“In my defense,” Alex said. “I didn’t know how to break the news. You were all busy being chased by something straight out of a horror movie.”
“I’m sure you could have inserted a ‘By the way, the private mercenary group OzCorp used for security has been pardoned by King John and is now attacking Maidenkeep together with the rest of the nightwalkers in there.’ In fact, ‘Maidenkeep is being attacked’ is so much shorter and gets enough of the point across too.”
“Didn’t want to worry you. If the Royal States is coordinating with the Snow Queen, they made one huge mistake at least. They shouldn’t have sent in amateurs to blow up the Burn and short out our defenses that first time, because now we know what to expect, even if these are professionals now.”
The Avalon rangers were slowly adjusting to the constant attacks. The hybrid shades had a certain monotony to their tactics that made their moves much more predictable. The private mercenaries, on the other hand, had since retreated from the city, instead busying themselves by sending spelltech-powered rocket launchers their way. The barrier spells were holding steady, so those could be ignored for now.
None of this was in the Royal States news, though no one was surprised.
“You did well back there,” Tristan said quietly to Cole. Surprisingly, both were standing side by side, as if they’d never been enemies. “Don’t always get to see Gravekeeper in action. You always did trounce me when it came to swordfights.”
“Could never beat you in archery,” the other boy conceded. “You hit your mark every time.”
Zoe was off to one side, eyeing them warily. “Somehow,” she muttered to Tala, “seeing them like this makes me nervous.”
“You do look a bit apprehensive,” Tala agreed teasingly.
“It hasn’t been a good day. I can’t even find my sleeping needle.” Zoe rubbed at both sides of her neck with a wince. “And we still have two more artifacts to go.”
Ken had tried to turn over the bone to the Gallaghers for analysis, only for it to disappear right before it dropped onto Lord Gallagher’s hand.
“What?” Ken raised his hand and blinked when he saw that he was still holding the bone. He tried to pass it on again, only for the exact same thing to happen, the bone once more reappearing on his palm.
“Fascinating,” Severon Gallagher said. “There appears to be some limitations. The Horned One was being quite specific when it said only you could summon it to battle.”
“Still not entirely sure how to go about that, honestly,” Ken said, apprehensive. “Does that mean I’m the only one able to use it? I don’t even know how. It’s not like this comes with a damn instruction manual.”
“It has only been used once that we know of,” Lord Suddene admitted. “It’s said that a shepherd came upon the bone while his sheep grazed and inadvertently summoned a wraith who led him to the burial grounds of one Dmitry Ivanovich, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible. The bone sang of Boris Godunov, Ivan’s advisor who had orchestrated the murder, and the latter was executed as a result.”
“Well, I’m not sure how playing detective to murder mysteries is going to help against the Snow Queen. Dude said we could call on it for assistance, right?” Ken waved Kusanagi over the bone. “Hey,” he said. “You up?”
Nothing happened.
“See?”
“Let us find the next artifact before anything else.” Lord Suddene brought up a new display. A strange-looking plant popped into view, its leaves curled in a way that each end resembled a question mark’s shape. “The raskovnik, to my knowledge, has been harvested many times before. While the lotus lantern can reveal hidden paths, the raskovnik can unlock any door or route hindered by spells, or revert someone inflicted by a curse to their natural state.”
“Like the Deathless?” Ryker asked quietly.
“No one has ever made the attempt. My apologies, Lord Cadfael, but I would rather not get anyone’s hopes up until we know for certain.”
“World’s End is located near Nibheis.” Alex raised an eyebrow at Cole. “Any information you can offer regarding that?”
“It’s a wasteland teeming with dangerous magic,” the other boy confirmed. “My father has banned everyone from entering its borders.”
“The Snow Queen herself doesn’t travel there—not that I know of anyway,” Alex said. “She didn’t when I was still with her.”
“But why wouldn’t she try to find the plant when it’s so close to her realm?”
“Because she told me once that the place was barren of raskovniks now. I think she visited it in the past but came up empty-handed. It’s not like anyone’s found any in recent years either. Think of all the possible bank robberies they could get away with. Museum thefts. House break-ins.”
“You’re saying that the raskovnik doesn’t exist anymore?” Alex said.
“I’m saying that she couldn’t find it,” Ryker said, “and I’m not sure we’d be any luckier.”
“That’s a lot to risk,” Tala murmured, trying to approach the problem the way Zoe would. “If the raskovnik no longer grows there, then it just ups our chances of getting caught while gaining nothing, which is a con. And then there’s the added likelihood that she already knows that we’ll be coming and is going to set up a trap to get the plant if we do find it. Another con.”
