Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)

Everything was hazy and flickered around Elaine as she blinked coming to in hell. The buildings around her were made of crumbling black brick appearing just as abandoned as the desolate street they stood upon. It was very quiet for a place said to be chaotic. She didn’t see any other demons besides the one who stood beside her.

Her heart lurched for she was not prepared to see Colt’s natural demonic appearance. He wasn’t enclosed around his shadows like she’d thought he would be when they arrived there. So she could see his hair now was white and his black inky demon wings perched behind his shoulders.

“Let’s make this quick,” Colt announced.

Then he started walking off toward the right side of the vacant street. Elaine tried to match his pace while attempting to keep calm. She felt like spiders were crawling over her skin. After all, her heart was still very much human and her mind stirred in unrest as the demon walked about his homeland like it was a day in the park.

They walked up to a building. Colt didn’t bother knocking on the chipped red paint door. He opened it with ease revealing a tiny room.

“Back again?” an old voice spoke from somewhere in the room.

The room had very old looking furniture, but the seats seemed expensive where a round table the elderly woman sat. Her hair was a bright white color and her eyes were pale like Colt’s. Her skin was wrinkled and her long black nails reminded Elaine of talons. They were so long that they curled off the edge of the table as the demon lady folded her hands expectantly.

The old lady waved them over. “Come sit. I can tell you’re in a hurry.”

She was wearing a beaded necklace that got lost somewhere in her greyish looking beard. Elaine forced herself to look away from the beard. The table cloth looked much like an old rag made of tons of different cloth stitched together. Colt recognized her discomfort and sat down hoping she’d follow suit. Elaine mirrored his movements.

“Hi, I was wondering if you could read into my past for me. I need to know where my real home is,” Elaine told the seer while fumbling with the sleeves of her cloak.

Colt watched the seer like a hawk. He saw a glint in her eye that reflected her annoyance at Elaine staring too long at her beard.

The seer’s eye twitched as she began to speak all-business like, “Very well. Where’s my compensation? I prefer to be paid first.” Her grin was a toothy one.

Elaine watched in surprise as Colt threw her the same locket he showed Elaine the other day. She was amazed he was giving the demon lady such a useful item. It made her wonder if he had more.

“Yes, yes. This will do just fine,” the seer beamed while tucking the locket in her shirt pocket with a satisfied pat.

Elaine tried not to stare at the demon’s extremely long yellow nails as they swayed around looking ready to snap and break off from her movements.

“Now dear, give me your right hand. This should only take a moment,” the seer whispered reaching for her hand.

Elaine gave Colt a worried look, but he nodded his head at her. Hesitantly, she placed her hand in the old woman’s feeling the rough surface of her hand. Then the old demon woman started mumbling in what sounded like gibberish to Elaine while moving their clasped hands over the surface of the table.

Elaine tried not to stare at her gross looking nails and instead focused on the wall of the room near where Colt was sitting beside her. There were very odd looking dead animals hung up on it. A bull with weird horns and blackbirds with green eyes. The room was very small, but it reminded her of Gurnava’s house in nature.

“Done,” the seer told her in a monotone.

“Did you find out where I’m from?” Elaine asked her.

“Indeed. I saw your parents. They are both very much alive. I see how you’ve been drawn into the faery world. Why are you with this demon though, child?” she probed suspiciously.

Elaine hoped the seer wouldn’t be upset with her answer. She didn’t know why the demon lady would be interested in her relationship with Colt, but she formed an answer as fast as she could not wanting to keep her waiting, “I happened to meet Colt when I was passing through a town with...my friend. Then it turned out my friend left me behind. So Colt is helping me right now.”

“I see. Very well, the town you seek after is Hunrel. I haven’t had many customers though. As a thank you for your troubles to come here, I will send you there myself,” she said while scooting out of her chair with surprising speed. Then she addressed Colt with a tone of authority Elaine did not expect to see coming, “Do not come by the way you did again. Her people are watching.”

“Colt, is this a good idea?” Elaine whispered to him.

“Just go with it,” he grunted.

“Ready?” the old seer asked the two.

“I guess,” Elaine mumbled while looking at Colt.

