Page 37 of The Iron Raven

“Um...” I hesitated. I did know of one faery that reminded me of this behemoth. But he was dead, having sacrificed himself to save Meghan in the war with the false king. Though they looked similar, this certainly wasn’t him. “Can’t say that I do. Have we met before?”

The faery sighed, and a jet of steam shot from his nostrils, coiling into the air. He took off his shades to regard me with eyes as red as burning embers. “Coaleater,” he said, and my brain finally gave a jolt of recognition. “We met on the Obsidian Plains, in the war with the false king. My herd and I carried the Iron Queen and her comrades into battle. I was wearing a different form at that time.”

“Oh right.” I snapped my fingers. “I remember. You were much horsier then.”

He gave a very equine snort, releasing another curl of smoke into the air over our heads. “I was wondering what the commotion was about,” he stated, gazing around at the train car of restless fey, still watching us with curious, hungry eyes. “Of course it would be you, Goodfellow. What trouble are you causing this time?”

“Hey, this is not my fault.” I held up a finger. “I was perfectly happy to have a nice, peaceful ride to Mag Tuiredh.” I glanced back at Nyx, my jaw tightening at how pale she looked, her eyes glazed with discomfort but trying not to show it. “But my friend isn’t feeling the greatest, and some of the passengers here thought that was an invitation to be assholes. I’m trying to get her to a quiet spot, away from the sharp teeth.”

“Hmm.” The Iron faery’s crimson gaze went to Nyx, assessing. “Youareaware that she is a Forgotten,” he stated in a not-a-question voice.

“Really?” I gasped, one hand going to my heart. “You don’t say. You mean she was a Forgotten this whole time? Well, don’t I feel silly.” He snorted again, and I rolled my eyes. “So, now that we’ve established the obvious, maybe you could move so that I can interrogate this devious Forgotten in a nice, safe, quiet spot?”

Coaleater grunted, turning his huge body aside for us to pass. “Take the booth in the corner,” he said, eyeing the faeries hovering behind us. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you. On one condition, Goodfellow.” He raised a meaty finger of his own. “When we get to the capital, you tell me what’s going on, why you’re really here. Deal?”

Normally, the worddealwould raise all kinds of red flags. I avoided making deals or bargains, unless I was really,reallysure I wasn’t being screwed over. But the Iron horses had a reputation for being righteous and honorable, upholding the values of their progenitor, Ironhorse, who happened to be a friend of mine before his noble sacrifice. Besides, having Rusty 2.0 take care of our little predator problem was a blessing in disguise. He would get the gnomes off our backs, and I wouldn’t have to turn this train inside out before we got to the capital.

“Deal,” I agreed, and the Iron faery nodded. Stepping back, he waited for us to pass, then planted himself in the center of the aisle, crossing his arms and glowering at the gnome trio. I retreated to the booth with Nyx, and she slumped to one of the seats, covering her eyes as if the room was far too bright.

“Nyx.” I sat in front of her, taking one pale hand. It was cold to the touch, and I squeezed it worriedly. “Hey. Talk to me. You okay?”

The Forgotten gave a weary nod. “As well as can be expected,” she said in a near whisper. Dropping her arm, she opened her eyes as a shudder went through her, making her brow furrow. “I remember now. I know what’s happening to me.”

Her faded gold gaze rose to the window, to the sun coming up over the distant mountains. “My kin and I were faeries of the darkness,” she began. “The phases of the moon gave us our strength. When the Lady sent us to kill, that contract would last a single night. One night for our prey to avoid us. To have a chance at living. When the sun came up, we would lose our power, and the contract would end. If the target had survived to see the sunrise, they would be free.” She paused, a haunted look going through her eyes, then shook her head. “In all my years of serving the Lady, that happened only once.”

“So, you can’t go into the sun? Like a vampire?”

“It’s not that it hurts me,” Nyx continued. “And I have no idea what a vampire is. But I get weaker and lose all my glamour when the sun comes up.” She hesitated again, frowning. “Honestly, I don’t exactly know what will happen if I stay in direct sunlight for any length of time. The wyldwood is eternal twilight, and I rarely went into the mortal realm.” Her gaze grew unfocused, and she put one hand against the glass window, her jaw tightening as the light spilled over her fingers. “Maybe it will burn me to dust. Or I could just Fade to nothing.” Her voice dropped, becoming nearly inaudible, though it still sent an icy lance through my middle. “I don’t belong here, anyway,” she murmured. “Maybe that would be for the best.”

“Nope, that’s not going to happen,” I told her, making her blink. “If it comes to that, I’ll make you a flipping parasol to keep the sun off. You’re not allowed to Fade away on me, here or anytime in the future, got it?”

She blinked, and I gave her a fierce smile, continuing to hold her hand in both of mine.

“I knew someone like you, once,” I went on, wondering why I was telling her this. “Had a troubled past, didn’t think much of himself, thought that no one would miss him if he was ever gone. But he was wrong. Even in Faery, there were those who would miss him, whose lives he had changed. And if you think I’m going to let you poof into nothingness without a fight, then you don’t know me very well.”

Nyx held my gaze for a heart-pounding moment. Then, without warning, she leaned down, and her cool lips were pressed against mine.

I stiffened in shock, but only for a second. Turns out, I’d wanted this for a while. I just didn’t think Nyx would be the one to initiate anything. Closing my eyes, I kissed her back, feeling the pit of my stomach twist itself into a pretzel knot.

It didn’t last long. I’d rather it had continued until we pulled into the station at Mag Tuiredh, but Nyx drew back slightly, leaving me reeling on the floor of the train. Opening my eyes, I met her gaze, watching as one corner of her lip pulled up in a half smile.

“Don’t read too much into it,” she warned softly. “I just wanted to... I’m grateful, that’s all. For everything you’ve done to get me here.”

“So, that was just a thank-you without saying thank you?”

She winced. That phrase, even those words, was rather taboo among the fey. Saying thank you in Faery was the same as putting yourself into that person’s debt. But being around humans, who used that phrase liberally, for so long had sort of deadened my reaction to it. Reaching up, I tangled my fingers in her long silver hair, smiling. “You’re welcome,” I told her. “And if you ever get the urge to thank me again, I am always willing to listen.”

“Don’t get cocky, Goodfellow.” Nyx rose, pulling her hood up. “And don’t think you’re safe. The sun sets in just a few hours.”

I pushed myself upright and realized that, except for Coaleater still standing in the center of the aisle with his arms crossed, we were now alone in the car. The rest of the crowd, probably under the not-so-subtle glare of the huge Iron faery, had vacated the area. I could see a few of them peeking through the door to the adjacent car, but they weren’t coming any closer. Coaleater, standing rigid with his back to us, gave a snort, a fleeting cloud of steam writhing around his head.

“Are you two quite finished?”

I couldn’t be positive, but Nyx might’ve blushed in the shadow of her hood. I gave a wide grin and laced my hands behind my skull.

“Jealous, tin can?” I drawled. “What’s the rush, anyway? It’s not like we can get to the capital any faster.”

“No,” Coaleater agreed, turning around. “But we are approaching a rather significant landmark in the Iron Realm. As someone who fought the original Iron King, the very first of his name, I thought you might want to see it.”

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