Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)

Gorder took another confident stride toward her again. Elaine knew she couldn’t give up. Maybe Lorcan was nearby.

“Lorcan! Help! Someone, anyone, help me!” Elaine cried desperately into the woods shifting her head back and forth.

She called in all directions while Gorder laughed at her pathetic attempt.

Is this how I’ll go out? I don’t want to die here, she thought.

She could feel the dampness of her hair. Surely, she thought it was coated in a nice layer of sweat and blood. Her head pounded painfully. She tried to hold in her hysterics and gulped as a violent shudder shook through her down to her legs. She was going into shock.

Then silence. It was almost as if the forest was silently watching her...and watching Gorder before he killed her.

An ice cold breeze blew onto the back of her neck and she squirmed nervously in her spot on the ground. The rustle of dead leaves beneath her did little to comfort her pain.

Woosh.

Something heavy lands behind her. Her body had gone through enough physical and mental pain though and she passed out before being able to see what made the sound.

***

Elaine kept her eyes firmly closed. She could tell she was still in the forest, but it was much colder. She thought it could be night.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and was greeted by the crackling of fire. She gagged at the smell of blood. Her blood. She carefully touched her head wound. Most of it was dry, but Elaine thought it might get infected.

She stretched out her arms only to wince as the scab from her deep wound opened. She sat quietly listening in pain and not seeing anyone around. She thought someone must have brought her here, but the last thing she wished for were it to be Gorder.

She pulled back a piece of her once blonde hair that was now covered in blood away from her face. Then she spotted someone lying next to her. Their face was frowning as they snored ridiculously loud. No wonder she woke up. Their shirt was covered in dark red blood and they were holding onto a nasty rusty looking knife that rested closely by their side.

Lorcan must have saved her.

She leaned in to get a better look at his face. It seemed fine, but he must have gotten wounds from fighting Gorder from all that blood. Although she saw no signs of cuts or bruises on him just a ton of blood on his shirt. Feeling a chill, she scooted in closer to the fire.

Elaine didn’t have to turn around to see him watching her. She could feel his stare now on her back. He must have woke up.

“How are you feeling?” she asked him quietly.

“Fine.”

He rubbed some of the dirt off from the ground on his bloodstained shirt. Then he turned his head and looked up at her. Elaine could only imagine what a mess she looked like. She averted her gaze looking back to the fire in front of her.

“You know this isn’t my blood,” he said slowly while indicating his shirt. Elaine widened her eyes in disbelief.

“Did you kill him?”

“Yes,” Lorcan admitted.

Have I become so numb to all the death and killing he’s done? Then again, he saved my life, several times, Elaine thought with worry.

“Thank you for saving me, Lorcan,” Elaine whispered.

She was still overwhelmed by everything that happened earlier -- particularly the terror of Gorder.

She didn’t know if Lorcan heard her say thanks because he didn’t respond after that. Eventually, she stopped crying as her hands and feet finally warmed up. The heat from the fire dried the fallen tears smeared on her face.

She looked behind her startled to see how openly he was staring at her. His eyes were a bright crimson red again as he watched her silently.

Elaine started telling him she got her nice head wound and cut. She thought Lorcan was probably still dead tired too. She didn’t even know how long she was crying for, ten minutes? She didn’t know. A half hour? Possibly. She rested under a tree a couple of feet away.

Feeling numb, she closed her eyes as the pain in the back of her head became dull.

She watched with disappoint seeing Lorcan stand up over near the fire. He looked ready to leave.

“No, I can walk. I just have a headache that’s all,” Elaine said quickly trying to pry his arms away to no avail.

He stared up at the tree she was going to sleep under. The tree’s branches reached out crookedly around the dying foliage. Elaine watched in annoyance as Lorcan’s wings appeared behind his shoulders.

Fear filled her voice, “You go on ahead. I’ll just stay down here.”

He ignored her comment and jumped up with her. She watched in amazement as his wings extend to their menacing, yet beautiful length.

Then, she let out a yelp as they landed with a thud on a thick branch high above the ground. She thought they would definitely be above her house at this height.

“We will stay here for the night,” Lorcan told her with a yawn looking down at her.

He let her stand on her feet. The branch was a foot wide, but she was still nervous. She took an uneasy step. She wondered how he expected her to sleep up in the tree without falling to her death.

Before she had more time to contemplate, he grabbed her by the waist and set her on his lap as he slouched down against the main body of the tree. He leaned back against the bark wrapping his arms around her like a seatbelt. She looked back at him slowly her face growing red...probably redder than his hair. She knew she must look miserable and smell intolerable in the state she was in, but he hadn’t complained yet.

Elaine thought they were probably safest up in the tree. Lorcan’s arms were snug against her though and in her tired state she felt a wave of relief and comfort that she was slow to welcome. After a few minutes, she carefully laid her head against his chest feeling the blood from his shirt touch her hair. She shut her eyes and the pounding feeling in her head faded away.

The cut on her arm seemed to disappear. Unconsciously, she snuggled against his chest using it like a pillow. The hold he had around her slightly tightened. Lorcan shifted slightly lowering his head right above her own.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, but she didn’t respond.

She was already asleep.