Beyond The Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1) Read online

  "On with it. We don't have much time" He snaps.

  I close the distance between the portal and us. Lorcan still is tightly holding onto my pony tail. One wrong step and he would surely rip my hair back.

  I thought like in the movies, the portal would ripple when we enter through it, but to my dismay when I step through, it feels like static, my skin crawls. I take a sharp inhale at the strange electric snapping feeling.

  Suddenly, we're all the way through, I hear the chatter of people talking and look around me to find we're in a market place.

  We're finally in civilization!

  However, when I look closer at the people, realization stabs me like a knife.

  These aren't normal people.

  Where on earth are we?

  "Lorcan you have a lot of explaining to-" I say, but he shoves me into an alley way. We stand beside an old stone building. The floor is covered in broken glass and gross muddy puddles.

  "Now I will explain what exactly is going on, human." He says looking over his shoulder to make sure no one is listening or watching.

  Finally, I will get some answers, but out of all the places? An alley way really? He could of explained everything back at Gurnava's. Well what was I expecting? I should be thankful he is willingly to explain.

  I quietly wait for him to continue.

  Chapter 11-Aeringdal

  "Alright now save the questions until after I'm done talking okay?" He says.

  "Okay fine." I say eagerly. He looks uneasily at me, then he continues.

  "I'm a wanted...criminal. I'm hated around here, but I'll explain that story at a better time. As you probably have guessed, we are in the Fae world now. You might have heard of there being two kingdoms such as "the dark and light fae", but that was just a child's tale. There is only one kingdom here, known commonly as Aeringdel. There are many out skirting towns though. Also, the "fae" aren't the only creatures here. There are several different breeds. Fae is a loose term, basically it means nonhuman magical creature to us. Meaning, not all of us have fairy wings and five inch bodies. You remember the crazy dog that attacked us? Well, human, that was a were-fae. So remember, not all fae are as you humans would call happy little 'fairies'." He says quickly.

  "Right." I reply, the word criminal setting off alarm bells in my head.

  "The reason I took you was because you happened to see me. And the one most important rule of fae is, as you've probably already guessed, humans aren't allowed to see or hear us." He says.

  "So you aren't going to kill me?" I say surprised. Then again, he said he is a criminal.

  "I'm not going to kill you, but other fae would have found out about you hearing voices and would have eventually come to take you. It was only a matter of time." he says with a whisper. How did he know I've been hearing voices, why can't humans be allowed to find out about the fae?

  I look at him in confusion. It's clear he's leaving out something important. Even if the fae were going to come for me, why did he take me with him if he's already a wanted criminal?

  "I will explain more later, among with a few other details. For now, we need to get in disguise. We are going to be meeting an old friend of mine today." He concludes.

  I nod my head in understanding. Some pieces are coming together, but I still have many questions, more than I did before.

  We walk out of the alley and I try hard not to openly stare at the extravagant...fae. It is very clear that most of them look like the fae in my green book. I shake my head in disbelief. The streets are very busy, fae turning around corners and stopping at little markets.

  Lorcan suddenly yanks my arm, we round a street corner and walk into a dark shady looking ally way. The buildings seem older, when we reach the end of the path, a dark old wooden door appears. The sign above it reading Earl Attire the old lettering's paint is chipping badly.

  "Come on." Lorcan grunts.

  We step inside the old building, to be greeted by an elderly looking man.

  Immediately, the old scrawny man sizes me up giving a quick nod. He scurries off into the back part of the shop like a mouse.

  He returns and holds onto two cloaks.

  "Here take these. Keep your head down too." He says eyeing me seriously.

  I feel over the soft dark purple hooded cloak, then I slide it over me. My clothes are a little itchy underneath it, but it does keep me quite warm.

  Then the old man throws Lorcan a black one. Lorcan slides it over his head and our outfits are practically identical, despite the slight difference in color.

  We both pull the hoods over our heads.

  "You two best hurry, they're already scouting the area." The man says nervously glancing out a broken old window. Who is scouting the area?

