The Iron Bound

by J. M. Briggs

  The world settled slowly as the dust began to drift away on the soft breeze. His ears rang from the sudden silence until the caw of a raven brought the world back into focus. Taking a deep breath, Thor promptly had to cough as the dirt hit his tongue. He flexed his fingers around the axe and noted with a flush of irritation that his palms were sweating. With another, more cautious breath he looked towards the tunnel, but it was long gone. Part of the mountain had slid down to cover the tunnel, and rocks were still rolling off into the ravine below.

  A cough drew his attention to Merlin, who was leaning slightly against Morgana and was covered in a layer of dirt. Frea pulled back her hood long enough to shake off the dust, exposing her long braids of white hair to the last rays of the sun. No one appeared to be injured, and while he was clearly exhausted, there was a look of pride and smugness on Merlin’s face.

  “Are you alright Sif?” Thor shifted his attention over to her, looking her over for injuries.

  “Yes Thor, I’m fine,” she assured him. Sif looked towards her father who now was speaking with Merlin in a low voice. “At least it seems that we have secured the alliance we sought when we came here. That is something to celebrate.”

  19

  Stillness

  Her mother had always said that nothing helped the mind reset like a good hair washing and fresh clothes. After the stress of last night and the awkwardness of sleeping in her clothes Jenny now firmly believed her mother’s words. Thankfully Alex was a good friend, and while she might have chosen the wrong shirt for her dark jeans, she had thought to grab her shampoo and conditioner. There was even a wide tooth comb at the bottom of the bag and Jenny used it to carefully untangle her long dark locks as she eyed her reflection in the mirror.

  She was looking better than she had for the last few months, Jenny realized with a small jolt of surprise. During the crisis with Arthur, she’d just gotten used to looking tired and there being a shadow of guilt with a hint of self-loathing in her eyes. It wasn’t completely gone, but it had faded. Finding out that Arthur had just been using her for years had taken a toll of its own, but every day was a little easier.

  Now, somehow, she was part of a group connected to a magic war and yet was in better shape than she had been at the same time last year. Glancing around the bathroom, Jenny didn’t see a hairdryer and began to braid her long damp hair over her shoulder. She breathed in the warm humid air and enjoyed a few moments of peaceful calm.

  Then with a new spring in her step, Jenny left the bathroom and headed back towards the living room. She took notice of the various paintings along the walls that she hadn’t bothered noticing the night before. Many of the pieces were landscapes and looked old. One of them was a portrait that took Jenny a moment to recognize as Morgana in an old fashioned dress with her dark hair largely hidden under a headdress. This painting hung in a small alcove away from the windows with a small lamp illuminating it. If she’d been anyone else’s house she would have figured it and the others were reproductions or prints, but she doubted that was the case here.

  “Your turn,” Jenny said. She stepped into the living room, but to her surprise, Lance was alone with a stack of books. “Uh?”

  “Outside.” Lance nodded towards the nearest window. “Getting in some practice while Morgana makes breakfast.”

  “Ah.” Jenny caught a flash of fire shooting past the window and grimaced. “I think I’ll stay inside.”

  “Well, Morgana gave me some research homework,” Lance sighed as he held up the book in his hand. “Knock yourself out.” He stood up and rolled his shoulders with a soft groan. “And if I’m not out of the shower by breakfast then save me some food.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  Lance scooped up a backpack that was waiting at the edge of the couch and gave her a nod before heading down the hall. Jenny shifted uncertainly on her feet for a moment before she looked down at the books. They were old and leather bound books with a strong smell that took Jenny back to her father’s study. There was a mix of different mythologies in the stack and she grabbed the one that Lance had been reading. Something exploded outside and made her jump even as she rushed over to the window and pulled back the curtain.

  Aiden was laughing with a hand behind his head sheepishly. She couldn’t see what he had hit, but Merlin didn’t seem too distressed as he leaned against the side of his SUV. Nicki skipped over to Aiden and said something she couldn’t hear to him. Bran just shook his head at them and turned his attention back to the swirl of yellow magic gathering in his hands. She looked around but didn’t see Alex anywhere.

  Pulling a chair over to the window, Jenny sat down so she could look up and see the others. The glare of the sun off the snow bothered her a little, but she ignored it and opened one of Morgana’s books on German folklore. In the corner of her eye, she kept seeing flashes of light that varied between yellow, red and blue. When dark silver suddenly appeared Jenny looked up from a passage about the Black Forest and spotted Alex standing near Bran. There was a tense expression on her face. The sounds from the kitchen became unnaturally loud in the silence.

  Jenny did her best to focus on the book in front of her, but the warmth of the sunlight pouring through the window made her feel lazy. As she idly flipped through the book Jenny was once again struck by how little understanding she had. She and Lance were ‘helping’ with research, but what they were supposed to be finding was lost on her. Was there some sort of artifact that could control fairies? She was fairly certain that Merlin and Morgana wouldn’t have forgotten something like that.

