The Gate Key Chapter 1

I wake to the sound of the rooster’s cry and the chalky smell of dirt gusting downwind from the barren fields outside. My eyes trace the rafters as my vision adjusts to the early morning dimness, and I wince at the spider webs lining the spaces between the beams. I hate spiders.

My back is stiff as I roll off the large pile of fresh hay that I have slept in for the past two nights. I try in vain to sweep every thread of straw from my clothing, and dirt wafts in clouds from my head as I shake out my hair with my fingers. It’s been a long summer.

I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder, and slip my feet into my worn tennis shoes.

The lock sticks as I try to pull it back. I have to give it another firm tug before it finally comes loose. I open the door just enough for me to fit my body through and then close it quietly behind me and turn to face the endless rows of fields before me. This land is flat. Too flat. It makes me miss my home where mountains line the periphery of my kingdoms walls… or what used to be my kingdom. Now I fear my old life is lost. 

         Everything is quiet, and I take a cautious step forward. The last thing I need is to get caught trespassing, but it doesn’t seem like anyone has bothered to wake this early in the morning and I don’t blame them.

         I wipe the sleep from my eyes and begin a slow jog towards the far edge of the property where trees shade the main path from view. Its best if I can keep out of sight, and in this heat I welcome the shade.

When I reach the edge of the property, I hop the barbed wire fence as stealthily as I can manage. Its not difficult, the wire is sagging in some places and completely rusted out in others. When I’m clear of the property, I pull an old ball cap from my bag and tug it down to cover my ears so the pointy ends don’t give away that I’m Fae.

         I don’t belong here. This dimension is not my own. I came here with other Fae to escape the Wendins raid of my kingdom, but the gate to this dimension had to be shut.  With no allies and no way to get back home, I have been slipping from town to town ever since.

         I continue down the path until I reach a bridge. Beneath it, water rushes over rocks and slams against the banks. I carefully make my way down the steep hill until I am just inches away from the water. My throat suddenly feels dry and I am all too aware of the dirt stuck beneath my fingernails.

         I take a quick glance around to make sure no one is watching and then pull my shirt up over my head and slip my black cargo pants off before stepping into the cold water.

         The tide is stronger than I expected, but I am well adjusted to water. Fae who have magic, like me, usually find they are stronger in one element.

         When I was five, my father took me down to a lake that sat directly in the middle of four mountains near our home. There were no trails to guide us there. My father told me that the lake was secret and that it was sacred. It certainly looked that way blanketed in fog and surrounded by ancient trees. The trees nearest the water flourished as if they too could feel the power that the water emanated.

         The moment I stepped into the water, I felt stronger and my green eyes glowed blue. That is when my father knew.

Even as a child I knew there was something different about me. The rest of the Manothan line specialized in fire. My father was the strongest of them all, so I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness back then as if I had let him down in some way.

         I sigh at the memory and do my best to scrub the dirt from my cloths while wading out into the middle of the river. I dunk my head beneath the cool water and run my fingers through my short black hair. I stay beneath the surface for a while and savor the feeling. Moments like these don’t come along too often anymore.

         I am about to return to shore when I hear the voices. They grow louder and louder as they approach and I can tell it is two females. I frantically look to my bag at the edge of the water and then back up at the trail where the two woman are approaching.  I don’t have time to hide the bag, so at the last second I dive back beneath the water and hope they don’t see me.

         I sit on the rivers sandy bottom and listen to the woman speak. I can hear them below the surface as well as I could above and I drudgingly realize they aren’t leaving. They pause at the peak of the bridge and I am suddenly terrified they’ll see me. My heart beats rapidly and a memory pulls me in.



“Zayden, how do we face our fears?”

I stand with my father in an emerald field where spring has just taken its hold on the land. We have been hiking for a day now and my legs wobble as I stand just before the edge of a cliff and look out at our vast kingdom and the great mountains that surround it. They serve as protection from our enemies; enemies that would destroy us without blinking.

         I look back at my father and summon the words that I’ve rehearsed a thousand times before.

         “We think of the kingdom, and our duty to it.”

         He puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles down at me, pride shining in his bright green eyes, eyes that mark him as a Manothan. I can’t help but think my own green eyes dim in comparison. I know that the words I recited have been the motto he has lived by his entire life. It is this thought that has summoned his never ending courage, but I cant seem to summon the same courage in myself.

         “What is your greatest fear?” he asks, but he already knows the answer. It is written in my frightful eyes and the way I step so gingerly around the edge of the cliff. I answer him anyways.

         “Heights.” I say, and I am suddenly ashamed. My father: the brave. The courageous king who saved our kingdom of Windfall from countless invasions. The wise ruler who amended the tax laws in favor of the poor. The most powerful Fae I know.

And I, his son. 



After about five minutes, the women move on and I return to the waters surface. I don’t have to catch my breath. I can breathe beneath the water, which is an ability unique to water Fae.

I have good reason to fear the humans. When we came through the gate to this dimension, they did not welcome us with open arms. The Fae I came with retreated to the cold mountains in the North. Although the humans outnumbered us greatly, we had enough people and enough strength to defend ourselves, especially with the protection of the mountains.

Nevertheless, I am alone now and without the protection of the others. If I am to be discovered I fear I will be killed.





