Other Nyx gave a somber nod. “You know me,” she said with a glance at her twin. “But regardless... I am Nyx, leader of the Order of Crescent Blades. This is Varyn, my husband and second-in-command, and the rest of my unit can introduce themselves later if they wish.” The male assassin offered a brisk nod, and the dozen or so figures still waiting in the shadows bowed. “The Order is at your service,” Other Nyx went on, turning back to me. “We protect the city and everyone here from the Nightmares.” She shot a look at the assassin beside her. “No matter who steps inside its borders.”

  * * *

  The Evenfey did not use roads, traveling the city entirely by rooftops. The reasons were evident; Nightmares roamed the streets and narrow back alleys below us, most of them smaller than the monstrous Elder Nightmare we had seen before, but still creatures I did not want to run into. And there was the constant threat of the giant Nightmare worm, reaching up from the ground and dragging us under. Here on the rooftops, we were safe from its snatching tentacles.

  “Why do you stay here?” Keirran asked Other Nyx. “Not that I’m ungrateful you showed up when you did, but I wouldn’t think anyone could live here safely.”

  “We protect the city,” Other Nyx replied. “Not this one, but the one below it. Hollownest. There are those who still live there—the original residents of Hollownest—who have not Faded or turned into Nightmares. And through the years, other fey have found their way to Hollownest as well. Maybe they heard rumors of the library, or maybe they were just looking for a safe place to live. But as you saw, the roads and the ruins above are dangerous. If anyone wants to find Hollownest, they have to fight their way through the Nightmares. We try to get to them before the Nightmares do.”

  “I see.”

  “We’ve collected quite the eccentric population now,” Other Nyx went on, the hint of a smile crossing her face. “And of course, there is Gilleas, the historian at the heart of the city. If you have come from the Nevernever, he will be very interested in meeting you.”

  “Why is that?” Keirran wondered.

  “Because he has been trying to find a way out of Evenfall for centuries,” Other Nyx replied. “Ever since he found the library, he’s been consumed with opening the seal and releasing us all. But no matter what he tries, nothing works. We cannot leave Evenfall, and it has been so long. Most of us have given up hope, and the rest have forgotten that there was another realm at all. Evenfall is all they know now. But Gilleas keeps trying.”

  I shook my head, feeling that familiar prickle of sympathy, anger, and guilt. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “Had we known there was an entire second realm of Faery right under our noses...” I made a helpless gesture. “I don’t know what would’ve happened, and there’s no use in speculating, but I hope we would have been here sooner.”

  “You said you were a queen.” It was Varyn who spoke, drawing both Ash’s and Puck’s warning gaze. Though the assassin’s voice wasn’t hostile, it wasn’t exactly friendly, either. “Are you part of the Lady’s circle, then?” he asked. “Does she rule the Nevernever now?”

  “The Lady is gone,” I told him. “She and the fey who sealed off Evenfall no longer exist in the Nevernever.”

  “Hmm.” Varyn’s faintly hostile air faded a bit. “Well, I would be lying if I said I’m not pleased to hear that,” he said begrudgingly. “But who rules the Nevernever now? You?”

  “It’s complicated,” I told him, seeing Other Nyx watching us now, listening intently. I sighed and tried to explain the current political state of the Nevernever. “There are four formal courts within the Nevernever,” I began. “Summer, Winter, Iron, and the Forgotten in the Between. Each of these are considered different territories, and a different monarch presides over each of them. There is also the wyldwood, which surrounds the courts but is ruled by none, and the Deep Wyld across the River of Dreams.”

  “So many territories.” Varyn’s voice turned rather disbelieving. “How many kings and queens of Faery are there?” he asked.

  “Currently? Five,” I said, making him blow out an incredulous breath. “And those are the ‘official’ titles. That’s not counting certain self-proclaimed Exile Queens.”

  “It’s amazing that they can live so close to each other without fighting,” Varyn muttered. “If they’re anything like the Lady, I’m surprised they haven’t torn the Nevernever apart.”

  “Oh, they keep trying,” Puck said with a smirk. “Lucky for them, we’re there to stop the worst catastrophes.”

  “It has been a very long time since the Lady became the First Queen of Faery,” Keirran added softly. “A lot has happened since then.”

