Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)

Colt and Elaine took a few minutes to prepare to leave. He grabbed the locket and took some weapons while she prepared herself mentally. Colt told her he knew a village where they would be safe and he could help her maybe find her parents from there.

Elaine thought it was probably best if they went there first anyway. She needed to understand more about the fae before she got separated again from someone who could protect her from this strange world she didn’t understand.

“Watch where you step,” Colt grunted from behind her.

They had been walking away from the town for some time now. Elaine swiftly avoided ramming her foot into a rather large rock.

Elaine noticed how unlike Lorcan, Colt was always watching her every move which at times got a little irritating. Especially since he decided to walk behind her. She, of course, had no sense of direction and also had no idea where exactly they were going.

So she had to rely on Colt’s directions blindly. Elaine knew she wasn’t the fastest walker either. She was surprised Colt wasn’t complaining which she thought was unusual for his usual grumpy attitude.

“So, what’s this town like?” Elaine asked while stepping around a tree root.

“In ruins.”

“Oh.”

“The town’s commander has been gone for a while. When he comes back all will be better again,” Colt added in seeing her disappointment.

“So what are the people like there? Did they like the commander?”

“The people of the town are very loyal to the commander and more open to outsiders. When we reach the town it might seem a little...disorderly though,” he finished.

“I see,” Elaine mumbled, but she didn’t really see at all. She wondered just what kind of town was run by a “commander”. “So what’s this town called anyway?”

The sun was starting to set and her growling stomach was starting to become a hindrance.

“Banexul. We will be there soon. Do not stray away from me. They might be open to strangers, but believe me when I say it is for the wrong reason,” Colt grumbled.

Now it sounded more to her like this town was more on the shady side. Elaine was starting to wonder what Colt’s definition of “safe” was exactly.

Soon enough, they started to notice how the forest was thinning out. From a distance, she could see a rather large town surrounded by a crumbling dark stone wall. The clouds of smoke trailed into the sky. Then the sound of loud yelling reached them.

A faery with orange wings and greasy looking black hair stood by a huge iron gate. He wore a long red shirt and simple brown pants. His boots, however, were mud-free and rather sharp looking. The grass of the forest floor thinned out and a stone path lead them down the hill towards the town and the faery man.

She didn’t have to ask to know this was Banexul.

Colt and her finally reach the gate of the town.

“Like I’m going to let the likes of you in here. Master hasn’t come back yet and you think you can just waltz in here without so much as stating who you are. Pathetic.” The town guard sneered.

“Open the gate, now,” Colt growled from behind Elaine.

“Make me,” the skinny, surprisingly brave, guard taunted.

Suddenly, Colt rushed passed Elaine and grabbed the guard by the throat. Colt was nearly twice as tall as the guard and held the guard menacingly. The guard clawed helplessly at Colt’s hands.

“Do it.”

“Never,” the guard choked out.

Elaine hurried around them. The guard was only doing his job. She searched for a lever, a button, anything that could open the gate.

“Ugly dumb girl. I’m the only one who can open and close this gate. Soon no one will be able to if this idiot doesn’t release me,” the guard rasped.

Elaine wondered if they could just fly over it. She was thinking thought if they did that they may get shot at or attacked if they did.

Colt threw the guard violently against the wall.

“Don’t you remember me?” Colt asked sternly.

“Trust me, I would remember you -- fish eyes,” the guard hissed through his teeth while wiping blood from the back of his head.

Elaine watched Colt nervously as murky shadows begin shifting through the small pebbles on the ground around them.

She tried to get his attention. “Colt?” Elaine mumbled.

However, he began walking toward the guard and away from her. Suddenly, Colt vanished without a trace. Elaine looked around wildly for him. Then, she remembered the shadows on the ground. Panicking, she looked at the guard in front of her.

The guard’s eyes were widened in shock. His jaw quivered and he scuttled to his feet desperately. She followed the guard’s gaze which landed somewhere above her head. Elaine looked upward seeing nothing. So she turned around.

Her heart jolted. She held her breath as she quickly took in what was behind her. A tall inky shadowy figure stood hovering right behind her. If she were to move just an inch it would touch her. It appeared almost like it was spiky and sharp to the touch.

“C-Colt?” Elaine asked trying to calm down.

She knew it was him, but she didn’t know why he was using his faery power. He could easily have defeated the guard with his strength. Maybe he thought this would make the guard panic.

“Oh I d-didn’t, I m-mean...of course, c-come on in,” the guard stuttered while trying to recover from his shock.

However, Colt remained still behind Elaine. She reached out to where she thought Colt’s arm might be. It’s just shadows, she thought.

“The guard’s letting us in,” Elaine told Colt gently.

When her arm met Colt’s shadowy figure a brief feeling of cold met her fingertips, but other than that, she felt nothing. A few seconds went by and the shadows withdrew creeping back to the ground. They scattered in all directions. Then she could finally see Colt.

“Good. Let’s go,” Colt grunted.

Elaine glanced back at the guard who was looking at her now like she had two heads. Then she realized she was still touching Colt’s arm. She quickly drew her hand away from his arm in embarrassment. The ground below her vibrated as the gate opened. Colt and her began walking through the gate.

“P-please forgive me, I’m truly sorry-” the guard pleaded from behind them.

Colt shot the guard a cold look from over his should and, just like that, the guard shut his mouth.

“That was a good idea Colt! He actually let us through,” Elaine told him.

“Yeah, I guess.”

She was relieved that he hadn’t killed him like she initially thought he would.

Elaine heard a loud shout and turned her head in the direction of the sound.

“Hurry up! They’ll catch on soon!” a laughing fae shouted while running past them with...someone’s head.

She was starting to understand what Colt meant by disorderly town.

She nearly gagged in her mouth at the awful bloody sight. She jumped right to Colt’s side grabbing onto his muscular arm tightly. He looked down at her as if taken back by her closeness. Elaine stepped away from him distracted by the headless body on the far corner of the town street. A few demons start to gather around it.

“It’s safer in the center of town. Come on,” Colt said while picking up his pace.