The Iron Queen Part 21

Switching on the flashlight, I descended into the tunnels.

The musty darkness closed around me, smelling of dust, mold, and wet rock, strange and familiar at the same time. Ash dropped next to me, then Puck, and then Diode, his glowing numbered eyes seeming to float in the darkness. I wondered where Grimalkin was, and hoped he got out safely.

The hacker elf swept a nervous gaze around the tunnels, eyes spinning anxiously. "Are you sure you know the way?" he muttered, trying to sound confident, but it came out as more of a squeak. I swept my flashlight around the underground pa.s.sageway and smiled in relief. Everything was familiar. I knew exactly where to go.

"Diode, start sending them down. Tell everyone to follow me."

I stepped forward, and the rebels began dropping through the trapdoor, lanterns and flashlights swaying in the darkness. At first, it felt strange, being at the head of a huge army, feeling their eyes on my back as I led them through the tunnels. But soon, the crunch of feet and the wavering lights behind me faded into background noise, until I almost didn't notice them.

Several minutes later, a boom rocked the pa.s.sages behind us, shaking the floor and raining dust on everyone. Diode squawked in fear, Puck braced himself against a wall, and Ash grabbed my arm, holding me steady as I staggered.

"What was that?" the hacker elf cried as the dust finally cleared. Coughing, I waved my hand in front of my face and looked back at the rebels, getting to their feet and looking around nervously.

I shared a glance with Ash and Puck. "Glitch must've collapsed the tunnels," I said, picking up the flashlight I'd dropped. "It was the only way to keep the false king's forces from following us."

"What?" Diode looked back fearfully, eyes whirling. "I thought he was just going to seal the doors. So, we can't return to base?"

"He never meant to come back here," I murmured, s.h.i.+ning the light beam into the maze before us. "There's no turning back now. The only choice is to move on."

TIME HAD NO MEANING in the sunless corridors of the packrat tunnels. We might've been traveling for hours, or days. The tunnels all looked the same: dark, eerie, filled with strange odds and ends, like an abandoned computer monitor, or the severed head of a doll. After the explosion, Glitch would join me at the head of the march every so often, if only to make sure I still knew where I was going. After about the sixth time, he began to get on my nerves. in the sunless corridors of the packrat tunnels. We might've been traveling for hours, or days. The tunnels all looked the same: dark, eerie, filled with strange odds and ends, like an abandoned computer monitor, or the severed head of a doll. After the explosion, Glitch would join me at the head of the march every so often, if only to make sure I still knew where I was going. After about the sixth time, he began to get on my nerves.

"Yes, I still know where I'm going!" I snapped as he emerged beside me yet again, cutting him off before he could say anything. Ash walked on my other side, silent and protective, but I caught him rolling his eyes as Glitch came up.

The rebel leader scowled. "Relax, your highness. I wasn't going to ask this time."

"Aw, that's a shame," Puck said, falling into step beside him. "You're gonna make me lose my bet with ice-boy. Come on, be a sport. Say it one more time, for me?"

"What I was going to ask," Glitch continued, ignoring Puck, "is how much longer till we're out? My troops are getting tired-we can't keep this up much longer without a break."

I frowned and looked at Ash. "How long have we been walking?"

He shrugged. "Hard to tell. A day, perhaps. Maybe longer."

"Really?" It didn't seem that long to me. I didn't feel tired. In fact, the longer we traveled, the more energy I had-the same kind of energy that had drawn me to Machina's tree. But this was a darker power, bitter and ancient, and I suddenly knew where it was coming from.

"We must be getting close to Ferrum's chamber," I muttered, and Glitch's eyebrows rose.

"Ferrum? The old king Ferrum?"

"You know about him?"

"I helped Machina overthrow him." Glitch was staring at me in disbelief. "I led the charge to the throne room with Virus and Ironhorse. You mean to tell me that he's still alive?"

