The Iron Bound

by J. M. Briggs

  The smell of burnt hair and seared skin filled her nose. Alex began to gag as her magic began to eat away at the creature. Shaking her head, Alex took a few steps back as her feet tried to slip in the blend of mud and snow beneath her. Sweat was trickling down her back and it pooled at the base of her spine as Alex’s eyes swept over the area. Aiden and Nicki were both with her, gathered near the shore of Ravens Lake with a large moon hanging over the water and humanoid creatures moving around them.

  She could see five of them in the moonlight, all dressed in old cast-off human clothing with hoods pulled up over their heads. Two of them were as tall as Nicki with strands of silvery hair visible as they rushed along in the mud. The three others were smaller and might have fooled someone into thinking they were children if not for the vicious long talons at the end of their fingers.

  The creature she’d just injured lashed out at her once again, its long talons slashing at her face. Jerking back, Alex sliced the dagger across the creature’s face. With a roar of pain, it stumbled back from her, its violet-tinted eyes glaring at her. The long cut in its translucent skin shimmered as the iron ate away at the edges of its flesh. A cry from behind Alex made her spin on her heel. Another creature was rushing her from behind.

  She heard the injured one begin to yell something and pulled more magic forth. Forming a small orb in her hand, Alex tossed it back at the injured one, earning a scream as it began to dissolve. Her distraction had given the one charging her one moment too many and it leapt through the air towards her. Yellow magic spun around the jumping creature and stopped it midair. Alex used the reprieve to release another burst of magic at another of the creatures trying to flank Nicki down the hill.

  Her magic formed into a long bolt of energy and sailed through the air like a spear. It struck the creature in the chest, throwing it back against a tree as it howled in pain. It clawed at the spear of magic as it began to dissolve and seep into its body. She glanced back to Nicki and found her friend sending a mass of ice shards flashing through the air to shred one of the creatures.

  “Alex to your right!” Aiden’s voice snapped from up the hill.

  Spinning to the side, Alex gasped as her boots slid to the left and pulled her whole body with it. A bolt of red magic shot past her and she felt the tingle of the energy against her cheek. Her eyes widened as she saw another creature being blasted back. The first one attacking her was still suspended in the air in a field of yellow. The magic around it flickered for a moment, but Alex regained her balance.

  Opening her palm, Alex pulled on the warm pulse of energy surging through her veins. Dark silver sparks exploded out of her fingers and spun around her hand awaiting her command. She brought her hand forward with a sharp movement and the silver magic formed a smooth arc in the air. It sailed forward like the blade of a guillotine and sliced into the suspended creature. With a gargled shriek the creature began to dissolve into wisps. The sound rolled over Alex making her shiver, but she pushed the discomfort it caused aside.

  A sharp high pitched cry of anger and sorrow pulled her attention back to the one Bran had blasted back. It was crawling through the snow with mud caked on its loose hoody. Long talons raked through the frosty dead leaves as it glared at her with violet eyes. Alex paused at the look on the creature’s face. Pained, frustrated and resigned.

  “Destroy,” it growled. Grabbing at a tree, it climbed to its feet. “Kill Mages. Obey.” Another low sob-like sound was ripped out of its throat. “The chain commands.”

  Staring at the creature, Alex felt an icy sense of familiarity at the words that she didn’t understand. Meaning danced just outside of her reach in a haze that Alex couldn’t force herself through. Someone shouted her name as the creature threw itself forward with a desperate roar. The sound snapped her out of the strange daze she’d fallen into and Alex threw herself to the side. She caught the legs of the creature with her left leg, tripping it as she grabbed at the rough bark of a tree. A rush of air escaped her lungs at the impact against the trunk, but she was able to stay on her feet.

  Turning around, Alex tightened her grip on her dagger and lashed out at the creature again. The tip of the iron blade sliced through the ratty clothing and sank into the cool flesh beneath. Bile filled Alex’s mouth as the haze of instinct fell away. Silver blood seeped out of the wound and wide violet eyes met her own gray ones. Panic flashed in Alex’s chest and she shoved her magic through the iron blade. It grew hot in her hands and dark silver magic shimmered over the creature’s body. Then it began to dissolve, its head thrown back in a silent scream. Alex stumbled back as the body crumbled, almost releasing her dagger.

  Panting, Alex stopped moving but was still braced for an attack. Nothing happened, and she released a slow breath as she looked around. The university arboretum was quiet with the bare trees closing them in by the lakeside, the water lapping gently at the shore. Up the hill, there was the bright glow of the streetlights and dorm rooms and the faint sounds of traffic. The others were braced and waiting for more of the creatures to appear, but none did, and Alex felt her body beginning to relax, though the tight knot at the base of her spine remained.

  Taking a deeper breath, Alex carefully shrugged out of her coat and sighed in relief as the cool night air hit her skin. One good thing about magic and these attacks was that it seemed to provide a good cardio workout. Alex closed her eyes for a moment and fought to slow down her breathing. Inside her chest, she could feel a warm, pulsing swirl of energy, and she gently tried to calm it. She fell back on the first meditation techniques that Merlin and Morgana had taught them and felt the energy slowly easing.

