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PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

THE HOUSE OF THE BONE WITCH

“Oy, ice-boy! You sure you knohere you're going?”

I ignored Robin Goodfel oove through the gray y swamp known as the Bone Marsh Mud sucked at reen trees so covered in moss they appeared sheathed in slime Mist coiled around the exposed roots or pooled in sunken areas, hiding what lay beneath, and every so often there was a splash in the stil waters farther out, reested, bones were scattered throughout the les of weeds or shi beneath the surface of the water, bleached and white This was a dangerous part of the ood, more so than most— not because of the catoblepas and the jabberwocks and other monsters that cal ed the dark swamp their home, but because of the resident who lived somewhere deep within the marsh

The one ere going to see

Sobeneath the tree, I turned and glared at ain

“Oh, hey, it lives!” Robin Goodfel ow threw up his muddy hands in mock celebration “I was afraid it had beco”

He crossed his ar his pointed face “Did you hearat you for some time now”

“Yes,” I said, repressing a sigh “I heard you I think the jabberwocks on the other side of the swamp heard you”

“Oh, good! Maybe if we fight a couple you'l start paying attention toaround at the swamp

“This is crazy,” he exclaimed “Hoe even know he's here? The Bone Marsh isn't exactly on etaways, prince You sure your contact knehat he was talking about? If this turns out to be another false lead I loves”

“I thought you wanted an adventure,” I said, just to annoy him Puck snorted

“Oh sure, don't getto all five corners of the Nevernever, getting chased by angry Suiant spiders, playing hide-and-seek with a cranky dragon—good ti fond memories “But this is like the sixth place we've come to look for that wretched cat, and if he isn't here I' next”

“You don't have to be here,” I told hi you”

“Nice try, prince” Puck crossed his ar rid of me that easily”

“Then let's keepwas getting onaside, I did not want to attract the attention of a hungry jabberwock and have to fight it in the middle of the swamp

“Oh, fine,” Puck sighed, troo to the Spider Queen's palace with you, ice-boy

That's where I draw the line”

My name, my ful , True Name, is Ashal ayn'darkmyr Tal yn, and I am the last son of the Unseelie Court

There were three of us at one tie and Rowan I never knew s ever speak of him I wasn't even positive we shared the same sire, but it didn't matter In the Unseelie Court, Mab was the sole ruler, the one and only queen Handsoht take to her bed, but Mab shared her throne with no one

We were never close, rew up in a world of violence and dark politics Our queen encouraged this, favoring the son who earned her good graces while punishing the others We used each other, played vicious gaainst one another, but ere all loyal to our court and our queen Or so I'd thought

There is a reason the Winter Court freezes out their es are considered a weakness and a fol y a the Unseelie fey

Emotion corrupts the senses, makes them weak, makes theerous passion that ate at my brother Rowan until he did the unthinkable and turned on his court, betraying us to our ene, fel to Rowan's treachery, and he was only the first In a bid for power, Rowan sided with our greatest ene nearly destroy the Nevernever I kill ed Rowan in the end, avenging Sage and the rest ofeither of them back

It's onlyson of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court