         I ring out my drenched cloths and lay them out in the sun while I take a spot beneath a large tree. I can feel its life force and it calms me. The trees here aren’t the same as the ones at the sacred lake near my home, but I still feel the connection with them.

         It doesn’t take long for me to drift back into sleep. It is foolish; sleeping while being so exposed. I can only hope that even if someone does catch sight of me, my cap will hide my ears and they’ll assume I am just a regular kid.



        The first thing I see when I open my eyes are tan legs. I almost have a heart attack as I shoot to my feet and find myself face to face with a human girl. She laughs at my startled expression and tilts her head to the side.

         “Relax,” she says, “I didn’t mean to startle you. Some friends and I are starting a campfire down on the other side of the river. I saw you down here alone and I…uh…wondered if you might like to come over.”

         Her freckled cheeks are flushed and I realize she is blushing. My boxers flutter against my legs in the slight breeze. Crap.  Here I am standing in front of this human girl in just my boxers. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about already.

         I look around and realize that it is already late afternoon. I slept that long? I return my gaze to her. She is waiting on an answer.

         “Sorry, I think Ill pass.” I say quickly as I begin to walk towards my cloths.

         Something like sadness passes over her features. Part of me wishes I could join her at the campfire. I haven’t had a real conversation in months and I need to feel that kind of a connection, but it’s not an option. I would be too vulnerable in a large group of humans.

         “We have hotdogs and we’re going to start making smores when it gets darker.” She insists from behind me.

         “Smores?” I try the word on my lips as I pull on my pants.

         “You’ve never heard of smores?” She asks incredulously.

         I shrug my shoulders and smile back at her, but I think it probably looks more like a wince.

         I grab my bag and turn to leave, but the girl wraps her fingers around my wrist. I feel the link and suddenly I am trapped by this girl’s emotions.

         

         Maya. That’s her name. She is scared…terrified even. Normally I would understand it to be just that; fear, but a link is only as powerful as the emotions that cause it, and this one is commanding.

         She lets go of my hand and watches me as I try and focus on the present.



         “Are you all right?” Maya asks slowly. “Would you like me to call someone?”

         I am out of breath and I can’t form the words, so I shake my head a little too frantically.

         “I’m fine.” I finally manage.

         She looks at me peculiarly, but there is still concern there too. 

         I have been linked before, but it was a long time ago and nowhere near this powerful. I didn’t even know I could link with a human. I can’t leave her now. I need to make sure she will be all right; at least for tonight.

         My mother’s soft words after I once linked with a dying man echo in my mind, “Why are you crying dear? The link is a way for us to connect to each other. It is a gift.” 

         I sigh. I have nowhere better to be. “Is the invitation still open?” I ask.

         “Of course,” she replies, but there is still concern in her eyes. I worry I may have weirded her out a little too much.



         I don’t know what I expect a campfire on the side of the river to look like, but this isn’t it it. It is barely dusk, and beer bottles already litter the floor. A huge mound of wood is thrown into a big pile where a fire rages. Beach chairs surround it where pretty girls sit on pretty boy’s laps.

         There isn’t a single adult human in sight. People stumble pass the fire and I wince every time one gets too close.

         Maya puts her hand on my shoulder. “Relax. Just have fun.” She reaches to take my cap off, and I dodge away. She holds up her arms playfully in surrender and smiles. “All right, keep the cap on.”

         I smile back apologetically, but she doesn’t seem offended.

         I hear screams, and I look towards the river where two girls are splashing each other. A tall boy with broad shoulders is egging them on and more people are rushing in the water to join them.



         “I didn’t catch your name,” says Maya as she pulls a beach chair up next to me. I look down at her. She leans forward with her hands on her knees expectantly.

         “Zayden.” I have never told a human my name before, but unless this girl knows about Fae culture, she won’t be able to deduce anything from my first name.

         “Zayden.” She repeats slowly. “That’s an interesting name.”

         I like the way she says it. Back home, people always addressed me formally, or when they were closer to my rank they would say my name with a sort of expectation, as if I was destined to be more. I wonder what they would say if they could see me now in worn cloths and on the run.

         “I’m Maya.” She says, but doesn’t extend her hand. I assume it’s because of what happened earlier. She looks guiltily down at her palms.

         “Nice to meet you.” I say and smile to ease some of the tension between us.

         The fire lights up her eyes. Since I have been here, I have come to the realization that most humans have ordinary dull eyes, but hers are a breathtaking brown.

         I drop my gaze. I wonder what she thinks of my own eyes. They must look strange to her, the way they take on a sort of glow.



         “So what were you doing sleeping on the side of the river alone?”

         “Hiding.” I answer truthfully.

         “From your parents.” She nods as if she understands. I knew she would come to that conclusion. The human youth are more rebellious than the Fae. “I know how that is.” She sighs and relaxes back in her chair.

         A brown haired girl bounces enthusiastically over to Mayas side and sits on her lap. “Who’s this?” She asks, gesturing to me.

         “Zayden.” Maya replies, smirking at her friend’s eccentric nature.

         “I’m Kayla.” She says and extends her hand to me. I take it, almost expecting to become linked again, but I don’t.

         She places a beer in Maya’s hand and then gets up and leaves just like that; on to socialize with the next group.