by Julie Kagawa
A few yards away, Razor cackled with glee on Keirran’s shoulder, bouncing up and down and shouting “Funny, funny!” in a high-pitched voice, but the prince looked far less amused. “We should keep moving,” he said, sounding like he was trying to hide his impatience. “Kenzie, Ethan, you’ll probably see several more frozen animals, or even people, before we reach the caves. It’s best to leave them in peace.”
Kenzie stroked the elk’s furry neck. “Will it ever wake up?”
“It’s dead,” Keirran told her gently, and she pulled her arm back in horror. “The Cold took it when it lay down to sleep. And if we stand in one place for too long, it will try to take us, too. Come on, let’s keep going.”
We kept marching, our steps muffled by snow, barely making any sound as we forged ahead. The forest around us remained eerily silent and still, except for brief flashes of color from once-living creatures trapped in ice. A fox sleeping in a hollow log, its bushy tail curled around itself. Another stag, its antlers entangled in the branches of a low tree, now immobilized for all time. Countless birds frozen to the twigs they perched on, feathers puffed out against the cold, looking like fuzzy golf balls. Even a gray wolf, its fur bristling with icicles, lay curled in a ball at the base of a tree. Solemn and beautiful, in a morbid kind of way. Kenzie and I ate another flamefruit as evening approached and the effects slowly wore off. But our supply was dwindling, and I hoped we could do whatever we had to do here quickly and return to Arcadia before we ran out and froze to death.
As darkness began to fall and the sky overhead turned navy blue, the temperature dropped sharply. Even through the warm haze of the flamefruit, I could feel the chill prickling my skin. Puck glanced nervously at the sky and made a comment about picking up the pace.
“Why?” Kenzie asked, briskly rubbing her arms. “Does something happen at night?”
“Oh, nothing serious,” Puck said cheerfully. “It’s just the frost wraiths come out at night, and we probably want to avoid running into any. Nasty buggers, no sense of humor at all. Will suck the warmth right out of you, and all the flamefruit in the world won’t save you from them.”
I felt a weird sensation along my own forearms and looked down to see frost creeping over my skin. Shivering, I followed Kenzie’s example and quickly scrubbed it away.
“The caves aren’t far,” Keirran said, looking up at the mountain peaks. Razor peeked out of his collar, his huge ears and eyes the only things visible. “If we hurry, we should be there in a few...”
An unearthly wailing rose from the trees around us, making Puck wince and everyone else jump. Razor buzzed with alarm and hid down Keirran’s shirt.
“Well, I told you so,” Puck said and drew his daggers. “Better get ready. Here they come!”
Figures floated through the trees, blurred and indistinguishable. As they drifted closer, I saw they looked like gray wisps of tattered cloth, fluttering over the ground. Glowing blue eyes stared out at us as bony hands slipped from within the layers of rags and reached out, clawing and grasping.
I shoved Kenzie behind me and met the first two that flapped toward us, pale fingers reaching for my face. My first slice hit one right in the center of the floating rags and it frayed apart with a wail, the cloth fluttering to the ground. The second one tried sliding around me and going for Kenzie. Snarling, I whirled, slashing viciously at the wraith as it passed, cutting it from the air. It flopped limply to the snow, an empty pile of rags, before the wind blew it away. More ragged figures floated toward me from the darkness. I glimpsed Puck and Keirran a few yards away, slashing and dancing around their own attackers, blades whirling. Kenzie stood protected in the center of the triangle, and I intended to keep it that way. Raising my swords, I faced the next three swooping down from the branches of the trees.
Two wraiths came shrieking at my face, skeletal arms outstretched. I jerked back as one clawed at me, lashed out and sliced through its neck. The next attacker flung itself at me, right onto the tip of my sword as I stabbed upward, impaling itself on the blade.
The last dodged my swing and swooped low, darting beneath the second blade like a jerky puppet. Before I could move, it latched on to my leg, wrapped itself around my jeans and sank needle-sharp teeth into my calf.
The cold that lanced through me from the thing’s bite was a physical pain, sharp and burning. It was like I’d plunged my leg into a vat of ice water. My leg nearly buckled, and my howl of pain came out as a strangled rasp because my jaw was clenched so hard.
