by J. M. Briggs
“I am Timothy.” The creature swept into a bow. “I am a Brownie.”
“A Brownie,” Nicki repeated. The blue orb in her hand dispersed into the air. “Named Timothy?”
Alex almost laughed at Nicki’s disbelief. It was an odd name for a faery, but then again what should they be expecting. Oddly she remembered the old girl scout Brownie rhyme very clearly at that moment. Yet she had to admit that the small creature certainly fit her limited knowledge of fairy types.
“Yes Brownie, helper creature,” Timothy said. “Ancestors enchanted to serve as labor to the Sídhe. We have a little magic to help with chores.” Timothy looked down and scuffed his foot against the wood of Alex’s baseboard. “But it was bound and turned against mages. So sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Alex assured him. Tears were glistening in his tiny eyes again. “That’s not your fault.” She swallowed, feeling a rush of illness at the reminder that the faeries they’d destroyed lately had all been under a spell. “You’re not going to hurt us now right?”
“No!” Timothy almost fell off the bed in a sudden burst of movement. “Don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Okay, then we aren’t going to hurt you,” Alex promised. “But maybe you can help us. We don’t know much about what is happening or how to stop it.”
“Can’t stop it,” Timothy cried. “Can’t break bindings.”
“Yet Alex must have,” Nicki said. “After all you aren’t… bound, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Timothy agreed slowly. He looked up at Alex with wide eyes. “I’m not!”
“Look, we should get dressed, alert the others and get to Merlin or Morgana’s.” Alex tried not to shift under the look she was getting from the Brownie.
“Grab some clothes and get dressed in the bathroom,” Nicki said. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”
Alex hesitated for a moment. Her head was spinning and she wondered if she was still asleep. Raising a finger up towards the lingering pain on her face, she brushed over slightly warm liquid and pulled her hand back to study it. Red blood covered her fingertips and she could still feel a slight trickle down her face.
“Get your cut cleaned up, I can heal it without much effort,” Nicki added in a softer voice. “But we need to get moving.”
Nodding, Alex glanced back at Timothy who was still watching her with an expression that was a blend of awe, hope, and guilt. She forced herself to look away from the Brownie and grabbed some clothes from her drawers. Before she left the room, she snagged her phone and as she shut the door of the bathroom, Alex was already texting the others to meet at Merlin’s house at once.
She took a deep breath and looked up into the mirror. There was a shallow but long cut running from the edge of her cheekbone down past her eye. A small shudder ran up her body as she released how lucky she’d been with Timothy. He’d gotten past the defenses and attacked in her sleep and yet she was okay. Shaking her head, Alex wet a washcloth, cleaned up the cut and put a bandage over it. Grabbing her clothes, she checked her phone one last time to find a reply from Merlin and Morgana agreeing to meet before she changed and tried to brace herself for whatever else was going to happen tonight.
23
The Brownie
Jenny had never really been a morning person by nature: just by necessity. Morning required a cup of coffee, time for a nice hot shower and plenty of time for hair and makeup, so she’d long been in the habit of waking up at least two hours before she needed to be anywhere. On days that she really wanted to look nice it was best to add an extra half an hour to that. Yet at 2 AM today she’d been awoken by a text message that had her throwing on the first shirt she could put her hands on and yesterday’s jeans.
Merlin’s house seemed as far out of town as Morgana’s, and Jenny couldn’t help but worry that they were meeting here because of the Iron Chalice. She desperately hoped that no one needed the Chalice, but Alex’s text hadn’t offered much information. As she pulled up to the one-story light green house that was half hidden by a massive oak tree in the front lawn, Jenny checked for Alex’s car and tensed up when she confirmed it wasn’t there. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, wondering why she hadn’t checked their dorm room first instead of just rushing here.
A moment later, Aiden’s blue truck pulled up behind her, just off the main driveway. His headlights turned off a moment later and she watched in the rearview mirror as Aiden and Bran both clamored out of the truck. Up ahead Morgana’s red car was parked alongside Merlin’s SUV and Lance’s truck was coming up the drive behind them. Everyone was here except for Alex and Nicki.
Bran knocked gently on her window, and there was just enough light from her own headlights and Lance’s truck that she could see his worried expression. She nodded and turned off her car. Bran stepped back and she climbed out with a soft exhale as the night air hit her face.
“Do we know anything?” Jenny asked as Aiden joined them.
“No.” Aiden looked around as if he could make them appear by force of will. “I didn’t even check in their dorm. I figured the text meant that they were already on their way here.”
