Then he turned and walked away, leaving me shaking with grief and horror and confusion, staring at the lifeless shell of my baby brother.

“That is always the trigger,” the oracle whispered behind me. “No matter what your son chooses afterward, be it savior or destroyer, this scene is the catalyst that heralds the entire event. The death of Ethan Chase brings with it a storm unlike any Faery has seen, and in the eye of the hurricane stands your son.”

“This can’t…be his only future,” I whispered, unwilling to believe that my son was destined to kill my brother. “There have to be other paths, other outcomes. This can’t be for certain.”

“No,” the oracle said, almost reluctantly. “It is not the only path. But this is the future that is the most clear. And it becomes clearer with every passing day. Be forewarned, Iron Queen, your brother and your son are on a collision course toward each other, and if they ever meet, the fate of the Nevernever dangles in the balance. As do the lives of your family. But…I can stop it.”

I finally tore my gaze from Ethan’s body and looked at her. “You? How?”

The oracle’s eyes were pitiless holes as she watched me, the wind fluttering her clothes like old rags. “I offer a contract,” she whispered. “A bargain, for the sake of the Nevernever and your family. For all the lives it will save, including your brother’s.”

A cold hand gripped my stomach. I suddenly knew what she was going to ask, but I continued nonetheless. “What kind of contract? What do you want from me?”

“Your child,” she replied, confirming my hunch and making my insides recoil. “Promise me your firstborn son, and all the futures I have glimpsed with him will melt away. Your brother’s life will be spared, and the Nevernever will be in no danger, if you remove his string from the tapestry.”

“No!” The response was swift and automatic, without thinking. No way I was giving my firstborn son to this creepy faery. It was out of the question. But the oracle held up her hands in a placating gesture, claws glinting the moonlight.

“Think about it carefully, Iron Queen,” she whispered. “I know your initial response is to refuse, but think about the implications of your choice tonight. The fate of the Nevernever, and your human family, hangs on this one string. You are a queen of Faery—you have responsibilities now, to your subjects and your kingdom. It is your duty to protect them, from all threats, whatever form they wear. If this was not your son, if this was a random stranger threatening the future of the Nevernever, of countless lives, would you not choose to stop it?”

“But it’s not a random stranger,” I said in a shaking voice. “It’s my child. Ash’s child. I can’t do that to him.”