For just a second, he hesitated. For a heartbeat, I thought we’d gotten through. But then his eyes clouded over, and his face became hard.
“No,” he said, his voice resolved. “I can’t stop now. Not when we’re this close. I’ve chosen my path, and I won’t falter. The prophecy has decided my fate, and I am what they call me—the Destroyer. The Soulless One. So be it.” His eyes went icy, that cold apathy settling on him like a mantle. “I will be their villain,” he murmured, raising his head, “but I will also change the world with the First Queen. And nothing will stand in our way.”
“Keirran, please,” Annwyl whispered. “The realm is being torn apart. This war will obliterate everything. Please, you have to destroy the amulet. Just let me go.”
The Iron Prince looked at her blankly, all traces of the old Keirran disappearing as the icy stranger took his place. “Do I?” he mused, cocking his head. “Maybe I will. Maybe I will destroy it after all. But not until the Veil has fallen. Even now, the Lady works to weaken it.” He glanced at me. “There is only one thing missing, one thing that she needs for it to shatter and never re-form again.”
“You tried that once,” I growled at him. “It didn’t work. What makes you think this time will be any different?”
He gave me a chilling smile and gestured to the courtyard. “Look around you,” Keirran said. “Do you know where you are? Does any of this seem familiar?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“We saw it once, in passing,” Keirran insisted. “Don’t you remember? The first time I took you through the Between. It was just a ruin then, but I made note of where it was. A site of great power. A place that exists in both worlds.”
As usual, Kenzie got it before I did. “This is an anchor,” she guessed, and the prince nodded.
“Just a ruin,” he said. “A few stones. But it was enough. Enough for the Lady to build this kingdom and create a safe haven for the Forgotten. Not that it will be needed much longer.”
He turned to me, a smile playing across his lips. “We had it wrong before,” he almost whispered. “We know now why the Veil re-formed. The sacrifice must be done at the site of both worlds, not just the mortal realm.” His smile grew wider, more evil. “So, I guess it’s fortunate you didn’t die in Ireland after all.”
Horror flooded me, and Kenzie gasped with the realization. Keirran drew his sword, the raspy screech echoing over the walls. I backed away, shoving the girls behind me, and raised my own weapon. The Iron Prince stepped forward, the air around him turning frigid. “Well, now that you’re here, you can fulfill the true prophecy, Ethan Chase. You can die, again, and your blood will be the final force that will shatter the Veil for good.” He raised his sword, icy glamour beginning to swirl around him. “And this time, there will be no coming back.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
BLOOD AND SACRIFICE
He didn’t bother with magic this time. No lightning, ice darts, blast of wind, nothing. He just lunged at me, the curved steel blade slicing down at my neck. I leaped back, barely getting my sword up in time, and the screech of metal on metal rocked me and sent a chill racing up my spine.
Kenzie and Annwyl darted back. “Keirran, stop!” Annwyl cried, raising her arm. Glamour swirled around her, but the Iron Prince turned, flinging out a hand toward her. A vicious gust of wind sent her tumbling off her feet and sprawling against the stones with a gasp. Keirran smiled grimly.
“You might be immune to glamour now, but I’m afraid your friends are not,” he said, and gestured again, sending Kenzie stumbling back. “And I would like to keep the interference at a minimum this time, so...”
I started toward Kenzie, ignoring the prince, but the shadows around us suddenly came alive. Forgotten emerged from the darkness, yellow eyes gleaming, and slithered toward the girls. Two pounced on Annwyl, dragging her upright by the arms, and another pair seized Kenzie. Razor shrieked and lunged at one with fangs bared but was slapped away and hit a statue with a tiny but sickening crack. He dropped to the stones, moaning and holding his arm, and the Forgotten pulled Kenzie against the wall, ignoring her cries of protest.
Furious, I went for the Forgotten holding Kenzie, but a line of glittering ice spears rose from the ground between us.
“The fight is here, Ethan,” Keirran called in a mocking voice. “Unless you’re afraid to fight me one-on-one. No Titania to save you this time.” I whirled on him, snarling, and he smiled. “No interruptions now. Just you and me.”
“Fine,” I growled, brandishing my sword. Anger, fury and hate boiled up as I faced my nephew across the flagstones. This was it. The final battle between me and the Iron Prince, and I was ready. No more holding back or trying to talk him down. This had been coming since the day we met. “Come on, then, Prince,” I said, curling my lip into a sneer. “If this is the only way to stop the war and save the Nevernever, then I’ll just have to kick your ass all the way back to your precious Lady.”
He grinned and lunged at me. I met him in the center of the courtyard, the clang of our weapons ringing off the stones. We swung and parried with our blades, barely missing each other, the razor edges coming uncomfortably close. Keirran had only one sword to my two, but his speed and unnatural grace made up for it. Plus he had been trained by Ash, one of the best swordsmen in the Nevernever. I knew it was only a matter of time before the blood started to fly and fleetingly wondered who would draw it first.