  "Thanks Earl, I owe you." Lorcan mumbles. The next thing I know, Lorcan tightly grabs my arm and pulls me out the door. We enter back onto the well lit streets, the evening sun is setting and most of the younger fae aren't walking the streets anymore. In fact, barely anyone is among the side of the street, but us.

  ________________________________

  Clorg's Brewery, I mentally read. The dark wooden sign seems freshly painted with bad handwriting. I'm too young for a bar, I'll just have to wait outside. Lorcan probably is just old enough to drink, he does look a little older than me anyway. Come to think of it, my seventeenth birthday is coming up soon. It's another reminder of my situation. I eventually have to get back to mom and dad.

  "I need to talk to someone in here. It should only take five minutes. You must stay right outside the door. Do not even consider coming in or running away. I'll be right back, human." he says to me.

  I'm really starting to wonder if he didn't hear my name back then. Anyway, he must somewhat trust me, leaving me alone out here. However, I do not trust the fae. I can't believe he would leave me out here alone. The only light piercing through the darkness of the town is the dimly lit lamps among the road.

  I roll my eyes and shake my head, while I comb through my tangled hair under my hood. I make sure to try to "blend in" with the darkness around me. Taking a step back, I lean against the stone wall of the brewery. Keeping my hood cast over my eyes, I quietly hum a tune my birth mother use to sing to help calm my nerves.

  From outside the brewery, I can hear the rumble of laughter and the occasional crash of glass, the clanking of mugs.

  Why does Lorcan have to even go in there? Its definitely been past five minutes. I don't hear any fighting from inside, perhaps Lorcan really did just ditch me for a nice drink. Come to think of it, I'm thirsty myself, but not for beer or whatever they're drinking in there. I could really go for a nice warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

  I hear my stomach grumble in agreement.

  Deciding to take things into my own hands, I trudge directly to the door of the brewery. Taking a deep breath, I quickly open the door and let it slam shut behind me. I'm easily ignored as I take in my surroundings, I understand why.

  Never in my life have I been in such a crowded and lively room. An old chubby middle aged woman with straw-like red hair sits behind the bar. She scurries around handing out drinks and cleaning tables.

  The rest of the room is filled with fae. All of them look like strong men, with huge muscles and some even have beards. They laugh obnoxiously loud and gulp down their beer as if its the last drink they'll ever have.

  They are oblivious as I walk around them in search of a man in a dark cloak, Lorcan.

  To my disappointment, I reach the other end of the bar without spotting Lorcan anywhere. I decide to ask the bar tender if she has seen him.

  "Excuse me miss?" I ask loudly over the roar of laughter. The woman turns around to me with a nervous smile.

  "How can I help you...?" She says trying to look under my hood at my face.

  "I'm looking for a guy that came in here with red eyes." I say. Her eyes bulge out of her head. She looks over her shoulder quickly then pushes me toward a door at the back of the brewery.


  "Go up the stairs, quickly now." She rambles giving me another shove toward the door. She unlatches it, the door creeks open, the men in the bar don't even notice us.

  "Thank-" I say, but she slams the door and I hear the latch click, I'm locked in from the outside. I quickly skip up the stairs, not caring if I make noise. I've waited for Lorcan long enough.

  "And-and-and" I hear a drunk deep voice stutter with laughter. Guess I wasn't far from the truth.

  I enter the room to see Lorcan sitting in a chair across from someone. I enter the room fully, now I can see the other man he's talking to. He is a big olive skinned man with black hair and hazel eyes. He's definitely older than Lorcan and I.

  "That's when I swung my sword down-" The dark haired man says, but he stops in the middle of his sentence to glance at me in confusion. As if right on cue at the sight of me, Lorcan gives me a cold look.

  The older man looks me up and down, I feel comfortable, I shouldn't be in here. My toes twitch in agitation as he stares openly at me.

  "Who knew the ruthless Lorcan would-" He says with a hearty laugh. Lorcan doesn't let him finish, he jumps up from his chair and grabs the older man by the throat.

  "Gorder, I don't know what trash is still floating in your head, but even you would have to be brain dead to think I'd ever so much as talk to a human." He spits.

