The Iron Legends: Winter's Passage\Summer's Crossing\Iron's Prophecy (19 page)

A Word of Caution

This guide contains spoilers.

If you have not yet read all of The Iron Fey
novels, the characters and the author highly recommend that you read all the
books and novellas before proceeding further.

[Human, I do not recommend you read it at
all. Stay where you are and do not concern yourself with matters of Faery.
Or when you blunder into the Nevernever and find yourself at the wrong end
of a goblin’s spear, I shall be called upon by a certain all-too-softhearted
queen to rescue you, no doubt. Yawn.]

The Original Survival Guide to the Nevernever

Written in the hopes that others might
avoid the many terrible predicaments in which Meghan Chase found herself
during the course of The Iron Fey series.

Read at Your Own Risk.

Disclaimer

This guide is intended to give intrepid travelers into
the realm of the fey a minimal chance at surviving the creatures and denizens
that dwell within. Please note, the author of this guide is in no way
responsible for lost or damaged souls, ensnarement or accidental or intentional
death. Entering the realms of fey can, and likely will, be hazardous to your
health and is not recommended. You have been warned.

Preparation

One can never prepare adequately for entry into the
Nevernever. There are, however, a few rules that one can follow to help increase
the chances of surviving.

What Should I Wear?

Dressing for the Nevernever means blending utility with
comfort. If you have questions about whether or not an item is appropriate, ask
yourself the following: If running for my life, would this slow me down? And: If
caught while running for my life, would this protect me? If the answer to the
first question is yes, and the second question is no, then the item is
inappropriate. Here are a few suggested items to wear to help you make it out of
the Nevernever alive.

• A light pack
(either a
backpack or large satchel) can be helpful for storing other necessary items.
Make sure to avoid large, bulky or heavy packs, as they will slow you down when
(not if) you need to run for your life.

• Comfortable clothing
that covers the
arms and legs (the Briars have thorns, after all). Be sure to wear muted colors,
as bright or flashy colors will attract the fey. Layers are also strongly
recommended, as the temperature can vary quite drastically from one part of the
Nevernever to the next.

• A protective charm
may reduce the
chances of being eaten. Cold iron blessed by the druids during a new moon works
best, but if that is not available, a twist of Saint John’s wort, a four-leaf
clover or a rabbit’s foot might help. If you have none of the above, wearing
your clothing inside out may work in a pinch.

• A high-quality pair of cross-trainers or
running shoes.
Remember, buying the shoes is not enough. A strong
cardio program is highly recommended before crossing into the
Nevernever.

What Should I Pack?

It is a common mistake to take a large number of
gadgetry (cameras, cell phones, portable computers, etc.) into the Nevernever.
The second problem with these devices is that they will not work well (if at
all) in Faery. The first and larger problem is that any fey you chance across
will not take kindly to the presence of so much mortal technology, which, in
turn, could lead to a situation where the running shoes mentioned previously are
needed. Better to stick with a few simple items.

• Food.
Any type of small,
high-caloric, portable food items will suffice. Energy bars, candy bars, trail
mix, dehydrated foods, etc., will extend the amount of time you can spend in the
Nevernever. (Note: Extending the amount of time spent in the Nevernever is not
recommended.) It is recommended that you do not eat anything you find or are
offered while in the Nevernever. Side effects of faery food include, but are not
limited to, mood swings, inebriation, memory loss, shape-changing, obsession,
coma, inability to leave the Nevernever and death.

• Weapon of steel or cold iron.
Modern
steel (e.g., a knife, sword or other implement of death) is serviceable in this
regard, but cold iron (e.g., a spike from a wrought-iron fence, a length of pig
iron, etc.) is preferable as it has a more direct impact on the fey. Before
entering Faery, an intense training program with your chosen weapon is strongly
encouraged. Several years of training should be enough to adequately protect
yourself from the weakest fey. If you wish to protect yourself from the
strongest fey, you will need several mortal lifetimes.

• Gifts for the fey.
If you encounter
creatures of the Nevernever, many can be won over by offering gifts, free of
obligation. Suggested items include jars of honey, bags of candy, bronze weapons
and young children. Please check with the laws of your home country before
procuring any of these items.

• Water.
While most of the water in the
Nevernever is drinkable without direct side effects, it is also the home of many
aquatic fey of the nastier variety and drinking it or venturing too near it may
result in numerous indirect side effects: nausea, vomiting, sudden blood loss,
inexplicable need to flee and death.

