“Keirran.”
Her voice was barely audible, and Keirran fell to his knees and grasped her hand. I finally looked at him and saw his face.
My stomach twisted. His expression was emotionless, except for the single tear crawling down his face. Easing closer, he reached out, sliding his arms under Annwyl, taking her from me. For a second, I resisted; he had no right. But Annwyl’s gaze was only for Keirran, and knowing these were her final moments in the world, I let her go.
Rising, I stepped back with Kenzie, who slid her arms around my waist and pressed close. And together, we watched the Iron Prince and the Summer faery’s last exchange. Kenzie sniffed, her tears dampening the front of my shirt, and I held her tight, too emotionally exhausted to wonder where we would be when this was over.
“Annwyl.” Keirran’s voice was a whisper. His shoulders trembled as he bent over her, one hand hovering over the shards of metal jutting from her chest. Helplessly, he clenched a fist. “I never...meant for this to happen,” he breathed. “I...”
The Summer faery shook her head. “No apologies,” she murmured, and Keirran instantly fell silent, his gaze tormented. “No empty promises, Keirran. There’s not...much time left.” She flickered again, her outline fading at the edges. Keirran closed his eyes, and a sob finally tore itself free.
“I wanted to save you,” he said in a low, anguished voice. His hand lifted, trailing down her cheek. “What will I do now, Annwyl? How will I face anything...when you’re gone?”
She reached for his hand, placing it over her heart, over the amulet pulsing against her chest. “Take back your soul, Keirran,” she whispered. He blinked, gazing down at her, and she smiled. “Please. Before I go, let me see you...as you were. As the prince I fell in love with.”
He bowed his head, hesitating for a few heartbeats. When he opened his eyes again, they were glassy with tears, grief, regret...and resignation. Slowly, he nodded.
Raising the amulet, he held it in his palm, and Annwyl’s hand came to rest over them both. Keirran’s fingers tightened, and the amulet began to glow. It grew hotter and brighter, until the two fey seemed to be holding a pulsing star between them.
Finally, with the sound of breaking glass, the amulet shattered. Keirran jerked, stiffening, as swirls of light flowed from his palm and curled into the air. They spiraled up, casting a brilliant light over the kneeling faery, before turning as one and rushing down on him. Keirran hunched his shoulders as the spears of light slammed into his body and vanished beneath his skin. He shuddered, holding Annwyl close, as he flickered and pulsed like a strobe light, making it hard to look at him.
Finally, the light sputtered and went out, plunging everything into darkness once more. Panting, Keirran straightened slowly and looked down at Annwyl.
My throat tightened, and Kenzie clenched a fist in my shirt. I could barely see the Summer faery. She was so faint, a fading shadow cradled in his arms, growing dimmer by the second. Keirran gazed down at her, tears now streaming unchecked from his eyes, and gently pulled her close. His lips moved, though his voice was too soft to hear. I couldn’t really see Annwyl’s face, but I think she smiled at him. Slowly, one transparent hand rose, pressing against his cheek.
And then she was gone.
* * *
For a long while after, the three of us didn’t move. Kenzie clung to me, weeping softly, her cheek pressed to my shirt. Keirran knelt on the flagstones, head bowed and shoulders hunched. I didn’t know what to do, what to say to him. I wasn’t even sure that he wouldn’t still try to kill me. Yeah, he had gotten his soul back, but that didn’t mean he would abandon his plan to destroy the Veil.
“Ethan.” Keirran’s voice was a whisper, and he didn’t move from where he knelt on the flagstones. I tensed and felt Kenzie stiffen, too, holding her breath. Keirran raised his head, but he still didn’t look at us. “You should go,” he murmured softly, and with those words, he was himself again. The Keirran I knew before all this craziness happened. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or if I wanted to march over and punch him in the teeth. “The Lady...will be coming soon,” Keirran went on. “She’ll know the amulet has been destroyed, and she’ll be looking to kill you here, once and for all. Go, Ethan. You have to leave, or the Veil will fall. Take Kenzie and go back to the Nevernever.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. One breath, to decide what I was going to do. To choose where I stood with him now. “What about you?” I asked.
“I’ll stay behind. Try to slow her down a bit.” He struggled to his feet, gazing around for his sword. He still didn’t look at us, and his next words were choked, barely audible. “It’s the least I can do...for everything I caused. I will face the First Queen myself.”
Kenzie frowned. “She’ll kill you, Keirran.”
“I know.” He picked up his sword and let it hang at his side. “But at least I’ll know what side I’m supposed to be on.” He inhaled, and when he spoke again, his voice was thick with self-loathing. “I can’t even begin to apologize, Ethan,” he said. “There’s nothing I can say that will ever make it right. The other courts will call for my death or exile, and they’ll be completely justified. It’s better this way.” He ran a hand down his face. “Tell...tell my parents that I died fighting the First Queen, and that I’m sorry...for everything.”
He shivered. Raising his head, his gaze went to the sky. “She’s coming,” he whispered. “Go, Ethan. Get out of here.”