  "Ah I see. Y-you can let go of my throat...can't...breathe." Gorder wheezes. Slowly, Lorcan clenches his hand and steps away from Gorder. Gorder coughs a few times then glares hatefully at Lorcan.

  "Well a deal is a deal. Here's your cash, but don't come back here. You're not welcome here anymore. In fact, I think someone's at the door." Gorder says with a dark glint in his eyes. He staggers to the window and lets out a throaty shout. Lorcan quickly snatches the money from Gorder then he carefully steps back, in front of me.

  "He's in here! Hurry up already!" Gorder rasps out the window.

  Lorcan silently grabs my hand, dragging me toward the staircase.

  A loud knock at the door downstairs cuts through the air like a knife. We stop in our tracks.

  "You'll regret this." Lorcan hisses up the stairs toward Gorder. I get the urge to punch Gorden in the face for tricking us.

  Abruptly, I hear the splintering of wood then a loud shout and stomping feet. The sound of heavy footsteps running up the stairs follows.

  We're trapped.

  Above the stairs, Gorder stands clenching a rusty knife in his hand, coming toward us, a crowd of men with metal helmets and armor. They must be from the Aeringdal palace or kingdom.

  The man in the front of the crowd smiles triumphantly when he sees we are trapped. His helmet is different from the others. It looks like he's the one in charge of the guards or whoever they are.

  "Very good, Gorder." The man with the fancy helmet shouts. He simultaneously throws a bag undoubtedly full of money, in Gorder's direction.

  "Now there's no getting away." Gorder hollers from above us.

  I look up nervously at Lorcan.

  How are we going to get out of this alive? I give him a doubtful look.

  However, his once angry demeanor changes. A sinister smile slowly forms on Lorcan's face as he looks down at me.

  I was hoping that Lorcan would know a way out of here.

  I was hoping that Lorcan wouldn't take forever in this bar.

  I was hoping that we would be safe in this village.

  Instead of obeying the kingdom that rules this place, we are going to fight them, we are going to fight to fight our way out.

  The familiar look in Lorcan's eyes assures me of that.

  Somehow, I know I have to help fight. Lorcan saved my life and protected me after all.

  I nod my head at Lorcan. I'm going to fight too.

  I clench my fists at my side and take a deep breath. I give the men in front of us a serious look.

  "This should be easier. Who knew it would be this easy to kill you." The man with the fancy helmet taunts. The guards behind him laugh in agreement, shaking their swords in the air.

  Lorcan gives me one last look, then he rushes down the stairs at them.

  I follow him, even though I have no sword or weapon, I'm filled with a strange sense of confidence.

  Chapter 12-A Really Old Friend

  In the blink of an eye, Lorcan has knocked out three of the guards with dangerous punches to their heads. I thought he would use his "fairy powers", but it looks like he's just using brute strength to beat them up.

  I on the other hand am just narrowly missing the slashes and swings of swords headed my way. I do however, to my disbelief, manage to sweep my legs out and trip one particular guard. He awkwardly loses his balance and falls slowly to the ground in confusion. I look passed him seeing Lorcan has already finished off the rest of the guards.

  Except for one guard in particular. Specifically the guy in charge. The guard is visibly shaken at the sight of Lorcan, the guard is quick to send me a glare.

  He puts his hands up in the air, surrendering. He licks his lips anxiously and his sword quivers in his hand.

  "You win. Mercy. I am only doing my job." He says with a slight shake in his squeaky voice.

  I watch Lorcan eye the guard suspiciously.

  "Kick me your sword." Lorcan retorts in disgust at the guards humiliation. For a moment, I feel slightly sad for the guard, he really was doing his job. Lorcan did say he was a criminal after all.

  The guard hastily kicks the sword toward us.

  “Pick it up.” Lorcan tells me. I quickly pick up the bloody sword. He must of actually got a hit in, but I don't see any wounds on Lorcan from where I stand.

  "Hurry back to your palace." Lorcan mumbles turning away from the guard.

