The Iron Queen Part 12

An answering bellow rang overhead, and two tons of scaly brown wyvern crashed into our midst, roaring and lashing out with its tail. I saw the gleaming, poisoned barb coming toward me and slashed wildly with my blade, cutting through the tip. The barb and the end of its tail fell, writhing, in the dirt, though the force of the blow knocked me off my feet. In the same second, Ash's sword lashed out, slicing across one bulbous yellow eye.

The wyvern screeched and drew back, and in one swift motion, Rowan leaped atop the scaly neck as it lunged skyward, beating the air with tattered, leathery wings. Rising above our heads, the huge lizard streaked toward the edge of the trees and vanished through the gap that led to the Iron Realm, Rowan's mocking laughter echoing in its wake.

Panting, Ash sheathed his sword and helped me to my feet. "Meghan, are you all right?" he asked, his gaze flicking over my face, resting on my cut cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. Mab wanted a full report from the time we were exiled. What happened?"

I winced. Talking hurt now; my lips were raw and b.l.o.o.d.y, and the left side of my face felt like someone had pressed it to a lit stove. "He showed up in my tent bragging that he was going to become an Iron faery, and that the false king was waiting for me. He was going to cut off my fingers and leave them for you to find," I continued, looking at Ash, seeing his eyes narrow, "but that was before I clawed his eyes out. Ow." I gingerly probed my cheek, grimacing as my fingers came away stained with blood. "b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"I will kill him," Ash muttered in that soft, scary voice. It sounded like a promise, though he didn't say the words. The murderous look in his eyes spoke loud enough.

"Princess!" Puck appeared then, still shirtless, his hair looking like a vulture had nested in it. "What happened? Was that Rowan Rowan that just beat the h.e.l.l out of here? What's going on?" that just beat the h.e.l.l out of here? What's going on?"

I scowled at him, barely stopping myself from asking what he'd been doing all night. Flowers were still woven into his hair, and I couldn't tell if those were scratches on his bare skin or not. "That was Rowan," I told him instead. "I don't know how he snuck through the camp, but he did. And you can be sure he's off to tell the false king I'm here."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Then we should be ready for them."

The sharp blast of a horn echoed over the trees then, loud and sudden. It was followed by another, and another, as faeries jerked awake or emerged from their tents, blinking in alarm. Ash raised his head and followed the sound, the ghost of a vicious smile crossing his face.

"They're coming."

The camp erupted into organized chaos. Fey leaped to their feet, s.n.a.t.c.hing weapons and armor. Captains and lieutenants appeared, barking orders, directing their squads to form ranks. Gryphon and wyvern handlers ran to get their beasts ready for combat, and knights began saddling their fey steeds, while the horses tossed their heads and pranced with antic.i.p.ation. For a moment, I had the surreal feeling of being in the center of a medieval fantasy film, Lord of the Rings Lord of the Rings style, with all the knights and horses rushing back and forth. Then the full realization hit, making me slightly nauseous. This wasn't a movie. This was a real battle, with real creatures that would do their best to kill me. style, with all the knights and horses rushing back and forth. Then the full realization hit, making me slightly nauseous. This wasn't a movie. This was a real battle, with real creatures that would do their best to kill me.

"Meghan Chase!"

A pair of female satyrs trotted toward me, ducking and weaving through the crowd, their furry goat legs skipping over the mud. "Your father sent us to make sure you were suitably attired for the battle," one of them told me as they drew close. "He had something designed especially for you. If you would follow us, please."

I winced. The last time Oberon had had something designed especially for me, it was a horribly fancy dress that I'd refused to wear. But Ash released my arm and gave me a gentle nudge toward the waiting satyrs.

"Go with them," he told me. "I have to find something for myself, as well."

"Ash..."

"I'll be back soon. Take care of her, Goodfellow." And he jogged away, vanishing into the crowds.

The satyrs beckoned impatiently, and we followed them to a strange white tent on the Summer side of the camp. The material was light and gauzy, draped over the poles in wispy strands that reminded me uncomfortably of spiderwebs. The satyrs ushered me through the flaps, but I turned and stopped Puck at the entrance, firmly telling him he would have to wait outside while I dressed. Ignoring his stupid leer, hoping he wouldn't turn into a mouse so he could sneak in and watch, I went inside.

The interior of the tent was dark and warm, the walls covered with webbing that rustled and slithered, as if hundreds of tiny creatures were scurrying through it. A tall, pale woman with long dark hair waited for me in the dim room, her eyes gleaming-black orbs in her pinched face.

