“That’s not what worries me.”
“Then what is the problem here, Ethan Chase?”
“The problem is I don’t want to wind up in the middle of the River of Dreams if that rotten thing decides to snap. Or vanish into thin air.”
The Thin Man shook his head. “You are being ridiculous, my boy. The bridge has existed for a very, very long time. It has never failed. Also, may I remind you that there is no other way to cross the River of Dreams, unless you are planning to swim. Which I do not recommend. There are far more dangerous things in the water than what you have seen tonight.” With a sniff, he straightened, tugging on his coat sleeves. “I am going now,” he announced with great dignity. “Feel free to join me when you are done being paranoid.”
He turned, briefly disappearing from sight, and walked down the bank to where the bridge loomed ominously. I sighed, shared a look with Kenzie and Razor, and hurried after him.
Two ancient moss-covered stones marked the entrance to the rickety walk of wooden boards stretching precariously over the water. The handrails were a couple of old ropes on either side, and I could see the river through the gaps between the planks. The Thin Man strode onto the bridge without hesitation, but Kenzie paused, crouching to peer at one of the stones, Razor lighting up the surface with his neon grin.
“There’s...something here,” she muttered, brushing at the mossy coating. “Words, or a message, or something. I can’t read it. It’s too worn away.”
Up ahead, the Thin Man had turned back and was giving us an impatient stare, tapping long fingers against his arm. “Come on,” I said, pulling Kenzie to her feet. “We can’t worry about it now. Hopefully it’s not important.”
Carefully, we started across the bridge, Kenzie in front with Razor clinging to her neck, while I followed close behind. The planks creaked horribly under my feet, the ropes felt rotten as hell and I held my breath every time a breath of wind made the whole bridge sway. Below us, the River of Dreams glittered and churned sluggishly through the many holes in the wood. Once, I made the mistake of looking down, just as a huge pale eye rose out of the water, staring up at me. Before I could say anything, it blinked a filmy blue lid and sank back into the depths. I bit down a hysterical gulp and concentrated on moving forward, keeping my steps as light as I possibly could.
In front of me, Kenzie gave a shudder. “Did you see that?”
“No,” I muttered stubbornly. “I didn’t, and I’m not thinking about it. Don’t look down. Just keep walking.”
“I would,” Kenzie whispered in return. “But there’s a gnome blocking my path.”
“What?” I peered over her shoulder. Yep, there certainly was. A short bearded faery with a nose like a shriveled apple, staring up at us with his arms crossed to his chest. A few paces beyond, the Thin Man glanced back with a frown, but the gnome didn’t seem to notice him.
“Hello, humans,” he said, his voice like a squeaky wheel. “Lovely night, isn’t it?”
“Um.” Kenzie glanced at me, confused. I shrugged and put a hand on my sword hilt. “Yes? I guess so?”
“Excellent, excellent.” The gnome rubbed his palms. “Don’t meet many humans on my bridge, wanting to cross into the Deep Wyld. Very brave, you are. I do hope you don’t get yourselves eaten.”
“But you’re a gnome,” Kenzie pointed out, making him cock his head. “Aren’t bridges guarded by trolls?”
“Not all bridges are troll bridges,” the gnome exclaimed, sounding faintly offended. “Just because trolls like to lurk under them does not give them exclusive rights to every bridge in the Nevernever. I am a bridge gnome. This is my bridge.”
“Okay,” I muttered, closing my fingers around my sword. “Sure. So, how ’bout you step aside now and let us pass?” Kenzie kicked me lightly in the shin, and I winced. “Please.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” The gnome bobbed his withered head. “I’m sure you have much to accomplish. So, if you would kindly pay the toll, we can settle our debts, and I will get out of your way.”
“Toll?” Kenzie asked. “What toll?”
“Well...the toll for using my bridge, of course.” The gnome frowned, lacing his arms behind his back. “Those are the rules. All tolls must be paid upon request. Didn’t you see the sign? It’s right at the entrance, clear as day.”
