The Iron Bound

by J. M. Briggs

  “Thor!” Merlin’s face nearly glowed in the firelight as he turned towards the wall. “Why don’t you come inside and speak with us.”

  Gasping softly, Thor almost fell back onto the ground. His knees protested as he rose up from the squatting position and Thor half stumbled towards the door. Merlin had been kind enough to leave the animal skin in place so Thor was able to take a moment to gather his wits. Taking a deep breath, Thor felt keenly aware that this was his best chance to walk away. All he knew about these two strangers were that they had powers like his.

  But that was enough and he pulled back the animal skin, moving into the small hut with strong strides. Merlin greeted him with a nod and a small smile while Morgana merely crossed her arms across her chest and smiled tightly at him. For a moment they observed each other. There was something about them. Something that seemed too large for the small space and made him feel small. He was a large and strong man and loathed the very idea, but it was there.

  “You have magic,” Thor said to them both only to realize that he sounded a bit dim. “Do you know what those creatures are?”

  “They are familiar to us,” Merlin said. “And yet they are very alien to us.”

  “Ignore him.” Morgana raised an eyebrow at the man’s words. “He is too impressed with himself when he speaks in riddles. Those creatures are Sídhe, or at least they were. Something has happened to them that made them become feral. None of them seemed as strong as they should have been.”

  A cold shiver ran down Thor’s back. Those things weren’t as strong as these two knew them to be? That did not inspire any confidence in him. If these things could be stronger and attacked before the wall was ready they’d be trouble. Three men had died in the attack prior to this one and two little girls had been ripped to shreds. Even a wall might be worthless then.

  Decision made, Thor brought up his hand and breathed out slowly. The spark in his chest flared to life and his tense body was flooded with a reassuring hum of power. He felt taller and stronger as he called it through his arm. Turning his hand, Thor opened his palm and let the bright blue sparks gather above his skin. Tiny arcs of lightning flashed over his flesh, sending pleasant tingles through his hand and up his arm. He raised his eyes to look at Merlin who was grinning brightly at him.

  “Well, that is a surprise.” A look of real interest appeared on Morgana’s face. She eyed him thoughtfully. “The boy has already sorted out a few things for himself.”

  “Indeed: not subconsciously using magic, but real control,” Merlin added with a smile that looked ready to split his face. Then his expression softened and he shifted back to give Thor more room. “I assure you that we mean you and your village no harm.”

  He said nothing, keeping what he hoped was a calm and stern expression on his face in an attempt to mask the rush of confusion and questions bubbling up in his chest. His efforts were clearly in vain as both Merlin and Morgana gave him looks that were an uncomfortable blend of pity, amusement, and in Merlin’s case a hint of affection.

  “Your power is a gift of our world,” Merlin said. He spread his hand out as if gesturing to the whole of the world around them. “You were born with a very special gift: the ability to summon forth the power of our world and use it to defend humanity.”

  “We call ourselves Mages.” Morgana sat down on the wooden ledge of the house and brushed some dirt from her long dark cloak. “Our kind are born when threats to the world manifest and the magic in our world builds.”

  “I know it is a lot to take in.” Merlin stepped over and reached up to grip his shoulder, giving it a light friendly squeeze. “Morgana and I have been traveling here for some time.”

  “A very long time,” Morgana corrected. “There is no easy way to cross any longer.”

  “Yes Morgana,” Merlin sighed with an odd smile. “We were guided here by magic, as I’m afraid your homeland is the new battlefield.”

  “I see.” Thor was aware of how silent he had been. For a moment he struggled just to find something to say. “So that is why I have the power,” he said more to himself. His mind whirled, trying to assimilate everything, but it was too much at once. “I’m supposed to use it to stop these creatures.”

  “We’ll help you, of course,” Merlin promised him with a growing smile. The older man seemed to be having trouble standing still. “We’ll train you and stay here to help keep your village safe. That’s why we came here.”

  “Of course we also need to get to the bottom of what is happening to the Sídhe,” Morgana added with a strange, nasty smile. “Though I enjoy seeing them like this we need to make sure that it doesn’t signal an even greater danger.”

  “Is it just the three of us?” Thor asked. Merlin moved easily enough and he had seen how capable the pair was, but still. “That isn’t much of a defending force.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Morgana shrugged graceful, tossing her hair over a shoulder. “It’s hard to say. We’ll have to be on the lookout for other mages that might have been born in the area. If there are others then they’re sure to be nearby. We’re honestly not sure what determines the number of mages.”

  “But…” Thor trailed off uncertainly. “You said you came a long way, why would others be nearby?”

  Morgana smiled in approval of his question, looking at him with a hint of respect. Thor didn’t look away from her as he watched something spark in her green eyes. A shiver went down his spine as he suddenly felt very small once again and remembered just how this woman had cut down the creatures earlier.