"No." I shook my head. "Not anymore. He was here when I first came to the Iron Realm, on the way to get my brother back. The packrats still wors.h.i.+pped him, but he was terrified Machina would find him again. I think he finally faded away, and the packrats moved on when he died."

"Huh." Glitch shook his head in wonder. "I can't believe the old coot stayed alive for so long. If I had known about him, you can bet I would've searched every tunnel in the Iron Realm until I found him and put him out of his misery."

I looked at him in horror. "Why? He seemed harmless to me. Just a sad, angry old man."

"You don't know what he was like before." Glitch's eyes narrowed. "You weren't there when he was king. Ferrum was paranoid, terrified that someone would try to take his crown away. I was one of the newest lieutenants, but Ironhorse told me that with every new Iron fey that appeared, Ferrum grew more afraid and angry. It would've been best if he had stepped down, handed the throne to a successor. He was old and obsolete, and we all knew it. In this realm, the old move out to make room for the new. But Ferrum refused to give up his power, even though his bitterness was corrupting the land around him. Machina pleaded with him to reconsider his right to rule, to step down gracefully and hand the responsibility to someone else."

"Ferrum told me Machina took his throne out of a l.u.s.t for power, because he wanted it for himself."

Glitch snorted. "Machina was one of Ferrum's strongest supporters. The rest of us-me, Virus, and Ironhorse-were getting tired of Ferrum's threats, of the constant fear that one of us could be next. But Machina told us to be patient, and we were more loyal to him than our crazy king. Then the day came when Ferrum's jealous paranoia finally got the better of him, and he tried to kill Machina, stabbing at him when his back was turned. His last mistake, I'm afraid. Machina realized Ferrum was no longer fit to rule and gathered his own supporters to take the king off the throne. We were only too happy to comply."

I felt dazed. Everything I thought I knew about Machina was wrong. "But...Machina still wanted to take over the Nevernever," I protested. "He wanted to eradicate the old faeries and make a kingdom of Iron fey."

"Machina was ever the strategist." Glitch shrugged, unconcerned. "He knew Ferrum's way-hiding in fear from the courts and hoping they wouldn't see us-wasn't going to work much longer. The Iron Kingdom was growing faster than ever. We couldn't hide anymore. Sooner or later, the courts would find out, and then what? What do you think would happen when they discovered a whole kingdom of faeries born from the very thing that could kill them? Machina knew there would be a war. He figured it would be best if we struck first."

"Too bad Meghan had to ruin it for you," Puck added, smirking at the back of Glitch's head. Glitch turned to him and matched his sneer.

"It won't matter if the false king conquers the Nevernever now, will it?" he countered. "I'll still be here, and so will all the Iron fey, but you oldbloods will become a thing of the past. And not even her highness will be able to stop it."

"That's not going to happen," I snapped, turning on him. "I'll stop the false king, just like I did Machina."

"Glad to hear it." Glitch leveled a stare at me. "But did you ever think about how you're going to stop the spread of the Iron Realm? Just because the false king is gone doesn't mean we're going away as well, princess. The Iron Kingdom will continue to grow and change the Nevernever, and in the end the courts will come after us anyway. I agree that, right now, we have to stop the false king, but you're only delaying the inevitable."

"There has to be a way," I muttered. "You're all faeries, you use glamour the same way. You're just a little different, that's all."

"We're not," Glitch said firmly, "a little little different. Our glamour kills oldbloods. Summer magic is deadly to us, as well. If you think we can hold hands and be friends, princess, you're only fooling yourself. But we need to stop soon, or this army will be too exhausted to fight anything." different. Our glamour kills oldbloods. Summer magic is deadly to us, as well. If you think we can hold hands and be friends, princess, you're only fooling yourself. But we need to stop soon, or this army will be too exhausted to fight anything."

I shook my head. "No, we have to keep moving. At least until we're out of the tunnels."

"Why?"

