“I hope you’re right,” Meghan said. Her voice was calm, but I could sense her concern; the worry that ate at her. Because, along with the rage, it was plaguing me as well. What if Keirran had changed? What if we found our son, and he had turned into the enemy again? “At least we know Keirran is out there,” Meghan continued, “and that he’s trying to contact us. That’s good news, anyway. Now we just have to find him.”
“Maybe Ethan will have had better luck,” Puck added. “He attracts the same kind of trouble—if anyone has seen our wayward princeling, it would be him.”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” I muttered. Keirran’s relationship with Meghan’s brother was a complicated one; they had been part of the same prophecy, but more than that, Ethan had always been the one Keirran went to for help in the past. Why Keirran had chosen to drag a very reluctant human into his world I had never been able to figure out, but when Keirran started down the road that would turn the Nevernever upside down, Ethan had been with him nearly every step of the way. They had been everything from best friends to bitter enemies, much like a certain jester and Winter prince, and even though Keirran had literally stabbed Ethan in the back, their friendship had somehow survived.
Leanansidhe sighed. “Grim, darling, you know the way to the right trod, yes?” she asked the cat, who yawned and flicked an ear in response. “The one that takes you close to Ethan Chase’s new house? Be a dear and show them the way, would you? I have to decide what I’m going to do with a slightly deranged would-be assassin.”
The Exile Queen left the room in a fluttering of copper hair, trailing wisps of violet smoke behind her, and we were alone.
Grimalkin gave a leisurely stretch, leaving white claw marks in Leanansidhe’s polished wood, and hopped off the table. “Follow me, then. The trod to the human world is in the basement. Do be wary of the boggart that lives under the stairs.”
* * *
It was still dark when we climbed the rickety wooden ladder in Leanansidhe’s basement and found ourselves at the bottom of an old dry well in the mortal realm. As I climbed out of the ancient stone structure, a cool breeze blew against my skin, smelling of leaves and pine needles. Trees surrounded us, and the sky through the branches was navy blue, with a few stubborn stars still clinging to existence.
“What is that smell?” Puck asked. “Oh, right, fresh air. I knew there were some places in the mortal realm not covered in concrete and garbage.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling as he gazed around the forest.
I hadn’t been to Ethan and Kenzie’s new house yet, but I knew they lived on a small plot of land a few miles away from everything. Ethan preferred the isolation, not because he was antisocial (though there was a bit of that, too), but because he had the Sight, he had to deal with the fey constantly. And it was easier to deal with a faery if you didn’t have other humans close by to worry about. From what Meghan told me, growing up, Ethan had been harassed and tormented by troublesome faeries to the point that he shut himself away from everyone to keep them safe; it made sense that he would want a place where he could have some relative peace.
“This way,” Grimalkin said, trotting past us with his tail held high. “The house we are looking for is not far.”
We followed Grimalkin through the forest, the only sounds being the leaves crunching under our feet, until the trees opened up and we found ourselves gazing at a modest ranch-style house in the center of a clearing. The front lawn was neatly maintained and had a white picket fence around it. A battered truck sat next to a sleeker blue car in the driveway. It looked like a perfectly normal human dwelling, which surprised me. Given Ethan’s wariness of the fey, I was half-expecting iron fences and trained rottweilers prowling the front lawn.
“Huh, that’s weird,” Puck remarked, echoing my surprise. “Is this really Ethan Chase’s house? I was expecting laser fences and killer attack hippos. This place looks perfectly normal.”
“I don’t see a house,” Nyx stated quietly.
We blinked at her. “Uh, what do you mean you don’t see a house?” Puck asked, and pointed to the dwelling straight ahead in through the trees. “I mean, modern houses might look kinda strange to you. It’s not a mud hut, but it is a house.”
“I have seen the houses of today,” Nyx said flatly. “I know what a modern building looks like. I do not see anything in the clearing. There is no house for me.”
“I see a house,” Meghan said. “Puck, Ash, and Grim can see it, too.” She gazed at Nyx, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I do know that Ethan set up defenses against the fey—maybe this is part of his security system. He knows the four of us, but Nyx is an unknown entity. So she doesn’t even see the house.”
“There are more defenses set up around the house and front yard,” Grimalkin told us, and gave a sniff. “Powerful, but easily navigable, if one knows how to deal with them. Follow me, and do try not to trip over anything.”
We trailed the cat through the woods and toward the Chases’ front yard, which looked completely innocuous in the coming dawn. However, as we neared the fence gates, Nyx drew in a sharp breath and stumbled to a halt, frowning at the building in front of us.
“Nyx?” Puck cocked his head, giving her a concerned look. “You okay?”
“I...don’t know.” The Forgotten took a step, and her frown deepened. “The closer I get, the harder it becomes to continue. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like I shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to keep walking in this direction.”
“More anti-fey charms,” I murmured. “Sounds like a powerful one, too. I’ve heard of spells that actively repel and prevent fey from crossing a circle drawn on the ground. This seems very similar.”
“Here.” Puck held out a hand to Nyx. “Just hang on to me. Close your eyes if you have to. And don’t worry—there hasn’t been a charm, spell, or faery repellant crafted that can keep out Robin Goodfellow. I’m an expert at getting into places that don’t want me to get into them.”
Nyx gave a weird little smile. “I am, too,” she said, and placed her fingers in his palm. “The only difference is, if your charms didn’t work, you would be dead the next morning.”
“Oh, that’s a cheery thought,” Puck said, and turned back toward the house. “Maybe we shouldn’t mention the little fact that you were an assassin to Ethan quite yet.”
“It does seem to make humans nervous,” Nyx agreed.
We continued toward the house. Nyx didn’t say anything more, and continued clutching Puck’s hand tightly as we walked across the lawn and approached the front door. Her jaw was set as we climbed the brick stairs onto the porch. Meghan didn’t hesitate; raising her arm, she knocked loudly against the wooden barrier.