Watching him, I wondered: Would Grimalkin be here if he knew there was a chance he could vanish? Or was he, too, risking everything to bring the Evenfey back? I supposed I would never know.

A sigh seemed to echo through the void, and for a moment, everything, both above and below, was perfectly still.

Now.

I drew in a breath and brought my glamour to life. Summer and Iron magic rose, twin whirlwinds swirling around me, snapping at my hair and causing ripples to spread out at my feet. I felt Ash’s Winter magic rise to join mine, frost and icy wind mingling with the glamour of Summer and Iron. I raised one arm, seeing Ash do the same, pointing a hand at the Nightmare Tree and the figure seated below it. Not far away, Nyx and Puck stood together, eyes closed and arms also raised toward the trunk of the Nightmare Tree. On the other side, Grimalkin sat perfectly still except for his fur whipping about in the gale. Glamour swirled through the air, flashes of light and color sparking against the void, reflecting brilliantly in the water.

I drew my magic to me, feeling it pulse and tingle beneath my skin, and hurled it in one concentrated blast at the trunk of the Nightmare Tree.

The darkness around the trunk exploded with color, as five beams of light struck the tree with a roar of energy and magic. Lightning flickered, leaves spun in the wind, icicles grew and were instantly shattered in the maelstrom. The candles flared, glowing bright and adding to the brilliant luminance pushing back the darkness. On the throne, Keirran jerked, throwing his head back, as the storm of energy and glamour howled around him.

I could feel magic leaving my body, being drawn into the endless expanse of the Nightmare Tree. The void within seemed infinite, a yawning black hole lit with tiny sparks of memory and light. Overhead, the candles flickered wildly and the tree itself glowed like a beacon, but no matter how much magic I poured into it, it was swallowed instantly.

“Damn,” I heard Puck breathe, his voice strained. “This is a greedy tree. How much glamour is it going to take?”

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