As the Lord of the Obsidian Plains, Ironhorse rules over a clan of similarly built horselike iron fey. He has the ability to take the form of a monstrous black man with glowing red eyes.
MACHINA
(the Iron King)
King Machina was the true Iron King, the predecessor of the first king, Ferrum. When Ferrum became obsolete and refused to abdicate his throne, becoming hostile and paranoid, Machina rose up and overthrew him, absorbing his powers.
Tall and elegant, with flowing silver hair and pointed ears, Machina is refined and graceful, yet unmistakably powerful. He wears a stark black coat, a metal stud in one ear and a Bluetooth headset in the other. Energy crackles around him and electricity occasionally crackles across his black eyes. His face is beautiful and arrogant, all sharp planes and angles, but when he smiles, it lights up the whole room. He wears a strange, silvery cloak across his shoulders that wriggles slightly as though it were alive. In actuality, this cloak is a network of silver cables, a halo of metal wings wickedly barbed on one end.
He kidnaps Meghan’s brother, Ethan, replacing him with a changeling, in order to lure her into the Nevernever in the hopes of making her his queen. When Meghan kills him by stabbing him in the heart with the Witchwood arrow, he becomes a massive iron oak tree. Upon his death, his powers transfer to Meghan, and he begins to appear to her in dreams.
MELISSA AND LUKE CHASE
Melissa (Meghan’s and Ethan’s mom),
Luke (Meghan’s stepfather and Ethan’s father)
Meghan’s mother, Melissa, is a former artist who, despite being married to a mortal man, was seduced by the power of the Summer King. Meghan was raised as a human by Melissa and her husband, Paul, a piano prodigy, until she was six, when Paul mysteriously disappeared.
Unbeknownst to Meghan, Paul had been abducted by Leanansidhe. Fleeing to the Louisiana Bayou, Melissa met Luke, a pig farmer and “true hick” as Meghan describes him. Due to her half-fey nature, Luke often tended to overlook Meghan, and his frugal ways frustrated her. Nevertheless, her mother never forgot her and when she becomes the Iron Queen, Meghan returns one last time to say goodbye to her family.
RAZOR
(Buzz-saw)
A typical gremlin with long, thin arms, huge batlike ears and slitted, electric-green eyes, Razor is one of the first to realize who Meghan is and try to help her claim her rightful throne as the Iron Queen. He first helps her escape from Glitch and the rebel Iron Fey in her attempt to join the fight against the false king. Later, Razor travels to Mag Tuiredh and rallies the gremlins at Meghan’s behest, swarming Ferrum’s moving fortress and short-circuiting the electrical defenses and halting it in its progress toward the wyldwood.
ROWAN
(Traitor, second son of Mab)
Prince Rowan, leader of the Thornguards, is the middle son of Queen Mab. The games his mother played, pitting her sons against one another for centuries, formed Rowan into a jealous and power-hungry prince. His greatest resentment fell against his younger brother, Ash, who is often seen as Mab’s favored son.
Rowan betrayed the Winter Court to side with the Iron fey, convinced he could become immune to Iron’s effects and ultimately survive when the Iron Realm completely took over the Nevernever. However, the iron ring he wore on his finger caused him to begin to rot and severely weakened him. He was eventually killed by Ash while trying to protect the false king.
SAGE
(First son of Mab)
Prince Sage is the eldest and tallest of the three sons of Mab. As gorgeous as his brothers, he is pale with high cheekbones, eyes like chips of green ice, slender brows and long, black hair that ripples behind him like a waterfall of ink. His constant companion is a large, golden-eyed wolf.
Sage is killed by Tertius while defending the Scepter of the Seasons. When he dies, his body turns completely to ice.
VIRUS
Virus is the second of King Machina’s lieutenants, and when he is killed by Meghan, she sides with the false king against Meghan and the rest of the Nevernever. She has poisonous green eyes, hair that appears to be made of wires and thin network cables in green, black and red, and often wears lipstick and nail polish in shades of blue and sickly green. She wears a poison-green business suit and three-inch high heels. Virus controls small insectlike creatures called drones, which burrow into a person’s head and gives her the ability to control their actions. She is responsible for setting the chimera loose in the Summer Court during Elysium, and is also the mastermind behind the theft of the Scepter of the Seasons. While holding the scepter hostage, Virus implants one of her drones in Ash and sends him to kill Meghan’s human family. She is later killed by Ash, split in two after being distracted by Meghan’s use of Iron glamour.