"Because..." I closed my eyes. "He's almost there."

All three faeries stared at me. "How do you know?" Ash asked softly.

"I can feel him." Goose b.u.mps rose along my arms, and I hugged myself, s.h.i.+vering. "I can feel the land...crying out where he pa.s.ses. It feels..." I paused, searching for words. "It feels like someone is dragging a blade across the surface, leaving a scar behind. I've been able to sense him ever since we pa.s.sed Ferrum's old chamber. The false king...he's getting close to the wyldwood now, and he's waiting for me."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

THE LAST NIGHT.

Eventually, we came out of the tunnels.

The night was remarkably clear as we set up camp, a tattered, ragtag army pitching tents on the edge of a bubbling magma lake, the air smelling of sulphur and brimstone. I didn't want to camp so close to the lake but Glitch overrode me, saying the smell would mask our presence, and besides his army was exhausted thanks to my forced march through the packrat tunnels. Even Ash and Puck were tired; they wouldn't say anything, but the gaunt looks and pale faces told me they weren't feeling the best. Their amulets were almost used up. The Iron Realm was finally taking its toll.

"Go lie down," I told them both, once Glitch had left to help the army pitch camp. "You're both exhausted, and we're not doing anything else tonight. Get some rest."

Puck snorted. "My, aren't we bossy today," he said, though it lacked his usual energy. "Give a girl an army and it goes straight to her head." He yawned then, scrubbing his scalp. "Right, then. If anyone needs me, I'll be pa.s.sed out in my tent, trying to forget where I am. Oh, look, demon fey, lake of liquid hot magma-does this remind you of anything?" He grimaced, giving me a weak grin. "When I said I'd follow you to h.e.l.l and back, I wasn't trying to be literal, princess. Ah, well." He lifted one hand in a cheerful wave. "See you tomorrow, lovebirds."

"What about you?" Ash asked as Puck sauntered off, whistling loudly. "You've been walking just as long as the rest of us. We won't have another chance to rest before we reach the battleground."

A flash of movement caught my attention. For a moment, I thought I saw a furry gray cat leap onto a boulder near the edge of the lake. But the air around him s.h.i.+mmered with heat, and he was gone. "I know," I said, squinting in the hot, dry air. "And it might sound strange, but I feel fine. You go on," I continued, gazing up at him. "I know you're tired. Get some rest before the battle. I'll be around."

He didn't argue, which showed me just how exhausted he was. Stepping close, he placed a soft kiss on my forehead and walked off toward the ring of tents farthest from the lake. I watched him until he vanished behind an old, twisted monolith, then I wandered down to the lake edge.

This close to the lava, my skin felt like it would peel off my bones if I scratched at it, and I didn't dare venture too close to the edge. One slip or stumble, and it would end very badly. Magma bubbled sluggishly, curling in slow, hypnotic patterns of orange and gold, strangely beautiful in the h.e.l.lish glow. For a moment, I had the brief, crazy urge to skip a pebble across the glowing surface, then decided that would probably be a bad idea.

"The Molten Pool," said a voice beside me, and Grimalkin appeared atop a boulder, his whiskers glowing red in the light. I was relieved to see him, though I knew he could take care of himself. "In the center of the Obsidian Plains. Ironhorse told me about this. These were his lands, back in the days of King Machina."

"Ironhorse." I leaned back against the rock and gazed out over the pool. The boulder was warm to the touch, even through my armor. "I wish he could've been here to see this," I muttered, imagining the huge, black-iron horse standing proudly at the other side of the lake. "I wish we could've brought him home."

"There is no use in wis.h.i.+ng for the impossible, human." Grimalkin sat down, curling his tail around himself, as we both stared out over the lake. "Ironhorse knew what he had to do. Do not let human guilt distract you from your duty, for Ironhorse did not."

I sighed. "Is that what you had to say to me, Grim? Don't feel guilty for a friend's death?"

