Beyond the Iron Gate (The Faery Meadow Book 1)
Chapter 21-Submerged

Elaine woke up rubbing her faery dust from her eyes. She reached over her shoulders and grabbed at thin air. She wondered if last night was a dream, but knew it couldn’t have been.

Where are my wings? I don’t see them, she didn’t know what happened to them, but she gathered Lorcan would have an idea.

After breakfast, she asked Bray if there was a spare cloak around. He found one that never fit his brother or him. Since it was just big enough to fit her he said she could keep it. She didn’t ask Bray anything about Lorcan or what he did to her. She didn’t bring up her wings either.

She tugged at the sleeves of her new cloak. A knock came from her bedroom door and before she reached it, it opened. Lorcan walked into her room.

“We’ll be leaving tonight.”

“Alright, but what happened to my wings? And where were you this morning?”

“Your mind willed them away before you went to sleep. It’s natural. When you will them back out you’ll see them again. I was scouting the area for spies this morning. It’s nothing though. Be ready in twenty minutes,” he told her while shutting the door in her face.

Elaine wondered what was up with him, but she didn’t worry about it much longer and hurried around to get ready to leave. She walked into the hall and entered the small bathroom. Then she quickly washed her face and untangled the awful knots in her hair.

She used some water to pat down the loose strands in her hair so they laid nice and flat. From the time since she left, she thought her face was definitely not as pale as it had been before. Maybe it was just the lighting in the bathroom, but she had her doubts.

“You should hurry up, someone’s getting a little impatient,” Bray shouted from the other side of the door.

“Coming!”

Elaine walked out of the bathroom and headed downstairs.

“Goodbye!” Bray said with an overly dramatic voice. Lorcan and her simultaneously turned around on the porch.

Elaine gave him a small wave, “Bye Brayden.”

“Keep my brother in line,” he laughed.

“Shut up already,” Lorcan retorted at his brother while walking down off the porch.

“I will. Remember to travel quick. Shields only last so long you know,” he said with a smile, shutting the door behind him.

And with that, she followed after Lorcan almost tripping over her own feet as she walked down the wooden porch.

***

Elaine wasn’t happy to see they weren’t walking back in the direction they came from. Instead, they were heading to the more hilly side beyond the house. For the past hour, she had been growing bored after hearing Lorcan go on and on about the tactics the fae guards use to track down elusive fae which in this case happened to be them. Every so often, she kicked a rock out of her way.

The ground was slowly getting more rough to walk over. Large boulders were scattered over the picky grass. The space between the trees wasn’t so dense yet, but she could tell the further they walked the more thicker the woods was beginning to get.

When they reached a fast flowing river, Lorcan sat on the ground and told her they should take a break. She agreed and sat down near the riverbank. Suddenly, Lorcan turned his head sharply to the left as if he saw something or heard something she hadn’t.

He spoke slowly looking spooked, “I’ll be right back.”

Elaine was playing with the stones in the sandy mud not really paying attention to him. “Alright,” she muttered.

Lorcan ran off back the way they came. Eventually, he was far off enough where she couldn’t even see him. A few quiet minutes passed and she returned to playing with the pebbles in the sand. She threw some over the river and watched them leap across.

Twigs snapped behind her and she turned around in relief.

“You’re back-”

“Yes, I’m back,” Aifric mocked her.

Elaine took a cautious step back noticing his two other companions from before weren’t with him.

“Show me your wings,” he commanded in a cold voice.

“I don’t know how,” Elaine said quickly.

She really didn’t, Lorcan hadn’t really told her how to use her wings yet.

Aifric started walking toward her. Elaine began to run away from him. She ended up running along the river hearing the harsh collision of water hitting rock made her pump her arms harder and clench her jaw.

“Stop, I’m here to help you!” he yelled from behind her.

From the sound of his voice, she could tell he was gaining on her.

The bank of the river bed rose higher and higher the farther she ran. A total of three feet or more stood from her to the water. She narrowly avoided running into trees that were close to the edge. Hearing the faint sound of Aifric’s footsteps now, she smiled in victory. She knew if she kept going at her pace she might just lose him. Hopefully, by then, she thought Lorcan would come back and replace her.

However, her right foot got caught in a tree’s root sending her sailing over the edge of the river bank and straight into the dark violent water. The moment her body hit the icy harsh water. She could feel her body go into shock. The unbearable stinging sensation in her right foot kept her from kicking herself completely above the surface.

She was left to rely on her arms and did her best to swim to the surface over the swift current of the water. Her cloak, however, weighed her down. She was just barely able to catch a breath before getting plunged back under the water again.

She tried to grab a hold of plants along the bank, but they only ripped the moment she grabbed onto them as she was pulled along with the river. The surface of the rocks was too slippery for her hands to grip onto. The only thing she thought she could do was try to remain calm.

She managed to bob her head above the water and heard Aifric’s voice.

“Hold on! I’ll get you-” he shouted from somewhere above her.

She tried to strain her ears to hear better over the roaring of the river. His voice, however, was cut off, as she heard a new noise clearly above the sounds around her.

It was the sound of Lorcan shouting.