"uh-huh." puck sounded unconvinced. "and this would just cost me a small favor in return, is that right?"

"you pulled me into this conflict the moment you dropped this girl into my tree," grimalkin said, blinking lazily. "i cannot believe that was an act of coincidence, not from the infamous robin goodfellow. you should have known it might come to this."

"i know better than to make deals with a cait sith," puck shot back, then sighed, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. "fine," he said at last. "you win, princess. freedom is highly overrated, anyway. if i'm going to do anything, i might as well do it big."

my heart lifted. "so, you'll help us?"

"sure, why not?" puck gave me a resigned smile. "you'd get eaten alive without me. besides, storming the unseelie court?" his grin widened. "can't pass that up for anything."

"then let us go," grimalkin said as puck pulled me to my feet. "the longer we tarry, the farther word will spread about our intentions. tir na nog is not far now." he turned and trotted down the corridor, his tail help upright in the fog.

we followed the hallway for several minutes. after a while, the air turned cold and sharp; frost coated the walls of the corridor, and icicles dangled from the ceiling.

"we are getting close," came grimalkin's disembodied voice in the mist.

the hallway ended with a simple wooden door. a thin powder of snow lined the bottom crack, and the door trembled and creaked in the wind howling just outside.

puck stepped forward. "ladies and felines," he stated grandly, grasping the doorknob, "welcome to tir na nog. land of endless winter and shitloads of snow."

a billow of freezing powder caressed my face as he pulled the door open. blinking away ice crystals, i stepped forward.

i stood in a frozen garden, the thornbushes on the fence coated with ice, a cherub fountain in the center of the yard spouting frozen water. in the distance, beyond the barren trees and thorny scrub, i saw the pointed roof of a huge victorian estate. i glanced back for grim and puck and saw them standing under a trellis hung with purple vines and crystal blue flowers. as they stepped through, the corridor vanished behind them.

"charming," puck commented, gazing around in distaste. "i love the barren, dead feel they're going for. who's the gardener, i wonder? i'd love to get some tips."

i was already shivering. "h-how far are we from queen mab's court?" i asked, my teeth chattering.

"the winter court is maybe two days' walk from here," grimalkin said, leaping onto a tree stump. he shook his paws, one by one, and sat down carefully. "we should find shelter soon. i am uncomfortable in this weather, and the girl will certainly freeze to death."

a dark chuckle echoed across the garden. "i wouldn't worry about that now."

a figure stepped out from behind a tree, sword held loosely in one hand. my heart skipped a beat, and then picked up again, louder and more irregular than before. the breeze ruffled the figure's black hair as he moved toward us, graceful and silent as a shadow. grimalkin hissed and disappeared, and puck shoved me behind him.

"i've been waiting for you," ash murmured into the silence.

chapter sixteen

the iron fey

"ash," i whispered as the lean, stealthy figure glided toward us, his boots making no sound in the snow. he was devastatingly gorgeous, dressed all in black, his pale face seeming to float over the ground. i remembered the way he smiled, the look in his silver eyes as we danced. he wasn't smiling now, and his eyes were cold. this wasn't the prince i'd danced with elysium night; this wasn't anything but a predator.

"ash," puck repeated in a conversational tone, though his face had gone hard and feral. "what a surprise to see you here. how did you find us?"

"it wasn't difficult." ash sounded bored. "the princess mentioned that she was looking for someone within mab's court. there are only so many ways into tir na nog from the mortal world, and shard doesn't exactly make it a secret that she guards the trod. i figured it was only a matter of time before you came here."

"very clever," puck said, smirking. "but then, you were always the strategist, weren't you? what do you want, ash?"

"your head," ash answered softly. "on a pike. but what i want doesn't matter this time." he pointed his sword at me. "i've come for her."

i gasped as my heart and stomach began careening around my chest. he's here for me, to kill me, like he promised at elysium.

"over my dead body." puck smiled, as if this was a friendly conversation on the street, but i felt muscles coiling under his skin.

