by J. M. Briggs
“Alex?” Morgana suddenly appeared around the corner of the house dressed in her dark blue long coat. “What is it?” She strode forward with her feet crunching the snow and her eyes scanning the house.
“Arthur called.”
“You shouldn’t talk to him,” Morgana said in a low urgent voice. “He can’t be trusted Alex: remember that you don’t feel-”
“Don’t,” Alex snapped. “It isn’t that, Morgana… don’t worry. I don’t love him. Not anymore.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “I don’t know… there’s just something… I’m not sure what it is. Something that keeps tugging me towards him.”
“That isn’t reassuring.”
“I know it isn’t love or attraction or anything like that,” Alex assured the professor quickly even as her stomach tied itself into a knot. “But Arthur… there’s still so much we don’t understand about how he even exists; why he had a Connection with me.” She paused and nibbled at her own lip in thought. “Maybe it is related to that.”
Morgana just looked at her with those sharp green eyes. Sometimes Alex thought that maybe she understood what was going on behind them, but today she had no idea. Strangely her body seemed to ache just from talking to Arthur and she felt exhausted despite it still being the morning. The expression on Morgana’s face softened and she placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder with a sad sigh.
“Come back inside,” Morgana pleaded, reaching for the doorknob. “We’ll make some hotcakes and French toast. Nicki and Aiden should arrive soon and then we’ll work on figuring all of this out.”
Nodding in agreement, Alex followed Morgana inside and shuddered at the sudden transition from cold to warm. Her phone was still clenched between her fingers as the sense that she was forgetting something nagged at her. Yet the only thing she could think of was the clink of a chain.
18
Alliance Born
115 C.E. Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
While Thor was stunned at the appearance of so many legends, Merlin and Morgana hid any surprise they may have been feeling. The ravens on Odin’s shoulders released croaking caws, and the forest around them seemed to shudder in response. He looked at the Síd who was standing stiffly to the side with violet eyes darting between the Old Ones and the Mages. Thor felt a twinge of sympathy for the creature but said nothing.
“It would seem that a conversation is in order,” Merlin said. “Please give me a moment.”
Merlin slowly turned his back on their visitors and Morgana gave all three warning looks while Thor looked towards the older man curiously. Green magic danced around Merlin’s hand, and he gracefully moved it through the air, letting the magic build up into a large cloud. He pointed at the small earthen shelter. Beneath Thor’s feet, the ground rumbled slightly for a moment before a large slab of earth suddenly ripped itself upwards, followed by another and another.
He shifted further away from the hut, escaping Morgana’s watchful eye for the moment and almost backed into Odin’s companion. The figure cloaked in gray quickly jumped out of his way with a small laugh that caught his attention. As the earth began to shift around the tiny shelter and the earthen wall that had created it fell away, Thor caught a glimpse of the Old One’s face.
It was a young woman with regal cheekbones and wide, curious eyes. Thor could feel the power radiating off of her, but it felt comforting, like stepping into a warm house from the cold. As she raised her head to observe the magic at work, Thor was able to see that the long braid of golden hair was just the end of an elaborate braided style woven over the crown of her head. She turned her head towards him and Thor was stunned by her intense green eyes. They were much prettier than Morgana’s, and his chest tightened uncomfortably. It took him a moment before he could properly focus on her once more. Her soft looking lips curved into a smile.
“Forgive me,” Thor apologized quickly. “I’m Thor.”
“Sif.” She nodded to him as her smile widened. “A pleasure to meet you, mage of the Iron Realm.”
“Are you an Old One as well?” Thor asked softly, not wishing to draw Merlin or Morgana’s attention. “I’m not familiar with your name.”
“I am Odin’s daughter,” she explained. “But I am largely unknown to your people, at least for now.”
Nodding carefully, Thor was trying to sort out what more he could say when another rumble and a hum from Merlin signaled the completion of the new structure. Sif was eyeing it carefully and Thor turned to take it in. Merlin had expanded the original small structure several feet in all directions, maintaining the circular shape and enlarging the door. From his position by Sif, he could still hear the snarls of the chained dark elf.
“Please.” Merlin turned back to Odin and Sif with a carefully neutral expression and gestured towards the door. “Let us speak inside.”
Odin nodded to Merlin and said nothing as he moved past the mage, his gray cloak swirling around him. Morgana followed him inside and Merlin looked over to Thor, though his eyes settled on Sif for a moment. Unsure if he should laugh at Merlin’s need to impress the Old Ones with his power or sigh at his teacher, Thor nodded and gestured for Sif to go first. She nodded to him and slipped inside with Thor, the Síd, and Merlin following behind.
“Interesting: you managed to capture one.” Odin leaned forward to study their prisoner.
“Yes, but we haven’t learned much from it,” Merlin said. “The Síd came here to inform us of what they have learned. What have your people found?”
“We have conducted our own investigation into the matter,” Odin explained calmly as his good eye moved between the three of them. Huginn and Muninn kept their eyes on whichever two Odin was not looking at, which unsettled Thor. “At first these creatures seemed to be part of an invasion force with the traditional golden armor and ornaments, but now conquest no longer seems to be the purpose,” Odin added darkly.