  The smells of bacon and sausage were beginning to fill the living room, making Jenny aware of how hungry she was. She could hear the hiss of a griddle as Morgana’s movements had become softer once more. Jenny straightened up in the chair and allowed herself one quick look outside. The others had spread out and she could only see Alex. Her friend was standing very still with her eyes closed and her hands extended in front of her. Flickers of dark silvery magic were jumping between her hands and Jenny couldn’t help but watch for a moment. Nothing interesting happened, but the look of tension and worry was still on Alex’s face. Realizing that she was staring Jenny lowered her eyes and did her best to ignore both the smells of breakfast and the mages in the yard.

  An illustration of some sort of small fairy called a Heinzelmännchen caught her eye, and Jenny was reading the translation of a poem about them helping the people of Cologne at night when the sound of footfalls made her look up. Lance strolled into the living room in fresh jeans and one of his many Ravenslake University t-shirts. Jenny found her eyes lingering on him longer than she meant to, earning her a smug smile from Lance.

  “That was fast.”

  Lance sat in the nearby armchair and she lowered her eyes back to her book. “I’m a guy. Not to mention short hair.” He studied her for a moment and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  Looking up at him in surprise, Jenny blinked and just stared at him. His smug smile had vanished and he was considering her with a soft frown. She wondered if she was that transparent or if Lance just knew her that well.

  “I’m not sure.” Jenny looked out the window again. “Just… Alex looks worried about something.”

  Lance looked out the window at Alex with a neutral expression. Jenny followed his gaze and noted that Alex looked calmer now, almost bored. Her magic was spinning in front of her into different shapes. A blast of fire that collided with the snow a few feet from Alex sent a cloud of steam into the air and made Alex, Lance, and Jenny all jump. Alex spun and shouted for Bran to be more careful.

  “Bran?” Lance repeated in surprise. “I thought Aiden was the firebug.”

  “Alex says that they are trying to learn each other’s spells now.” Jenny shook her head. “Maybe it’s nothing.”

  “Or maybe it is,” Lance offered gently. “She’ll talk to you if she needs to. We’re the ones a little outside the insanity, remember?”

  “I guess.” Jenny lowered her eye
s back to the book and toyed with the edges of the page. “I just wish we could help more.”

  Lance said nothing as he opened another book and started reading. A few moments later his free hand caught hers and squeezed gently. It was a bit awkward having their fingers entwined and hanging between the two chairs, but Jenny was grateful when Lance didn’t let go. Instead, she just kept flipping through the book and taking notes on a small notepad of the different sorts of fairies that might just be showing up to kill them all.

  “Tell the others that breakfast is almost ready,” Morgana ordered suddenly. Jenny jumped in her chair and looked up to find Morgana staring at their entwined hands. “Lance, come here and set the table.”

  They exchanged glances as Morgana spun around and returned to the kitchen before jumping to their feet and releasing each other’s hands. Neither of them was sure enough of Morgana to risk her wrath and Jenny headed towards the front door. She noted with a quirk of her eyebrow that the others had left the front door open and only the screen door was keeping the cold air out.

  As she shifted around the door, Jenny heard voices and paused before she peeked out. Nicki and Aiden were standing on the front porch, with Nicki leaning against the railing while Aiden stood with closed eyes. Jenny could see his exhales as mist in the cold morning air, but noted that the mage was only wearing a heavy knit sweater. She opened her mouth to tell them to come inside when Aiden brought his glowing red hand up in front of Nicki and she was distracted by the flare of magic in the air.

  Aiden opened his hand and the flash of red in his hand shimmered. The sparks shuddered and his brow creased in concentration. In another small flash, the red sparks solidified into a small piece of ice that floated above his palm.

  “Check it out,” Aiden crowed. “Ice magic Nicki! That’s right, the fire mage has managed to replicate your power!”

  “I suppose you expect me to be impressed?” Nicki asked with a raised eyebrow and smug smile.

  “Well yeah, you haven’t pulled off fire yet.”

  “Oh please, a redhead using fire magic is so cliché,” Nicki said. Then a curious expression crossed her face. “When did you pull this off?”

  “Uh, actually the night Arthur attacked Alex. I got surrounded by Chernobog’s shadow monsters and did a blizzard to destroy them.” He chuckled and shifted his hand, which made the ice crystals grow and begin branching out like a large snowflake. “Haven’t used it since. Glad it wasn’t a fluke.”

  “That night-You haven’t talked about it before,” Nicki said, suddenly sounding uncertain.

  “What’s there to talk about?”

  “Aiden, I’m just worried about you. You’ve been a bit off lately. I mean you’re acting normally, but there’s just something-”

  “Come on Nicki, I was healed by the Holy Grail! I’m better than okay.”

  “That isn’t what I mean,” Nicki huffed in frustration. “Now isn’t the time to be an ass Aiden. It’s not just Arthur and the coma. You’re bothered about Sarah-”

  “Look Sarah and I… even before graduation we talked about it. Long distance relationships are always tough and she was going somewhere new with new people and…” Aiden trailed off, and Jenny once again had the guilty feeling that she really should try to leave or cough at the very least. “We decided we’d try and we made it work through freshman year, but I mean- this summer she’s got an internship so she isn’t even coming home.”