  We continued through—or rather, over—the ruined city, traversing rooftops and hopping over exposed walls. Several blocks from the cathedral, Other Nyx paused, then dropped to the edge of a stone culvert below us. She ducked into the stone tunnel, and we followed her through a series of damp underground passageways, until we reached a dead end. A wooden hatch was set in the ground, and as the assassin pried it up with a rope handle, I peeked inside, expecting a stairwell or ladder descending into the underground. Instead, a stone chute slid away into utter darkness, like a playground slide from hell. My heart started a loud thump in my chest.

  “This is one of the entrances to Hollownest,” Other Nyx told us. “And there are no easy shortcuts. We’ll be entering a point in the city known as the Crossroad Maze. It’s one of the more dangerous places to come in because of its proximity to the ruins and all the Nightmares on the surface, so be on your guard. Nightmares sometimes make it down to the city and are known to wander the Crossroads, and we haven’t done a sweep in a while.” She started to go down the chute, but paused, as if just remembering something else. “It is also very easy to get lost in the Crossroads, so I’d suggest you stay close,” she added. “The Crossroads branch out to every part of Hollownest, to deep places even we have not set foot in. If you go down the wrong path, you could end up on the other side of the city, or worse.”

  “Noted,” I said with a nod. “We’ll stay close.”

  The assassin turned and vanished gracefully down the chute, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Varyn glanced at us and made a gesture for us to follow.

  “Go ahead,” he told me. “We’ll bring up the rear and guard your back. There are still Nightmares roaming around. Wouldn’t want any of them to grab you if we’re not there.”

  “Hmm, scary Nightmare monster behind me, or creepy assassin with a knife—not sure which one I’d prefer.” Puck’s voice was a challenge, and I frowned at him. “Also, it’s cute that you think we need your protection. Why don’t you head on down first? We insist.”

  In the shadows of his hood, Varyn’s lips curled into a smirk. “If you’re afraid, I can tell Nyx we need to take the long way down.”

  Puck snorted. “Please. I’ve jumped into more deep dark holes than you’ve stabbed things with a knife,” he returned. “I’m just a little leery of you coming down behind me. In case you ‘accidentally’ stab me in the back.”

  “Oh, don’t worry.” Varyn’s tone was suddenly dangerous. “When I stab things, it’s never by accident.”

  “What is happening here?” I asked, drawing both their attention. “We’re wasting time. Puck, this isn’t getting us any closer to Hollownest.”

  “Sorry, princess.” Puck grinned, not sounding the least bit apologetic, and gestured at the chute. “After you.”

  I stepped forward, gripped the edge of the stone chute, and peered down. The slide dropped away into complete blackness. With Varyn’s comment about us needing protection still fresh in my mind, I hopped into the chute and pushed off without hesitation, beginning a fast slide through utter darkness.

  After what felt like far too long, the chute came to a sudden and abrupt end. My heart sprang up and lodged in my throat, but thankfully, innate faery reflexes took over. I dropped several feet before landing in a crouch on solid ground, managing not to fall or break my ankles on the hard dirt floor. Straightening, I took a deep breath and waited for my heartbeat to return to normal.

  “You made it.” Other Nyx stood several feet away, perfectly blending into the shadows except for her eyes and the faint glow of her silver hair. “Good.” She glanced at the hole above me, and a faint smile crossed her face. “You might want to take a few steps back before the others come through. I’ve had a couple instances where I didn’t move fast enough, and Varyn nearly landed on my head.”

  Quickly, I backed away, gazing around to see where we had landed. It appeared to be a simple tunnel, a large tube of earth and stone running into the darkness in both directions. Smaller tunnels branched off to either side, reminding me of a large termite nest or anthill. I imagined huge grubs or insects appearing in those tunnels, pale bodies and black shiny jaws gleaming as they squirmed or skittered toward us.

  I shivered and pushed those visions aside. Nyx had mentioned that Hollownest was home to several insect-like fey, so I should be prepared to see them. The idea did creep me out the tiniest bit, however.

  A few moments later, Ash and then Keirran came down the chute, each landing gracefully on his feet at the bottom. Puck and finally Nyx followed, the former hitting the dirt with a grunt, the latter making no sound at all.

