Page 21 of The Iron Sword

Keirran looked up as I stopped above him and Meghan. “How did you find me?” he whispered. His voice was ragged, and dark circles crouched under his eyes. He looked completely spent, and I wondered how long he had been keeping up the magical barrier.

“Long story,” I answered, holding out a hand. He grasped it, and I drew him to his feet, gripping his arm to steady him as he swayed. “After we heard what happened in Touchstone, we went to the Between, then Leanansidhe’s, then finally to Ethan and Kenzie. They were the ones who led us here.”

Keirran looked over my arm at the rest of the group as they approached, a tired smile crossing his face. “Looks like everyone is here,” he observed, a little of that wry humor returning to his voice. “I’m touched that I warrant such a rescue.” He might’ve said something more, but Kenzie rushed up to throw her arms around him, making him grunt as she squeezed hard.

“Don’t be stupid, Keirran.” Kenzie’s words were softened by the clearly affectionate look she gave him as she pulled back. “You’d drop everything and go combing every corner of the Nevernever for us if the tables were turned.”

Nyx stepped forward, the relief in her golden eyes evident as she bowed her head to her king. “Your Majesty, I am pleased to see you are safe. When we saw what happened to Touchstone, we feared the worst.”

“Touchstone.” Keirran’s face grew serious, a mantle of grief, anger, and regret descending on him. He sighed, and the air around him turned a little colder. “It happened so fast,” he muttered. “I would have fought that thing to the death, but when it started corrupting the Forgotten, I knew I had to save as many as I could. I left so many behind...” He closed his eyes, bowing his head. “What kind of king am I, to abandon my city like that?”

I gripped his shoulder. “Touchstone isn’t completely destroyed,” I told him. “The anchor is damaged, but not gone. It can still be rebuilt.”

Keirran nodded, then took a quick breath, shaking off his melancholy. “I tried sending out messages,” he went on, glancing up at me. “Before those piskie things trapped us in here, I sent a couple Forgotten to find you. Did any of them make it?”

“One,” Meghan said. “At Leanansidhe’s. We stopped there when we heard what had happened in Touchstone, and one of your Forgotten did track us down. But something had happened to it. It attacked as soon as it saw us.”

Keirran winced, shaking his head. “They must’ve been corrupted,” he said. “I’m sorry—this was before I knew how many of these things were out there. As soon as we got to the mortal realm, those creatures seemed to target us. And with the attack on Touchstone, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. Whatever they are, I think they want us—or me—dead.” He took another breath, as if gathering his strength, and stabbed his fingers through his hair to push it back. “So,” he ventured, “what do we do now?”

Meghan frowned, looking thoughtful for a few moments. “Before we do anything, we need to get you and the rest of the Forgotten to a safe place,” she said, gazing around at the still silent Forgotten. “And then, we need to get the other rulers together to warn the Nevernever. These creatures, whatever they are, are clearly a threat. The rest of Faery needs to be aware of them. But first...” She gave Keirran an appraising look, her brow furrowed in thought. “Where can we send you and the Forgotten? For whatever reason, these Monsters seem to be after you, specifically. Is there any spot in the mortal world that is safe?”

Keirran frowned. “I don’t know,” he sighed. Taking a few steps back, he sank onto a wooden crate, running his hands through his hair. “We haven’t been in the mortal realm long, and wherever we turned, it seemed there were more of these things coming after us. But even if there weren’t these new Monsters, it isn’t safe for us here. The Forgotten aren’t suited for long periods in the human world.”

“They fade too easily,” Nyx stated, and Keirran nodded.

“It’s bad enough for exiles,” he said. “But the Forgotten have no glamour of their own to sustain them. They either have to steal it from the traditional fey, which is against the law now, or find enough of a natural glamour source to slow the Fade.”

“What about the Between?” Kenzie asked. “There have to be other places besides Touchstone. Can you go back there, just for them to be safe?”

The Forgotten around Keirran cringed, and the Forgotten King shook his head. “Not if there’s a chance that the bigger Monsters are still wandering the Between,” he replied. “As far as I can tell, they haven’t been able to cross into the mortal realm. Not like these smaller ones. But I don’t want to take my people back through the Veil when they’re actively being hunted. You saw what happened to Touchstone. Another attack like that, and the Forgotten could be gone forever.”

“Well, we’re kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place, then,” Puck said. “The Forgotten can’t stay in the mortal realm, they can’t go back to the Between, and you can’t go into Faery.” He broke into a toothy grin. “Get it? StuckBetween, a rock, and a hard place.” When we all just stared at him, he rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s a critic.”

Keirran sighed. “I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he admitted in a weary voice. “There’s no place that is safe anymore. Not without going into the Nevernever. And obviously I can’t do that.”

“You are wrong, Forgotten King,” said a voice, and Grimalkin appeared atop a rusted-out barrel. “There is a way.”

We all stared at the cat, who, once all eyes were upon him, made a great show of stretching, turning in a circle, and finally resettling himself atop the barrel. Curling his tail around his feet, he blinked down at us lazily.

“You have been exiled from the Nevernever,” the cait sith began as he stared at Keirran, who gave a single grave nod of agreement. “Because of the nature of your exile, all the rulers would have to be present, and in agreement, for the banishment to be overturned. The Iron Queen cannot simply lift it herself.

“However,” Grimalkin went on, “your exile is only valid in the places where Faery law holds sway. In this case, where the rulers of Faery are present—in Summer, Winter, Iron, and the wyldwood. Within those boundaries, the rules and decrees must be obeyed. But,” he added, raising his head, “there is a place where Faery rule does not extend, where there is no law and no regulations to abide by.”

Momentarily puzzled, Keirran furrowed his brow, but Kenzie drew in a quick breath.

“The Deep Wyld,” she guessed immediately.

Grimalkin nodded. “As usual, the mortal girl is on top of things,” he sighed. “I fear for the rest of the Nevernever. Yes, the Deep Wyld. Faery law does not exist on the far side of the River of Dreams. The Deep Wyld does not recognize any type of authority—it is a truly neutral plane of existence where the only real law is kill or be killed. If the Forgotten King and his people take refuge in the Deep Wyld, technically they are not breaking any law, as the law does not exist there.”

“But the Deep Wyld is extremely dangerous,” Keirran argued with a worried glance at the Forgotten. “The things that make their home across the River of Dreams are nearly as dangerous as the Monster itself. The Forgotten won’t be any safer there then they would in the Between.”

“Yes,” Grimalkin said, “the things that make their home in the Deep Wyld are very dangerous. Dangerous enough to challenge even the Monsters we have encountered. One creature, in particular, is as much a ruler of his domain as the kings and queens here, though he would never call himself one.” The cat’s golden eyes shifted to me. “You should know whom I am talking about.”

I did know. I think everyone knew, at that point. “The Wolf,” I said simply.

Keirran’s brows rose. The Wolf, orThe Big Bad Wolf, as was his official name, was an ancient, primordial creature from the dawn of time. He was, quite simply, a huge black wolf the size of a grizzly bear, but he was also much more than that. The Wolf was the culmination of every story, fable, and cautionary tale about wolves. From Little Red Riding Hood, to the Boy Who Cried Wolf, to the terrible monsters in media and film, the Big Bad Wolf had existed since the beginning of time, and was as old as mankind’s fears surrounding him.

He was also immortal, and rumored to be impossible to kill. He had already almost killed me once, when Oberon had sent the great hunter to track me down, thinking Meghan had been kidnapped. But the Wolf had also been vital in the quest of earning my soul, traveling to the End of the World with me and Puck, and helping us on the journey.

---