  “Not at all?”

  “Well for like two weeks right at the start, but the point is Nicki that I’m fine. Really; the breakup with Sarah wasn’t great, but I’m okay.” There was a strained laugh and then a sigh. “Look, seeing Arthur stab Alex…. It was intense, and the feeling when I gave her all my energy… I’m still processing it all. I promise this is just me trying to take my time and cope with the shit that’s our lives now. I’m not having nightmares all the time and I can think about it without having a panic attack, so I’m pretty sure I’m good.”

  There was a long sigh from Nicki that worried Jenny, but when she peeked around the corner she saw Nicki nod. Aiden smiled at her and leaned forward to wrap the redhead in a hug.

  “Hey, I’m still here,” he assured her. “From what I’ve heard from Bran you had a hard time in Wales. Have you taken time to cope yourself?”

  “I’m fine,” Nicki insisted stubbornly. However, a moment later she turned her head and buried her face in Aiden’s sweater. “Just glad you’re okay.”

  “I’m okay Nicki.” Aiden wrapped his arms around her.

  The sounds from the kitchen reminded Jenny why she’d been sent out in the first place. Pulling back from the door, she stamped her feet on the ground and made extra noise as she opened the screen door. Aiden looked over at her and to her surprise, Nicki did not move out of the hug. While he gave her a knowing look Jenny did her best not to look guilty and cleared her throat.

  “Breakfast is ready.”

  “Awesome!” Aiden released Nicki and she moved away from him with a bright red face that almost matched her hair. “I’m starving.”

  “Well, it smells good.” Jenny gave him a smile. “And with you all eating it I’m fairly confident that Morgana isn’t going to poison Lance and me.”

  That got a laugh out of Aiden and Nicki fondly shook her head. For a moment Jenny giggled and relished a sudden sense of being part of the joke. She stepped back and let Aiden and Nicki into the entryway as Aiden yelled over his shoulder to Bran that breakfast was ready. Nicki paused in front of her long enough to remove her coat before she headed through the living room with Aiden. The sense of belonging melted away as the two old friends kept chatting and Jenny pushed away the melancholy that tried to take its place.

  “Thanks, Jenny.” Bran walked into the entry and took off his coat, giving her a warm smile as Merlin brushed past them both.

  Jenny shifted around the door, still holding it open and waiting for Alex. Looking at Alex’s face Jenny couldn’t help but frown. Her gray eyes seemed extra dark and there was a small furrow between her brows. She stopped walking and looked down the snow beneath her feet for a moment with an expression that Jenny just couldn’t read. Then she shook her head and started walking again, this time striding straight to the porch and up the stairs. As Alex came inside Jenny closed the door and lingered as Alex stamped the snow off of her shoes. Before the other girl headed to the kitchen, Jenny reached out and grabbed her hand. She gave it a quick squeeze and smiled at Alex. Neither said anything, but as Alex nodded to her and gave her a small smile in return Jenny thought that she probably understood just fine.

  She found her feet dragging a little as she followed Alex towards the kitchen and felt sad when Alex released her hand. The others were in the dining room and all setting down platters of food with only Merlin already seated. The room was lit by a fancy old fashioned chandelier and the sunlight reflecting off the snow through a large window framed by pale blue curtains. There was a fine layer of dust on the side table by the door that indicated the room was rarely used though the table had a fresh white table cloth across it.

  As Morgana directed everyone to their seats, Jenny was surprised when Alex pulled her into the seat next to her. Lance took a seat across from her while Morgana quickly sat to Alex’s right, giving them a curious glance. Nicki caught her eye and smiled reassuringly from her place across from Alex before picking up the sausage and getting breakfast started.

  “So what is the on the agenda for today?” Alex asked in a forced cheerful voice.

  “Well, more practice would be a good idea.” Merlin scooped up some scrambled eggs and gave the mages a look. “More variation of course-”

  “Aren’t we beyond that now?” Aiden asked with a disgruntled expression. “I’ve used fire, ice and healing magic now. We all know how to pull off effects beyond our normal magic. We’ve got the basics down! I can replicate Nicki’s ice spells and we know how to visualize our magic to make simple things happen. If Arthur and the Queen are going to keep
using advanced magic against us then we need to learn more of it ourselves.”

  “He’s right,” Bran agreed. “Morgana, you’ve been working with me on scrying and Alex keeps doing metalworking, but we’re at a turning point. Right now we’re just in a holding pattern. If we’re really going to find out what is going on and stop it then we need to step up our game.”

  “You don’t understand-” Merlin began to protest, but Alex cut him off.

  “Those creatures, they aren’t attacking us because they want to,” Alex reminded him as the others feel silent. “They are being compelled to. They’re the descendants of slaves or soldiers who were trapped here. They were born in this world… the Iron Realm is their home too, even if they aren’t children of it. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”