"that was part of the plan." the prince raised his sword, the icy blade wreathed in mist. "i will avenge her today, and put her memory to rest." for a moment, a shadow of anguish flitted across his face, and he closed his eyes. when he opened them, they were cold and glittered with malice. "prepare yourself."

"stay back, princess," puck warned, pushing me out of the way. he reached into his boot and pulled out a dagger, the curved blade clear as glass. "this might get a little rough."

"puck, no." i clutched at his sleeve. "don't fight him. someone could die."

"duels to the death tend to end that way." puck grinned, but it was a savage thing, grim and frightening. "but i'm touched that you care. one moment, princeling," he called to ash, who inclined his head. taking my wrist, puck steered me behind the fountain and bent close, his breath warm on my face.

"i have to do this, princess," he said firmly. "ash won't let us go without a fight, and this has been coming for a long time now." for a moment, a shadow of regret flickered across his face, but then it was gone.

"so," he murmured, grinning as he tilted my chin up, "before i march off to battle, how 'bout a kiss for luck?"

i hesitated, wondering why now, of all times, he would ask for a kiss. he certainly didn't think of me in that way...did he? i shook myself. there was no time to wonder about that. leaning forward, i kissed him on the cheek. his skin was warm, and bristly with stubble. "don't die," i whispered, pulling back.

puck looked disappointed, but only for a second. "me? die? didn't they tell you, princess? i'm robin goodfellow."

with a whoop, he flourished his knife and charged the waiting prince.

ash lunged, a dark blur across the snow, his sword hissing down in a vicious arc. puck leaped out of the way, and the blow sent a miniature blizzard arching toward me. i gasped, the freezing spray stinging like needles, and rubbed at my burning eyes. when i could open them again, ash and puck were deep in battle, and it looked like each was intent on killing the other.

puck ducked a savage blow and tossed ash something from his pocket. it erupted into a large boar, squealing madly as it charged the prince, tusks gleaming. the ice sword hammered into it, and the boar exploded in a swirl of dry leaves. ash flung out his arm, and a spray of glittering ice shards flew toward puck like daggers. i cried out, but puck inhaled and blew in their direction, like he was blowing out a birthday candle. the shards shimmered into daisies, raining harmlessly around him, and he grinned.

ash attacked viciously, his blade singing as he bore down on his opponent. puck dodged and parried with his dagger, retreating before the onslaught of the winter prince. diving away, puck snatched a handful of twigs from the base of the tree, blew on them, and tossed them into the air-

-and now there were three pucks, grinning wickedly as they set upon their opponent. three knives flashed, three bodies surrounded the dark prince, as the real puck leaned against the tree and watched ash struggle.

but ash was far from beaten. he spun away from the pucks, his sword a blur as he dodged and parried, whirling from one attack to the next. he ducked beneath an opponent's guard, ripped his blade up, and sliced cleanly through a puck's stomach. the doppelg?nger split in two, changing into a severed stick that dropped away. ash spun to meet the puck rushing up from the side. his sword whirled, and puck's head dropped from his shoulders before reverting to a twig. the last puck charged the prince from behind, dagger raised high. ash didn't even turn, but rammed his blade backward, point up. puck's lunge carried him onto the blade and drove it through his stomach, the point erupting out his back. the prince yanked the sword free without turning, and a shattered twig dropped to the snow.

ash lowered his sword, gazing around warily. following his gaze, i gave a start. puck had disappeared, pulling a grimalkin while we were distracted. instantly wary, the winter prince scanned the garden, edging forward with his sword raised. his gaze flicked to me, and i tensed, but he dismissed me almost as quickly, stepping beneath the boughs of a frozen pine.

as ash stepped under the branches, something leaped out of the snow, howling. the prince dodged, the knife barely missing him, and puck overbalanced, stumbling forward. with a snarl, ash drove the point of the sword through puck's back and out his chest, pinning him to the ground.

i screamed, but as i did, the body vanished. for a split second, ash stared at the pierced leaf on his sword tip, then threw himself to the side as something dropped from the tree, dagger flashing in the light.

puck's laughter rang out as ash rolled to his feet, clutching his arm. blood seeped between pale fingers. "almost too slow that time, prince," puck mocked, balancing the dagger on two fingers. "really, that's the oldest trick in the book. i know, 'cause i wrote the book. i've got a million more, if you want to keep playing."

