The Lost Prince (21 page)

“Oh.” Kenzie blinked. A strange look crossed her face, that same look I had seen back in Grimalkin’s cave; thoughtful and excited, when she should have been disbelieving and terrified. “So, what about us? If we stay in the Nevernever, do we stop aging, too?”

I narrowed my eyes, not liking this sudden interest or the thought of staying here. But Grimalkin, sitting at a pair of doors facing each other across the wide hall, raised his head and yawned.

“Not to the extent that you are immortal,” he explained, eying us lazily. “Humans in the Nevernever do age, but at a much slower rate. Sometimes countless years will pass before they notice any signs of decay. Sometimes they remain infants for centuries, and then one day they simply wake up old and withered. It is different for everyone.” He yawned again and licked a paw. “But, no, human. Mortals cannot live forever. Nothing lives forever, not even the immortal Fey.”

“And don’t forget time is screwy here,” I added, frowning at the contradiction but deciding to ignore it. “You might spend a year in Faery and go home to find twenty years have passed, or a hundred years. We don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”

“Relax, Ethan. I wasn’t suggesting we buy a vacation home in the wyldwood.” Kenzie’s voice was light, but her gaze was suddenly far away. “I was just…wondering.”

Grimalkin sniffed. “Well. Now, I am bored.”

He stood, arched his tail over his back as he stretched, and trotted off down the hall. Even before he turned the corner, he vanished from sight.

I eyed the guards stationed very close to the “guest suites,” and resentment simmered. “Guess these are our rooms, then,” I said, crossing the hall and nudging a door open. It swung back to reveal a large room with a bed against one wall, a fireplace on the other and two giant glass doors leading to a balcony outside. “Fancy,” I muttered, letting the door creak shut. “Nicest jail cell I’ve ever been in.”

Kenzie didn’t answer. She still stood in the same spot, gazing down the corridor where Grimalkin had vanished, her expression remote. I walked back, but she didn’t look at me.

“Hey.” I reached out and touched her elbow, and she started. “You all right?”

She took a breath and nodded. “Yeah,” she said, a little too brightly. “I’m fine, just tired.” She sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes. “I think I’m gonna crash for a bit. Wake me up when they announce dinner or something, okay?”

“Sure.”

As I watched her walk toward her room, amazement and guilt clawed at me, fighting an equal battle within. Kenzie was still here.
Why
was she still here? She could’ve gone home, back to her family and friends and a normal life. Back to the real world. Instead, she’d chosen to stay in this crazy, upside-down nightmare where nothing made sense. I only hoped she would live to regret it.

“Ethan,” Kenzie said as I turned away. I looked back, and she smiled from across the hall. “If you need to talk,” she said softly, “about anything…I’m here. I’m willing to listen.”

My heart gave a weird little lurch. No one had ever told me that, not with any real knowledge of what they were getting into.
Oh, Kenzie. I wish I could. I wish I could…tell you everything, but I won’t do that to you. The less you know about Them—and me—the better.

“To my whining?” I snorted, forcing a half grin. “Very generous of you, but I think I’ll be fine. Besides, this is just another way of wheedling an interview out of me, right?”

“Darn, I’ve become predictable.” Kenzie rolled her eyes and pushed her door open. “Well, if you change your mind, the offer still stands. Just knock first, okay?”

I nodded, and her door swung shut, leaving me alone in the hall.

For a moment, I thought about exploring the palace, seeing what my sister’s home looked like, maybe checking for possible escape routes. But I had the feeling Meghan was keeping a close eye on me. She was probably expecting me to try something. I caught the impassive gaze of an Iron knight, watching me from the end of the hall, heard the gremlins snickering at me from the ceiling, and resentment boiled. She had no right to keep me here, especially after she was the one who’d left. She had no say in my life.

But they were watching me, a whole realm of Iron fey, making sure I wouldn’t do anything against their queen’s wishes. I didn’t want a pack of gremlins trailing me through the palace, ready to scamper off to warn Meghan. And truthfully, I was exhausted. If I
was
going to pull something off, I needed to be awake and alert to do it.

Ignoring the buzz and snickers of the gremlins, I pushed my door open again. Thankfully, they didn’t follow.

