The Iron Bound

by J. M. Briggs

  Everyone in the village was giving him distance and had been over the last three days since he’d used magic in public. His father had yet to say much to him, but Arvid was remaining close by as if he feared that someone might attack. The idea seemed insane to Thor: who would attack one of the people that could protect them? Someone they’d known for years and years. Still, part of him was grateful for the affection he knew the gesture represented.

  “Is it wise to use your… magic like that?” Arvid asked from the doorway of the workshop, once again checking on him.

  “I’m building endurance.” Thor brought the hammer down once more. Sparks of magic and molten metal flew around him like a shower, but the sword was quickly cooling. With a defeated sigh, Thor thrust the sword back into the heat. “I need to practice.”

  “Surely Merlin and Morgana will return,” Arvid said. “They took that survivor into the woods. Father believes they are questioning it.”

  “Maybe,” Thor muttered, unable to argue with the theory. “But they might have told me what was going on rather than just leaving.”

  “They were probably worried you’d insist on going with them,” his brother teased. “And you would have Thor. This way you are here to protect the village and it keeps you safe.”

  “I’m not a child!”

  “Stop trying to pick a fight,” Arvid scolded. “Don’t we have enough to worry about?”

  Biting back a retort, Thor offered his brother a small shrug and turned back to his work. As he drew the sword out of the fire, he heard a loud sigh from behind him but did not turn around. He breathed out slowly, almost hearing Morgana’s words in his head and felt his magic flowing back into his sore fingers. He tightened his grip on the hammer and felt the metal shudder in his grip. For a moment he hesitated and looking over at the hammer in mild alarm.

  It was one of his larger hammers, good for the earliest steps in shaping metal and thinning it out, with a good weight and a broad head. On a whim, he’d wrapped the handle in leather with small embossing on it to mark it as a favored hammer. Nothing about the hammer looked different except for the soft shimmer of bright blue magic just beneath the surface of the metal, and yet it somehow felt a bit different. There was an odd sensation of standing on a cliff in his gut that made him uneasy. Thor eased the flow of magic through the hammer and shifted it in his grip. Suddenly he could breathe a bit easier and the air did not seem so heavy against his skin.

  Shaking off the feeling, Thor turned his attention to the sword and resumed shaping the metal once more, this time being mindful of how much magic he was pushing through the hammer and the thinness he was beating the sword into. He let himself fall into the rhythm of his work and soon enough his breathing was synched with the rise and fall of his hammer. Thor repeated the series of hammering and firing the metal a few more times without any awareness of the greater world.

  “Thor,” a familiar female voice called sharply, pulling him back to the real world.

  Spinning around and instantly forgetting about his work, Thor turned and sighed in relief at the sight of Morgana standing calmly outside of his workshop. She looked a bit worn down, but otherwise unharmed. He shifted quickly, feeling embarrassed at the sudden surge of relief that he felt at the sight of her.

  “Morgana,” he breathed as he tried to recover himself. “Where have you been? What happened?”

  “We were questioning the captive Síd.”

  “For three days?” Thor slammed his hammer down on the workbench, which shuddered for a moment. “I’ve been trying to deal with the questions about my magic on my own. Everyone is scared of me and then you both vanished-”

  “I apologize Thor.” Morgana looked a bit embarrassed. “I truly am: the timing was bad, but Merlin and I did need to get some answers as to what is happening. We didn’t wish to put you in harm’s way given how little training you have had.”

  “And did you?” Thor asked, not wanting to dwell on the insinuation that he was weak.

  “Some, but not nearly enough,” Morgana admitted. “But please come with me; we need to speak with you.”

  “What of the Síd- Dark Elf?”

  “It still lives,” Morgana said. “Merlin hopes that it can tell us more. Whatever happened to it has… altered its intelligence somewhat.” She sighed and looked away from him, tightening her fingers in her cloak. “I believe it is time that you joined us.”

  She didn’t even wait to give him time to fully process her statement or put his things away. Thor stumbled around his small workshop securing everything with an uneasy feeling churning in his stomach. As Morgana moved away from the hut to wait for him, a worried looking Arvid appeared in her place.

  “Thor? What is it?”

  “She wants me to go with her.” Thor wrapped up his hammers and picked up a sword. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ll be back soon.” He slipped past his brother before the man could argue with him.

  Morgana nodded to him, but her eyes lingered on Arvid over his shoulder for a moment before she turned and led him to the gates of the village. Following Morgana up into the trees, Thor kept his sword clutched tightly in his hand as his eyes scanned the forest. It was dark and the long shadows provided too much cover and opportunity for an attack for him to relax. Morgana was stern and silent in front of him, walking quickly with single-minded determination.