With shaking fingers, I put my weapon between my leg and the thing clinging to it and shoved hard, hoping I wouldn’t cut myself by mistake. By this time, my arms were shaking violently as well, but I managed to pry the wraith off and hurl it away. It darted back at my face with a shriek, and I slashed wildly, cutting it in two by sheer dumb luck.
That was the last of the wraiths, but I was shaking so hard now I thought I might throw up. I couldn’t keep ahold of my swords; they dropped from my numb fingers into the snow, and I didn’t think I had the muscle coordination to pick them up again. My teeth chattered, and breathing had suddenly become a painful chore.
“Oh, God, Ethan.” Kenzie put a hand on my arm; it felt like a hot coal, searing and wonderful. “Your skin is like ice. Here. This is my last one.”
She pressed something to my lips—one of the flamefruit pods, which was good, because my hands were shaking too hard to hold anything. I swallowed and felt the little fruit burn a path down to my stomach, easing some of the pain. Just a little, but it was enough for me to be able to move again.
Keirran and Puck walked up, both looking grim. “One of ’em got you, huh?” Puck muttered, peering at my face. “Nasty. Good thing you managed to get a flamefruit into your system before everything shut down. Even so, you probably won’t be able to get completely warm for about a week. But hey, better cold than dead, right?”
A sarcastic retort came to mind, but I couldn’t force it past my chattering teeth. Keirran swept up, shrugging out of his black cloak, and wordlessly handed it to Kenzie. She smiled at him gratefully and turned back to me, wrapping the dark fabric around my shoulders. I was beginning to feel a little embarrassed with their concern; I was just cold, not bleeding to death. But I couldn’t think of an argument right now, and besides, another layer of cloth between the air and my bare skin felt pretty good.
“Let’s get out of the open,” Keirran muttered as an icy breeze tossed his hair and made my teeth clack together painfully. “The caves aren’t far now.”
* * *
We finally reached the cliffs, following Puck through a gorge with huge sharp crystals spiking out of the ground and walls. I was still freezing, shivering badly even with the flamefruit and Keirran’s cloak, and moving around didn’t seem to be helping. So when we stumbled upon a large black hole in the cliff wall, surrounded by jagged blue crystals that looked sharp enough to impale yourself on, I was relieved to get out of the wind, at least.
Inside the cave, the walls and floor glittered with more jagged crystals that glowed with a faint blue light and threw weird toothy shadows over the cave. I glanced up and saw that the ceiling was covered in dangling icicles, insanely long and sharp enough to worry me if I wasn’t so freaking cold.
Farther back, the cave continued into the darkness. Keirran walked to where the shadows hovered at the edge of the glow and stared into the black.
“There’s a tunnel,” he murmured. “It looks like it goes down, below us.”
Puck shot me a glance and shook his head. “Yeah, well, we’re not going anywhere tonight. Not until Popsicle Boy thaws out a little.” He gave an exaggerated shiver, rubbing his arms. “Geez, it’s cold! I hate winter. Don’t see how ice-boy can stand— Oy, princeling, where do you think you’re going?”
Keirran had taken a few steps into the tunnel, but paused and turned to stare at us. In the looming darkness, his eyes glowed an eerie blue-white.
“I can feel it,” he said, his voice cold and lethal again.
“It’s down there, waiting for us.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, we’re not going anywhere for a while.” Puck glanced at me. “Fire first, then when this one can hold a sword again, we’ll see about marching down and taking on the big nasty. So you’re just gonna have to sit tight and cool your heels until we’re ready, princeling.”
Shaking his head, Puck moved to an open spot on the floor, kneeling down to start a fire. How he was going to do that with no wood and everything covered in ice was beyond me, but that was where magic came in, I guessed. After a moment, Keirran went to help, leaving me shivering in the middle of the room, wishing I could help but grateful not to move right then.
Kenzie came up beside me, peering into my face. “Your lips are blue,” she stated, her brow creased with worry. I tried managing a shrug and a smirk, but I couldn’t quite feel my face.
“I’m okay,” I gritted out, clenching my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. “Once the fire is going, I’ll be better.”