  “Well, that was fun.” Puck dusted off his hands and looked back up the chute, wrinkling his nose. “Better than Splash Mountain at Disneyland.”

  Other Nyx blinked at him, obviously having no idea what he was talking about. Our Nyx just shook her head. I remembered the words up top, the sudden hostility between Puck and Varyn, and hoped it would not become a thing. Whenever Puck took a dislike to something, it was usually for good reason, but it also tended to stick. We couldn’t afford that here.

  The rest of the assassins joined us, with Varyn being the last to drop in. Straightening, he turned to Nyx with a solemn, respectful nod. “I checked the tunnel before coming down,” he told her. “It’s clear of Nightmares. And the hatch is locked. We should be good to go.”

  “Wrong Nyx, Varyn,” our Nyx said quietly.

  Varyn stiffened and glanced at the assassin leader, then back to our Nyx. With a frown, he turned and strode toward Other Nyx, leaving our Nyx gazing after him with a strange, almost mournful look on her face.

  This earned a scowl from Puck. With a few strides, he walked over to our Nyx, slipped an arm around her shoulders, and leaned in, whispering in her ear. I didn’t know what he said, but whatever it was, a faintly exasperated look crossed Nyx’s face as she shook her head.

  Varyn’s expression darkened even more. “Something you want to say to me, Neverfey?” he challenged.

  “Oh, so many things,” Puck responded, an evil smirk creeping across his face. “But they can wait until we’re out of danger. Don’t worry, though,” he went on. “When the time comes, I’ll be sure to tell you everything. When you’ve earned it.”

  I stifled a groan. Too late. It had already become a thing.

  “Let’s go.” Other Nyx, sensing the obvious tension rising between the two faeries, turned and beckoned for us to follow. “Kyn and Ayaen will scout the path ahead. The rest of the unit will follow at a distance so we don’t have any Nightmares surprising us from behind. Everyone stay together, and keep alert. It’s a long walk to Hollownest.”

  10

  HOLLOWNEST

  Moving through the tunnels, I quickly realized Other Nyx was right; it was a gigantic labyrinth down here. Without her guiding the way, we would’ve become hopelessly lost. Everything looked the same: earthen tunnels snaking their way into the shadows, roots hanging from the ceiling, and dead vines clinging to the walls. The ground was peppered with pale white-and-brown mushrooms that pulsed with a subtle light, keeping the passages from being completely black.

  As we turned a corner, Other Nyx abruptly stopped, raising a hand for the rest of us to halt as well. We paused, listening, as the sound of shifting earth began filtering into the tunnel. Something was coming toward us down one of the side passages—something large. I dropped a hand to my sword, feeling Ash move close, as the noises grew louder and a pair of huge, shiny black eyes emerged from the tunnel, then blinked at us in surprise.

  I repressed a shiver. The thing looked like a cross between a faery and a giant pill bug. It had an oval, segmented body, huge eyes, and a pair of thin antennae that waved curiously in our direction. But four of its “legs” were actually extremely thin arms with long-fingered hands at the ends, and its shiny black gaze observed us with sleepy intelligence. A pair of mandibles wiggled, and a soft, almost clicking voice emerged between them.

  “Oh, the over dwellers.” It was odd to hear such a cultured voice coming from a giant insect; I saw Puck staring at it with thinly veiled alarm. “Are you on your way back to the city?”

  Other Nyx gave a respectful nod. “Yes. We have visitors who need to speak to Gilleas,” she told it. “Are the Crossroads clear?”

  “No Nightmares wander the Crossroads at this time,” was the reply. “At least, not in the places I have been. I have felt no vibrations through the soil except yours.” The pill bug faery’s antennae twitched in our direction. “They smell strange,” it stated, its voice still calm, almost dreamy. “They are like us, and they are not like us. How can that be?”

  “They are not from the city,” Other Nyx said. “They come from...a place that is very far from here.”

  The pill bug blinked at us slowly. “The over world is strange,” it said. “I do not know how your kind does not fear falling into the sky.” It twitched its antennae, then began to pull back into the hole. “I return to my den, to forget thoughts of open space. Farewell, over dwellers. Burrow safely.”

  It vanished back into the tunnel, its long antennae the last things we saw, and disappeared.