The room seemed even larger from inside, the high windows and arched balcony doors filling the air with sunlight. I spared a quick glance outside, confirming that the garden was several stories down and crawling with fey, before flopping back on the bed. My rattan dropped to the carpet, and I left them there, still within easy reach. Lacing my hands behind my head, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

Wonder what Mom and Dad are doing right now?
I thought, watching the lines in the plaster blur together, forming strange creatures and leering faces.
They’ll probably stick an ankle bracelet on me after this. I wonder if they’ve called the police yet, or if Mom suspects that I’m here.
I remembered my last words to Mom, snapped out in frustration and anger, and closed my eyes.
Dammit, I have to get back to the real world. Meghan isn’t going to look hard for Todd. I’m the only one who has a chance of finding him.

But there’d be no getting out today. Beyond this room, Meghan’s Iron fey would be watching my every move. And I didn’t know any trods from the Iron Court back to the real world.

My eyes grew heavy, and the faces in the ceiling blurred and floated off the plaster. I closed my eyes, feeling relatively safe for the first time since coming to the Nevernever, and let myself drift off.

* * *

A faint tapping sound had me bolting upright.

The room was dark. Silvery light filtered in from the windows, throwing long shadows over the floor. Beyond the glass, the sky was twilight-blue, dotted with stars that sparkled like diamonds. I gazed around blearily, noting that someone had left a tray of food on the table on the opposite wall. The moonlight gleamed off the metallic plate covers.

Swinging myself off the bed, I rubbed my eyes, wondering what had woken me. Maybe it was just a lingering nightmare, or I’d just imagined I’d heard the tap of something against the window....

Looking through the glass, my skin prickled, and I snatched a rattan from the side of the bed. Something crouched on the balcony railing, silhouetted against the sky, peering through the glass with the moonlight blazing down on him. It glimmered off his silver hair and threw his shadow across the balcony and into the room. I saw the gleam of a too-bright eye, the flash of perfectly white teeth as he grinned at me.

It was the faery from the courtyard, the gentry who had been practicing with the knight this afternoon. He was dressed in loose clothing of blue and white, with a leather strap across his chest, the hilt of a sword poking up behind one shoulder. Intense, ice-blue eyes glowed in the darkness as he peered through the glass and waved.

Gripping my weapon, I walked to the balcony doors and yanked them open, letting in the breeze and the sharp scent of metal. The faery still crouched on the railing, perfectly balanced, his elbows resting on his knees and a faint smile on his face. The wind tossed his loose hair, revealing the tips of the pointed ears knifing away from his head. I raised my stick and gave him a hard smile.

“Let me guess,” I said, sliding through the door onto the balcony. “You heard about the human in the castle, so you decided to come by and have a little fun? Maybe give him nightmares or put centipedes in his pillowcase?

The faery grinned. “That wasn’t very friendly of me,” he said in a surprisingly soft, clear voice. “And here I thought I was dropping by to introduce myself.” He stood, easily balancing on the rails, still smiling. “But if you’re so sold on me putting centipedes in your bed, I’m sure I can find a few.”

“Don’t bother,” I growled at him, narrowing my eyes. “What do you want?”

“You’re Ethan Chase, right? The queen’s brother?”

“Who’s asking?”

The faery shook his head. “They said you were hostile. I see they weren’t exaggerating.” He hopped off the railing, landing soundlessly on the veranda. “My name is Keirran,” he continued in a solemn voice. “And I was hoping we could talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.” Alarm flickered. If this faery had come by to propose a deal, I was beyond not interested. “Let me save you some time,” I continued, staring him down. “If the next sentence out of your mouth includes the words
deal
,
bargain
,
contract
,
favor
or anything of the sort, you can leave right now. I don’t make deals with your kind.”

“Not even if I’m offering a way out of the Iron Realm? Back to the mortal world?”

My heart jumped to my throat.
Back to the mortal world. If I can go home…if I can get Kenzie home, and find Todd… I’d accomplished what I’d come here to do; I’d alerted Meghan to the threat of these new fey, and I doubted she was going to bring me into her inner circle anytime soon, not with her being so adamant about keeping me “safe.” I had to get home. If this faery knew a way…

Shaking my head, I took a step back.
No.
The fey always offered what you wanted the most, tied up in a pretty, sparkling package, and it always came at a high, high price. Too high a price. “No,” I said out loud, firmly banishing any temptation to hear him out. “Forget it. Like I said, I don’t make deals with you people. Not for anything. I have nothing to offer you, so go away.”