“Or maybe she found it already but didn’t tell Ryker,” West added. “One more con.”
“Could we leave it be, then?” Loki asked.
“Lord Keer?” Lumina asked.
The Wake approached them and bowed to Tala’s mother.
“Are Zoe and Nya at Ikpe?”
“They are.” The man turned to Dexter, who promptly switched the screen to that of a worried-looking woman. Behind her was a room devoid of any furnishings, with heavy padding lining the walls and a thick wall of glass separating her from it. And inside the room…
Tala had seen enough Deathless to know those who’d been inflicted with its curse. Several men and a young girl were inside the padded room, standing motionless and staring listlessly back at them. None of them appeared violent—yet—but there was no mistaking the unnatural, glassy white eyes looking back at them, evidence of their possession.
“Dr. Gren,” the Wake said. “Thank you for your time.”
“If there is a way to revert them, you may have all the time you require from me,” the woman responded. Zoe and Nya were already beside her.
“We still don’t know if it’ll work, Doctor,” Alex said.
“It cannot hurt to try. We are out of options at this point.” The woman nodded to Zoe, who began to play the flute.
It was another beautiful melody. Either Zoe was much more capable than she had admitted, or she had practiced since returning with it, because it was a complex sound, a difficult tune to play. The music was all the more dazzling because of it.
But it did nothing to the male Deathless. Their heads turned toward the sound; the men regarded it calmly, then turned away, the flute having had no effect.
But not the girl. Laughing gleefully now, the Deathless pressed herself against the glass, her eyes burning into Zoe. Nya moved instinctively before the brunette, a vial already clasped in one hand, ready to use if it became necessary. “Iniko,” she warned but received only a mocking laugh in response.
“There is no Iniko here,” the girl snarled. “Only death and suffering live in this house. We answer to no music but to Her Majesty alone. No song is our barrier. Only the burning we fear. She will triumph, witchling. She will triumph, and Avalon will fall to the fires!” She began to scream, but a push of a button from the doctor’s end cut her off abruptly.
“I’m sorry,” Alex said, his shoulders slumping.
“Nothing has been gained, but nothing has been lost in the attempt,” the doctor said sadly. “Thank you for all that you do to help us, Your Majesty. You and your team.”
“So that’s a wash, then,” Ken said quietly after Lumina ended the call.
“One of the legends about the raskovnik,” the Duke of Suddene said, “is that it can revert spells and bring one back to their original state. But it seems that the Deathless curse is resistant to the myth.”
“Any examples of other successes?” Tala asked.
“Some Russian ones—not surprising, as World’s End can be traveled to easily from their nation. Their heroes have taken the raskovnik, but none have successfully used it for its supposed healing properties. Many opted to wear it in battle as good luck charms instead. More often, they wind up finding animals who’ve located the raskovnik—moles, hedgehogs, snakes.”
“So it’s not even magical?” West asked.
But Ryker was shaking his head slowly. “The Snow Queen wanted to find it. There has to be something there, even if we don’t know how to unlock it yet.”
“What do you think we should do, then?” Ken asked. “Do we go for it, or don’t we?”
“I think you’re forgetting something very important,” Tala said quietly. “Don’t you remember what the Dame of Tintagel said? Or the Baba Yaga? Eight will stand at the end of the world. Only seven shall return. One of us might die there.”
The group fell silent.
“We could ask the Dame for an explanation,” Ken finally said.
“She would have told us by now if she’d been willing to.” This from Cole.
“Then all the better that we delay this attempt or skip it altogether, yeah? Or we can circumvent the prophecy by showing up there with a battalion of soldiers. Can’t have seven returning if there weren’t eight there to begin with.”
“None of you will be going at all,” Alex said firmly. “We have most of the other artifacts. As long as we can keep them away, the Snow Queen won’t be able to revive her father.”
“But what about the Deathless?” Lumina asked. “Your Majesty, what about you? Buyan may be the only way to lift your curse. We can’t just—”
“This is my decision, Aunt Lumina,” Alex said quietly. “And it’s my final one.”
“Alex!”
The protest died on Tala’s lips when the young king turned to her. The regret was clear on Alex’s face, but so was his determination. “I’m doing what’s best for Avalon, Tala,” he said. “You know it’s the right decision. I can’t let any of you go there knowing it’s likely a trap. And I’m sorry. I know you want it for your father’s sake. But I can’t. Not yet.”
Tala nodded, albeit reluctantly. “But this isn’t going to be our last conversation about this.”
Alex turned to Tristan. “And what’s this? No protest from you?”