"Meghan Chase," the woman rasped, huge black eyes following my every move. "You have arrived. How fortuitous that we meet again."

"Lady Weaver." I nodded, recognizing the Seelie Court's head seamstress, and stifled the urge to rub my arms. I'd met her before on my first trip into Faery, and like before, her presence made me feel itchy, as if thousands of bugs were crawling over my skin.

"Come, come," Lady Weaver said, beckoning me with one pale, spiderlike hand. "The battle is about to commence, and your father wished for me to design your armor." She led me toward the back of the tent, where something shimmered in the gloom, held up by thin white strands. "It is my best work so far. What do you think?"

At first glance, it looked like a long coat of some sort, fastened at the waist and split to flare out behind the legs. Looking closer, I saw that the material was made up of tiny scales, flexible to the touch, yet impossibly strong. The back was strewn with intricate designs that looked almost geometric in nature. Gauntlets, greaves, leggings, and boots, made of the same scaly material, completed the outfit.

"Wow," I said, drawing closer. "It's beautiful."

Lady Weaver sniffed.

"As usual, my talents are underappreciated," she sighed, snapping her fingers at the two satyrs, who hurried forward. "Here I am, the greatest seamstress in the Nevernever, reduced to weaving dragon-scale armor for unrefined half-breeds. Very well, girl. Try it on. It will fit perfectly."

The satyrs helped me into the suit, which was lighter and more flexible than I'd thought it would be. Except for the gauntlets and greaves, I didn't even feel like I was in armor. Which I guessed was kind of the point.

"Nice," came a voice at the door, and Puck strolled in. I blinked in surprise. He was dressed for battle, too, in a leather breastplate over a suit of silvery-green mail, dark leather gauntlets, and knee-high boots. A green cloth hung from his belt, decorated with curling vines and leaves, and thick shoulder plates jutted out from his collarbone, looking like rough, spiky bark.

"Surprised, princess?" Puck shrugged, causing his shoulder spikes to jerk up. "I don't normally wear armor, but then, I don't normally have to face an army of Iron fey, either. Figured I might as well have some protection." He scanned my outfit and nodded with appreciation. "Impressive. Real dragon-scale-that'll hold up to almost anything."

"I hope so," I murmured, and Lady Weaver snorted.

"Of course it will, girl," she snapped, pursing her bloodless lips at me. "Who do you think designed this suit? Now, shoo. I have other things to work on. Out!"

Puck and I fled, ducking out of the tent. The camp was nearly empty now, ranks upon ranks of Summer and Winter fey lining the edge of the metal forest. Waiting for the battle to begin.

I shivered and rubbed my arms. As if reading my thoughts, Puck moved closer and put a hand on my elbow. "Don't worry, princess," he said. And though his voice was light, there was a hard edge to his smile. "Any Iron b.a.s.t.a.r.d that wants you will have to get past me, me, first." He rolled his eyes. "And of course, the dark knight over there." first." He rolled his eyes. "And of course, the dark knight over there."

"Where?" I followed his gaze, just in time to see Ash appear from behind a tent and walk toward us. His armor gleamed under the sun, black marked with icy silver, a stylized wolf head on the breastplate. He looked incredibly dangerous, the black knight out of legend, a tattered cape fluttering behind him.

"Oberon has called for you," he announced, taking in my suit with a single, approving nod. "He wants you to stay near the back, where the fighting won't reach you. He has a platoon of bodyguards stationed there to protect-"

"I'm not going."

Both Ash and Puck blinked at me. "I'm fighting," I said in the firmest voice I could manage. "I don't want to hang back and watch everyone die for me. This is my war, too."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, princess?"

I glanced at Puck and smiled. "Are you going to stop me?"

He held up his hands. "Wouldn't dream of it." He grinned and shook his head. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

I looked at Ash, wondering what he thought of this, if he would try to talk me down. He gazed back with a solemn expression, teacher to student, sizing me up. "You've never fought in a real war," he said softly, and I caught the trace of worry in his voice. "You don't know what real battle is like. It's nothing like a one-on-one duel. It will be violent and b.l.o.o.d.y and chaotic, and you won't have any time to think about what you're doing. The things you've seen, the things you've experienced-nothing will have prepared you for this. Goodfellow and I will protect you as best we can, but you will will have to fight, and you have to fight, and you will will have to kill. Without mercy. Are you sure this is what you want?" have to kill. Without mercy. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes." I raised my chin and stared back, meeting his eyes. "I'm sure."

"Good." He nodded once, and turned toward the looming forest. "Because here they come."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE CREEPING IRON.