THE WOLF
(the Big Bad Wolf, the Eldest Hunter, Wolfman)
One of the oldest, strongest and most legendary of the fey, Wolf is best known for his role in several oft-told mortal fairy tales. The ultimate hunter, Wolf will sometimes take on a personal hunt for the right favor. He first encounters Meghan and Ash when he hunts them at the request of Oberon, in order to save Meghan from her supposed abduction into the Winter Realm. He later accompanies Ash on his quest to find the End of the World and prove himself worthy of a soul.
Underneath Wolf’s frightening exterior beats a loyal heart, as he shows when he sacrifices himself to keep the door to the Gauntlet open long enough for everyone else to get out. Wolf favors the openness of the Deep Wyld and has a long-standing offer to eat Grimalkin, should the faery cat ever give him the opportunity.
Glossary
amulet: A pendant created with the essence of an Iron fey inside it that protects traditional fey from being slowly poisoned when they must go into the Iron Realm for any length of time. The Iron fey dies in the creation of an amulet.
bean sidhe: A faery that foretells death with an eerie, loud and terrifying wail. Hope that you never hear one.
boggart: A faery that attaches itself to a human household with ill intent, causing food to sour, animals to go lame and playing other nasty tricks on the inhabitants. Rumor has it a boggart will follow a family that tries to flee to a new home. You do not want one of these.
bogey: Often confused for a boggart, this faery hides under beds and in closets and jumps out to scare humans.
brownie: A shy faery who does household tasks in secret, often late at night, usually with other brownies. Brownies are said to love porridge and honey. They are quite wonderful to have around when you treat them well.
bug: A tiny, insectlike flying Iron faery that can be placed in a human’s or faery’s brain and used to control them. Traditional fey are poisoned and driven mad by a bug.
cait sith: A catlike faery often reported to be black with a white spot on its chest. Some legends say a cait sith is not a faery at all but a transformed witch. [Human, stop. You are getting it wrong and the best thing to do with a cait sith is to let it remain a mystery. Honestly. Black with a white spot? A witch? I despair.]
catoblepas: A four-legged animal with a bull or boarlike head that is so large and heavy, the animal can only look down.
changeling: A faery offspring that has been left in place of a human child. The changeling takes on the look of the stolen child, but may not initially show the correct characteristics, causing confusion, consternation and even danger. Should you suddenly begin to display mysterious, otherworldly behavior, you may be a changeling. Or a teenager.
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nbsp; chimera: A fire-breathing, three-headed monster with various animal heads—often a goat, a dragon and a lion—and the body of a lion.
dragon: A huge, lizardlike creature, with webbed wings, shining scales and sharp talons, that breathes fire.
dryad: A tree faery. Dryads depend on the health of their trees for survival.
dwarf: A short, stocky, strong being often with a long beard (males) and hair, known for mining and thought to live underground.
Elder Dryad: The oldest, most powerful and respected dryad in a forest.
Elysium: The yearly gathering of the most powerful fey at either the Summer or Winter court. Elysium is a time of wary accord when the court rulers meet to discuss any concerns affecting the Nevernever. A great feast is held with music, dancing and performances, with much pomp and ceremony. Traditionally, a prince of one house will lead a princess from the opposite house in the first dance.
faery death: The end of a faery’s life, when it fades from existence. Because faeries do not have souls, if a faery is killed, its body soon disintegrates.
faery fire: Glowing blue light created in a faery’s hand. Often used to light the way in darkness, or lure unsuspecting humans into danger.
faery knight: A faery that has pledged an oath to serve and protect a ruler or another being above all others. Once the vow is made it cannot be broken and ends only if the being pledged to releases the knight.
favor: A task granted in return for a promise to reciprocate, at a later time, in whatever way is agreed upon. Faeries always collect on favors. It is best never to owe one.
Fomorians: An ancient race of giants said to have been defeated and made extinct in war with the fey.
the Forgotten: Faeries mankind has forgotten that have nearly faded from existence. The Forgotten can exist by siphoning glamour from other fey, leaving the “donor” weak or possibly dead.
glamour: A faery’s magic and the essence of its being.
glider: An insectlike Iron faery that carries passengers by attaching to their back and flying through the air. Steered by pulling on the front legs and shifting body weight.
goblin: A nasty creature with warty yellow-green skin and a bulbous nose, about two to three feet tall, that eats anything it can catch and is known for being sly and unreliable. Goblins are opportunists and always dangerous to be around.
gremlin: A small Iron faery with batlike ears and glowing, electric-green eyes and teeth, known for wreaking chaos. Gremlins are loyal to and under the command of the Iron ruler. Their presence may be heralding by buzzing noises.