"No." The cat twitched an ear and stood, facing me directly. "I have come to tell you that I am leaving, and I did not want you worrying about my whereabouts on the eve of battle. There are more important things to focus on. So...I am leaving."

I pushed myself off the rock and turned to face him. "Why?"

"Human, my part here is done." Grimalkin regarded me with what could almost be affection. "Tomorrow, you march into battle with an army of Iron fey at your back. There is no place for me in this fight-I am under no illusion that I am a warrior." He stepped forward, ancient golden eyes staring into mine, reflecting the light of the pool. "I have brought you as far as I can. It is time for you to step forward on your own and claim your destiny. Besides..." Grimalkin sat back, gazing out across the lake, the hot breeze ruffling his whiskers. "I have my own contract to fulfill, before this is all over."

"You made a contract?" made a contract?"

He gave me his disdainful look, twitching his tail. "You don't believe Ironhorse asked for nothing in return, do you? Really, human, sometimes I despair. But the night is waning, and I must go." Leaping gracefully off the rock, he began trotting away, bottlebrush tail held straight up and proud.

I swallowed hard. "Grim? Will I see you again?"

The cait sith turned back, c.o.c.king his head. "Now, that is a strange question," he mused. "Will you see me again, though I myself am no oracle and know nothing of the future? This I cannot tell you. I will never understand humans, but I suppose it is part of your charm." He sniffed again, waving his plumed tail lazily. "Do try to stay out of trouble, human. I will be terribly annoyed if you manage to get yourself killed."

"Grim, wait. Are you sure you'll be all right?"

Grimalkin smiled. "I am a cat."

And, just like that, he was gone.

I smiled faintly and wiped a stray tear from my face. Grim had always vanished and reappeared at will, but this time it was different. I suddenly knew I wouldn't see him again, not for a long time anyway.

"Goodbye, Grimalkin," I whispered, and in an even softer voice, lest the cunning feline be nearby listening, added, "thank you."

I s.h.i.+vered in the hot wind, already feeling his loss. How many more would I lose before this was over? Somewhere out there, closer than ever, the false king was closing on the armies of Summer and Winter. Tomorrow was the moment of truth. Tomorrow was Judgment Day, where we would either be victorious, or die.

I suddenly wished I could talk to my family. I wanted to see Mom's face again, hold Ethan and ruffle his hair one last time. I even wanted to see Luke, to tell him I forgave him for never noticing me, never seeing me. Mom was happy with him, and if she hadn't met him, I wouldn't have Ethan as a brother. I wouldn't have a family. My throat closed up, and longing twisted my stomach into a painful knot. Would they miss me, if I never came home? Would they stop looking for me eventually, the daughter who vanished one night and never returned?

The wind howled across the plain, lonely and desolate, as the full realization hit me and clutched my heart with icy fingers. I could die tomorrow. This was a war, and there would be numerous casualties on both sides. The false king himself could be too much, if I even figured out a way to get into his fortress. We could very well lose. I could be struck down, and my family would never know what happened, what I was fighting for. If I died, who would tell them? Oberon? No, if I lost, he would fade away, as well. If I lost, it would be over. The end of Faery. Forever.

Oh, G.o.d.

I was shaking now, unable to stop myself. This was really it. The last battle, and it all rested on me. What if I failed? If I couldn't beat the false king, they would all die-Oberon, Grim, Puck, Ash...

Ash.

s.h.i.+vering, I hurried back to the camp, past the cl.u.s.ter of tents set up around the lake. The camp was quiet and still, unlike the wild, prebattle revel of the Summer and Winter camps. I suddenly understood the significance and would have welcomed the distraction tonight. Too many dark thoughts were swirling around my head, so many emotions that I felt I would burst. But, despite everything I felt and the crazy emotions churning inside me, it all came back to him.