Kenzie turned to give me a brief, unreadable look. I grimaced. “What about him?” I asked, nodding to the Thin Man, who was still watching us several yards down. “I notice he didn’t have to pay any toll.”
“Well, no.” The gnome glanced over his shoulder. “The mayor is exempt from paying the toll. As are all residents of the Deep Wyld, if they decide to use the bridge at all. Most do not. You are outsiders. Therefore, you must pay the toll.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Kenzie asked, “what if we can’t?”
“Then I will take my bridge and leave. And you can swim the rest of the way to shore.”
“Okay, fine.” I sighed. I didn’t like the idea of paying yet another price, but I liked the notion of getting dumped into the River of Dreams even less. “What’s the stupid toll?”
“Oh, something very simple,” the gnome said, looking us both up and down. “I think...your firstborn child. Yes, that should be sufficient.”
I took a breath to say Screw that! or something to that effect, when Kenzie elbowed me in the ribs, making me grunt. Startled, I frowned at her, but her attention was on the faery in front of us.
“I’ll give you a ring,” she said calmly, and the gnome arched a brow at her. “It’s silver,” she continued. “With a pink gem in the middle. It belonged to a princess, once.”
The gnome cocked his head, intrigued. “A princess?”
“Yes. Princess Alexandria St. James.” Kenzie’s voice was completely serious. “She was the previous owner. I’d give you the tiara that goes with it, but the princess lost it when she was trick-or-treating.”
The bridge gnome pondered this a moment. “Let’s see this ring,” he said at last.
Kenzie unzipped a side pocket of her backpack and drew out a gaudy plastic ring. It was a kid’s toy, the kind you’d find in bargain bins at dollar stores. The fake pink gem sparkled in the dim light, and the gnome’s eyes gleamed as he followed it.
“Well...” The gnome tapped his foot, trying and failing to sound reluctant. “I don’t know, human. It is just a ring, after all. Even though it belonged to a princess...”
Kenzie shrugged and withdrew her arm, closing her fingers around the ring to hide it from view. “If you don’t want it...”
“No, no, no. That’s not what I meant.” The gnome let out a huff. “Very well. I accept your toll. But only for you,” he added quickly. “The boy will have to give me something else.”
“Uh,” I hedged, as the bridge keeper shot me an expectant look. I didn’t have anything to offer except my swords and the clothes on my back. And tromping through the Deep Wyld naked or unarmed wasn’t an option. But Kenzie put a hand on my wrist and leaned in with a smile.
“It’s okay, tough guy. I gotcha covered.” Reaching into the bag again, she pulled out a plastic bracelet, the stretchy kind with shimmery, multicolored beads, dangled it in front of the gnome, and the faery’s eyes lit up the same way as before. “Do we have a deal?”
Kenzie smirked, shaking her head, as the gnome nodded once and vanished, taking the pieces of costume jewelry with him. “Firstborn child. Please,” she muttered as we continued down the last part of the bridge, where the Thin Man waited on the other side. “Why do they always open with that?”
I gave her an alarmed look that was only half-teasing. “You’re getting almost scary good at this,” I said, making her chuckle. “Did you take classes or something on how to bargain with the fey before you came back?”
“No, but it’s not that hard...once you realize a
few things.” Kenzie held up a finger. “One, never accept their first offer. Two, everything is negotiable. Three, when presented with a choice, faeries will almost always choose to have something right now, rather than have to wait for something better.” She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Cheap costume jewelry now or firstborn child in a few years? Yeah, they always go for the shiny.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re brilliant,” I told her. “You know that, right?”
“Just observant. And a fast learner. I can’t swing a sword around, so I go with my strengths. And you...” she went on as we finally reached the opposite bank, where the Thin Man was slouched against a rock, waiting for us. “Why didn’t you mention this was a toll bridge? You didn’t think that was an important bit of information to share, before we were stuck in the middle of the river?”