“They are making our world a prison,” Morgana grumbled with a look towards Odin. “Much like your people it seems.”
“So it would seem,” Odin agreed without any shred of embarrassment in his voice. “Though given how my father described his home world I had always been grateful that I was born in the Iron Realm and into a form such as this.”
“A form?” Thor began to ask before he thought better of it and fell silent.
“In our home world, the world my grandfather came from, there aren’t physical bodies like you understand,” Sif explained softly. “Our kind is more like… a cloud of energy, of magic. It is bound together by our understanding that it is us. However, such a form wouldn’t survive in your world, and we bind our energy into matter.” She paused and looked over at him once more and giggled. “You don’t really understand, do you?”
It was his first instinct to insist that he did, to scoff at the very idea that she had confused him. Yet Sif’s smile was genuine, and he instead found himself bashfully nodding. She laughed a little, making Odin and Merlin look back at them in surprise.
“Where is the tunnel entrance?” Morgana crossed her arms and eyed Odin and the peaceful Síd. “Given the way these creatures are going half feral, we can’t just allow this to stand.”
“Not far from here,” the Síd answered. “I can take you there, but the day is already growing late. By the time we climb up the hills it will be nearing dusk.”
“Perhaps it is for the best,” Odin said. “We may learn something new if we observe the creatures as they come out.”
“Maybe Thor should return-” Morgana started to say.
“No; if you’re going to the tunnel then I am as well,” Thor cut off quickly. He drew himself up only to get a sharp look of disapproval from Morgana.
“Very well,” Merlin said. “I doubt any further conversations would be a benefit until we all see exactly what we are dealing with.”
The look on Morgana’s face made it clear that she wished to argue, but she stayed silent. There was a thick silence in the small building as the three diffe
rent representatives looked at each other. Morgana was glaring at the Síd while Merlin was considering Odin carefully and receiving a very similar look in return. Then next to him Sif cleared her throat and drew their attention.
“Shall we?” Sif gestured towards the doorway. “The daylight will not remain on our side.”
Morgana pulled out her knife and grabbed the back of the dark elf’s head, using its own pale hair as a grabbing point. Tugging its head back and exposing its throat, Morgana dragged the dagger across the neck and spilled silvery blood out onto the earthen floor. Thor focused on the blood even as the body began to flicker and dissolve into the dirt. There were traces of dark discoloration in the blood, and he found himself wondering how much of the creatures were being transformed. Then the dark elf was gone, and the blood vanished as Morgana calmly slipped her dagger back into its sheath on her belt and gestured towards the door.
Their Síd guide seemed uneasy, but nodded and pulled the hood of their cloak further over their head. As everyone moved outside, their guide pointed towards the nearest mountain before heading towards a light game trail going into the forest. Odin fell into step behind the Síd with Merlin behind him. Huginn and Muninn launched off of his shoulders and the two ravens vanished into the treetops with loud ringing caws. Sif offered him a small smile and followed her father. Thor glanced at Morgana who motioned him to start walking. He sped up and walked alongside Sif with Morgana bringing up the rear. They walked in a heavy silence with only the soft sounds of the forest for company for some time.
“What is your name?” Sif asked the Síd kindly, earning her a look from Morgana.
“I am called Frea.”
“I’m surprised that you came alone,” Sif observed with a small knowing smile.
“It was believed that more than one might alarm the mages,” Frea answered calmly.
“Yes; a wise precaution.” Sif raised her hem slightly as she stepped over a muddy patch. “Forgive me Frea, but are you male or female? I fear the features of your race are so fair that I have difficulty distinguishing.”
“I am female.” Frea stopped and looked around the forest fearfully. “We’re getting close.”
“How deep is this threshold?” Merlin asked.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Thor thought that Frea seemed pale. It was a foolish idea, given her almost translucent skin and pale hair, and yet he had the distinct feeling that she was frightened. She caught his gaze and straightened up even taller, fixing her violet eyes ahead of them.
“Not far,” Frea answered. “Our spies did not need to travel very long into the tunnel. The barrier seems closely tied to your world. Maybe a half a mile deep.”
“Not far indeed,” Morgana murmured as she peered into the darkness. “I remember much larger and longer tunnels.”
“This is a first attempt at breaking through the power of the Iron Gates,” Merlin said gently. “Were you able to observe what occurred at the threshold?”
“It… our spies had difficulty describing it. They said that it appeared like the Sídhe crossing through were poisoned slowly. Magic appeared over their limbs and sank into them.”
“I suppose it was the power of the Iron Gates attempting to stop the Sídhe coming through one last time,” Merlin said.
The slope of the mountain became steeper and the trees became sparser. Beneath his feet, the ground became rockier and it was more difficult to keep his footing. Thor offered Sif his hand and helped her navigate up the rough trail they were now following. Frea had pulled her hood further over her head as the lack of trees allowed more of the sun to shine down on them. Thor wondered if the sunlight itself hurt her skin or if it was just her eyes though he didn’t ask. A quick glance up at the sky also confirmed that the sun was already beginning to descend.