Kenzie’s frown deepened. Stepping close, she pried my arms away from my body and slid beneath the cloak with me. I winced at the rush of cold air, but then Kenzie wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed into me, and the warmth of her small body against mine almost made me groan with relief.
She shivered. “God, Ethan, you’re freezing,” she whispered. Reaching up, she placed a warm hand against the side of my face, and I closed my eyes, leaning into it. I felt her gaze on me, imagined her faint smile. “You’ve got to stop throwing yourself in front of dragons for me, tough guy,” she murmured. “I know you want to do the whole knight-in-shining-armor thing, but I don’t want you to get killed because of it.”
“Can’t help it,” I murmured, still keeping my eyes closed, basking in the warmth of her palm on my skin. “I already told you that. Not negotiable, sorry.”
“There you go again.” She shifted against me, but instead of withdrawing, her fingers traced the side of my cheek, softly stroking with her thumb. “Being stubborn and all.” I opened my eyes and stared down at her.
“Wait, was that actually you calling me stubborn? Me? This from the girl who practically stalked me until she was dragged into Faery? Who bargained with a faery queen even though I begged her not to? Who tracked me into a goblin market because she didn’t want to be left behind?”
Kenzie looked like she was trying not to grin. “What’s your point?”
Hell with it. I dropped my head and kissed her, the touch of her lips sending tendrils of heat curling through me. I forgot about the cold. I forgot why we were here. I was just aware of Kenzie, her warmth, her soft fingers on my skin. The emotion burning me from the inside.
Don’t stop. Don’t ever leave. Stay with me, Kenzie. The Nevernever, the Between or the real world, I don’t want to face anything without you.
I snorted quietly to myself. Man, I was going soft. Next thing you knew, I’d be writing song lyrics and spouting poetry.
“Kissy,” said a new voice, and I felt a tug on my jeans, like something was climbing my pant leg. I jerked and looked down to see that Razor had wedged himself between us and the cloak and was using me as a ladder.
“Ow!” I yelped as his sharp little claws poked my ribs. “Razor, get out of here!”
“Cold,” he replied, curling up in the space between us. “No like. Too cold.”
“Go bother Keirran, then,” I said, glancing to where Puck and Keirran had a cheerful fire crackling on the rocks. “I’m sure it’s warmer where he is.” Razor shook his head and curled tighter into himself.
“Master cold,” he whimpered.
I frowned in confusion. Keirran was part Winter faery; subzero temperatures didn’t faze him at all. “Master cold,” Razor insisted, sounding sad and a little frightened. “Master scary now, feels cold all the time.”
Oh. Damn, now even the gremlin was starting to notice Keirran’s slow change. I wasn’t sure whether it was the amulet or his worry for Annwyl that was driving it, but we had to finish this task and destroy that thing before Keirran was sucked away to nothing. Or became that cold stranger permanently.
“Come on,” Kenzie whispered, tugging me and Razor toward the fire, cloak and all. “Let’s get both of you warm.”
Puck grinned at us from where he leaned back against a rock, hands behind his head. But Keirran, brooding into the fire on the far side, didn’t look up at all. Carefully, I shrugged out of the long cloak, gritting my teeth as the frigid air hit my skin, sending goose bumps crawling along my arms. But I was feeling slightly warmer now, standing close to the flames. At least, I didn’t feel like my veins were full of ice water. As I removed the cloak, Razor whimpered, crawling beneath Kenzie’s hair and burrowing into her neck. I held the garment out to Keirran.
“Thanks,” I muttered. He eyed me without expression, then smiled.
“Anytime,” he replied, reaching out to take it. “You’re my friend, and I’m just grateful that you’re here.”
“Well,” Puck said, rising to his feet and stretching long limbs. “It’s been an exciting day. Why don’t you three get some sleep if you can? Don’t worry—it’s safe enough here. The Cold won’t come into the cave, especially if there’s a fire, and being nearly frozen to death tends to be fairly exhausting.” He wrinkled his nose. “Trust me, I know. So get some rest. You’ll need it for the big nasty beastie we’ll be facing tomorrow. I’ll take watch.”
He wandered off toward the mouth of the cave. I sat as close to the fire as I could, brooding into the flames and trying not to think about what came next.