“Apologies, my dear.” The Thin Man pushed himself off the stone. “It has been a very long time since I’ve used that bridge. I forgot about the toll. Especially since I have never had to pay one. But everything worked out in the end, didn’t it? And here you are, on the other side of the river.” He waved an arm at the tangle of black forest behind him. “Welcome to the Deep Wyld, humans. It is only going to get more interesting from here.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GRIMALKIN’S GUIDE
“Why are we waiting around, again?” I asked, pacing up the bank to where a small fire crackled in a shallow pit. Kenzie’s magic survival pack also contained a lighter and a tiny bottle of lighter fluid, and after a couple false starts I’d managed to coax a tiny flame to life, then fed it twigs until it could sustain itself. I had no idea why we were camping on the banks of the River of Dreams, but the Thin Man had told us we had to wait awhile before heading into the forest after Annwyl. Kenzie was sitting on a log close to the fire, and Razor was perched at its edge, tossing leaves into the flames and poking it with a stick, but I was getting impatient.
“Come on,” I told the Thin Man, who was sitting in the sand near the fire, the flat edge of his profile turned toward the flames. “Why are we sitting here? You know the Deep Wyld. You can get us through. We should be looking for Annwyl, not roasting hot dogs and making s’mores.”
“Mmm, s’mores,” Kenzie remarked in a wistful voice. “Hot dogs. Man, I could really go for some real food right now.”
The Thin Man smiled at Kenzie, then gave me an aggravated look. “And where do you suggest we start looking, Ethan Chase?” he asked in a sharp voice. “Do you see that forest behind us?” He didn’t point to the tangle of trees and undergrowth, but I glanced at it anyway. “That is the Deep Wyld. It is not like the wyldwood. You cannot simply march merrily through without knowing where you are going. If you thought it was easy to get lost in the wyldwood, you haven’t seen anything yet. If you stumble or lose sight of the path for even a moment, the Deep Wyld will swallow you whole.
“I do not know where the Summer girl is,” the Thin Man continued, as I gave the forest another wary look. It might’ve been my imagination, but the shadows that marked the edge of the Deep Wyld looked closer. “I do not know what the Summer girl is searching for. The Deep Wyld is far too vast to wander about blindly, hoping we will stumble into her by chance. If we are to have the barest sliver of hope in finding her, we must wait for the cait sith’s contact.” The Thin Man took off his bowler hat and twirled it between his fingers. “We must be patient awhile longer. The cat said he would be here, if he decides to come at all.”
“Yeah, it’s the ‘if he decides to come at all’ part that bugs me,” I muttered, but turned and wandered back to the fire pit. Kenzie scooted aside on the log, making room for me.
“Feeling better?” she asked, as I plunked down and stared moodily into the flames. I shook myself, realizing I was “brooding” again, and leaned against her, resting my head on her shoulder.
“No.” I sighed, as her slim hand came to perch on my knee. “But I’ll try not to whine about it anymore. You’re right. I’m always going to be a part of this world. I may not like it, but...this is my family.” I shrugged and felt Kenzie look down at me. “Time to stop running, I guess, and accept the fact that I’m never going to be normal.”
“Normal is highly overrated,” Kenzie said cheerfully. “I used to think all I wanted was normal, but then I met you. Normal isn’t Thin Men and shadow monsters and talking cats, and crazy adventures through a real-life faeryland. Normal isn’t camping on the River of Dreams with your boyfriend who, oh, by the way, is the brother of a faery queen.”
“Normal isn’t being chased through a nightmare carnival by ugly clowns and creepy dolls that come to life.”
“Yes, well, we’re just not going to talk about that,” Kenzie said with a shiver. “That is right out of a horror flick, which doesn’t count, because no one wants to be part of that. Ugh.” She shivered again, and I chuckled, though her next words froze me in my seat. “Normal...isn’t wishing you could just stay here, in Faeryland, because back home are doctors and tests and all those things you wish you didn’t have to face.” Worry and dread rose up, making my insides turn, but Kenzie shook herself with a forced smile. “So, I guess I’m just as un-normal as you, tough guy. We make a good pair, huh?”
“Hey.” I sat up, drawing her close. “It’s all right,” I murmured, smiling ruefully. “Normal isn’t the girl I fell for.”