  She opened her eyes as her breathing evened out and rolled her shoulders carefully. The sleeve of her coat was dragging in some snow and Alex pulled it up into her arms. Turning around, she noted Nicki and Aiden climbing up the slope of the hill. At the sound of someone moving nearby, Alex turned and smiled as she caught sight of Bran stepping off the jogging path towards her.

  “Everyone alright?” Nicki asked. She pushed back the trimmed hood her coat and wiped a gloved hand over her shining forehead.

  “I’m good!” Aiden trudged back up the hill towards them. There was mud caked on the right side of his wet jeans. He looked irritated, but unharmed. “That was fun.”

  “I’m alright,” Bran assured Nicki with a nod. “Was that all of them?”

  “That was the group we caught sight of.” Alex looked around carefully. It took her only a moment to spot the messenger bag she’d shrugged off and stashed by one of the larger bare trees. “I’m not sure if there are any more.” She trudged through the mud to pick it up.

  “Anyone have any thoughts on how to tell?” Aiden asked looking between them. “Some new trick I missed?”

  “You were only in a coma for two weeks,” Bran said with a raised eyebrow. “We weren’t exactly experimenting with new spells.” Bran paused and looked out over the lake. “I suppose that these creatures have been programmed as it were to attack us, so since we aren’t actively being attacked then we’re probably good.”

  “Oh joy; that’ll be great if we’re attacked in front of civilians,” Aiden grumbled with a deepening frown. “At least we’re probably safe during the day.”

  Alex caught his eyes moving over towards the lake and averted her gaze from the water. They were on the campus side, but it was disconcerting to remember that she’d been fatally stabbed just across the way. And in the middle of the lake… Cyrridven, the mythical Lady of the Lake, had died helping her fight Chernobog. That had been less than a month ago. Somehow time seemed to have become twisted around.

  “Alex!” Nicki called, making her jump a little.

  At some point, the redhead had moved over next to her and reclaimed her own bag. Nicki was giving her a soft, knowing look, and Alex forced herself to smile and shrug. She dug around in her bag for a moment to find the leather sheath for her dagger and carefully slipped the blade back into place. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment before
she put it back into the side pocket. She adjusted the strap on her stiff shoulder and let a soft sigh escape her. A quick glance around reassured Alex that somehow they were still alone. No one had come to investigate the light show, and she wondered if maybe they were repelling people with their magic. In theory, it was possible, and their magic did what they wanted, but could it be done subconsciously?

  “Why were you out here anyway?” Bran asked, interrupting Alex’s thoughts. He bent down to retrieve his cane and lazily leaned on it. “Did I forget something?”

  “I was at the bookstore,” Aiden explained. “Mom wanted to go and check on Grandpa after a nurse at the home called. I rushed over here like you did.”

  “We were on our way home from a coffee run,” Nicki said. “One of them was stalking us from the shadows; maybe waiting until we were alone. Or wanting to get into our dorm with us.” She shook her head and sighed loudly. “I hope this isn’t going to become a regular after dark thing.”

  “Yeah, that would mess with everything. We all just need to stay aware of our surroundings,” Aiden agreed with a grimace. “Are we still on for fencing club tomorrow?”

  Everyone was looking at Alex and she tried not to squirm. “Yeah, we can’t just hide in our dorms. Besides some of these things can go out at least in partial daylight, based on what we saw in Wales.”

  “Then they could attack during class,” Aiden groaned, rubbing at his eyes. “Shit, we really need to step up our game.”

  “We’ll train this weekend,” Nicki half suggested, half ordered. “See if we can’t figure out the Magic Missile spell. So far I’m not having much luck with the whole hit without fail.”

  “They’re faster than us since we have to focus our magic,” Bran said. “We’ll get there. Sadly I don’t think I can get away with fencing club yet with my cane.”

  “Next semester then,” Alex gave him a soft smile. “After you can spend the summer in ‘physical therapy’, it would make sense for you to join in.” She paused for a moment and gave him a nervous shrug. “In the meantime, I’m sure that Aiden will show you a few things.”

  “You got it!” Aiden slapped Bran lightly on the back and earning a dark look. “You’ll be up to speed in no time.”

  “It won’t take long,” Nicki agreed. Then she turned to Alex and gave her a smile. “And you need more practice anyway. For when we find Cathanáil.”

  “Trust me, from what I managed to see when she killed Chernobog she’s got the basics down,” Aiden said.

  “I was using it as a conductor,” Alex reminded him. She shivered a little at the memory, her heart jumping. “It was hardly a duel for the ages.” She gestured towards the path. “Come on, let’s not make it easy for anything else that may be lurking.”

  Alex’s phone chirped as a text message arrived, the sound echoing in the silent little forest around them. Pulling it out quickly, Alex checked the message quickly before looking back at the others.

  “It’s Jenny,” Alex said. “She wants to know if we’re okay?”

  “Yeah, she was at the library with me,” Bran said. “She actually has my stuff.”

  “That’s a bit weird.” Aiden sent a curious look towards Alex. “Her checking on us now. It wasn’t like that last semester.”