“You misunderstand me.” The faery smiled, holding up a hand. “I’m not here to bargain, or make a deal or a trade, or anything like that. I simply know a way out of the Iron Realm. And I’m offering to lead you there, free of charge. No obligation whatsoever.”

I didn’t trust him. Everything I knew was telling me this was some sort of trap, or riddle or faery word game. “Why would you do that?” I asked cautiously.

He shrugged, looking distinctly fey, and leaped onto the railing again. “Truthfully? Mostly because I’m
bored,
and this seems as good a reason to get out of here as any. Besides—” he grinned, and his eyes sparkled with mischief “—you’re looking for a half-breed, right? And you said the exiles and half-breeds are disappearing from the mortal realm.” I narrowed my eyes, and he made a placating gesture. “Gremlins talk. I listened. You want to find your friend? I know someone who might be able to help.”

“Who?”

“Sorry.” Keirran crossed his arms, still smiling. “I can’t tell you until you’ve agreed you’re coming along. You might go to the queen otherwise, and that would ruin it.” He hopped onto one of the posts, inhumanly graceful, and beamed down at me. “Not to brag, but I’m sort of an expert at getting into and out of places unseen. But if we’re going to leave, it should be soon. So, what’s your answer? Are you coming, or not?”

This still seemed like a bad idea. I didn’t trust him, and despite what he said, no faery did anything for free. Still, who knew how long it would take Meghan to figure out what was going on, how long before she would let me go? I might not get another chance.

“All right,” I muttered, glaring up at him. “I’ll trust you for now. But I’m not leaving Kenzie behind. She’s coming with us, no matter what you say.”

“I’d already planned for it.” Keirran grinned more widely and crouched down on the pole. “Go on and get her, then,” he said, looking perfectly comfortable, balanced on the top. “I’ll wait for you here.”

I drew back, grabbed my other stick from under the bed, and walked to the door, feeling his piercing eyes on me the whole way.

I half expected to find my door locked, despite Meghan’s assurances that I was a guest in the palace. But it opened easily, and I slipped into the obscenely bright hallway, lit by glowing lanterns and metallic chandeliers. The guards were still there, pretending not to notice me as I crossed the hall to Kenzie’s room.

Her door was closed, but as I lifted my knuckles to tap on it, I paused. Beyond the wood, I could hear faint noises coming from inside. Soft, sniffling, gasping noises. Worried, I reached down and quietly turned the handle. Her door was also unlocked, and it swung slowly inward.

Kenzie sat on the bed with her back to me, head bowed, her delicate shoulders heaving as she sobbed into the pillow held to her chest. Her curtains had been drawn, except for one, and a thin strand of moonlight eased through the crack and fell over her, outlining the small, shaking body.

“Kenzie.” Quickly, I shut the door and crossed the room, coming to stand beside her. “Are you all right?” I asked, feeling completely stupid and awkward. Of course she wasn’t all right; she was crying her eyes out into her pillow. I fully expected her to tell me to leave, or make some snarky comment that I totally deserved. But she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

“Yeah,” she whispered, hastily rubbing a palm over her cheeks. “Sorry. I’m fine. Just…feeling a little overwhelmed, I guess. I think it’s finally caught up to me.”

I noticed her keys then, glinting on the mattress, and a small photograph encased in a plastic keychain. Looking to her for permission, I picked it up, making the keys jingle softly, and examined the picture. Kenzie and a small, dark-haired girl of maybe ten smiled up at me, faces close together. Kenzie’s arm was raised slightly as if she was holding a camera up in front of them.

“My sister,” she explained as I glanced back at her. “Alex. Or Alexandria. I’m not the only one in my family with a long, complicated name.” She smiled, but I could see her trying to be brave, to not burst into tears again. “Actually, she’s my stepsister. My mom died three years ago, and a year after that Dad remarried. I…I always wanted a sibling....” Her eyes glimmered in the darkness, and her voice caught. “We were supposed to go to the lake house this weekend. But…I don’t know what’s happening to them now. I don’t know if they think I’m dead, or kidnapped or if Alex is waiting up for me to come home—” She buried her face in her pillow again, muffling her sobs, and I couldn’t watch any longer.