  “Good.” Morgana nodded in approval. “Mages are usually born in the area where the threat is growing. Merlin and I are a bit older than we look. We were born during a previous period of strife.”

  Given how the pair glanced at each other Thor was certain that something Morgana said had a touch of untruth, but he was unsure of which part. He was debating bringing it up when Morgana distracted him with further explanation.

  “You’ll find that you have a knack for your magic to take a certain form. This isn’t the only way you can use it, but it is the most natural way. Even once we train you in how to use your magic and do more with it, you will find that it is easiest to fall back on that first form.”

  “Lightning,” Thor informed her with a small smirk as her eyes widened. He flexed his fingers thoughtfully and looked down at them as he called on the power once more. Tiny arcs of lightning surged between his fingertips, but there was no pain. “It always seems to look like lightning.”

  “Well, you are making this easy,” Merlin chuckled as he patted Thor’s shoulder again. “You seem to have a good grasp of who you are, and that is very important.”

  “For better or for worse,” Morgana added giving Merlin a chiding look. “Still, it does give us a good starting point, and with those things coming through nearby it means you aren’t helpless.”

  “We will start training you right away,” Merlin continued with a thoughtful nod. “And see about discovering the tunnel that the Sídhe are using. It might give us some clues as to what is happening. Hopefully, it isn’t too close to the village.”

  The mention of the village pulled Thor out of the stunned, excited fervor that he’d fallen into. Learning to use his mysterious power sounded wonderful, but the realization that everyone was about to find out brought a blend of excitement and alarm forth in him.

  “What are you going to tell them?” Thor was unable to think of anything that the pair could possibly say to explain this. “I mean-”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Merlin said. “You’ll find that once people are confronted with a magical danger they are rather happy to accept help from someone with magic.”

  “If those persons look human at least,” Morgana added darkly. She unclasped her cloak and gently folded it up. “But he is right Thor; that’s enough for tonight. You need to get some sleep, and so do we. Merlin and I finished a very long journey today.”

  “But-”

  “We’ll see yo
u in the morning and take steps to get started,” Merlin assured him. “It will be a bit complicated of course. It always is, but at least we can remain in your village for a time.”

  Nodding, Thor felt dozens more questions burning at the tip of his tongue, but he took a step back toward the door. Morgana was already setting up her bed for the night with an unimpressed expression on her face. Merlin moved with him to the doorway and squeezed his shoulder one more time. Thor was uncertain as to the odd affection the older man seemed keen to show him but said a quick goodnight to them both.

  Leaving the hut, Thor was hit with the cool night air and realized with a start that the hut had been strangely warm for being bereft of livestock. He paused for only a moment before his feet began to take him towards his own home. Pride was mixed with fear in his chest and he couldn’t help but smile. He could feel the magic in his gut growing brighter as he thought over everything Merlin and Morgana had said. Strange as it should have seemed, he could feel the truth of it all in his bones.

  He’d always known that his power was for something important. Thor breathed a little easier and barely held back a wild grin. His heart was racing and his stomach was twisting in a way that he didn’t fully understand. He pulled back the animal skin that protected his family longhouse and crept inside with a glance towards the slumbering figures of his father and brother. Thor shook his head at them and moved to his own pile of blankets and furs. How they could sleep after a night such as this he’d never know.

  10

  Back to the Forge

  Strangely, the heat of the forge served as a comfort to her frayed nerves. Amongst the iron creations of Merlin and Morgana and the numerous items in his tool collection, Alex felt calm. Swinging down the glowing hammer, Alex felt the impact of the tool against the piece of iron through her whole body. Her arm protested only a little and Alex noted with a slight sense of pride that this was getting easier. She could feel the soft hum of her magic traveling through her fingertips and into the handle of the hammer, and she could see the dark silver glow surrounding it in the corner of her eye.

  Alex brought the hammer down and watched the red hot metal shift at the impact of the blow. Small sparks were released around the anvil and Alex watched for a moment as the metal began to darken its shade of red. She grabbed the iron with the tongs and slid it back into the furnace. The charcoal crackled and heat rolled off to hit her face, but Alex felt herself breathing easier.

  Catching something moving in the corner of her eye, Alex tightened her grip on the hammer and glanced back. It was only Merlin shifting around near one of the work tables and rearranging a few of his previous projects. Alex relaxed her shoulders and nearly laughed at herself. Being jumpy in a building full of iron was pretty silly, and her eyes moved over the heavy pad that covered the floor safe.

  “Am I in your way?” Alex asked Merlin as he shifted into view on her right.

  “Not at all,” Merlin assured her with a warm smile. “Forgive me, I just hesitate to stray too far when you are in the forge.” He moved what looked like a fireplace tool set up onto a shelf.

  “You were a good teacher.” Alex adjusted the heavy gloves on her hands and rolled her shoulders. “I do know what I’m doing; at least for simple projects.”