No one said anything about the state of the sky, though Thor caught Merlin looking up with a worried expression. Glancing over his shoulder, Thor found Morgana with a thoughtful and tense look on her face and fought the urge to sigh. To think that his father thought him stubborn. At least he didn’t keep heading for the enemy when the sun was nearing sunset. Almost as the thought occurred to him Frea stopped walking and pointed towards what appeared to be a dead patch of earth piled with rocks ahead of them.
A hand on his shoulder brought him to a stop and he twisted to look over his shoulder at Morgana. She glanced at Sif, but then passed them both to join Merlin near the front of the group. Odin’s ravens swooped down and landed on a nearby dead tree that was half twisted from the ground. Cautiously Merlin and Morgana strode around the bend of the mountain with Frea and Odin right behind them. Thor waited with Sif for only a few moments before he followed them into the dying patch of the mountain.
There was a hole torn in the mountainside. Thor could not call it a tunnel or passageway, as the rock had been roughly cut away. Piles of rubble of all sizes were pouring from the opening and the ground all around it was dark and dead. He eyed a nearby tree that was shriveled and twisted away from the opening as if it had died trying to escape. While the sun was hidden behind the clouds and the trees cast long shadows, something about the cavern beyond seemed unnaturally dark. He peered into it, taking a cautious step forward before Morgana caught his arm and gripped it tightly.
Sounds echoed out from the tunnel that made Thor pause. Some of the voices were soft and musical though with a mourning tone to them. The rest were more like raw growls with the occasional whimper or cry of pain. He risked a glance at the others and found Morgana watching the tunnel with a considering expression. Merlin was eyeing it with disdain and Frea had a look of fear on her features. Then the sounds began to come closer and closer with the musical voices fading away and leaving only the more animalistic cries.
Strange flashes of light deep in the tunnel offered brief flickers of illumination that created long shadows that vanished as quickly as they’d appeared. Without a word being said the assembled group spread out in the dead space around the opening. Morgana remained close to him while Merlin stayed near Odin as both men pushed their long cloaks back and prepared for battle.
Then he caught sight of the first of the Sídhe, or what he should consider dark elves, as what came out was very different from Frea. The first dark elf stumbled out into the darkening day. It was dressed in an elegant blue tunic, though its hair was a mess with its braids half torn out. Violet eyes focused on them for only a moment before it extended a hand towards them. Backing away, Thor watched in stunned silence as a strange darkening began to spread over its skin as if all at once it was suffering a terrible bruise. It clawed at its own face for a moment before a loud scream escaped it.
Lifting his axe in front of his body, Thor dug his toes into the rocky earth beneath him and braced for the attack. More of the creatures were spilling out of the opening, some clawing at their own faces while others cowered in the entrance away from the dying light of the day. Throwing his weight forward, Thor brought the axe through the air and into the chest of the nearest dark elf as it tried to claw its own eyes out. An inhuman scream ripped from its body but quickly vanished as its form decayed into dust right before his eyes. Thor’s gaze lingered on the empty space for only a moment as more of the creatures began to rush out of the tunnel.
Frea jumped back and drew a long dagger from beneath her cloak as the nearest dark elf lashed at her. This one wore light golden armor that didn’t quite match and had a real weapon in its hand. Frea slashed forward with the dagger, catching the dark elf in the shoulder. It stumbled and Thor left her to finish it off. As another dark elf, this one in a mere tunic, rushed out of the tunnel he gathered a spark of magic in his left hand. It arced off his fingers and struck the creature as a bolt of lightning, throwing it off its feet.
A strange floral scent reached his nose; confusing him for a moment before he saw a faint trace of light swirling around Sif. Her hood had fallen back and strands of her golden hair had fallen into her face as she narrowed her eyes at one of the creatures
. They lunged at her and in a flash of light began to dissolve as Sif stretched out a hand. Odin raised his staff for a moment before he slammed it down against the bare rocks beneath him. Magic shuddered through the air, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. More of the frenzying creatures vanished in a wave of light. As another lashed at him, Thor sent another bolt of lightning forth and grinned as it struck the one and jumped to another.
Beneath his feet, the ground began to rumble. He froze in surprise and took a shaky breath as he looked around in alarm. Morgana was surrounded by ropes of silver magic that were following her arms as she lashed out towards the dark elves spilling from the tunnel. Her position was defensive of Merlin, who was cloaked in green magic with his hands reaching towards the top of the mountain. Green magic burst out from the man in a sudden burst of power that knocked the air from Thor’s lungs and left him watching in shock.
Above their heads, the mountainside began to collapse. Green magic rained down on the rock and soil like snow; each spark dislodging more and more of the mountain. The roar of the rocks deafened Thor to the world, and his lungs filled with dirt as he struggled to breathe. Everything was shaking as Thor grabbed Sif’s arm and pulled her back from the rockslide. He looked back into the tunnel and grimaced as the hole began to crumble into itself and the creatures still within it released horrified cries. Thankfully, his feet kept moving him along the side of the mountain and away from the rolling stones.