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? Stuck Between, 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, or The 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.
I exchanged a look with Meghan, both of us thinking the same thing. The Wolf was strong, extremely dangerous, and normally wanted nothing to do with fey politics. But he was honorable in his own way, and more than a match for any monster in the Nevernever and beyond. If anyone could keep a group of outcast fey safe in the Deep Wyld, it would be the Big Bad Wolf.
The only question was, would he agree to it? No one ordered the Big Bad Wolf to do anything, and if he was bored, or irritated enough, he might bite off the heads of the intruders in his territory as much as help them.
“I think we’re going to have to set up a meeting with the Wolf,” Meghan said, sounding like she had the same concerns. “Grimalkin, do you think you can do that?”
The cat’s whiskers curled back in distaste. “I suppose I must,” he sighed. “It should not be too difficult. Though the Deep Wyld is quite large, and the Wolf tends to roam wherever his nose takes him. Dogs.” Grimalkin gave a sniff of disgust. “Might I suggest a temporary safe house for the Forgotten until the Wolf can be found?”
“Where?” Keirran wondered. “I can’t send them to Leanansidhe’s—she’s made it very clear that the Forgotten are not welcome there. And neither am I, to be honest.”
“They can stay with us,” Kenzie said. “Our place should be safe enough. It might be a little crowded in the basement, but I think everyone will be able to fit. They should be fine.”
Ethan nodded with a somewhat resigned sigh. “I’ll just have to increase the security measures around the house by a million or so,” he muttered.
Keirran bowed his head. “I’m in your debt,” he told them. “Thank you both. Hopefully, we won’t be there long. Though I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get into the Deep Wyld.”