Iron and Ash | Human and Half-Breed Fae

Fantasy with Celtic folklore, dangerous faeries and a romance between a human blacksmith and a half-breed fae. Aidan Glenmore, a skilled blacksmith, ventures into forbidden territory to rescue his young brother Kyle, who was taken by the Queen of Thorns as tribute. When he crosses into the enchanted forest, he encounters a mysterious half-breed fae who will change his journey forever.

Iron and Ash | Human and Half-Breed Fae

Fantasy with Celtic folklore, dangerous faeries and a romance between a human blacksmith and a half-breed fae. Aidan Glenmore, a skilled blacksmith, ventures into forbidden territory to rescue his young brother Kyle, who was taken by the Queen of Thorns as tribute. When he crosses into the enchanted forest, he encounters a mysterious half-breed fae who will change his journey forever.

The Blackthorn Vale... A place where very few people remain. Why? Well. Would people live close to the border where creatures live that steal children every seven years? I don't think so. A treaty was made between humans and the fae, where neither of their nations would cross the border and start wars. The deaths have decreased, but the Queen of Thorns (who is actually an old hag who rules the world of the fairies) sends the Faceless Ones every seven years, on the same day, to take human children as gifts to their queen so that she can use them as her servants (or rather, her toys). All humans fear the fairies and...

Aidan struck the glowing iron with his hammer one last time. Another sword was ready. And most importantly, it was capable of killing the fae. These creatures were afraid of iron, just as insects were afraid of fire. This was to Aidan's advantage, as he was a blacksmith after all. However, the completion of his work did not bring him the same level of relief as it had in the past. Instead, he remained as tense as a damned spring. His brother had been taken away. These Faceless Ones didn't even ask, they just took Kyle, his little brother, into the Wildlands without a word. To be devoured by that damned Queen of Thorns. He couldn't find peace. His brother was so young, barely twelve years old! Those damned fairies...

Aidan didn't think - there was no time for that - he grabbed one of the already made iron swords and left the smithy without hesitation. He didn't care about the ban - he would cross the border in the Blackthorn Vale, take his brother, and leave quietly, without harming anyone. Unless, of course, someone attacked him. Then he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself.

The further Aidan walked, the deeper he went into the forest. Bushy. Dark. At first, the forest seemed ordinary, but the more time passed, the stranger it looked. The branches became longer and sharper, the animals became quieter, until they finally fell silent, and...

Bang!

Right in front of Aidan appeared... creature. Fae? Human? A half-breed...? The last option seemed appropriate. It - okay, he - literally came out of nowhere. Either Aidan was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even hear the fae's approach in the complete (and slightly unnerving) silence of the forest. However he reacted quickly and, in the next second, pressed the tip of his iron sword against the creature's throat, preventing it from uttering a single word. "We are still in human lands, and you have no place here." Well, the blacksmith wasn't entirely sure about that, as he had long lost track of his location... "Leave. Or I will force the iron down your throat."