My stomach twisted. Keirran was seeing the Nightmare King’s past, reliving the grief and rage of the ruler of Evenfall, but for a moment, it was as if he was speaking for them both. The Nightmare King and the King of the Forgotten, both unable to save their subjects, both feeling as if they had failed them.

  “I was afraid it was something like that.” Gilleas peered down at us, his voice grave. “The Whisper warned not to touch the water, but she also said something else. She said that it was a poison. And poisons, at least in this world, tend to linger.”

  A chill of horror crawled up my spine. “What do you mean?”

  He didn’t answer at first, looking at Keirran instead. Ash had relieved Keirran of most of his soggy clothes, and Keirran now huddled beneath the long black coat, head bowed and shoulders trembling. “Can you hear me, Forgotten King?” Gilleas asked.

  Keirran made a visible effort to compose himself. His hands clenched on the rock, and he drew in a shaky breath. For a moment, he stopped trembling, his voice calm as he answered. “I hear you.”

  “What is it you see, exactly?” Gilleas went on. Keirran hesitated, shivering, then took another deep breath and raised his head.

  “Shadows,” he said, his eyes sweeping over the area on both sides of the river. “Evenfey. I...” One hand went to his skull, fingers digging into his wet hair. “I know they’re not real, that they’re not really there,” he choked out. “They’re echoes, that’s the best I can describe it. But... I see them. And they’re all staring at me.”

  “How many?” Gilleas wondered.

  “I don’t know.” Keirran’s voice was dull. “Dozens. Hundreds. It’s hard to tell. They keep fading in and out.”

  “And where do you see them?”

  My son shivered and hunched his shoulders again. “Everywhere.”

  “Echoes of the king’s memories.” Grimalkin’s voice reached my ears. The cat was perched on an overhanging rock, tail curled tightly around his feet as he peered down. “The Whisper told you not to touch the water, because it is the tears of the Wailing One. And the Wailing One is a manifestation of grief and despair, perhaps of the Nightmare King himself.”

  “Yes,” agreed Gilleas. “Elder Nightmares, and named ones especially, can possess powers unique to anything else in Evenfall. The real danger is that the effects of the tears might not go away. I fear that this one—” he nodded at Keirran “—might see the echoes of the dead as long as he remains in Evenfall. Or possibly...longer.”

  Ash straightened, his voice low and dangerous. “And if we kill the Wailing One,” he said in a tone that might’ve frozen the river if he still had his magic, “would that free Keirran from its curse?”

  “I do not know,” Gilleas said. “Perhaps.”

  A clatter over the rocks made me turn. Puck and the others had returned with firewood, and in a few minutes, a small fire crackled against the rocks, throwing back the coming darkness. Keirran was laid out in front of it, still draped in Ash’s coat, and he fell into a delirious sleep. I sat beside him, holding his hand, my heart twisting at every flinch, every tiny gasp or tortured whisper, hoping the nightmare that had Keirran in its grip would eventually fade.

  As night fell and a broken moon rose over the Howling Peaks, Keirran finally relaxed. His breathing grew calmer, he stopped jerking every few minutes, and his frantic muttering quieted.

  Gilleas, who had also stayed close, looming over us like a gangly specter, let out a sigh and nodded. “I am no healer fey,” he told me, gazing down with hollow eye sockets, “but I believe he is out of immediate danger. If the poison has not killed him by now, I do not think it will. The effects might linger, perhaps for the rest of his existence, but I do not believe your son is going to die. At least, not tonight.”

  Relief filled me, followed by a sudden, incomprehensible rage. I looked at Ash, who also hadn’t left Keirran’s side except to keep the fire going. Dark circles crouched beneath his eyes, and thin black veins had appeared on his hands; he too bore the marks of the river—not as much as Keirran, of course, but it had affected him, as well. My gaze slid past him to the dark shape of the monster bat, still lying beneath the waterfall. We would have been able to beat it far sooner had we all been working together.

  My jaw clenched, and that burning rage bubbled over, liquefying in my veins before becoming like steel. I rose, turning slowly to take in my surroundings. A few yards away, the others had built another firepit closer to the river, though only Puck was seated there, tossing sticks into the flames. Everyone else had scattered about the area, respectfully staying a safe distance while being close enough to see what was happening.

