Puck's eyes glittered. "I could cast a charm spell over you," he mused, one corner of his lip quirking up. "That would solve a lot of problems."

"No," Grimalkin spoke up before either of them could explode, "you will not. And you know you will not, so stop posturing. Besides, I have something that might solve this little problem."

"Oh?"

"A favor." Grimalkin waved his tail languidly. "From the king."

"That won't stop Oberon from banishing me."

"No," Grimalkin agreed. "But I could request that you be banished for a limited time only. A few decades or so. It is better than nothing."

"Uh-huh." Puck sounded unconvinced. "And this would just cost me a small favor in return, is that right?"

"You pulled me into this conflict the moment you dropped this girl into my tree," Grimalkin said, blinking lazily. "I cannot believe that was an act of coincidence, not from the infamous Robin Goodfellow. You should have known it might come to this."

"I know better than to make deals with a cait sith," Puck shot back, then sighed, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. "Fine," he said at last. "You win, Your Highnesses. Freedom is highly overrated, anyway. If Im going to do anything, I might as well do it big."

"Good. Now how do we find Mab?"

" more importantly, Ethan. "

Puck gave them a resigned smile. "Oh, please. You'd get eaten alive without me. Besides, storming the Unseelie Court?" His grin widened. "Can't pass that up for anything."

"Then let us go," Grimalkin said. "The longer we tarry, the farther word will spread about our intentions. Tir Na Nog is not far now." He turned and trotted down the corridor, his tail help upright in the fog.

They followed the hallway for several minutes. After a while, the air turned cold and sharp; frost coated the walls of the corridor, and icicles dangled from the ceiling.

"We are getting close," came Grimalkins disembodied voice in the mist.

The hallway ended with a simple wooden door. A thin powder of snow lined the bottom crack, and the door trembled and creaked in the wind howling just outside.

Puck stepped forward. "Ladies and felines," he stated grandly, grasping the doorknob, "welcome to Tir Na Nog. Land of endless winter and craploads of snow."

Isiea rolls her eyes, forces Puck's hand away, and opens the door herself.

Lise shivered. " I think we're a bit underdressed for this. "

A billow of freezing powder caressed their faces as she pulled the door open.

They stood in a frozen garden, the thornbushes on the fence coated with ice, a cherub fountain in the center of the yard spouting frozen water. In the distance, beyond the barren trees and thorny scrub, they could see the pointed roof of a huge Victorian estate. As they stepped through, the corridor vanished behind them.

"Charming," Puck commented, gazing around in distaste. "I love the barren, dead feel theyre going for. Whos the gardener, I wonder? Id love to get some tips."

" lets just stay focused. "

"It's cold." Isiea points out.

Ares was already shivering.

"The Winter Court is maybe two days' walk from here," Grimalkin said, leaping onto a tree stump. He shook his paws, one by one, and sat down carefully. "We should find shelter soon. I am uncomfortable in this weather, and the girls will certainly freeze to death."

A dark chuckle echoed across the garden. "I wouldn't worry about that now."

A figure stepped out from behind a tree, sword held loosely in one hand. The breeze ruffled the figures black hair as he moved toward them, graceful and silent as a shadow. Grimalkin hissed and disappeared, and Puck shoved both girls behind him.

"I've been waiting for you," Ash murmured into the silence.