  Puck gave an exaggerated shudder. “Yay, giant bugs,” he said. “I love feeling like I’m two centimeters tall. I’m not even going to guess how many creepy crawlies live in a place like this.”

  “Thousands,” Varyn said immediately. “But don’t worry,” he added with a faint smile. “You won’t ever see most of them. Just remember—they’re always close, in the walls, under your feet, in the dirt over your head.”

  “You know, someone once told me you had a good sense of humor,” Puck said, frowning at the Evenfey assassin. “Clearly they needed to get out more.”

  Keirran looked at Other Nyx. “I hope we are not invading anyone’s territory,” he said.

  “That was one of the tunnelfolk,” Other Nyx told him. “They are perfectly harmless and cause no trouble for anyone. Even if you attack them, the most they will do is curl up into a ball and hope you go away. There are...more aggressive folk, but they inhabit the wilder, deeper sections of Hollownest. It is likely we will not run into them.”

  “Oh, good.” Puck rubbed his arms. “Aggressive bugs, that’s what I wanted to hear. Just let me know if we’re ever in fire ant or giant spider territory.”

  We continued through the narrow passages. After a long time, the claustrophobic tunnel we were in opened up into an enormous cavern. Far overhead, I could see bulbous white spheres that glowed like tiny moons. The pathways turned into narrow stone bridges that dropped away to either side. Peering cautiously over the edge, I was surprised to be able to see the bottom, a forest of enormous, glowing blue mushrooms and luminescent moss. Creatures moved between the mushroom stalks, but they were too far away to see clearly.

  “We’re coming up to the Fungal Paths now,” Other Nyx told us. “Fair warning, it is one of the larger territories of Hollownest. Fortunately, this is a very well traversed road, and everyone here knows who we are. We shouldn’t run into any trouble, but you never know in the tunnels.”

  “This is beautiful,” I mused, gazing at the multitude of softly glowing plants everywhere around us. Tiny motes drifted through the air, mingling with fireflies. I had seen glowing forests before—the wyldwood and the Deep Wyld both had their share of luminescent vegetation—but nothing like this. “It’s hard to believe this is underground.”

  “Hard to believe this is still Evenfall,” Puck added. “’Cause this looks like somebody’s bad mushroom dream—whoa!”

  At the edge of the trail, a cluster of purple ferns rippled, fronds parting as something rose from the bushes. A massive, caterpillar-type creature with a bulbous yellow body and neon-blue spines bristling from its back, holding a spear in one of its six arms. A shockingly human face turned to stare at Puck, brows rising as if he were the oddity.

  “Oh, hey there,” Puck greeted it, raising a hand as he took several large steps back. The point of the spear followed him, though the creature didn’t lunge or attack. “Friend? Um, shouldn’t you be in a certain book with a Cheshire cat and an angry queen?”

  The caterpillar creature frowned at Puck, then turned to gaze at Other Nyx and Varyn. The look on its strangely human face was a question.

  Other Nyx raised her hand in a calming gesture. “It’s all right,” the assassin told it. “Stand down. They’re with us.”

  The caterpillar’s spines bristled, but it lowered its spear. Slowly, the bright blue spikes covering its body retracted, seeming to melt into its flesh, until they were completely gone. Its skin changed from yellow to the bright purple of the fern it was hiding in, and after a last glare at Puck, the creature sank back beneath the fronds, blending in with the plant until it was virtually invisible.

  Puck let out a nervous chuckle. “Just when I think I’m getting used to the place,” he muttered. “I was actually thinking, ‘Oh, this spot is nice and not terribly creepy.’ And then something pops up that’s just a giant nope for me.”

  Ash looked at Varyn and Other Nyx. “Sentries, I take it?” he asked.

  “Road guards,” Varyn replied with a shrug. “They know not to engage or attack the Nightmares, but they do take note of anything strange or out of place that travels the Fungal Paths and pass on the intel to us. You’re lucky—if they think something could be a threat to the city, they usually don’t ask questions. And they’re excellent ambush fighters.” He glanced at Puck, the tiniest of smirks crossing his face. “Quick word of advice—don’t get pricked. Even if you survive, you’ll suffer from vivid hallucinations for the rest of your life.”