  The sound of something moving up in the trees made Thor look up quickly, only to find two ravens perched above them. Both of the birds were on thick branches and watching them carefully. Pausing for a moment, Thor looked up at the birds with a small frown and a nagging suspicion at the back of his mind. For a moment he considered drawing Morgana’s attention to them but decided against it. He had the feeling that Morgana didn’t recognize the same gods as he did… if she recognized any gods at all.

  Still, he had the distinct feeling they were being followed and heard wings flutter every few minutes overhead. Morgana remained focused on the small game trail they were following, but after a time Thor became aware of how still the forest was. He could hear the bubbling of the various tiny streams that carried the thaw back to the ocean, but beyond the ravens, he didn’t detect any other creatures here. Just as this realization was settling uncomfortably in his stomach they came to a small clearing where what looked like a tiny hill was centered.

  It took Thor a moment to realize that the small hill was actually some sort of earthen shelter. The strange little shelter was like a cave in the middle of the wood with large chunks of earth having been heaved up together to create the small little structure. Around the base bits of plant life were still trying to hold on and grow while higher up the uprooted plants were beginning to wilt. Thor stared at it in alarm, wondering for a moment who had built the thing and how before the answer of Merlin or Morgana hit him.

  “The creature is inside.” Morgana gestured for him to enter and turned to look around with an uneasy expression. Thor studied her for a moment, noting the tightness of her features and the way her eyes were moving about the forest. She’d noticed more than he’d known. “Come along,” she told him after a moment as she turned and swept into the small shelter.

  Thor hesitated for a moment, uncertain of the small cave-like structure, but the flapping of wings behind him sent a shiver up his spine. Gritting his teeth, he bent down a few inches and stepped into the small shelter. The first thing he noticed was that it was completely bare. There were no bedrolls, no food and nothing that indicated how Morgana and Merlin had been looking out for themselves.

  A low snarl pulled his attention to why he was here, and he swallowed thickly as his eyes settled on it. A column of earth rose up from the middle of the small space to the roof. The Síd was bound to the earth by a long length of chain that gave it only enough slack to slump forward. Merlin was standing to the right of the door with a dark expression as he calmly observed the creature. Lingering in the doorway, Thor noted the way the creature was keeping its eyes downcast, and its s
kin seemed to have even more of the odd black marks tracing up its face and arms.

  “Anything new?” Morgana asked Merlin as she moved further into the shelter towards the Síd.

  “Nothing,” Merlin sighed. “Everything is the same as when you left.”

  “I don’t understand,” Thor spoke up. “What do you mean by that?”

  “It keeps changing,” Morgana explained darkly. She bent over to get a better look at the Síd’s face. “I’m not sure exactly what is happening, but as they enter our world they are being magically altered and it just keeps going.” She straightened up and shook her head. “During the other night, they completely snuck up on the village. They aren’t using even low lights now; I fear that they might be able to see in the dark.”

  “We need to be prepared for further changes,” Merlin said thoughtfully. “Sadly I am uncertain of what those changes might be.”

  Thor glanced towards Merlin, resisting the urge to point out that his statement wasn’t helpful. How could you be prepared for the unknown? Instead, he focused his attention on the creature before him. The sound of footfalls outside and a branch snapping made them all jump. Thor spun towards the entrance and looked out the small rounded doorway. There was a figure at the edge of the glen in the shadows of the trees dressed in a long worn cloak.

  “Who is that?” Thor looked towards Merlin and Morgana. “Friend of yours?”

  Merlin moved outside first, looking towards the prisoner one more time and gesturing for Morgana to wait. She paused and narrowed her eyes at the distant figure as it took a careful step into the light before she followed Merlin outside. It took another step towards them and raised its head just enough to reveal a flash of its face to Merlin and Morgan. Morgana made a sharp move towards their visitor, but Merlin gripped her arm to stop her. Green magic flickered around his free hand and the expression on Merlin’s face was unlike any that Thor had yet seen on the friendly man’s face. He was eyeing their visitor with a look of intense distrust, but also serious consideration.

  There was a silent moment in the small glen, and Thor looked at the hooded figure uncertainly. Then it pulled back its hood and his eyes widened in surprise. The being bore a striking resemblance to the sickly creature still bound up in Merlin’s chains, with pale translucent skin and violet eyes. Small horns curled out of its forehead, but they were only nubs compared to the longer horns he’d seen on the attackers. Its eyes landed on him for a moment before it took a step to the side so it could see the bound Síd through the doorway. A strange expression appeared on its face that mixed curiosity and revulsion.

  “Why are you here Síd?” Merlin questioned in an icy tone.

  “I mean you no harm this day, Mages of the Iron Realm,” the Síd answered with a slight incline of its head. Thor was uncertain if it was male or female. “We all face a threat from these creatures,” it added with a gesture towards the bound creature. “Over the last few weeks many of these… tainted ones have attacked our nearby colony.”

  “When did you come to these shores?” Morgana asked with a twitch in her jaw.

