Iron's Prophecy (The Iron Fey #4.5)(15)

“Really?” I looked at the grinning prankster. “Do I even want to know?”

“You really don’t, princess.”

“He was trying to make Oberon forget about a certain prank that went off in Titania’s bedchambers,” Ash answered for him. “I don’t even remember what it was, but it backfired and caught Oberon instead of Titania. The Erlking was about ready to tear his head off.”

“Oh, great, ice-boy, make it sound like the worst thing ever.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s a wonder you’ve survived this long. What happened with the tree?”

Puck scratched the back of his head. “Well—and this was a long time ago, understand—we made it to the tree—”

“Which took no small amount of effort, because Oberon was hunting us all over the wyldwood,” Ash broke in.

“Who’s telling the story here, ice-boy? Anyway…” Puck sniffed. “We made it to the tree. And I wished that Oberon would just…forget about that little misunderstanding. I thought I phrased it very well, didn’t leave anything to chance. And, it worked…sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Everyone forgot us.” Ash sighed. “The entire Nevernever. No one remembered who we were, that we’d ever existed.” He leveled a piercing glare at Puck. “I very nearly faded away, thanks to you.”

“He’ll never let me forget that,” Puck told me, rolling his eyes. I stared at him in alarm, and he grimaced. “But yeah. It was a pain in the ass to get that wish reversed. Not something I’d want to do again. Wishing Tree equals bad news. And that’s not even counting the stupid thing guarding it.”

“Which is why I am here, Goodfellow.” Grimalkin sighed from up ahead. “Do not worry about the phrasing of the wish—I will take care of that. All you must concern yourself with is getting the queen past the sentinel of the tree. That is why you are here, I assume.”

“Sentinel?” I frowned as a thick wall of bramble and thorns peeled back for me, revealing a small clearing beyond. “What sentinel?”

Puck winced and nodded into the glen. “That sentinel.”

A tree stood in the center of the clearing. It was large and pale, bare of leaves, with crooked branches reaching up to claw the sky. However, only the top limbs were visible above the coils of a massive snake curled around the trunk. The huge serpent, black and shiny with thick, armorlike scales, shifted its huge body into an even tighter coil, looking like it wanted to suffocate the tree. I could see its head, resting on the ground, an arrow-shaped viper skull with lidless red eyes. A forked tongue, almost as long as me, flicked out to taste the air.

“Jeez, that thing has gotten huge,” Puck muttered, crossing his arms as we stared at the gigantic creature. “I don’t remember it being half that big the last time we killed it, do you, ice-boy?”

I started, frowning at him. “You killed it? Then, how is it…still here?”

“It doesn’t stay dead,” Ash replied, watching the monster over my shoulder. His hands came to rest lightly on my waist as he moved close. “If someone wants to use the Wishing Tree, they first have to kill the guardian. If they’re successful, they get their wish, but the sentinel returns to life soon after, even bigger and harder to kill than before.”

“Oh.” I glared at Grimalkin, calmly washing his paws on a nearby rock. “That’s just fabulous. And you expect us to kill that thing? It’s the size of Walmart.”

The cat yawned. “I do not expect you to do anything, Iron Queen,” he said, examining his claws. “I am simply to guide you to where you need to go. If you do not wish to get to the oracle and inquire about the future of your child, that is your decision.” He gave the paw a final lick, then set it down. “But the only way to the oracle is through the Wishing Tree. And the only way to the Wishing Tree is through the sentinel.”

“He’s right.” Ash sighed, and drew his blade. Puck followed suit with his daggers. “If the only way to the oracle is past that serpent, then we’re cutting a path straight through. We did it before—we’ll just have to do it again.”

“I love it when you talk my language, ice-boy.” Puck grinned.

I drew my sword as well, but Ash put a hand my arm. “Meghan, wait,” he said softly, pulling us back a step. I hesitated, then followed him back into the trees, out of sight of the serpent. “I don’t want you to fight this time,” he said as he bent close, his expression intent and serious. “Stay back with Grimalkin. Leave this fight to me and Puck.”

I scowled. “What, you don’t think I can handle myself?” I asked, vaguely aware that Puck had moved away, giving us some space. Grimalkin had also disappeared, so it was just me and my knight. I glared at him, hurt and indignant. “Afraid I’ll get in your way or slow you down?”

“It’s not that—”

“Then what is it?” I faced him calmly, drawing on the persona of the Iron Queen. I would not act like a whiny teenager. I was the ruler of Mag Tuiredh, the queen of thousands of fey, and I would not throw a tantrum in the middle of the Nevernever. “You know I can fight,” I told him. “You were the one who taught me. We’ve fought side by side against Machina, Virus, Ferrum and an entire army of Iron fey. I’ve fought more battles than most have seen in a lifetime, and I know I’ll have to fight more in the future. This is part of my duty, Ash. I’m not helpless anymore.”