  "Oh t-t-hank you. I will be sure to tell of your mercy to t-t-he..." The guard stutters.

  Lorcan doesn't respond, he walks past the terrified guard and out back into the bar. I guess we have to get away from this "scene" as soon as possible. For all I know, there's more guards coming now, its best we leave as quickly as possible.

  I pass the guard and push open the door, following after Lorcan. The moment my foot steps into the bar, I pull my hood up covering my face. Suddenly, I hear a swish and a light breeze fly right by my ear.

  "Lorcan!" I yell desperately. We shouldn't have turned our backs on that guard. The knife narrowly misses Lorcan's head as he tilts his head to the right an inch, just missing the knife's deathly path.

  Amazingly, he catches the knife in his left hand and turns his head around.

  "Is that how they've been training you? Times have changed. You surprised me there." Lorcan says in a dangerously dark tone.

  A creepy snicker echoes from behind me.

  Meaty, sweaty hands pull me back towards the door. The guard is holding me against him as a shield! Lorcan waves the knife at the guard, like a parent waves their finger at a bad child.

  Lorcan wouldn't throw that knife at the guard, not while I'm this close to his target! What if the knife hits me?

  Lorcan's red eyes seem to glow a deep red. The bar is empty around us to no surprise. I'm sure they heard the ruckus upstairs and fled quickly. The woman running the bar is no where to be found either. I gulp, a nervous shudder shakes me to the bone at how quickly the situation changed. I'm totally defenseless in my captors arms.

  The blood lust in Lorcan's eyes is terrifying, even I almost question his sanity when he looks at someone like that.

  "You think I'll let you get away this easily? You knocked out my squad! Now this isn't getting even, this is just...revenge." The man chides carelessly from behind me. I can feel the blood drain from my face, my breathing become shorter as he squeezes my neck tighter.

  "Do it." Lorcan says with a sinister snicker. His dangerous wings suddenly appearing, like a menacing shadow from behind him.

  I don't have to turn my head to see the look of horror in my captors eyes. I can tell by how quickly he releases me, that he fears Lorcan's power. The new psychotic look in
Lorcan's eyes pulls me out of my thoughts.

  I glance behind me, simultaneously rubbing at the sore spot where the man's hands clenched my neck.

  The guard now lies flat on his face passed out.

  “Well that was-" I say, but I'm cut off.

  With a guttural growl, Lorcan thrusts the knife he was holding down at the guard's neck. The knife plunges into the once sleeping guards neck, blood spurs all over the now dead guard's body. A pool of blood encircles the dead guard. I gag at the awful sight.

  "You didn't have to kill him!" I shout at Lorcan. On the other hand, the guard was going to kill me. All the death and killing I've encountered is finally catching up with my mind.

  I quickly shut my mouth when I see the lingering crazed rage in Lorcan's eyes.

  Lorcan towers over me, his hands covered in crimson blood.

  "Lorcan? Can you hear me? Its over. We have to leave...quickly. Before more of those guys come." I say carefully. He looks like he's about to snap again. He seems to be looking down at me, but it looks like he's in some kind of a trance. His body shakes, he almost seems...animalistic. I, however, can see through to his more "human" side. If he calms down a little bit, we should be able to get away.

  If we don't get out of here soon, if he doesn't snap out of it, more guards will come.

  I have to calm him down so we can leave.

  His huge wings quiver behind him as his breathing gets heavier. If I don't do something soon, who knows who he will attack next.

  As if pulled by an invisible string, my hand reaches just above his shoulder, towards his right wing. I'm memorized at how deadly, yet fragile his wings look. Black and crimson red. I carefully touch a small burnt looking area on his wing. Like I remember, it's soft to the touch.

  A muffled purr like noise comes from Lorcan the moment my hand meets his wing. Immediately, I remove my hand from his wing, as if it burned me, when in fact, it was quiet the opposite.

  I put my arms tightly against my sides and watch Lorcan carefully.

  The distance look in his eyes leaves, he looks down at me, his red eyes resuming their normal look.

  "Zoned out, human." Lorcan mumbles, he's back to his normal self.