The Iron King. Julie Kagawa

back.”

      â€œLike I’m going anywhere,” I replied automatically, and then his previous statement sank in. “Wait a minute. What do you mean, that wasn’t Ethan? Who the hell else could it be?”

      Rob ignored me. Walking to his backpack, he opened it and pulled out a long, green-tinted bottle and a tiny crystal cup. I frowned. Why was he going for champagne now? I was hurt, in pain, and my kid brother had turned into a monster. I was certainly not in the mood for celebrating.

      With the utmost care, Robbie poured the champagne into the cup and walked back, being careful not to spill a single drop.

      â€œHere,” he said, giving it to me. The cup sparkled in his hand. “Drink this. Where do you keep the towels?”

      I took it suspiciously. “In the bathroom. Just don’t use Mom’s good white ones.” As Rob walked off, I peered into the tiny cup. There was barely enough for a swallow. It didn’t look like champagne to me. I was expecting something fizzy white or pink, sparkling in the glass. The liquid in the cup was a deep, dark red, the color of blood. A fine mist writhed and danced on the surface.

      â€œWhat is this?”

      Robbie, returning from the bathroom with a white towel, rolled his eyes. “Do you have to question everything? It will help you forget the pain. Just drink it already.”

      I sniffed experimentally, expecting hints of roses or berries or some type of sweet scent mixed in with the alcohol.

      It smelled of nothing. Nothing at all.

      Oh, well. I raised the glass in a silent toast. “Happy birthday to me.”

      The wine filled my mouth, flooding my senses. It tasted of nothing, and everything. It tasted of twilight and mist, moonlight and frost, emptiness and longing. The room swayed, and I fell back against the couch, it was so strong. Reality blurred at the edges, wrapping me in a fuzzy haze. I felt sick and sleepy all at once.

      By the time my senses cleared, Robbie was tying a bandage around my leg. I didn’t remember him cleaning or dressing the wound. I felt numb and dazed, like a blanket had dropped over my thoughts, making it hard to concentrate.

      â€œThere,” Robbie said, straightening up. “That’s done. At least your leg won’t fall off.” His eyes swept up to mine, anxious and assessing. “How’re you feeling, princess?”

      â€œUn,” I said intelligently, and tried to sweep the cobwebs from my brain. There was something I wasn’t remembering, something important. Why was Robbie binding my leg? Had I hurt myself somehow?

      I bolted upright.

      â€œEthan bit me!” I exclaimed, indignant and furious all over again. I turned on Robbie. “And you … you said that wasn’t Ethan at all! What were you talking about? What’s going on?”

      â€œRelax, princess.” Robbie tossed the bloody towel onto the floor and plopped onto a footstool. He sighed. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. My fault, I suppose. I shouldn’t have left you alone today.”

      â€œWhat are you talking about?”

      â€œYou weren’t supposed to see this, any of this,” Robbie went on, to my utter confusion. He seemed to be talking more to himself than me. “Your Sight has always been strong, that was a given. Still, I didn’t expect them to go after your family, too. This changes things.”

      â€œRob, if you don’t tell me what’s going on—”

      Robbie looked at me. His eyes gleamed, impish and feral.

      â€œTell you? Are you sure?” His voice went soft and dangerous, and goose bumps crawled up my arms. “Once you start seeing things, you won’t be able to stop. People have gone mad with too much knowledge.” He sighed, and the menace dropped from his eyes. “I don’t want that to happen to you, princess. It doesn’t have to be this way, you know. I can make you forget all of this.”

      â€œForget?”

      He nodded and held up the wine bottle. “This is mistwine.

      You just had a swallow. A cup will make everything go back to normal.” He balanced the bottle on two fingers, watching it sway back and forth. “One cup, and you’ll be normal again. Your brother’s behavior will not seem strange, and you won’t remember anything weird or scary. You know what they say—ignorance is bliss, right?”

      Despite my uneasiness, I felt a slow flame of anger burning my chest. “So, you want me to drink that … that stuff, and just forget about Ethan. Just forget about my only brother. That’s what you’re saying.”

      He raised an eyebrow. “Well, when you put it like that …”

      The burning grew hot and furious, searing away the fear.

      I clenched my fists. “Of course I won’t forget about Ethan!

      He’s my brother! Are you really that inhuman, or just stupid?”

      To my surprise, a grin spread over his face. He dropped the bottle, caught it, and put it on the floor. “The first,” he said, very softly.

      That threw me. “What?”

      â€œInhuman.” He was still grinning at me, the smile stretching his whole mouth so that his teeth gleamed in the fading light. “I warned you, princess. I’m not like you. And now, neither is your brother.”

      Despite the fear prickling my stomach, I leaned forward. “Ethan? What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?”

      â€œThat wasn’t Ethan.” Robbie leaned back, crossing his arms. “The thing that attacked you today is a changeling.”

      CHAPTER FOUR

       Puck

      I stared at Robbie, wondering if this was another one of his stupid pranks. He sat there, observing me calmly, watching my reaction. Though he still wore a half grin, his eyes were hard and serious. He wasn’t joking around.

      â€œCh-changeling?” I finally stammered, looking at him like he was insane. “Isn’t that some kind of … of …”

      â€œFaery,” Robbie finished for me. “A changeling is a faery offspring that has been switched with a human child. Usually, a troll’s or goblin’s, though the sidhe—the faery nobility—have been known to make the switch, as well. Your brother has been replaced. That thing is not Ethan, any more than I am.”

      â€œYou’re crazy,” I whispered. If I wasn’t sitting, I’d be backing away from him toward the door. “You’ve gone off the deep end. Time to cut back on the anime, Rob. There’s no such thing as faeries.”

      Robbie sighed. “Really? That’s what you’re going with? How predictable.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “I thought better of you, princess.”

      â€œThought better of me?” I cried, leaping off the couch.

      â€œListen to yourself! You really expect me to believe that my brother is some kind of pixie with glitter dust and butterfly wings?”

      â€œDon’t be stupid,” Rob said mildly. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re thinking ‘Tinker Bell,’ which is a typical human response to the word faery. The real fey aren’t like that at all.” He paused a moment. “Well, except for the piskies, of course, but that’s a different story altogether.”

      I