“None,” the boy replied. “I think I understand better now, how much being king takes out of you. I…I’m sorry.”
“Uh, Sir Locksley?” Dexter’s voice rose uncertainly. “Your, um, parents are on the line.”
Tristan’s solemn expression disappeared, and outraged exasperation took its place. “Why?”
“They said they have important information about the Snow Queen but insisted they needed to speak to you first. I can always tell them you’re busy if you’re—”
“Put them on the line,” Alex interrupted.
“Alex,” Tristan said urgently. “I haven’t talked to them since the engagement was announced.”
“Are you going to hide us from them?”
“No. You can throw it in their faces, and I’ll happily oblige. But I’m not sure you want to do this here with…” Tristan glanced around at the others’ curious gazes and actually blushed.
“If they have any information on the Snow Queen like they claim, then everyone here deserves to know.”
The display switched to the worried, angry faces of Tristan’s parents. Nathan Locksley looked the same as he had when they’d visited Avalon several months ago, with the same arrogant bearing, though with more furrow to his brows. Valentina Locksley looked slightly more discomfited, the dark circles under her eyes still discernible underneath her makeup.
“Your Majesty,” the elder Locksley said crisply. “Thank you for looking after our wayward son. I apologize for any attempts he might have made to meddle in royal business. We would like to retrieve him as soon as possible and—”
“No,” Tristan broke in angrily, moving so that his parents could see him standing beside Alex. “I have no intention of returning with you or keeping to an engagement I didn’t agree to.”
“Tristan,” his mother spoke up. “Surely you see the absurdity of all this. This is a private matter. Surely we can talk about this in a less public—”
“I’ve talked to the both of you about this, and neither of you wanted to listen. You’re not actually concerned about what I want. You just don’t want it sullying our reputation.”
“You are being impossible, Tristan,” his father said angrily. “Your Majesty, I beg your pardon. We are here to collect Tristan and leave as soon as—”
“I love Alex Tsarevich. Not Esmeralda. And I’m not going to marry her, no matter what arrangements you’ve made.”
Tala wasn’t quite sure if Tristan had done it deliberately or if he’d blurted it out in the heat of the moment. Alex turned pale and then a deep red.
Lord Locksley actually laughed. “And you expect us to believe that? It’s not like you to be stubborn, Tristan, to the point where you would lie to us.”
Tristan said nothing.
The humor died from Lord Locksley’s eyes as his gaze moved from Tristan’s stone-faced expression to Alex’s blushing one. “You cannot be serious. First your brother and his Bluebeard bride, and now this. I will not permit you to—”
“I’m of age now, Father. You can no longer prevent me from doing anything I want, and what I want is to stay here by His Majesty’s side. If you weren’t lying about having information about the Snow Queen, then you’d best tell us now, because this is all you’re getting from me.”
“I could disown you,” the man threatened.
“If that’s what you feel you have to do, then that’s what you should do.”
Father and son glared at each other. “We’ll talk later,” Lord Locksley said with the confident air of one convinced he could still sway Tristan over to his way of thinking. “Your Majesty, the Snow Queen is on the move. My sources in Luxembourg have confirmed that she left her lair at Beira and was sighted along the borders near Germany.”
Alex’s face hardened. “Is she still there? Or has she left? How are the Germans faring?”
“She engaged no one in battle, though several legions were sent to defy her. She and her ice maidens simply disappeared into the Löwenberg woods and were seen leaving less than an hour later without returning fire.”
“So that’s it, then,” Loki said quietly. “She knows we have it.”
“And do you know of her current whereabouts?” Alex asked.
“No, Your Majesty,” Tristan’s father responded. “It’s best that you reach out to the German authorities for more, but I thought you ought to know immediately.”
“Thank you, Lord Locksley.”
“I know my duty, Your Majesty. Unlike others that come to mind.” And the man’s gaze swept back toward his son, anger once more taking hold. “This is not over, Tristan,” he said, and the screen winked out.
“I’m sorry about my parents,” Tristan said.
“That’s not what’s concerning me at the moment.” Alex had abandoned all pretense at maintaining his royal demeanor and was back to blushing.
“You are under no obligation to say anything to me,” Tristan said brusquely. “I wasn’t intending to be so candid, but then I thought—fuck that. I’m tired of hiding, and this was the only chance I had to tell that to my parents’ faces. I don’t care who else knows. I’m going to let the comms team know that my father is no longer allowed to use the private channels to contact me.”
“Well,” Tala murmured when Tristan stepped away to tell Dexter just that. “I thought this was what you wanted him to do?”