  “It isn’t about that,” Merlin said. “I suppose I have some lingering concerns about your powers reacting to the iron. Your capabilities are still largely unknown to us.”

  Resisting the urge to look at Merlin, Alex merely nodded and turned her attention back to the dagger. Using the tongs she extracted the heated metal from the furnace and quickly positioned it back on the anvil. Alex held it in place with the tongs in her left hand and brought the hammer in her right hand to the ready. She tried to block out the sounds of Merlin moving around her, but she was keenly aware of his eyes on her. Hammering the metal once again, Alex focused on creating the sharper, narrower edge of the dagger. She pushed a little more magic into the hammer and felt the hum all up her arm before she cracked the hammer down once more.

  Alex let herself get lost in the clanging of the metal. Every hammer fall sent a jolt through her body as her magic jumped from her into the hammer, and then into the dagger. Panting softly, Alex swallowed several times and licked her lips as the heat began to feel heavier against her skin. She stopped and breathed out slowly as her lungs clenched in her chest. Her arm was beginning to ache more than she liked, despite the stretching she’d been careful to do.

  “I’m not in shape for this.”

  Groaning, Alex set the hammer to the side and carefully rolled her right shoulder. Then she massaged the upper muscles of her arm. It helped a little bit, but Alex could tell that it wasn’t going to improve so easily. With a soft sigh of defeat, she eyed the cooling metal. The dagger was mostly done and wouldn’t need much more refinement. It wasn’t as pretty as one of Merlin’s, but she could see the soft flicker of her dark silver magic settling into the metal like flecks of glitter. The comparison threatened to make her giggle. She eased her grip on the tongs and moved the dagger off the anvil.

  “I’m finished for today,” Alex called to Merlin, certain that he was still hovering within the workshop.

  “Excellent,” Merlin replied from beyond the second furnace. “Your endurance is getting better Alex.” With a cheerful smile, he strode over to her. “You worked for over two straight hours.”

  “Really?” Alex laughed in pleasure. “Okay; I’m a little impressed with myself then.”

  Alex paused and swept her eyes over the area to make sure that everything was in place. Seeing no problems, she shifted to the right and turned the fuel level down. The hot coals and bits of wood shifted as the gas suddenly vanished. There was something about the sound of the shifting coals that sent a pleasant shiver down Alex’s spine. She wrote it up as a quirk and shifted away from the furnace.

  She pulled off the heavy leather apron and breathed out in relief as the heavy heat against her chest eased. Alex hung the apron up on the nearby rack and looked back to Merlin. He had already shifted towards the forge and was eying the dagger with interest. Then he began to tidy up the tools and rolled the wooden work platform away from the anvil.

  “Thanks.” Alex brushed another bit of hair out of her face.

  “Of course Alex,” Merlin replied with a quick glance up at her. “So how are you finding classes this semester?” Merlin moved around her and began to tidy up one of the work tables.

  “Fine. No real surprises, but they are more interesting now that I’m past the general education course. But I do sort of miss having classes with the others.”

  “Understandable, but the diversity of your educations can be a boon.”

  “Literature is going to help protect the Earth?” Alex raised an eyebrow as a small smile tugged at her lips. “I know you’re an English professor Merlin, but really.”

  “Your knowledge of mythology has served you well thus far.” Merlin gave her a knowing look and an indulgent smile. “And you have a talent for stepping back and looking at a situation critically; a talent that eluded many of your predecessors.”

  “Rule one is to be careful of clichés,” Alex replied with a casual shrug. “Besides, Nicki and Aiden are the more genre-savvy ones.”

  “I was under the impression that they were working on your education on that front?”

  “They are.” Alex shook her head fondly. “But it’s slow going.”

  She tugged off the gloves and tossed them next to the anvil before tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. The messy bun on the top of her head was beginning to fall apart with the hair being weighed down by beads of sweat. Alex looked over at the dagger again and took in the slight shimmer over the surface of the metal.

  “I see you’re making a new dagger, have you lost the one I made you?” Merlin asked.

  “I’m making daggers for Jenny and Lance. That one is for Jenny since I know that Lance will want her to have the first one.” Alex looked down at the most
ly finished blade. It needed some sharpening and a handle, but she was pretty happy with its progress. “They aren’t mages, but if these things get smart and spy on us for any length of time then they’re sure to notice Lance and Jenny spending time with us.”

  “Ah, then Lance and Jenny are doing well within the group,” Merlin observed, trying to sound calm and nonchalant, but Alex could almost feel the genuine curiosity and lingering worry.

  “Worse; Jenny told me that the boys are having a video game night,” Alex laughed a bit forcefully as she turned fully towards Merlin. “They are getting along surprisingly well. At least something is falling into place.”

  “It looks like you’ve been successful in putting some magic into it.” Merlin brushed a finger over the cooling metal and nodded. “Nicely done.”