Entering the Nevernever

This guide will not lay out explicit instructions on how
to enter the Nevernever. The publishers consulted with their legal team and
determined that the associated liability of such an act was, as one attorney put
it, “Certain to lead to financial ruin for this company, reprisals from the
Summer and Winter courts and, quite possibly, the end of the world as we know
it.” Suffice it to say, one enters Faery through trods, paths between the mortal
realm and the realm of the fey. Finding those trods is, per Legal, up to
you.

Should you, despite all warnings, somehow stumble your way into
Faery, the following information might be useful while traversing the different
realms. However, the author of this guide assumes no responsibility for any who
are captured, eaten or driven mad.

The Geography of the Nevernever

The Nevernever is a diverse and wild realm populated by
strange creatures and ancient powers. The land itself is said to have a
consciousness and a sometimes-malicious will. When traveling through the
Nevernever, there are four primary realms with which one may have to
contend.

• Arcadia, the Summer/Seelie
Court.
Thick forests, ancient hills and flowering grasslands dominate
Arcadia, home of the Summer fey. Newcomers to the land of the Summer King might
falsely believe that Seelie territory is not as dangerous as the rest of the
Nevernever, but do not be deceived. Arcadia is sunny and beautiful year-round,
but it is not safe. Satyrs, dryads and trolls roam the forests of Arcadia, and
the lakes teem with mermaids and nixies. The Seelie Court rests beneath an
enormous faery mound, where King Oberon and Queen Titania rule without
opposition.

• Tir Na Nog, the Winter/Unseelie Court.
The territory of Mab, the Winter Queen, is as hostile and icy as the fey
that dwell there. Snow covers everything, and the frozen woods, fields, streams
and lakes all rest beneath several inches of ice. All sorts of vicious creatures
call the Winter Court home, from goblins and redcaps to bogeymen and ogres. The
Winter palace lies beneath an enormous cavern, home of the terrible Winter
Queen. Few mortals who set eyes on the Unseelie Court and Mab ever live to tell
of it.

• The wyldwood.
The dark, tangled forest
called the wyldwood is the largest territory in the Nevernever, completely
encircling both courts and extending into the Deep Wyld. It is neutral
territory; neither Summer nor Winter hold sway here, and the wyldwood denizens
owe allegiance to no one. The wood is vast and endless, and the creatures that
roam there come from every corner of the imagination. Not only does this make
the wyldwood one of the most dangerous places in the Nevernever, but one of the
most mysterious, as well.

• The Iron Court.
Until recently, not
much was known about the mysterious emergence of a new court within the bounds
of Faery. One would think that a realm called the Iron Realm, born from the very
substance most harmful to the fey, would be a rumor at best and quickly
exterminated at worst. But such a court does exist, and is now ruled by a young
faery queen called Meghan Chase. The Iron Queen is said to be half faery and
half human, and it is within her realm that you will find the strange and
wondrous species known as the Iron fey. These faeries—for they are indeed true
fey—are thought to have evolved from mankind’s love of technology and progress.
Currently, however, not much information is known about them.

Denizens of the Nevernever

If you are wise, you will do as little as possible to
draw the attention of the fey. Sometimes, even if you are a quiet observer, the
fey will find you. If this occurs, there are a few steps you can follow that may
allow you to escape with your free will and, if you are lucky, your life.

• Always be polite.
Discourtesy is a deep insult to the fey and will not be well received, no matter
how cool you think it will make you look.

• Do not be deceived by the politeness of the
fey.
Fey are almost always polite. This does not mean they will not
happily remove your head. They will, however, be grateful for the entertainment
you provided. Or, if you are very unlucky, the sustenance.

• There is no such thing as a free
lunch.
In the Nevernever, there is no free. Accept no gifts, no
matter how sure you are that there are no strings attached. There are always
enough strings attached to tie you up in a pretty bow and deliver you to someone
who will be grateful for the sustenance.

• Give gifts freely.
The fey will either
think you are a masterful manipulator and respect you more, or be completely
befuddled by the notion of a gift with no obligations.

• Never, ever, under any circumstances, enter
into a contract with the fey.
It always ends badly and often fatally.
In the rare cases where it does not end badly, that is because it does not end.
You will be bound for eternity.

• If you have to run, zig and zag.
Many
faeries carry bows and arrows.

• If you chance upon a big, gray cat, you
probably owe him a favor.
Even if you do not remember the favor, do
it, anyway. In the long run, you will do it, but it will be far less painful if
you do it up front.

How Do I Leave Faery?

The best answer to this question is, quickly. Spending a
lot of time within the realms of the Nevernever can lead to many strange
effects. A few minutes in Faery may be years in the mortal realm, or the reverse
may be true. If you leave by a different trod than you entered, even one only a
few feet away, you may find yourself on the other side of the world, or at the
bottom of the ocean. Here are a few things to remember when attempting to leave
the Nevernever.

