“Ethan?”
The soft gasp pierced my heart, and my anger vanished. I whirled and flung myself down beside Kenzie, gently taking her hand. Her eyes were open, though they were glazed and glassy, and her face was tight with pain.
“I’m here,” I murmured. Keirran came up to stand behind me, out of punching range, I noticed, but I ignored him. “Can you move?”
“I don’t know,” Kenzie gasped, squeezing my hand. “Everything hurts.”
“We have to get you home.” As gently as I could, I shifted my arms beneath her and lifted her as I rose. She whimpered and clutched at my shirt, making my insides twist into near-panicked knots. She needed a doctor, but we were in no-man’s-land. How were we going to get back to civilization?
“Here.” Keirran stepped away, one hand raised as if sensing the breeze. Stopping beneath a thick pine, he pushed his fingers into empty air and parted the real world like a curtain, revealing the darkness of the Between through the gap. I stiffened, and he turned to me with bleak, haunted eyes.
“I’ll take you home, one last time.”
* * *
The rest of the trip was a blur. I was vaguely aware that we left the Between and took a cab or something to the hospital. Several doctors and nurses surrounded me, asking questions. I answered in a daze and watched them wheel Kenzie away on a gurney, feeling like my chest had been squeezed in a vise. Then she was gone, and I collapsed into a chair, shutting out the world and praying she would be all right.
“Ethan Chase?”
I looked up blearily. A nurse in pink scrubs stood before me, looking kind and sympathetic. How long it had been, I had no idea. “She’s awake,” she said as I quickly stood up. A couple seats down, Keirran raised his head off his chest, watching us. I’d forgotten about him, too. “We’ve stabilized her, and she’s resting now. She sustained some nerve and tissue damage, and we’re keeping her under observation, but she’s a very lucky girl.”
I nearly collapsed in relief. The nurse smiled. “You can see her now, but keep it brief. Five minutes if you can. She really needs to rest. Has her family been contacted?”
“Yes,” Keirran said from the chair, though the nurse didn’t even look at him. I felt a pulse of magic go through the air between us, but I was too worried about Kenzie to think much of it. “They’re on their way now.”
She nodded distractedly, gave me a room number and warned me again to keep it short. As the nurse left, I started down the hall, and Keirran rose from the chair to follow.
I spun on him. Fury blazed up, searing away the numbness. “Where do you think you’re going?” I challenged, narrowing my eyes.
He blinked. “To see Kenzie.”
I sneered. “Forget it. You’re not going anywhere near her, ever again.” Another nurse passed us, and I averted my gaze until she turned a corner, before glaring at the prince again. “Get lost, Keirran. Go home.”
“Ethan, please. I...” Keirran closed his eyes. “I failed Annwyl,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I’ve made a mess out of everything. Let me make sure Kenzie is all right, and I’ll go. I’ll get out of your life forever. You’ll never see me again.”
Annwyl. Damn. I’d forgotten about her in all the chaos and panic over Kenzie. With no way home now, the Summer faery would Fade to nothing. As would Keirran, once the amulet drained everything he was. No wonder he looked so haunted. He’d gambled everything to get Annwyl home, knowing the consequences would be terrible, knowing they couldn’t be together even if he saved her life. And now things were even worse. The courts could go to war, the Frozen Wood was lost, and there was probably some punishment waiting for him for attacking the Queen of the Summer Court. Not to mention Meghan and Ash were going to be furious. And even after all that, after everything we’d fought for, Annwyl was still dying. We were back to square one.
I sighed as some of my anger flickered and went out. I was still pissed, but Keirran looked about ready to fall apart. I noticed my swords then, tucked under his arm, and scowled in confusion before understanding dawned. He’d grabbed them from me before I entered the hospital. If I had walked through those doors armed, I’d probably be sitting in a jail cell right now. He, at least, had had the presence of mind to glamour them, and himself, invisible.
But that still didn’t excuse what he’d done.
“Dammit, Keirran,” I muttered, scrubbing a hand over my face. But at that moment, a chill crept up my back, and I looked up, staring past him down the hall.
A shadow hung from the ceiling at the end of the corridor, huge yellow eyes glowing in its featureless face. I tensed and almost grabbed my blades from Keirran’s hand, though the second I did they would become visible and then I’d be in trouble. The Forgotten didn’t attack, however. Like the other times, it watched us a moment, then slowly eased forward, a shadowy blob against the tiles.
“Iron Prince,” it whispered when it was a few yards away, and Keirran stiffened. “We have waited long enough. The Lady wishes to speak to you now.”
Keirran took one step toward it, and I grabbed his arm. “Keirran!” I hissed, not knowing why I was stopping him. “Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not,” he said in a low voice, turning back to me. “Not this time. I have to go to her soon, or the Forgotten will hound me forever. I’m only going to see what she has to say. I’m not going to agree to any more terms or promise her anything. But I have to do this, Ethan.” His eyes went dark, and he swallowed hard. “One last thing before I go home...and face my parents.”
Reluctantly, I let him go, and he turned back to the Forgotten. “Where is she?” he asked. “The Lady?”
“The faery ring,” the Forgotten whispered. “Where the other mortal in your party gained the Sight.”
“Ireland,” I muttered, frowning. Of course, it would have to be halfway around the world. Not far by trod or Between jumping, I supposed, but plenty far enough.
“Tell her I’ll be there soon,” Keirran said, and the Forgotten nodded. Melting against the ceiling, it slithered away like a shadow, turned the corner and was gone.
A shudder went through Keirran, and he dropped his head with a short, breathless sob. “I don’t know,” he said, one hand covering his face. “I failed her,” he whispered. “I don’t know what will happen now, what more I can do.”
He turned away, hunching his shoulders, and Kenzie’s hand came to rest over mine, bringing my attention back to her. “Go with him,” she told me.
I recoiled. “What? No!” I leaned down, knowing Keirran could hear me and not caring a bit. “Forget it. He already made his choice, and look where it got us. But that’s beside the point. I’m not leaving you, Mackenzie.”
“I’ll be fine.” Her cool fingers brushed the side of my face. “My family is coming. I won’t be alone. But, Ethan, you’re all he has left, and you’re family. You can’t send him to face the Lady by himself.”
“Dammit, Kenzie.” I bent down, pressing my forehead to hers. “No. I don’t want to do this. You’re more important to me now.”