At first, I thought I was looking at a continent floating beneath us; I could see lakes and trees and even a few houses scattered about. But then the continent twisted around with a flash of scales and teeth and drifted toward us, a leviathan so huge it defied belief. It spiraled up beside the bridge, a mountain of scales and fins and flippers, rising out of the void. Its eye was like a small moon, pale and all-seeing, but we were insects beneath its gaze, dust mites, too microscopic for it to know we were there. An entire city was perched on its back, gleaming white towers sitting at the edge of a glistening lake. Smaller creatures, as big as whales, swam beside it, looking like minnows compared to its bulk. As we stood gaping at it, unable to move or look away, it twisted lazily through the air and continued into the etherealness of space.

What you will find if you reach The End of the World:

The Testing Ground

The Testing Ground floats in the void at the End of the World, an enormous castle beyond a treacherous stream of jagged rocks. The castle is dim and empty, with torches set into brackets and candles flickering along the walls, void of all life, frozen in time. Like the void, the castle is endless. Guest rooms are provided for those who make it to the Testing Ground, filled with food, clean beds and lit fireplaces. The rooms contain bookshelves filled with forgotten tomes, some of which wail if opened, others written in languages that hurt to look upon.

It is not known whether the Testing Ground changes based on the visitor, but when Ash visited, it contained an ice-covered garden with crystallized, skeletal trees and a fountain in the middle spouting frozen water. Above the garden, a stone bridge crosses the void to a huge, jagged mountain, the top of which was the site of Ash’s first trial.

The Guardian

The Guardian at the End of the World is an eight-foot-tall, robed figure, its face hidden in the darkness of a cowl. Its pale, bony hand clutches a gleaming staff of twisted black wood. It has a voice that echoes through bone and into the heads of all who listen.

The Guardian is the keeper of the Testing Grounds, and master of the Gauntlet. It is the being that tests Ash and deems him worthy of receiving a soul.

That brings us to the end of your tour of the realms of the Nevernever. We hope you enjoyed the journey—and that you will return again—to the worlds between the pages of THE IRON FEY series.

The Iron Quotes

The Iron Quotes