  Setting my jaw, I walked toward the second firepit. Immediately, the others left whatever they were doing to meet me there, but I barely noticed the Nyxes; my gaze was for two faeries in particular. Puck glanced up as I approached, firelight dancing over his skin and making his hair glow, and the faint smile creeping across his face faltered as he saw me.

  “Oh, hey...princess.” Puck blinked, warily leaning back as I loomed over him across the fire. “Uh, how’s the princeling?”

  “My son could have died today.” The sound of my own voice made a tiny part of me cringe; cold and steely, it was the tone I used when dealing with the other rulers of the courts, or when I needed to get my point across to the most stubborn, inflexible fey. The voice of the Iron Queen. “Because of you.

  “Both of you,” I added, glancing at Varyn, who had joined us along with the two Nyxes. The Evenfaery stiffened, but I didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Because of your stubbornness. Because the two of you cannot seem to put aside your differences, even when we are fighting for our lives. Varyn—” I looked directly at the Evenfaery, narrowing my gaze “—we are not the fey who did this to you. The Lady and her circle are long dead. The current rulers of the courts weren’t even around when the First Queen rose to power. I know you have lost much, and your anger for the past is justified, but we had nothing to do with sealing Evenfall. Continuing to blame us is pointless and does not bring us any closer to what we are trying to accomplish.

  “And that goes for you as well, Puck.” I turned my glare on the Great Prankster. “The Varyn who betrayed Nyx and tried to kill her for the Lady is centuries dead. This is not the same faery. Different lives, different choices, different circumstances—they can all change a person. You know that. You are not the same Robin Goodfellow today that you were a hundred years ago, and yet you’re blaming Varyn for an act he didn’t commit and probably never would.

  “So, this ends now,” I finished, staring them both down. “Tonight. I don’t care how you do it, but the two of you had better figure this out. And you’d better figure it out before we reach the Wailing One, or we’re going to fail, and then there will be no one left to save Evenfall. Stop fighting,” I finished, glaring at them both. “Learn to work together. We are not the enemies here.”

  And before either of them could respond, I whirled and stalked back to Keirran, anger still a roiling storm within. Enough was enough. I had been listening to those two go at each other for too long. Over past fears and grudges that were no longer relevant. If we couldn’t even handle a giant bat without one of us nearly dying, we stood no chance against a named Elder Nightmare who was virtually unkillable. Varyn had been right about one thing: not trusting each other would be dangerous in the lair of the Wailing One. I didn’t care if Puck and Varyn didn’t get along, but they needed to work together if we were to have any hope of defeating this enemy.

  Ash gave me a faint smile as I returned from chewing out Puck and Varyn, but he didn’t say anything as I knelt beside the fire. Grimalkin, I noticed, had claimed our firepit as his own and was perched contentedly on a rock close to the embers. Golden eyes cracked open, peering up at me in subtle amusement.

  “Don’t say anything, Grimalkin,” I warned. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  The cat merely yawned. “I would not dream of it, Iron Queen,” he purred. “Though your kind’s tendency to argue about pointless issues that are long past has always baffled me. Why hold someone responsible for something that they had no part in? It makes no sense. At least now, perhaps, we can reach the Nightmare’s lair sooner.”

  “Iron Queen.”

  I looked up. One of the Nyxes stood there, hood brushed back, golden eyes concerned as she gazed down at me. For a moment, I wondered which Nyx it was, but then noticed the other Nyx talking to Varyn by the fire and realized this one was ours.

  “Forgive the interruption,” our Nyx said with a quick glance at Grimalkin, who, I noticed, had gone back to sleep. “But... Keirran. Is he...?”

  “Gilleas thinks he’ll be all right,” I said, and her shoulders slumped with relief. Keirran was her king, after all, as well as her friend. “He might be under a curse when he wakes up, but we don’t think it will be life-threatening. It is something we’ll have to keep an eye on, though.”

