“Ash,” said a cool, deep voice, suddenly at my shoulder, “stands with the decision of his queen.”

I didn’t move, though my heart leaped and I wanted to glance at him in relief. But I kept my gaze on the Unseelie monarch in front of us. “Ash,” Mab said, switching her attention to my knight, standing tall at my side, “you have not been home in months. Do you not care that your queen is breaking the ancient traditions of Elysium? Do you not care that she would pit you against your own court, if it came to war between us?”

I felt a blaze of fury at the Unseelie Queen’s manipulative ways, but Ash’s voice remained calm. “This is not my home any longer,” Ash said in a clear voice, making sure everyone heard him. “And if it came to war, I would be the first on the front lines, defending the Iron Court.”

Mab looked stunned. I took advantage of her silence to bow and step back. “We’ll be taking our leave now,” I told the rulers of Faery, ignoring my pounding heart. Of the three, only Oberon nodded. Titania snorted in disgust, and Mab continued to watch me with her dark, eerie glare. “I apologize for the inconvenience, Queen Mab, but we must return to Mag Tuiredh. Please excuse us.”

And, without waiting for an answer, I turned and left the ballroom with Ash at my side, feeling the Winter Queen’s frosty gaze skewering the back of my neck.

* * *

That was the easy part.

As soon as we were in the hallway, out of sight and sound of the rulers, Ash turned on me, silver eyes bright. “I heard the commotion in the ballroom,” he said, his voice low and intense, nothing like the cool, composed nonchalance he had shown in front of Mab. “What happened? Why are we leaving Elysium? What’s going on, Meghan?”

My legs were shaking. Now that I was away from the rulers, the oracle’s words came back in a rush, threatening to drown me. I couldn’t think, couldn’t explain. I needed time to compose myself, to sort this out. Ash had to know, he was the other part of this equation, but the Unseelie Court was not the place to break this kind of news. I couldn’t tell him now. Not like this.

“Home, Ash,” I said finally, desperate to get out of Tir Na Nog, back to the familiar comfort of my realm. “Please. I’ll tell you everything when we get home.”

He wasn’t happy, but conceded to my wishes, though I could feel his eyes on me the entire ride back to Mag Tuiredh.