Chapter 24 ~ Exploration

When I stepped through into the strange new world I had no idea where to begin. Walking around the stone wall of the house, I found the front door and peaked inside to find a single-story house with only one room. A dust encrusted window on the far wall was the only other source of light, though it did not allow much in. Even with the dimly lit space it was easy to see the room was bare. Devoid of anything that might have hinted as to where I was and its potential link to the Fae.

I pushed the door closed and turned to face the misty field dotted sparsely with those strange crystal-like trees. It stretched all the way to the horizon in every direction. I spun in a slow circle, hoping for some indication of which way to go. Any sign that the Fae might be here. Or at least that something was here.

Not a single track led away from the house and I wondered how long it had been here. Why was it here at all if it wasn't being used? The air was still around me, not a breath of breeze touched my skin, the layer of mist on the ground was stagnant not a wisp out of place. My sensitive ears didn't pick up a single sound over my own breathing. I hadn't noticed before, I'd been to shocked at the sudden change in my surroundings but as I stood turning slow circles it didn't feel real.

A tingle ran down my spine and I felt the hair on my arms stand to attention. The idea of turning back and telling Kellan something was wrong crossed my mind. A larger, more insistent part of my mind wanted to push the unease aside. The possibility that my family could be here was to great a pull. The hope that I had unwittingly allowed to sink its claws into my heart wouldn't allow me turn back until I had searched every last inch of this eerie land.

I had no idea where to start first so I just started walking, following a straight line away from the front door of the nondescript building. I walked through the mist, my feet sinking into the soft layer of moss on the ground with every stride. The scenery around me didn't seem to change at all as the time ticked by.

The same odd trees with their leaves twinkling in the light. The blinding white sun blazing overhead, though the temperature in the place didn't seem to change. Not a drop of perspiration slipped from my skin despite the fact that I was walking through the direct sunlight. I felt cool, but not cold despite the way my breath fogged the air on every exhale.

At some point I looked up and saw the another grey stone house similar to the one that sat right where the wall of the cell should have been. I sighed in relief. Finally, after what must have been hours of walking, I was getting somewhere. I ran the last few hundred metres, until my hands came to rest on the rough grey stone. I circled the building and my heart stalled in my chest. It wasn't another house. It was the same one. I kicked the wall with as much force as I could muster and regretted it instantly as pain shot up my leg in vicious waves. I groaned and limped my way around to the front of the building. I'd peaked in the door earlier but there'd been no one there and nothing inside to indicate that there ever had been.

But it was the sole recognisable landmark and I was starting to think it might deserve a little bit more attention than I'd given it. I pushed open the old timber door and stepped inside. I traced my fingers across the surface of the wall as I moved to the left. The cool stone sent goose bumps racing up my arms and I smiled at the sensation.

Nothing caught my eye as I paced around the outside edge of the cramped space. When I reached the window I scraped at the layer of grime covering it. Just in case there was something I was missing in the shadowy corners of the room. I couldn't get it off. I scratched and nothing happened. It was as if the dirt had been combined into the glass itself to prevent the light from entering. The idea sounded ridiculous even to my own ears. Who would want to embed dirt in a piece of glass?

"Who are you?" The sharp voice sounded from behind me. I spun on my heel heart hammering. A Fae stood in the open doorway. His face hidden in shadow as the sun blazed in from behind him. The gun in his hand held me still. It was pointed at my chest. I had no doubt he was aiming for the overworked muscle that was hammering at my ribcage.

"Why do you have a weapon?" Fae didn't use guns. At least the Fae I'd known five years ago hadn't. His brows pulled down over the black shadows that were his eyes."Who are you?" He repeated.

"My name is Delilah." I wanted to shrug. To show him that I really wasn't sure what he wanted to get out of me with that question, but the gun aimed at my chest held me still.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm trying to find my family."

"You aren't a registered Fae." He held up an electronic tablet with his spare hand as if that would somehow explain what he meant.

"What does that mean?" I asked. Sweat started to bead on my forehead and trickle down the sides of my face.

"It means you need to tell me who you are, how you got here, and where you came from. Or I will be forced to take lethal action."

I gasped. "You're going to kill me?"

He nodded, "If I have to. Tell me who you are." His grip tightened on the gun and my hands started to shake.

"My name is Delilah Grey. I don't know what a registered Fae is. I'm guessing it's everyone that survived the attack in the village and made it here? But I survived too. And I want to see my family."

"Delilah Grey is registered as having died five years ago."

I shook my head. "I didn't die that night. Please, just tell me if my family is still alive?"

"Non-Fae are not permitted entry."

I threw my hands up in the air and flinched when the gun went off in response. My hands went on a frantic exploration of my body, searching for the bullet hole to match the ear piercing explosion that ricocheted around the small space.

I found nothing. All the air rushed out of me when I realised I had no bullet holes in me. I looked back at the Fae before me. A patch of sunlight that wasn't there before shone down on him from above. He'd shot into the roof.

I stood with my back pressed flat against the rough stone wall behind me. My hands glued to my sides.

"I am a Fae. You even acknowledged that earlier."

"You don't have a pure aura. Only Fae are permitted entry. You are something else. You may not enter."

"I'm already here." I exclaimed. Every muscles in my body was coiled tight.

He laughed. The deep chuckle rising up from deep within his chest and booming out to fill the space. It crowded the room further. I stared at the open door behind him.

"No, you're not." He said, once the loud guffaws had slowed to intermittent chuckles.I stared at him, blank faced.

"I am physically here. Standing right in front of you. I'm pretty much certain that that means I'm here."

He shook his head, his shoulders still shaking with laughter.

"Am I missing something?" I heard the crackle of breaking glass moments before I felt a thousand splinters of glass rip through my exposed skin. I shrieked. Hissing at the multitude of slashes in my arms.

All laughter from the doorway had stopped and the gun wielding Fae looked as confused as I felt. He stared at the window beside me, brows furrowed. I charged at him. Full speed.

Time seemed to slow as I got closer. His eyes registered my movement and the gun started to shift back to me. Following his line of sight. I pushed my legs harder, forcing the muscles to stretch and contract harder than they ever had before. My arms stretched from my body. My fingers extended. I felt the cold metal on the tips of my fingers.

Another explosion rent the air. A searing flame came to life in my chest and I hit the floor. The blood curdling scream that echoed through the room came from me. I felt warmth spreading over my chest and curled into it. But fingers scraped at my feet, hands gripping my ankles with firm determination.

I screamed again as I was dragged backwards. My head throbbed and my vision flickered. The Fae that had shot me was cowering in the corner, hands wrapped around his head. He didn't look up once as I was dragged away.

I clawed at the packed dirt floor struggling to get my arms to cooperate. My body felt too heavy. My brain like cotton wool. The reason I was fighting started to slip from my grasp. The burning pain in my chest disappeared as my mind went blank.