“I’m not sure doing it in front of Aunt Lumina and Lord Keer, among others, would have been the best way.” The king, however, was glowing just a little.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” Ken chimed in, grinning. “You know, he’s actually given me a pretty good idea about how to—”
“Don’t even think about it, Ken,” Nya warned.
The warning bell took them by surprise. Tala shot to her feet. Alex turned back toward the command center, where Dexter and his father were furiously scanning their consoles, a startled Tristan still beside them. “What’s happened?”
Severon Gallagher looked up, face ashen. “Another unauthorized port has opened up just south of the city, Your Majesty,” he said. “And from the newest reports filtering in, it looks like it’s the Snow Queen herself.”
Ken was already halfway out the door before Alex called on him to stop. “She’s here, Your Majesty,” Ken said bluntly. “You can’t tell me to stay behind this time. She’s literally at our gates, and if my sword’s gonna be one of the things that can end her for good, then you know I’m going to go out there and do my damned best to.”
“He’s right, Your Majesty.” Both Nya and Zoe had returned, looking grim. “We just heard,” Zoe said. “If she decides she’s going to take the battle to our door, then we have to stop her now. You’ve heard some of the prophecies the seeresses and the Baba Yaga predicted. They said Maidenkeep could burn.”
“When did you suddenly become so concerned about prophecies, Zoe?”
“I’m trying to be practical, Alex. She knows we’ve gathered most of the artifacts. That’s why she’s here. All our efforts will be for nothing if we can’t stop her now.”
“Your Majesty,” Lord Gallagher continued raggedly. “Reports are coming in that Kay Warnock has also been sighted with the Snow Queen.”
“Your Majesty,” Lumina said promptly, “permission to go on the battlefield to engage.”
Alex rubbed at his eyes. “Do nothing reckless,” he said. “She’s up to something, and until we know what that is, I want you all to maintain your distance. She’s going to use Uncle Kay to bait you, and I don’t want you falling for it. Lord Gallagher, how many nightwalkers does she have with her?”
“In the thousands at last count, Your Majesty. We’ll need to bring in more regiments stationed in other parts of Avalon to shore up our numbers.”
“Lord Keer?”
“I wouldn’t advise that for the moment, Your Majesty. My people know how to fight nightwalkers well enough, and those numbers won’t turn the tide against us yet. It could be a ploy to divert more of our rangers away from the Burn, as that was where her armies were focused previously. I would, however, recommend bringing in some of our fighters from the outer territories and both redirecting them here and shoring up our numbers at the Burn. Call it a hunch, but…”
“I’d take your hunches over most people’s advice, Wake. Make it so.”
“And what about us?” Ken asked.
Alex hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. Don’t take any unnecessary risks, and you know that’s you I’m talking about, Ken.”
“How secure are the defenses here in Maidenkeep?” Tristan asked.
“Enough to repel anything the Snow Queen can throw at us, I’m pretty sure.”
“Then I’m going with them.”
“What?”
“They’ll need all the help they can get. I told you I would do my best to be useful, and I’ll be able to do more fighting with them than I can here.”
Alex inhaled. “All right. But I don’t want you doing anything to—”
Tristan sank down on one knee. He took Alex’s hand and kissed it. “Nothing will keep me from returning to you,” he said.
Zoe sighed and cast a longing look Cole’s way. The latter raised an eyebrow.
“Of course you don’t have to do it like that,” Zoe said. “But still.”
“Alex,” Tala said. “If anything takes a turn for the worse out there, I don’t want you using the Nine Maidens again.”
Alex smiled sadly. “Can you promise me that all of you will be returning here unharmed?” he asked.
“No, but…”
“Then I can’t make any promises either. Lord Keer, I want the Third and Seventh Honors forming up along the castle walls. The Bandersnatchers will be joining them shortly.”
The Snow Queen wasn’t making any moves to attack them. Not head-on, at least, which was suspicious because she’d always done it that way before. From where they were waiting, it was hard to even make out where she was. Her legion of nightwalkers had retreated, and none showed signs of resuming the offensive. Even the Royal States mercenaries had stopped firing.
Winter had come earlier than the weather forecast had predicted, though Tala wasn’t sure if that could be attributed to the Snow Queen’s presence. A light snow had fallen overnight, and it was enough to blanket the world outside.
“Why isn’t she attacking?” Ken burst out, never one to wait. “I’ve half a mind to take Horse out from the garrison and just ride out to—”
“Half a mind is all you’re going to have left if you face her out there!” Nya hissed.