"Get ready," Ash muttered, and drew his sword.

My hand shook as I followed his example, the blade awkward and clumsy in my grasp. Ahead of us, light glinted off swords, shields, and armor, a menacing wall of bristling faery steel. Trolls and ogres shifted impatiently, gripping their spiked clubs. Goblins and redcaps licked their pointed teeth, bloodl.u.s.t shining from their eyes. Dryads, hammadryads, and oakmen waited silently, their green and brown faces tight with hate and fear. Out of all the fey, the slow corruption of the Nevernever affected them most of all and reminded me what was at stake.

I gripped the hilt of my sword, feeling the metal bite into my palm. Come on, then, Come on, then, I thought, as a great rustling sounded just beyond the hole-hundreds of feet, marching toward us. Branches snapped, trees shook, and the armies of Summer and Winter howled in reply. I thought, as a great rustling sounded just beyond the hole-hundreds of feet, marching toward us. Branches snapped, trees shook, and the armies of Summer and Winter howled in reply. You won't beat me. The false king isn't going to win. Your advance stops right here. You won't beat me. The false king isn't going to win. Your advance stops right here.

"Here we go," Ash growled, as with the screeching of a million knives, the Iron fey broke from the forest and came into view. Wiremen and Iron knights, clockwork hounds, spider-hags, skeletal creatures that looked like the Terminator, all shiny and metallic, and hundreds more of different shapes and sizes, pouring out of the forest in a huge, chaotic swarm. For a moment, the two armies stared at each other, hate and violence and bloodl.u.s.t shining from their eyes. Then, a monstrous armored knight, horns bristling from a steel helm, stepped to the front of the army and swept an arm forward, and the Iron fey charged with hair-raising shrieks.

The Seelie and Unseelie roared in response, surging forward to meet them. Like ants, they spilled onto the battlefield, the s.p.a.ce between them growing smaller and smaller as they closed on each other. The two armies met with the deafening screech and clang of weapons, and then everything dissolved into madness.

Ash and Puck pressed close, refusing to advance, only engaging an enemy if it attacked first. The front lines held off the worst of the battle, but gradually the Iron fey began slipping through the holes and pushing toward the back. I gripped my weapon and tried to focus, but it was hard. Everything was happening so fast, bodies whirling by, swords flashing, the shrieks and howls of the wounded. A giant praying mantisthing lunged at me, bladed arms sweeping down, but Ash stepped in front of it and caught the edges with his sword, shoving it back. An Iron knight, dressed head to toe in plate mail, rushed me, but tripped as Puck kicked him in the knee and sent him sprawling.

Another armored knight broke through the back ranks, slicing at me with his weapon, a serrated, two-handed broad-sword. Reacting on instinct, I dodged the blow and stabbed at him with my sword. It screeched off his breastplate, leaving a shiny gash in the armor but not hurting him. The knight bellowed a laugh, confident in his victory, and lunged again, sweeping his blade across at my head. Ducking the blow, I stepped forward and plunged my sword through his visor, feeling the tip strike the back of his helm.

The knight dropped like his strings had been cut. My stomach roiled, but there was no time to think about what I'd just done. More Iron fey were pouring from the woods. I saw Oberon charge into the fray on a huge black warhorse, glamour swirling around him, and sweep a hand toward the thickest of the fighting. Vines and roots erupted from the ground, coiling around the Iron fey, strangling them or pulling them beneath the earth. Atop a rise, Mab raised her arms, and a savage whirlwind swept across the field, freezing fey solid or impaling them with ice shards. The armies of Summer and Winter howled with renewed vigor and threw themselves at the enemy.

And then, something monstrous broke through the trees, lumbering onto the field. A huge iron beetle, the size of a bull elephant, plowed into the chaos, crushing fey underfoot. Four elves with metallic, shimmering hair sat atop a platform on its back, shooting old-style muskets into the crowd. Summer and Winter fey fell under a hail of musket fire as another beetle broke through the trees. Swords and arrows bounced off the dark, shiny carapaces as the tanklike bugs waddled farther into the camp, leaving death in their wake.

"Fall back!" Oberon's voice boomed over the field as the beetles continued their rampage. "Fall back and regroup! Go!"

As Summer and Winter forces began drawing back, a ripple of Iron glamour washed over me, coming from the bugs. Narrowing my eyes and peering through the madness, I looked closer. It was as if the bugs came into clear focus through a blurry background; I could see the Iron glamour shimmering around them, cold and colorless. The thick, bulky carapaces were near invulnerable, but the beetle's legs were thin and spindly, barely strong enough to hold the monsters up. The joints were weak and spotted with rust...and the ghost of an idea floated through my mind.