"i'm getting tired of sparring with copies." ash straightened, dropping his hand. "i guess honor isn't as prevalent in the seelie court as i thought. are you the real puck, or is he too cowardly to face me himself?"

puck regarded him disdainfully, before shimmering into nothingness. another puck stepped out from behind a tree, a nasty grin on his face.

"all right, then, prince," he said, smirking as he approached, "if that's what you want, i'll kill you the old-fashioned way." and they flew at each other again.

i watched the battle, my heart in my throat, wishing i could do something. i didn't want either of them to die, but i had no idea how to stop this. shouting or rushing between them seemed like a really bad idea; one could be distracted, and the other would waste no time finishing him off. a sick despair churned in my stomach. i hadn't realized puck was so bloodthirsty, but the mad gleam in his eyes told me he would kill the winter prince if he could.

they have a history, i realized, watching ash cut viciously at puck's face, barely missing as his opponent ducked. something happened between them, to make them hate each other. i wonder if they were ever friends.

my skin prickled, an uneasy shiver from more than the cold. over the clang and screech of metal, i heard something else, a faint rustling, as if a thousand insects were scuttling toward us.

"run!" grimalkin's voice made me jump. tracks appeared in the snow, rushing toward me, and invisible claws scrabbled against bark as the feline fled up a tree. "something is coming! hide, quickly!"

i glanced at puck and ash, still locked in combat. the rustling grew louder, accompanied by static and faint, high-pitched laughter. suddenly, through the trees, hundreds of eyes glowed electric-green in the darkness, surrounding us. puck and ash stopped fighting and broke apart, finally aware that something was wrong, but it was too late.

they poured over the ground like a living carpet, appearing from everywhere: small, black-skinned creatures with spindly arms, huge ears, and razor grins that shone blue-white in the darkness. i heard the boys' cries of shock, and grimalkin's yowl of horror as he fled farther up the tree. the creatures spotted me, and i had no time to react. they swarmed me like angry wasps, crawling up my legs, hurling themselves onto my back. i felt claws dig into my skin, my ears filled with loud buzzing and shrieking laughter, and i screamed, thrashing wildly. i couldn't see, didn't know which way was up. the weight of their bodies bore me down, and i fell onto a grasping, wriggling mass. hundreds of hands lifted me up, like ants carrying a grasshopper, and began to cart me away.

"puck!" i screamed, struggling to free myself. but whenever i rolled away from one group, a dozen more slid in to take their place, bearing me up. i never touched the ground. "grimalkin! help!"

their cries seemed distant and far away. carried on a buzzing, living mattress, i glided rapidly over the ground and into the waiting darkness.

i don't know how long they carried me. when i struggled, the claws gripping me would dig into my skin, turning the mattress into a bed of needles. i soon ceased thrashing about, and tried to concentrate on where they were taking me. but it was difficult; being carried on my back, the only thing i saw clearly was the sky. i tried to turn my head, but the creatures had their claws sunk into my hair and would yank on it until tears formed in my eyes. i resigned myself to lying still, shivering with cold, waiting to see what would happen. the cold and the gnawing worry drained me.... i allowed my eyes to slip closed, and found solace in the darkness.

when i opened my eyes again, the night sky had disappeared, replaced by a ceiling of solid ice. i realized we were traveling underground. the air grew even colder as the tunnel opened up into a magnificent ice cavern, glistening with a jagged, alien beauty. huge icicles dripped from the ceiling, some longer than i was tall and wickedly sharp. it was a tad disturbing passing under those bristling spikes, watching them sparkle like crystal chandeliers, praying they wouldn't fall.