“She can’t wait forever, can she? And neither can we. I wasn’t expecting to go out of my mind from boredom out here.”
The Third and Seventh Honors of the Fianna accompanying them had spread themselves out, always on guard, though their frustration at seeing no movement from the enemy mirrored Ken’s.
“His Majesty’s orders,” Tala said sternly. She gave an experimental stamp on the ground with her foot. The ice there had thickened, making everything slippery, which was another hindrance they would have to deal with should any fighting actually take place. “We’ll wait for as long as we need to.”
Ken sulked, but Tala was adamant. They waited. The adarna sang quiet songs to itself on Tala’s head.
“Anything yet?” Lumina asked from Tala’s earpiece. Her mother had joined the other rangers who were fighting off the nightwalker stragglers not with the Snow Queen, and Avalon was gaining ground quickly. The firebird was with them, having a field day burning down anything it could get at, to Ken’s envy.
In another ten minutes, according to Lola Urduja’s report from the other end of the battlefield, all the Beiran ruler’s minions would be eradicated and the area cleared. Which was why this was all bothering Tala. There was no advantage to the Snow Queen to wait.
“I could go and scout,” West suggested.
“They already have eyes on the queen’s location,” Zoe objected. “Going in alone would only put you in danger. Loki, what would you suggest?”
“Remain where we are,” the ranger said promptly. “Monitor not just the Snow Queen’s camp but every other strategic point within Avalon. No telling if this is a ruse for her to start something up elsewhere.”
“I agree with Loki,” Nya said.
“And what are you fiddling with inside your pouch, Rapunzel?” Tala caught the glint of scarlet from within at the same time as Ken did. “You brought the tamatebako with you?”
“Grandma said I should have it on my person at all times.”
“What for?” Ken leaned in closer, and his eyes widened. “It’s stopped glowing. Didn’t it used to glow?”
“Didn’t the stories say that it’ll only stop glowing if it’s been used?” Zoe asked. “Just like what happened with Tala’s?”
“Mine’s still with the Gallaghers for safekeeping,” Tala said, worried. “Was I supposed to have brought it too?”
“That’s all beside the point,” Ken said. “Rapunzel, what’s inside the box?”
Nya cleared her throat. “This is one of the things I’m not supposed to be telling you.”
“You figured out how to open it, and you haven’t told the others?”
“I couldn’t. Otherwise, they’d tell you.”
Ken’s eyes narrowed. “Rapunzel, you ought to at least let me know what—”
The ground below them glowed.
Tala fell, the startled shouts of her friends as they, too, tumbled down with her lost against the sudden rushing sound of wind. Darkness assailed her on every side, and she flailed out anyway, trying to hold on to something, anything, that would slow her descent.
She heard a squawk, and then something seized her by the shoulders. The adarna flew up, flapping hard against the currents, and Tala heard another oof as it grabbed hold of Ryker.
The boy angled his hands downward, ice balling up against them. He let it go, and it spread out in the air and hardened to form a spiral slide. The adarna let go, and both he and Tala dropped down on top of the slide. The ice burned against Tala’s skin, but the surface was smooth and frictionless, a better option than their previous free fall. She heard exclamations above her again as her friends—some grabbed by the adarna like she and Ryker had been, others finding the icy ledge on their own—slid after them as they spun toward…what, exactly? Tala couldn’t see anything.
The darkness gave way to a cold night sky, but Ryker’s concentration never wavered. He continued to generate sheets of ice before them, ensuring they could reach the ground safely. Tala flew out of the makeshift slide and landed lightly on her feet, heard Ryker grunt as he did the same. Soon the rest of the Banders were back on solid footing, though the landscape before them had changed.
They were no longer in Avalon. Instead, they stood on a wide expanse of barren nothingness. Before them stood a heavy granite wall made of shifting magic, the energies of which were so immense that it made Tala’s hair stand on its end.
She counted them. Her, Ryker, Loki, Cole, Zoe, Ken, Nya, and West—eight in all, if one didn’t include the adarna.
It was Cole who finally spoke, sounding like he’d known where they would turn up all along.
“World’s End,” he said.
“And she opened a portal underneath us to lead here,” Loki said.
They weren’t the only ones who’d been ported. There was another chorus of cries, followed by a series of thuds as more people tumbled out of the looking glass above them—two dozen men all in all. Without Ryker’s abilities, they hit the ground hard but soon scrambled back to their feet quickly, guns drawn. West growled low in his throat, and the other Banders raised their weapons. Tala’s heart redoubled its beating.
They were the private mercenaries who’d worked with OzCorp and now with the Snow Queen.