  “Two generations ago. Our ancestors, trapped warriors from Sídhean, came here to establish a new colony,” the Síd answered calmly, though Thor thought he detected a hint of nervousness. “We avoid the humans of the realm and keep to ourselves, though some have come across us in the past.”

  “That explains the elves,” Morgana muttered.

  The Síd to nodded in agreement. “Yes; that is the name the people in this region have given us.” The Síd paused and glanced between Merlin and Morgana. “I understand that there is bad blood between your people and mine-”

  “Bad blood!” Morgana snapped. “Your people invaded this realm. You’re only here because your ancestors were sealed on this side of the Iron Gates.”

  “Yes, my ancestors.” The Síd’s whole body stiffened. “I nor any of my conclave have ever been beyond the Iron Realm, much less to Sídhean. We were born in the Iron Realm.”

  “That doesn’t make you part of this world,” Morgana retorted, but Thor thought her voice had softened a bit.

  “What would you have us do?” The Síd met Morgana’s green ones with its violet ones squarely. “You may not like us being here,” the Síd said. “But we are here, and all of us have a problem in these new tainted Sídhe.”

  “Do you know anything about them?” Merlin asked, still standing next to the prisoner who was growling softly.

  “Yes; we were attacked a month ago, and at first we feared that some disease had gripped our people, but a count after the first attack revealed that none of us were missing. Messengers to other communities revealed that no plague had infected the others, but they did discover that new tunnels have been constructed.”

  “Tunnels?” Merlin repeated. “There is more than one?”

  “Indeed.” There was a flicker of relief in the Síd’s eyes at having Morgana and Merlin’s curious rather than violent attention. “The one in the mountains near here is the largest, but we have discovered two others in the general area. There are also signs of attempted tunnels, but they were unsuccessful for some reason.”

  Overhead a pair of ravens cawed and landed on a pair of branches. Thor looked up at them uneasily as his stomach churned. Something in the air tasted different, like right before a storm. Shaking his head, he focused on their visitor, who was fighting to stay still under the heavy gazes of Merlin and Morgana.

  “We haven’t been able to learn much,” the Síd continued. “A few of our people braved the tunnels, but there is a clear magical threshold that we dare not cross.”

  “That would be the power of the Iron Gates,” Merlin murmured to Morgana.

  “Indeed, when they… push through the threshold, something happens to them. One of ours saw a group being pushed through.”

  “Pushed through?” Merlin asked.

  “Yes, these aren’t soldiers any longer.” The Síd gestured towards the bound one. “Some are provided with armor, but they seem to be criminals.”

  “Lovely,” Morgana said. “Our world is a dumping ground for criminals once again.”

  “They transform into these… beasts. We are unsure how intelligent they truly are, but they seem driven to destroy.”

  “Indeed,” a new, deep male voice declared from the trees, making all four of them turn suddenly. “We have observed as much.”

  There were two cloaked figures standing only a few feet away from them. Thor’s throat tightened up in alarm at how they came so close. Morgana shifted her position and stood directly in front of him and the doorway. Huffing in irritation, Thor pushed out around her and stepped outside of the shelter with his fingers tightly gripping his sword.

  Thor looked at the two cloaked figures with a tight frown of confusion. Something about them sent tiny shocks of magic running up his arms, and he could feel goosebumps forming beneath the sleeves of his tunic. It wasn’t unpleasant and he peered curiously at the slighter figure which had a long plait of golden hair falling out from beneath its hood.

  “Greetings,” the larger figure cloaked in gray said, breaking the silence. Then he stepped forward and raised his face towards them letting them see under his broad gray hat.

  He was a larger man with long gray hair neatly styled in a series of braids. His left eyelid drooped and Thor gasped softly as the significance of that detail struck him. On instinct, he began to bend his knee only for Morgana to catch his arm tightly and hold him in place.

  “We do not bow to those from other realms,” she growled. Morgana straightened up and made herself taller. “I can tell what you are.” Morgana eyed the pair with a frown. “Old Ones, but we do not know you.”

  Thor looked at her in mild confusion and did his best to keep his face neutral. He was tempted to speak, but as the man looked at him the words died in his throat. His companion’s face was still turned down and hidden.

  “I am Odin,” the figure said. He gave them a slight smile.

  “A
h,” Merlin replied with a hint of disapproval. “You’re the local ‘god’ are you not?”

  “One of the beings that the locals turn to,” Odin agreed carefully, meeting Merlin’s gaze evenly. “What they chose to believe is their own affair. Me and mine were born in this world, though my father originated from another.”

  “And you’re aware of the situation with the Sídhe?” Morgana pressed, her eyes shifting between Odin and the Síd.

  “Huginn and Muninn have been watching over the area,” Odin explained with a smile just before the two ravens that Thor had seen earlier swooped out of the trees and down to land on either of Odin’s shoulders. The smile fell away and Odin breathed out slowly. “It would seem, Mages of the Iron Realm, that we all share a problem.”