• Always keep track of how to return to the trod by
which you entered.

• Never, ever ask for directions or a way out. Most fey will help
you, but they will charge a steep price, most commonly your tongue, as they do
not want you to share this information. Note: if they ever catch on to texting,
they may start asking for thumbs, as well.

• If you cannot find your way back to your original trod, purchase
a way out by using the gifts mentioned earlier in this guide. If you enter into
this type of bargain, make sure to phrase things appropriately. “I’m lost and
can’t get home” is sure to lead to trouble. Try something different, like “I’ll
pay two jars of honey to a fey who will take me to the mortal realm, alive and
whole, with my mind and soul intact, neither physically or mentally harmed, to
be placed on solid ground at an altitude and in an environment that can readily
sustain human life, no farther than a mile from a human settlement, at a time
not more than thirty minutes from now.” Even then, be careful.

Conclusion

The above procedures should afford you the barest chance
at survival in the Nevernever. There are, of course, no guarantees and any and
all interactions with the denizens of Faery must be handled with the greatest of
care. If, however, you proceed according to the above, you will have a leg up on
the other mortals who wander from time to time through the Briars and into the
heart of Faery. You have been warned repeatedly. Proceed at your own risk.

Character Biographies
and Useful
Information

Knowing the life stories of a few key
members of Faery may come in handy should you find yourself at their mercy,
begging to be returned home—or to stay forever.

Main Characters

MEGHAN CHASE

(Meggie, princess, half-blood, daughter of Oberon, the Iron
Queen)

Meghan Chase is a half human, half fey girl with
white-blond hair and blue eyes. She grew up in the Louisiana bayou with her
mother, stepfather and half brother, raised as a normal teenage girl. She was
often ignored and overlooked, and didn’t realize that this was due to her fey
heritage.

Meghan’s biological father is Oberon, the Summer King, though
she doesn’t find this out until traveling into the Nevernever to rescue her
brother, who has been kidnapped. Before this revelation, she believed herself to
be fully human, and had a father who disappeared when she was six years old. She
later discovers that the man she believed to be her father, Paul, was abducted
by the Exile Queen Leanansidhe at the behest of Puck to keep him safe from a
jealous Queen Titania and is reunited with him.

Meghan is incredibly loyal and willing to sacrifice herself to
protect the people she loves. It is this strength, and many other qualities,
that causes Ash, Prince of the Winter Court, to fall in love with her, even as
she is falling in love with him in return—a sentiment that is forbidden by both
the Summer and the Winter courts.

Meghan’s best friend growing up was the mischievous and often
secretive Robbie Goodfell. When her brother was kidnapped, Meghan discovered
that Robbie is actually Robin Goodfellow, the infamous faery Puck best known
from Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As the daughter of the Summer King, Meghan has the ability to
call upon Summer glamour. She can summon roots and vines to her aid, wrapping
them around her enemies. She can also make life erupt from even the deadest of
woods, and while wielding the Scepter of the Seasons, she is even able to
produce lightning bolts. After she killed the Iron King, Meghan inherited all of
his powers and became the true heir to the Iron throne. While her Iron and
Summer glamours initially clashed, making her sick when she tried to use them
individually, she was eventually able to merge the two, bringing life to the
Iron Realm and ending its destructive spread through the Nevernever.

Throughout her time in the Nevernever, Meghan made an enemy of
both Titania, the Summer Queen, and Mab, the Winter Queen, but after defeating
both the Iron King and later the false king, she ended her journey as a queen of
her own realm, respected and powerful.

Good to know:
If you’re in a
tight spot, Meghan is the perfect queen to seek out for help. She is loyal to
those she loves and wired to help humans in need, and the least likely person in
all of Faery to require a favor in return.

ASH

(the Winter Prince, ice-boy, son of Mab, Ashallayn’darkmyr
Tallyn)

Prince Ash is the youngest son of Mab, the Winter Queen.
He has dark hair, silver eyes and an angelic face. His father is unknown, but he
has two older brothers, Sage and Rowan. Growing up in the Unseelie Court, Ash
learned early on that feelings were a weakness that could be used against him,
so he learned to close himself off.

In his youth, Ash was close friends with Robin Goodfellow,
hunting with him in the wyldwood despite the fact that friendship between Summer
and Winter fey is forbidden. But when Puck accidentally caused the death of
Ash’s beloved, Ariella, by leading them into a wyvern nest, Ash swore that he
would one day kill Puck.