"Ash, Puck!" I whirled on them, and their attention snapped to me. "I think I know how to take down that bug, but I need to get closer! Clear me a path!"

Puck blinked, looking incredulous. "Uh, running toward the enemy? Isn't that like the opposite of what fall back fall back means?" means?"

"We have to stop those bugs before they kill half the camp!" I looked at Ash, pleading. "I can do this, but I need you to guard me when I get up there. Please, Ash."

Ash stared at me a moment, then nodded curtly. "We'll get you there," he muttered, raising his sword. "Goodfellow, back me up."

He lunged forward, against the tide of retreating fey. Puck shook his head and followed. We fought our way through the center of the field, where bodies of faeries-or what had been faeries-littered the ground. The fighting was much thicker here, and my bodyguards were hard-pressed to keep the enemy off me.

A roar of musket fire rang out, and a wyvern screeched and crashed to the ground a few yards away, flapping and thrashing. The bulk of the beetle loomed overhead, shiny black carapace blocking out the sun.

"Is this...close enough, princess?" Puck panted, locked in battle with a pair of wiremen, their razor-wire claws slashing at him. At his side, Ash snarled and crossed swords with an Iron knight, filling the air with the scream of metal.

I nodded, heart racing. "Just keep them off me for a few seconds!" I called, and turned back toward the iron bug, staring at its underside. Yes, the legs were jointed, held together by metal bolts. As a spindly leg swept by, I dodged and closed my eyes, drawing Iron glamour from the air, from the bug and the trees and the corrupted land around me. Musket fire boomed, and the screech of swords and faeries rang in my head, but I trusted my guardians to keep me safe and kept concentrating.

Opening my eyes, I focused on one of the insect's joints, on the tiny bolt that held it together, and pulled. pulled. The nut trembled, shaking with rust, and then flew out like a cork, a brief glint of metal under the sun. The insect lurched as the leg crumpled and fell off into the mud, and then the whole beetle started to tip like an off-balanced bus. The nut trembled, shaking with rust, and then flew out like a cork, a brief glint of metal under the sun. The insect lurched as the leg crumpled and fell off into the mud, and then the whole beetle started to tip like an off-balanced bus.

"Yes!" I cheered, just as the wave of nausea hit. A stab of pain ripped through my stomach, and I fell to my knees, fighting the urge to vomit. A shadow engulfed me, and I looked up to see the enormous bulk of the insect falling sideways, scattering Iron fey and faeries alike, but I couldn't move.

A blur of darkness, and then Ash grabbed me by the arm, yanking me upright. We leaped forward, as with a mighty groan, the beetle crashed to the ground and rolled over, crushing the musket elves beneath it and nearly killing me in the process. On its back, the beetle's remaining legs kicked and flailed uselessly, and I giggled with slight hysterics. Ash muttered something inscrutable and pulled me into a brief, tight embrace.

"You enjoy making my heart stop, don't you?" he whispered, and I felt him shaking with adrenaline or something else. Before I could form a reply, he released me and stepped back, a stoic bodyguard once more.

Panting, I gazed around to see the Iron fey drawing back, vanishing into the metal forest again. The other beetle seemed trapped under a writhing mess of vines, tangling its legs and dragging it down. The musketeers on its back had been impaled with huge spears of ice. Mab and Oberon's doing, probably.

"Is it over?" I asked as Puck joined us, also breathing hard, his armor spattered with some icky black substance, like oil. "Did we win?"

Puck nodded, but his eyes were grim. "In a matter of speaking, princess."

Puzzled, I looked around, and my stomach twisted. Bodies from both sides lay scattered about the field, some moaning, some still and lifeless. A few had already turned to stone, ice, dirt, branches, water, or had faded away entirely. Sometimes it happened instantly, sometimes it took hours, but faeries didn't leave physical bodies behind when they died. They simply ceased to exist.

But, more disturbing, as I looked closer, I saw that the Iron forest had crept even closer, so much that it had spread to the center of the camp. As I watched in horror, a young green sapling turned shiny and metallic, gray poison creeping up its trunk. Several leaves snapped off and plummeted down to stick in the earth, glimmering like knives.