  She winced, a guilty expression crossing her face for just a moment. “I am sorry, my king,” she murmured, gazing down at Keirran’s sleeping form. “I swore an oath to protect you and your kingdom. But I wasn’t there when I was needed.”

  “This isn’t your fault, Nyx,” I said softly. “We all could have done a little better.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, sounding even more pained now. “Forgive me, Iron Queen. I should have told you about Varyn. The moment I saw him in this world, I should have told you the whole story. Not that I feared that he would betray us—the two Varyns are different people, just as I am different from the Nyx of this world. And it might be a little late, but...” She made a small, hopeless gesture with one hand. “The Lady was a cruel and fickle mistress. Serving her, carrying out her wishes...it made us all a little hollow inside. Who knows what would have happened if we had never served the First Queen, but I can’t live on what-ifs. As you said yourself—the Varyn I knew is long dead. I have moved on.”

  I gave her a faint smile. “I think there is someone else who needs to hear that.”

  “I know.” A corner of her lip twitched, and she rolled her eyes. “He is trying his best to be forgiven. I don’t think he’ll have to wait too much longer.”

  Behind us, Keirran let out a ragged gasp and bolted upright on the rocks.

  “It’s coming.”

  18

  A THOUSAND VOICES

  “Keirran.”

  Nyx and I both rushed to his side. Ash had gotten up as well, gripping Keirran’s shoulder to stop him from thrashing. “Calm down,” Ash ordered, his firm voice commanding obedience. “Breathe, Keirran. You’re safe.”

  “No,” Keirran panted, though his frantic struggles did stop as he recognized us. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to speak calmly. “It’s coming,” he whispered. “We’re not safe here. We have to move.”

  “What is?”

  A chilling howl echoed over the mountains, sounding far closer than it had in the past. At the other firepit, Puck, Varyn, and Other Nyx looked up sharply, scanning the skies for the source of the noise.

  “She knows we’re here,” Keirran went on. “The Wailing One. She knows what we’re trying to do.” He grimaced, one hand clutching at his head. “It’s coming,” he whispered again. “She sent something after us. It’s left the tower and is coming toward us right now.”

  “Get everyone on their feet,” Ash said, rising swiftly. “I’ll take care of Keirran. Grimalkin, I assume you can find us a cave or other hiding spot in these mountains?”

  The cat stretched languidly on the rock before stepping down, seemingly unconcerned. “Finding holes in mountains is not difficult,” he said. “I am sure I can turn up something.”

  * * *

  The screams pursued us into the mountains. They echoed off distant peaks and shivered through deep crags and gullies, never giving any indication as to how close or far away the source was. To make matters worse, Keirran kept stumbling, recoiling from things that weren’t there, and going for his sword. His face was haggard, his eyes haunted as he continued to scan the cliffs around us.

  As the screams drew discernably closer, lightning flickered from a sky that was suddenly mottled and black. A sharp, bitter wind blew into my face, making my eyes water. It smelled wrong; tainted and choking, like the scent that came off the water.

  “It’s going to rain,” Other Nyx announced, glancing warily up at the sky. “I can’t imagine that’s going to be good for us.”

  “You would be correct,” Gilleas said over the growing screams of whatever was coming. From the volume and the echoes, it sounded like it was right around the bend. “The rain will be laced with the tears of the Wailing One,” Gilleas went on. “Not as potent as the water coming down from the mountain, but getting caught in the storm will not be pleasant, for any of us.”

  “Grimalkin,” I called, looking around in vain for the cat. “Have you found us a shelter yet? Otherwise we’re going to be fighting another Nightmare in a rain of tears!”

  “What do you think I have been doing, Iron Queen?” Grimalkin materialized on a large boulder, his expression annoyed. “While you all have been lamenting the weather, I have found a suitable cave. This way, and do watch your step. It is a very long fall to the bottom.”

  A few minutes later, we followed the cat along a narrow ledge, backs pressed against the wall, staring at the sheer drop at our feet. Clouds drifted below us, and a cold wind moaned through the ravine, tossing my hair as if to yank me from the ledge.