After years of mourning Ariella and fighting back the darkness
that rose inside him on the day she died, Ash met Meghan and, while accompanying
her into the Iron Realm to defeat King Machina, began to fall in love with her.
Later, after helping Meghan to escape Tir Na Nog and take back the Scepter of
the Seasons from the false Iron King’s lieutenants, Ash confessed his love in
front of both courts. Refusing to be separated from her, Ash chose exile from
the Nevernever, only to be pulled back in when Meghan agreed to go back into the
Iron Realm and defeat the false king before he could spread his iron plague
across the Nevernever.

Ash is an expert swordsman, and he wields an icy-blue sword
made for him by the Ice Archons of Dragons’ Peak. His blood, glamour and a tiny
piece of his essence went into its creation and he doesn’t like anyone touching
it but him. Ash is also a master of Winter glamour, often shooting ice shards
from his hands at his enemies during battle. He was also able to free Meghan
from the block of ice his mother had encased her in.

When Meghan asked Ash to be her knight, invoking an ancient
ritual that shows ultimate trust and would tie his life to hers, Ash made the
vow instantly, bestowing upon Meghan his True Name. When she defeated the false
king and lay dying in the Iron Realm, Meghan released Ash from his vow of
knighthood in order to save his life, and used his True Name to order him out of
the Iron Realm. As he left, he made a new vow—to find a way for him and Meghan
to be together once again.

With the help of Puck, Grimalkin and some unexpected new
companions, Ash set out for the End of the World, where it was said he might
earn a soul and become human, thus allowing him to live in the Iron Realm free
from harm. Along the way, he discovered a secret that changed much of what he
believed about himself and his former friendship with Puck. Working as a team,
Ash and his companions made their way to the Testing Ground at the End of the
World. There Ash faced tests that no faery had passed before, earning a soul and
becoming something between human and fey, so that he could return to the Iron
Realm, to Meghan Chase, and marry her.

Good to know:
Since gaining
a soul, Ash has become more sympathetic to the human condition. He is still not
the easiest person to ask for help, unless you are one of his respected
acquaintances or friends, but his moral code in the end compels him to do the
right thing. Unless you threaten his wife in any way. Then you’re frozen
toast.

PUCK

(Robin Goodfellow, Robbie Goodfell, the Great Prankster)

Puck is a Summer fey, a servant of the Summer King,
Oberon, and a maker of mischief. He has red hair and green eyes and a trickster
personality; he is best known for cracking jokes, playing pranks and angering
older, stronger fey just to see if he can get one up on them.

When Meghan Chase was born, Puck was charged with watching over
her and keeping her blind to the faery world. Disguised as human Robbie
Goodfell, Puck kept his secret hidden until the Iron King kidnapped Meghan’s
brother and replaced him with a changeling. Defying direct orders from his king
in order to help his best friend, Puck revealed his true nature and guided
Meghan into the Nevernever.

Along with the standard Summer glamour, Puck can shape-shift
into various animals, including a horse and a raven. He is also able to create
clones of himself made of leaves and twigs, and often throws balls of fur at his
opponents in battle, which transform into animals such as bears or badgers.

Puck is a formidable fighter, small, fast and cunning, and
rather than a sword, he wields two daggers. His long-standing rivalry with his
former best friend, Ash, often leads to duels, which he doesn’t take seriously,
often sending clones to fight for him while he makes sarcastic comments from a
safe distance.

Puck defied orders to help Meghan, his best friend, at least
three times, and eventually professed his love for her. When he was forced to
accept that Meghan would choose to be with Ash, Puck withdrew from them both.
Yet when trouble followed Meghan and Ash into exile, Puck came to help despite
their rocky relationship. While preparing Meghan to fight the false king, their
friendship was almost destroyed when Meghan discovered a secret Puck kept about
her family. In the end, Puck and Meghan reconciled and Puck stood by her and Ash
as Meghan fought her way into the false king’s fortress to save all of
Faery.

After Meghan became the Iron Queen and Ash set off on his quest
to find a way to be with her, Puck tagged along with Ash, with the explanation
that he wanted Meghan to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him. He accompanied
Ash to the End of the World to help him earn a soul and become human, and the
two friends reconciled their long-standing rivalry.

Good to know:
Puck is loyal
to his court and even more loyal to anyone who earns his respect. He will go to
the ends of the earth for his friends and make them laugh the whole way. He can
also drive even the most even-tempered person utterly mad with his pranks. He
makes the best friend and the worst possible enemy. Do not get on his bad side
lest you be turned into a hedgehog.

GRIMALKIN

(Grim, Cait Sith, Devil’s Cat, Furball)

[Human, if you don’t know who I am by now, there is no
hope.