the Grim: A graveyard spirit, in the form of a large, frightening dog, that guards the dead and does not take kindly to being disturbed.
hag: A water faery with green skin and hair thought to live in ponds and to pull in humans and drown and eat them.
hart: The faery term for a deer.
hedge wolf: A wolflike faery that takes the form of a hedge and waits for its prey. Hedge wolves live and hunt in packs. Avoid them unless you have mad fighting skills and a sharp fey weapon.
hobyah: A pale, slimy-looking faery with bulging eyes that attacks with poisoned spears and eats humans and other faeries if it can catch them. Hobyahs live in villages. To outside ears, their speech seems to be simply “Hobyah! Hobyah!” Should you be captured by hobyahs, chances are they will boil you alive and have a feast.
iPod: A small metal and plastic music-playing device—a formidable weapon in traditional Faery and a valuable bargaining chip in the Iron Realm. A good thing to bring with you so long as you don’t mind that it will likely never work properly again.
jabberwock: A monster that lives in Faery. According to legend, one can only be permanently slain with an artifact known as the Vorpal Sword.
kelpie: A black, horselike faery with needle-sharp teeth that lives in the water and preys on humans and other beings foolish enough to swim near it. Do not be fooled by their beauty.
manticore: A creature with the body of a lion, the face of a human and wings, with three rows of very, very sharp teeth. Their tail is also spiked on the end, and they can hurl these spines at enemies or potential prey.
nixie:A water faery that looks nearly human but has shimmery scales around the throat covering its gills, needle-sharp teeth, webbing between the fingers and toes and sharp claws. Known to sing a mesmerizing song to humans to lure them underwater and drown them. Should you see one, plug your ears.
nymph: A female faery, descended from gods, that is attached to a certain natural area. Less likely to bother humans, so long as you do not disturb their homes.
ogre: A huge, strong creature that feeds on human flesh. Avoid.
packrat: One of the small, gentle Iron fey that carry all their worldly belongings—which is a lot of stuff—on their backs. Befriend the packrats. They are loyal and may help you unexpectedly when you need it most.
phouka: A shape-shifter faery. In their original form phoukas have furred ears and pointed canine teeth. They don’t pay much attention to social rules and, in fact, take great pleasure in breaking them. Fun to be around, but never trust one.
piskie: A small, flying faery with gossamer wings and bright-colored skin and hair.
prophecy: A prediction of the future from an oracle. Often an unpleasant one that you will wish you had not heard.
redcap: A malicious faery bent on constant murder that wears a cap dipped in the blood of its victims.
satyr: A faery with goat horns and legs and a humanlike aspect that revels in physical pleasure.
Scepter of the Seasons: The staff that passes from Summer to Winter every six months to herald the changing of the season to either summer or winter. If the staff is not passed, weather is affected worldwide and chaos will ensue.
sidhe: The gentry—the aristrocrats of Faery.
soul: The essence of humanity that faeries lack.
sphinx: An intimidating creature with wings, the body of a lion and the face of a woman, known for requiring the answer to a riddle. Failure to answer correctly results in being denied passage or possibly a terrible death.
spider-hag: A spiderlike Iron faery with a bulbous body, spindly metal legs and a gaunt, womanly torso and head. Spider-hags spin webs of razor-sharp, thin wires that cut as well as contain prey. They are the assassins of the false king.
summerpod: A succulent Summer Court fruit that tastes like honey, nectar and everything delicious, and causes hallucinations in humans.
sylph: A faery with an elemental connection to air.
tatter-colt: A horselike faery with a shaggy coat and eyes like hot coals, known for luring humans to watery places and leaving them to drown.
Thornguard: One of Winter prince Rowan’s deluded knights who believes that by wearing an iron ring and pledging loyalty to the Iron Court he will become immune to the effects of iron and flourish when the Iron Court takes over the Nevernever.
token: An object given power by a faery to be of use to the bearer, whether it be to transport him to Faery, protect him or cash in a favor owed by another fey.
Token: An object that has been infused with powerful glamour by its bearer, usually by an overwhelming and powerful emotion of its owner, such as true love.
trod: A passage between Faery and the human world, often found in places that inspire imagination in humans, such as children’s closets, nightclubs and parks.
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bsp; troll: A large, ugly, drooling, not-so-bright creature that may live in the mountains, in caves, under bridges or on rocks.
unicorn: A white, horselike creature with a single white horn growing from its head and cloven hooves. Legend says that a unicorn may be captured only by a virgin. Its horn may purify poisoned water.