She kissed me. I closed my eyes, letting myself relax into her. My hand rose, cupping her cheek, and her fingers trailed down my chest, making my breath catch. For a moment, I forgot about Keirran, Annwyl, the amulet, the war, and just lost myself in Kenzie.
I felt her smile as we drew back, my senses still reeling from the feel of her lips on mine. “That’s strange,” Kenzie murmured. “That’s the longest we’ve ever gone without Razor shouting ‘kissy kissy’ and interrupting us.”
“Maybe he’s getting used to it,” I muttered, leaning forward to kiss her again. But Kenzie turned her head and gazed around, looking for the gremlin. I glanced at the edge of the fire pit where I’d seen Razor last, poking at the flames.
He wasn’t there.
“Razor?” Kenzie stood, scanning the area for the missing gremlin. I rose, too, silently cursing him as I looked around. At first, I didn’t see anything. But then I noticed his tiny black body moving down the river bank. The gremlin seemed entranced by a small green light that bobbed and hovered in the air just out of his reach, drifting slowly toward the edge of the water.
I nudged Kenzie, nodding down the bank, and she frowned. “Razor!” she called, stepping away from the campfire. “Hey, get back here. Don’t get too close to the water.”
The gremlin ignored her. The light hovered in place for a second, and he lunged, swatting at it with long arms, but it zipped away. He buzzed and snatched at it again; it darted even closer to the water.
Kenzie sighed. “Dammit, Razor,” she muttered, picking her way down the bank toward him. He hopped onto a rock, hissing and making garbled noises at the light, now floating just out of reach over the water. Kenzie plucked him off the rock, and he gave a disappointed buzz. “Come on, little man, let’s get away from the edge before something drags you—”
A slimy black tentacle erupted from the surface, coiled around Kenzie’s leg and yanked her into the river. She screamed once, before the water closed over her head and she disappeared.
I flew down the bank, drawing my sword, as Razor screeched and scuttled back and forth, buzzing wildly. Wading into the River of Dreams, which was shockingly cold and clung to my jeans like frozen hands, I splashed to where I’d seen Kenzie go under, searching desperately for any sign of her.
“Kenzie!” My voice echoed over the surface, high-pitched and frantic.
And then, her face broke the surface with a gasp and an explosion of river water. A dark tentacle was coiled around her neck like a huge snake, dragging her back even as sh
e struggled to stay afloat.
I lunged forward and reached Kenzie just as she went under again, leaving behind a swirl of dark water. But I caught a gleam of black through the murk, something long and shiny, vanishing into the depths. Praying I wouldn’t hit Kenzie, I surged toward it and brought my sword down as hard as I could.
The blade struck something hard and rubbery. There was a muffled screech somewhere below the water, and the tentacle recoiled. Kenzie thrashed to the surface again, gasping and choking, and I pulled her against me.
The water around us churned angrily, and several black tentacles erupted from the depths and circled into the air. I kept one arm around Kenzie, the other gripping my sword, as the first of the tentacles shot toward us. I lashed out with my blade, cutting it in two, and dark ichor sprayed everywhere as the thing writhed back before vanishing into the water.
The rest of the tentacles snaked in. I sliced at one, cutting deep, slashed at another and felt a slimy rope curl around my arm. Before I could register that I was in trouble, there was a flash of silver, and the tentacle thrashed away, leaving the end still coiled around my arm.
“Don’t just stand there, Ethan Chase,” the Thin Man snapped, turning briefly into view as he jabbed at another tentacle. “Fall back. Get out of the river already!”
Oh, right. Good idea. Protecting Kenzie, I edged back toward shore, swatting and hacking at the tentacles that grabbed at us. There were a lot of them, but between me and the Thin Man, we managed to fend them off. The closer we got to shore, the more frantic they grew, and I pulled my second blade to deal with the increased attacks.
My feet hit dry land, and I whacked a coil away before shooting a split-second glance at Kenzie. “Go!” I told her. “Up the bank. Get away from the water—”