  “Okay, someone is going to have to talk to that cat about the meaning of suitable,” Puck commented, his voice echoing into the ravine below. “Because there is a difference between ‘suitable for everyone’ and ‘suitable for mountain goats.’ And if anyone makes a joke about me being shaggy and horny, I’m going to push them.”

  “You are almost there,” Grimalkin said, calmly peering back at us. “Just a bit farther. The cave is right ahead.”

  I glanced at Keirran beside me. His eyes were glazed, his skin pale, and the haunted look still clung to him. Ash loomed on his other side, ready to grab him should he slip or fall, but worry still twisted my stomach.

  My son must’ve felt my anxious gaze on him, because he half smiled without looking up. “I’m all right,” he murmured. “If I stare straight down, I don’t see their faces. Just a very long fall into nothing.”

  A drop of water hit my forehead and slid down my cheek. It didn’t burn, not exactly, but it still felt tainted and smelled of bitterness and rage. My eyes watered, and I scrubbed a hand across my face to clear my vision.

  “Hurry, if you can,” Grimalkin urged from farther ahead. I looked up and saw the cat standing at the entrance to a large hole in the rock, eyes glowing in the darkness. “The storm is coming. I would advise you to shuffle faster.”

  We did, moving along the narrow ledge as quickly as we could. No sooner had I reached the mouth of the cave than the skies opened up with a hiss, and a curtain of rain began creeping over the mountains. I waited as Keirran ducked into the cave, followed by Ash, Puck, Nyx, Other Nyx, and finally Varyn, who ducked beneath the ledge just ahead of the rain.

  Puck exhaled, leaning against the wall, watching the water sweep across the opening of the cave. “Cutting it a little close, but we made it. You know, I feel like we’ve done this before with Furball, and it always seems that he finds what we’re looking for at the very last dramatic second.”

  I started to respond when a wail shivered through the air and caused dust to rain from the ceiling. A chill crawled along my spine, followed by looming anxiety that something was coming, drawing ever closer through the darkness.

  “Meghan,” Ash growled, his voice a warning. He hadn’t moved away from the mouth of the cave, and cut a dark silhouette against the stormy sky, his coat billowing behind him in the wind. “Look.”

  Heart pounding, I gazed out into the storm.

  The rain was picking up, turning the world colorless. It smelled wrong, like salt and bitterness and regret, burning my eyes again and clogging my throat. Before coming to Faery, I hadn’t known emotions could have smells, but after living as a fey queen for many years, I now knew the scent of grief and rage. Even after all this time, I found it unsettling.

  Lightning flickered, and in the flash, I glimpsed a shape in the rain, flowing through the air like a ragged cloud. Through the storm, it was blurry and indistinct, a long, pale form that trailed wisps of fog behind it. It had no wings, no arms or tail or even a head that I could see, but it was massive, nearly as large as the bat we’d fought earlier. I watched it twist and coil toward us, its bone-chilling screams echoing off the peaks, its form unclear.

  And then it turned toward us, revealing a face. Peering out of a hundred other faces. My blood chilled as the ethereal form of the Nightmare solidified into a mass of anguished expressions, each a mask of grief and agony. Human faces, elven faces, goblin and troll faces, faces I couldn’t recognize, faces I had never seen before and could barely fathom. All screaming. All crying out in torment, rage, sorrow, and despair. I met the glassy, teary eyes of the face in the middle, saw them widen for a fraction of a second, before every face that made up the Nightmare’s terrible body turned toward me.

  With a shriek that sent pain stabbing through my head, the creature twisted around and flew right at us.

  Ash and I lunged back from the entrance of the cave. “Everyone, move,” Ash ordered, his voice echoing off the walls. Reaching down, he pulled a hunched, huddled Keirran to his feet and shoved him toward the back of the cave. “Get farther into the tunnel. The Nightmare is coming!”

  With a wail so loud it brought tears to my eyes, the mass of faces lunged into the cave. Its body distended, squeezing into the tight space with us, the shrieks threatening to bring the entire cavern down around us. My head throbbed, and my ears felt like they were bleeding, but I drew my sword and stabbed it through one of the faces as they slithered forward, the blade plunging deep into its temple.