I found his tent sitting on the edge of camp, farther out from the rest. I didn't know how I knew it was his; all the tents looked basically the same. But I could feel him, as surely as I felt my own heartbeat. For a moment, I hesitated at the entrance, my hand poised to push back the cloth. What would I say to him, the last night we could be alive?

Gathering my courage, I pushed open the flap and stepped inside.

Ash lay on his back in the corner, one arm flung over his eyes, his breathing slow and deep. He was s.h.i.+rtless, and the amulet gleamed against his sculpted chest, almost completely black now, a drop of ink against his pale skin. I was surprised he hadn't heard me come in; the normal Ash would've been up and on his feet with his sword drawn in the blink of an eye. He must've been truly exhausted from our march through the tunnels. Taking advantage of the moment, I watched him, admiring the lean, hard muscles, gazing at the scars slashed across his pale skin. His chest rose and fell with each quiet breath, and just watching him sleep made me feel a bit calmer.

"How long are you going to keep staring at me?"

I jumped. He hadn't moved, but one corner of his mouth was curved in a slight smile. "How long did you know I was here?"

"I felt you the moment you came to the tent and stood outside, wondering if you should come in." Ash removed his arm and s.h.i.+fted to perch on an elbow, watching me. His expression was solemn now, silver eyes bright in the gloom. "What's wrong?"

I swallowed. "I just...I wanted...oh, dammit..." Blus.h.i.+ng, I trailed off, gazing at the floor. "I'm scared," I finally admitted in a whisper. "Tomorrow's the war and we could die and I won't ever see my family again and...and I don't want to be alone tonight."

Ash's gaze softened. Without a word, he s.h.i.+fted back on the cot, making room for me. Heart pounding, I crossed the room and lay down next to him, feeling his arm wrap around my stomach, pulling me close. I felt his heartbeat against my back and closed my eyes, tracing idle patterns on his arm, brus.h.i.+ng a faint scar on the back of his wrist.

"Ash?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you scared? Of dying?"

He was quiet a moment, one hand playing with my hair, his breath fanning across my cheek. "Perhaps not in the way you would think," he murmured at last. "I've lived a long time, been in many battles. Of course, there was always that knowledge that I could die, but there have been times I've wondered if I shouldn't give up, let it happen."

"Why?"

"To escape the emptiness. I was dead inside for so long. Not existing didn't seem any different than what I was doing." He buried his face in my shoulder, and I s.h.i.+vered. "It's different now, though. I have something to fight for. I'm not afraid to die, but I don't intend to give up, either." His lips touched my hair, very lightly. "I won't let anything happen to you," he murmured. "You are my heart, my life, my entire existence."

My eyes watered, and my heart thudded in my ears. "Ash," I whispered again, clenching my fists in the quilt to stop the shaking. I knew what I wanted, but I was still afraid, afraid that I wouldn't do it right, afraid of the unknown, afraid that I would somehow disappoint him. Ash kissed the back of my neck, and I felt his arm tighten, fingers digging into my s.h.i.+rt. I saw a flare of color behind me, bright red desire, felt him tremble as he struggled to control himself, and all my doubts melted away.

I s.h.i.+fted in his arms, rolling toward him so that he was propped on an elbow above me, eyes s.h.i.+ning in the darkness. And I let him see the need, the longing, rising up like tendrils of colored smoke to dance with his. I didn't have to say anything. He drew in a quiet breath and lowered his head, touching his forehead to mine.

"Are you sure?" His voice was barely a whisper, a ghost in the dark.

I nodded, tracing my fingers down his cheek, marveling as he closed his eyes. "We could die tomorrow," I whispered back. "I want to be with you tonight. I don't want to have any regrets, when it comes to us. So, yes, I'm sure. I love you, Ash."

My voice was lost then, as Ash closed the final few inches and kissed me. And in the quiet stillness before dawn, on the brink of a war that could tear us apart, our auras danced and twined in the darkness, coiling around each other until they finally merged, becoming one.