She didn’t know what to feel. She couldn’t believe that a demon would be the one to take her to her true home. Colt held her hand as the air escaped their lungs and the seer along with room around them faded to black. Elaine’s ears rang and she swore she heard the seer’s scratchy voice cackle somewhere in the distance -- perhaps back in hell. She was glad could lived up to his promise of them only being there for a short bit.

A moment later, she and Colt were someplace else. A beautiful flower bed flourished all around them filled with red and yellow flowers. The grass on the ground swayed back and forth lazily and the sky was a clear blue. The warm air caressed her skin and her heart swelled as she heard the sound of loud laughter come from somewhere behind her.

She turned around unable to believe her eyes.

A lively village with stone buildings resided right in front of her.

“Let’s go,” Colt chided.

Elaine walked quickly toward the fae. She noticed how most of them had their wings out and subconsciously she released her own. She finally felt like she belonged.

She felt like she was in a dream as they made their way inside the busy town. The scent of fresh baked goods made her stomach growl. Her gaze traveled across the street to what looked to be a small eatery. A few small tables sat outside of it. A fae with large pink and black wings, similar to her own, was sitting at one of the tables facing away from her.

Elaine pumped her arms racing across the street and narrowly avoiding running into another faery. She slowed down coming over to the faery at the table. Their hair was long and a light honey color -- the same as hers.

“Mom...?” Elaine whispered in disbelief. Suddenly, the faery turned around.

It was truly her mother and across from her at the table sat her father. Her mother jumped up wrapping her arms around Elaine in a suffocating hug, “My baby! My baby! Oh, my little girl! You’re so grown up now.”

Elaine slowly started to hug her back. Her father joined in on the hug and cried a little. Elaine thought she would be more moved seeing her parents after years of their absence in her life. The numbness inside her now felt strange...and unwelcome.

She forced a smile when they eventually pulled away.

“Why did you leave me? Do you know what I had to go through to find you?”

“Where’s your deliverer?” her father piped in.

Elaine couldn’t hide the confusion and disgust for the word, “Deliverer? Did you pay to have me brought to you? I’m a person you know. Do you know...Lorcan?”

“Yes! He was to bring you to us,” her mother said with worry.

Elaine watched as her mother walked by her as if expecting Lorcan to walk out of the crowd of faeries roaming about the streets. She couldn’t help feeling a little insulted by their attempt at reconnecting with her after such a long time.

“What happened? Did you get separated?” Elaine’s father asked sounding stern.

She didn’t answer his question and instead voiced her own thoughts. “Why did you send him for me? W-why did you wait so long?” her voice trembled.

Her parents shared a look of concern. They didn’t want things to be like this, but it was for her own good she grow up in the human realm. They had much to discuss and ask of her seeing as she was mated to the dark-haired stranger who approached them. Her wings kept glowing brighter until it was almost blinding when Colt stood next to her and her father did his best to keep a welcoming expression to the young faery man by his daughter’s side.

Elaine’s mother, on the other hand, was struggling to keep it together.

“Who are you?” Elaine’s mother demanded rather rudely.

Colt grunted turning his back to the faery woman. He already had no respect for them leaving Elaine behind in the human realm. They never did get around to asking the seer about his blood bonding with Elaine’s. He was sure though the mother knew just like he already did. It couldn’t be helped that it happen ti him and Elaine.

Colt didn’t really consider Elaine his mate though so it didn’t matter. He would let her find her own mate or go her own way. He knew demons were best sticking to their own or with none at all.

“Let’s take this to the house. We have so much to talk about,” Elaine’s father suggested.

Her mother’s pointed stare didn’t leave Colt until Elaine gave her a funny look. She dare not mention him being a demon. She was worried though they may think something off about him. Her mother and father led the way while she lagged behind with Colt.

“They better have a good excuse for putting you through this. It seems to me they think you’re just a means to an end. Why else would they have sent a random faery to fetch you for them?” Colt whispered and Elaine kept silent fearing the truth in his words.

She decided to herself she wouldn’t get too upset about things just yet. She would let her parents explain themselves first and hopefully Lorcan too. Then she would try to make some measure of the truth brought forward before she decided to dwell on her feelings about the whole situation.