"It is spreading even faster now." A shadow fell over us, and Oberon swept up on his warhorse, eyes glowing amber beneath his antlered helm. "Every battle, we are forced to fall back, to give more ground. For every Winter or Summer faery that falls, the Iron Kingdom grows, destroying all in its path. If this keeps up, there will be nothing left." Oberon's voice took on a sharper edge. "Also, I thought I told you to stay out of the battle, Meghan Chase. And yet, you fling yourself into the heart of danger, despite my attempts to keep you safe. Why do you continue to defy me?"

Ignoring the question, I looked to the dark forest where the last of the Iron fey were disappearing. Just beyond the tree line, I felt the Iron Kingdom crouched at the edge, eager to creep forward again, watching me with its poisoned glare. Somewhere out there, safe in his land of iron, the false king waited for me, patient and a.s.sured, knowing the courts couldn't touch him.

"He knows I'm here now," I murmured, feeling Oberon's eyes on me, as well as the twin gazes of Puck and Ash, and swallowed the tremor in my voice. "I can't stay-he'll send everything he has at you trying to get to me."

"When will you leave?" Oberon's voice held no emotion. I took a quiet breath and hoped I wasn't sending Ash and Puck straight to their deaths.

"Tonight." As soon as I said it, I shivered violently and crossed my arms to hide my terror. "The sooner I go, the better. I guess it's time."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

INTO THE IRON REALM.

I folded the blanket carefully and placed it in the pack, next to the packages of dried fruit and nuts and the goatskin of water. Water, food, blanket, bedroll...was there anything else I needed for the camping trip to h.e.l.l? I could think of a few purely human conveniences I'd kill to have right then-flashlight, aspirin, toilet paper-but Faery refused to humor my half-mortal side, so I'd have to do without.

Behind me, the tent flap opened, and Ash stood there, silhouetted against the tent wall and the eerie red light of the moon. "Ready?"

I flipped the bag shut and fumbled with the ties, cursing softly as my hands shook. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," I muttered, hoping he wouldn't catch the tremor in my voice. The ties slipped from my fingers again, and I growled a curse.

The tent flaps closed, and a moment later his arms were around me, covering my shaking hands with his own. Closing my eyes, I relaxed into him as he bent close, his breath cool on my neck.

"I don't want to be their a.s.sa.s.sin," I whispered, leaning into him. He didn't say anything, only fisted his hands over mine, drawing me closer. "I thought...when I killed Machina...I wouldn't have to do anything like that ever again. I still have nightmares about it." Sighing, I buried my face in his arm. "I'm not backing out. I know I have to do this, but...I'm not a killer, Ash."

"I know," he murmured against my skin. "And you're not not a killer. Look." Opening his fists, he held my hands in his, stroking my palms with his thumbs. "Perfectly clean," he said. "No stains, no blood. Trust me, if you could see mine..." He sighed and closed his fists again, curling his fingers around my own. "I would save you from my fate, if I could," he said, so soft I barely heard him, even as close as we were. "Let me kill the false king. I have so much blood on my hands, it wouldn't matter." a killer. Look." Opening his fists, he held my hands in his, stroking my palms with his thumbs. "Perfectly clean," he said. "No stains, no blood. Trust me, if you could see mine..." He sighed and closed his fists again, curling his fingers around my own. "I would save you from my fate, if I could," he said, so soft I barely heard him, even as close as we were. "Let me kill the false king. I have so much blood on my hands, it wouldn't matter."

"You would do that?"

"If I can."

I thought about it, content to feel his arms around me. "I guess...as long as the false king dies, it doesn't matter who kills him, right?" Ash shrugged, but I felt uncomfortable with that decision. This was my my quest. quest. I I had agreed to kill the false king. The responsibility was mine, and I didn't want anyone to have to kill for me again, especially Ash. had agreed to kill the false king. The responsibility was mine, and I didn't want anyone to have to kill for me again, especially Ash.

Although, I still didn't know how I was going to accomplish any of this when we got there. We didn't have a magic Witchwood arrow this time. We just had...me. "Let's not worry about it now," I said, not wanting to think about it anymore. "We have to reach reach him first, anyway." him first, anyway."

"Which we'll never do if you two keep groping each other every two seconds," Puck announced, entering the room with a swooshing of tent flaps. Blushing, I stepped away from Ash and pretended to check my pack. Puck snorted. "If you two are quite ready," he said, pushing back the cloth, "we're all waiting on you."

We left the tent, stepping into the cold, still night. My breath clouded the air, and sooty flakes landed on my face and hands. On each side, lining the way to the forest, the armies of Summer and Winter watched us leave, hundreds of fey eyes glowing in the darkness. Somewhere in the camp, a wyvern screeched, but other than that, everything was silent.