Isiea inspects the wound, perfectly calm. She then checks Puck's back. If there's a wound on that side, the bullet is gone. If not, she'll have to take it out.

There's not. It's still in him.

Grimalkin jumped up beside Ash again. "The park," he said calmly. "We take him to the park. The dryads should be able to help him." Oh, how subtle the phrasing.

" where are the drayds? " she asked, wiping her tears from her eyes.

"The park."

" specifically, Grim. "

She takes out a pair of tweezers, and, without hesitation, begins attempting to remove the bullet.

"In the trees."

So far so good.

She nods and watches Isiea extract the bullet from Puck.

Soon she's got it out. She tosses it away.

He's still dead.

Ash didn't stop at the edge of the park, but instead drove the carriage over the curb and into the grass beneath the trees. The prince knelt beside them, swung Puck onto a shoulder, and dropped down.

They had stopped under the boughs of two enormous oaks, their gnarled branches completely shutting out the night sky. Ash carried Puck beneath the twisted giants and eased him down to the grass.

And he waited.