Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)

With a pant, Elaine jumped up from the ground. She wondered if she had just woken from a nightmare. Her heart slowed as she blinked just to make sure she was truly awake. The ground below her feet was still freezing cold. She yawned, stretching her cramped legs. Elaine could tell it was early morning by the light dew on the grass. However, it was still very dark out though. She glanced over at where she last saw Lorcan sleeping.

Lorcan was still asleep across from her snoring loud as ever.

The wind whirred and she turned her head toward a slight opening in the low shrubbery.

Her skin prickled pleasantly as an odd warm draft passed through her. Before she knew it, she went following the direction in which the wave of heat came from. It was addicting and she eagerly trailed after it leaving behind the cold woods and sleeping faery man who kidnapped her.

She stepped over big stones and around old thick trees with dead branches. Every so often, she turned her head back to keep track of the way she came.

All of the sudden, a soft melody reached ears in the same direction as the wave of heat. Her feet clumsily wobbled through and around the high grass avoiding the several thorn bushes in her way as she continued. The strange warmth lured her farther and farther. Deeper into the woods and each step she took she knew was a step away from Lorcan. She pulled her hood down as the heat increased the further she went.

In a daze, she sighed in bliss at the soothing warmth because no longer did I feel freezing cold. She pushed aside a picky bush revealing a most captivating scene. A vacant meadow, with low dark green grass flourishing with flowers of yellows and pinks stood before her.

I’m waiting for you, the deep voice spoke in her mind with a light chuckle.

She hadn’t heard the voice since leaving the faery realm and her eyes darted around the quiet trees surrounding her searching for the source of it.

The gentle soothing melody had stopped. There was not a doubt in her mind that this is where the warm draft came from as she easily glided into the center of the meadow in awe of every detail of it. She touched the soft petals of the flowers with my fingertips stepping carefully in the meadow.

The warmth of the meadow comforted her in her solitude. She peered upward seeing little glowing orbs floating in the foliage. Their soft yellow light created a beautiful contrast against the dark trees illuminating the meadow.

The snapping of twigs resounded behind her breaking her from her strange trance. She heard someone walk up behind her and no sooner did smoldering warm hands grab her shoulders making her jump. She blinked hard unsure if what was happening was real because she no longer was standing in the meadow, but a dead hayfield overlooking endless rolls of more fields ahead of her.

Who is he to you? Tell me, the person whispered in her mind.

Lorcan told her the voice could be of demonic decent. Her hand flew to the bottom of her throat as her mind began to try to connect the dots. She was terrified and feared if she turned around they would hurt her -- whoever they were.

At the same time though, anger simmered within her knowing they had been messing with her head and driving her crazy for months! Now, they stood just behind her. She seethed with new rage and tried turning on her heels to see the face of her tormentor who for so long she only thought of as invisible. However, she felt one of their hands go to the nape of her neck and her mind immediately clouded.

She couldn’t remember what she was so upset about.

From the corner of her vision, she saw a very tall shape step out from behind her.

Her heart pounded heavily, the air that was once a comforting warm temperature shot up in temperature and burned her skin, specifically her back. Grimacing, she hunched over closing her eyes in agony. She fell down to the ground in pain and felt darkness close around her as her drowsy mind turned off.

***

An annoyed voice barked above her, “Wake up.”

Elaine squinted her eyes up against the blaring light to see the figure of a familiar someone.

“We’re out of here today. Let’s get a move on, human,” Lorcan said coldly.

She laid on the ground on her side and rolled on her back. She yelped when the ground collided against a strange bump on her back.

Did something hit me in the back? Well, at least it’s not bleeding. It almost feels like a giant bug bite right in the center of my spine, Elaine wondered to herself.

Shuddering, she stood up shaky limbs. Lorcan caught her giving her a worried look before letting her stand on her own.

“Lorcan...I met the voice in my dream. I think they were going to kill me.”

“What are you going on about? You were the one who I found over here. I woke up this morning and you were gone. You must have been dreaming, human. Keep your dream fantasies to yourself,” he said with a laugh.

Elaine wanted to scream at him, but she decided to keep her mouth closed even though he wasn’t taking her seriously. He seemed spooked when he heard the voice himself. He was the one who warned her about it anyway. She wanted to know he was brushing off her awful nightmare that she was fairly certain could have been real now that her back was still hurting.

“My back hurts...”

Something flashed across his face, fear. She slid off her cloak seeing she finally had his attention. Elaine believed the bump on her back was big enough to see through the material of her shirt.

Lorcan walked behind her. “I see nothing. I’m no doctor, but I think you just slept on a rock or something. We should get going.”

Elaine didn’t believe him.