Kenzie stepped between my knees and sat down, wedging herself in front of me like she was always meant to be there. I was startled, but I wasn’t complaining. Sliding my arms around her, I lay my chin on her shoulder, ignoring the gremlin who buzzed “Kissy, kissy” in my ear, and soaked up the heat.
“So,” she murmured after moments of contented silence. “I guess tomorrow we go fight a big ice monster or something, huh?”
“Mmm,” I grunted, not wanting to think about it.
“Do we have any plan for how we’re going to do that?”
“Mmm-mmm,” I mumbled, in an “I dunno” tone. I was sleepy all of a sudden, and the heat felt good against my skin, as did the girl in my arms. My eyes closed, and my head dropped lower onto her shoulder. I didn’t want to think about anything right now. Kenzie sighed, and I felt her shift to get more comfortable, her breaths becoming slow and deep, as if she, too, was drifting off.
Wait. This wasn’t like me. Wasn’t I way too paranoid to fall asleep in Faery? Something was wrong. I struggled to open my eyes, but they felt stupidly heavy, almost sealed together. I finally managed to crack them open, to see Keirran on his feet, the cold, eerie glow of his eyes trained on me.
“I’m sorry, Ethan,” he murmured, and though his voice was full of regret, his face was resolved. “It’s better this way. I’ve dragged you both through enough.” Swirling the cloak around himself, he drew up the hood, becoming hidden in shadow. “Take care of Kenzie. And Razor.” He paused, a flicker of agony crossing the stony expression. “If I don’t make it back, tell Annwyl I’m sorry.”
Dammit, Keirran, I wanted to yell. Don’t do this. But my eyes were slipping shut again, and I couldn’t force out the words. The Iron Prince turned, the cloak swishing behind him, and walked silently into the tunnel. I tried moving, shouting after him, but the glamour dragging me under finally overcame my will, and I fell into darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY
EDDIES AND ELEMENTALS
“Master!”
A shrill voice howled right in my ear, jerking me out of the glamour-induced sleep. Mostly awake now, I tried wrenching my eyes open, but sluggishness still dragged at me, and I fought to stay conscious. All the while, the high-pitched gremlin voice buzzed frantically a few inches from my face.
“Master! Master gone! Wake up, funny boy! Wake up!”
I’m trying, I thought irritably, if only to shut the gremlin up. Memory return
ed in an instant—Keirran using his glamour to put us to sleep; Keirran standing over me with his cold stranger eyes, then walking down the tunnel to confront the monster alone.
Kenzie shifted against my chest, also coming out of the faery slumber. She mumbled something incoherent. I tried, once more, to force my eyes open, feeling as if they had ten pounds of sand in them.
Then Razor gave an impatient hiss and bit me on the ear.
“OW!” My eyes flew open, stinging with the sudden pain, and I jerked back. “Dammit, Razor! Ow!” I swatted at the gremlin, but he leaped to Kenzie’s shoulder and hid beneath her hair, peering out at me.
“Boy awake,” he buzzed, sounding suspiciously pleased. “Boy awake now...find Master.”
I groped for the side of my head, gingerly feeling the damage. Yep, there were several holes in my left ear, no larger than pinpricks, thankfully, but they still hurt like hell. My fingers came away smeared with blood.
“Ethan?” Kenzie turned, her voice slurred. She blinked at me sleepily. “What’s going on?” Her gaze drifted to the side of my face, and her eyes shot all the way open. “Are you bleeding? What—”
Puck came into the room, long legs crossing the space in a few strides. “Oy, human!” he barked, sweeping up to the fire. “What’s with the ruckus? It sounds like you’re holding a cat-skinning competition in here. And you’re bleeding. Again.” He rolled his eyes. “Geez, I can’t leave you guys alone for a minute. What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” I muttered, dropping my hand. “Razor bit me.”
“What?” Kenzie shot a fierce glare at the Iron faery, who ducked beneath her hair again. “He bit you? Bad gremlin! Why did you bite Ethan?”
I tried to interrupt, to tell her it was a good thing the gremlin woke me up, annoying as it was, but Puck beat me to it.