  “Our time in Wales changed things a bit.” Using her cold aching fingers, Alex typed in a quick text reply to assure Jenny they were all fine. “Though yeah, it is a bit weird to be texting her after a fight.” Alex shivered as she put her phone into her bag. “No bad or anything, just… weird.”

  “Ah yes,” Nicki muttered thoughtfully. “What is the role of the muggle in the story?”

  “New rule: we will not refer to Lance and Jenny as muggles,” Alex told them all sternly. “They’re our friends and we’ve got to keep the references in check.”

  “Ah, Alex,” Aiden sighed dramatically. “So protective of the ex-wife.”

  She almost stumbled in shock at the phrase, but Nicki caught her arm and Alex’s brain replayed the words. It was so… stupid and so Aiden that she couldn’t help but laugh. Something warm and cleansing bubbled up through her chest and Alex giggled uncontrollably. Thankfully the others joined in with her despite it really not being that funny.

  “Okay.” Alex gasped, trying to both catch her breath and give Aiden a stern look. “I acknowledge that there had to be an ex-wife joke somewhere, but you’ve now used up your quota.”

  “My quota? One joke; you are kidding right?” Aiden whined.

  Alex struggled not to laugh at his face. Shaking her head, she nodded towards the path and started walking towards the dorms. Over her shoulder, she called back, “Nope, not kidding. You’ve made your Jenny is my ex-wife joke.”

  “You guys left your senses of humor in Wales.” Aiden pouted and kept walking along behind Alex. “However did you manage without me?”

  “It was a difficult time,” Bran admitted with a smile. He shared a fond look with Alex and shook his head. “Fraught with unsaid jokes and references.”

  “Yeah, it was,” Alex agreed. A soft laugh escaped her. “But you’ve still used up your one ex-wife joke.” Shaking her head, she gestured towards the dorms visible through the bare branches. “Come on mages, time to call it a night.”

  9

  The Mysterious Pair

  115 C.E. Sør-Trøndelag, Norway

  Thor did not like feeling nervous. He loathed it, in fact; always had. The only time he could remember ever admitting to being nervous or frightened in the past was right before his very first lesson with Erlendr. Back then he’d actually been ill that morning. Thankfully Arvid had kept it a secret from Father.

  A smile tugged at Thor’s lips at the random spark of memory. He’d thanked Arvid, but his brother had started holding it over his head about a week later once his lessons with Erlendr seemed secure. A nostalgic feeling swept through him and Thor lowered his head, fighting back a nervous smile. This wasn’t the time, and so he took a breath and straightened his shoulders. Glancing back across the village Thor became very aware that everyone was avoiding the small hut that the two strangers were staying in.

  Whatever reservations the villagers might have had about the strangers who battled with magic weren’t gone, but those fears hadn’t stopped the two strangers from being offered shelter in one of the older houses that were awaiting repair. Without animals and with the holes in the walls it would be chilly, but no one lived in it at the moment. Thor moved towards it with soft footfalls and the knot in his stomach tight. He didn’t dare look back at the others as they returned to their homes, and couldn’t quite bring himself to look straight at the hut either.

  The well-trod dirt of the village was firm beneath his feet, and the stars overhead twinkled softly. He could see by the low light of the half moon and the few torches that were still burning. Glancing towards the opening in the wall Thor took note of those on guard and silently wished them a quiet remainder of the night. Then a faint glow of firelight was spread across the ground and Thor had to focus his attention on his destination.

  There were streams of orange firelight slipping through the cracks in the side of the house and Thor sped up his pace. For a moment he debated simply barging in or calling to the strangers. Yet as he came closer and heard the low muffled voices he felt only raw, nervous curiosity. Silently he reminded himself that the village knew nothing of these strangers. He knew their names, if those were their names, but nothing more than that. Except that his first moment of eye contact…. Thor shook his head and pushed the thoughts away. He’d made up his mind and wasn’t going to change course now and run home like a frightened child.

  Creeping forward, Thor felt foolish as the nervousness churned once more in his stomach, and he peered through the thin opening between the cracking boards. He could see the two cloaked figures pacing around their fire. Their posture was alert and strangely at ease with the chaos that had filled the village only a short time ago. Sucking in a breath, Thor tried to stay still and quiet
as he turned his head so his ear was closer to them. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest and the small flame of power lashing about as if reaching to escape. The nerves were stronger than ever and he clenched his fists stubbornly.

  “At least we found the boy easily.” There was an amused note to Merlin’s voice that gave Thor the sense that he’d come late in the conversation.

  “Let’s not make any assumptions,” Morgana cautioned. “It seems a little too obvious for him to be a smith once more.”

  “Why?” Merlin chuckled, sounding far too at ease for the events of the night. “Given his destiny, his origin and his powers, surely it makes sense that he would be drawn towards working with iron.”

  Thor held back a gasp of surprise and a flare of satisfaction. They were talking about him. Strange creatures had attacked his village and they’d only just arrived from some distance away, judging from how they talked, yet they were talking about him. He shifted even closer, his knee dropping into the dirt and pressing against the wooden wall.