“Me too,” Jenny admitted uneasily. “I hope it isn’t anything too bad.”
“Hopefully not,” Bran agreed, nodding towards Lance as he came jogging up to them. “But Alex wouldn’t disturb us all at this hour unless it was important.”
“Good thing we all keep our phones close,” Aiden sighed. “‘Course, this is why we do.”
“You okay?” Lance moved to her side, giving her a soft look.
“Yeah,” she assured him with an uneasy smile. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you… I just bolted.”
“It’s okay,” Lance assured her. “Come on guys, let’s get inside just in case. It’s too dark to be waiting out here.”
She’d never been to Merlin’s house before, though Alex had given her the address and instructions to run there should anything really bad ever happen. It wasn’t as grand and imposing as Morgana’s Victorian style home and seemed rather normal in comparison. A pair of winged gargoyles were standing in shrubs by the stairs leading up to the porch, a dusting of snow still present on them.
“Merlin and your family,” Bran chuckled. He reached down and dusted some snow off the head of one of the gargoyles.
“Huh?” Lance questioned.
“Oh, my parents have some smaller gargoyles at our house too,” Aiden explained. “A few years back the local gardening store got them and I think we were the only households to purchase any. It’s sort of funny I guess.”
Jenny didn’t feel amused and was grateful when the front door opened for them. Merlin looked exhausted with his short curls a mess and a steaming cup of coffee in his right hand. He glanced over all of them, and Jenny could tell he was disappointed that Alex wasn’t with them.
“Come in,” he said quickly. “There’s coffee in the living room.”
Merlin’s home was much smaller than Morgana’s, but they seemed to share a fondness for antique furniture. Or maybe when you were immortal with the magical ability to repair things you avoided furniture shopping. His living room had a large fireplace where a small fire was burning opposite a set of stairs leading into a basement. Several dining chairs had been brought in to provide enough seating for everyone around the worn green sofa and pair of dark blue armchairs.
Most importantly, however, was that on the coffee table before the fireplace sat the Iron Chalice. The polished dark metal was shining in the light of the flames and seemed to be glowing with power. Jenny stopped and stared at the magical object from her place by the doorway for a long moment before making herself move forward.
As she sat down on the sofa and shifted so Lance could sit next to her, Jenny looked around the room at some of the photos on the mantle. Many of them were quite old and she didn’t recognize anyone in them. There were a few scattered paintings and photos on the wall and a corner shelf that was filled with little knick knacks. Her attention shifted as Bran moved ar
ound the sofa and towards the fire. Bran was eying the chalice with a very odd expression as he sank down into one of the armchairs. It was a thoughtful expression, and she wondered just what was going through his head.
“Relax Fisher King,” Aiden said. He chuckled weakly. “It’s probably just a precaution.”
“Indeed,” Morgana said as she came out of the kitchen. “We haven’t heard anything to indicate that Alex or Nicki was injured.” She looked over all of them with wide, almost fearful eyes. “Did anyone check at their dorm room?”
“No; we figured they’d already be on their way,” Aiden admitted as he sat down on one of the dining chairs.
Jenny took the opportunity to study Morgana. Apparently, she hadn’t been the only one to just roll out of bed and rush here. The woman’s long dark hair was messy and she was wearing an oversized flannel shirt over a simple black tank top and jeans, which was by far the most casual that Jenny had ever seen her. It was a bit worrying in truth. The older woman directed Aiden into the kitchen to get some coffee.
She remained quiet as Aiden got up and Lance stood to join him. Bran was still looking at the Iron Chalice with intense concentration and Jenny felt very alone in the quiet room. Lance returned a few moments later and handed her a warm Ravenslake University mug filled with coffee before he retook his own seat. The silence hung in the room with only the crackling of the fire and the soft ticking of the grandfather clock behind her filling the empty air.
Unable to sit still, Jenny stood up and moved over to the front windows. Behind her, she could hear the others talking quietly and a couple of people moving, probably just as nervous as she was. She pulled the dark beige curtains and peered out into the dark driveway. Outside thick clouds were hiding the moon and hinting at snow, but otherwise, the world seemed peaceful. Jenny didn’t trust it. Then thankfully Alex’s dark blue sedan came up the gravel drive and parked right in front of the house.
“They’re here!” Jenny rushed towards the door.
Morgana somehow beat her there and pulled the door open. As Morgana stepped out onto the narrow porch, Jenny lingered by the doorway and tried to watch to see what would happen. Lance joined her and grabbed her hand, giving it a soft squeeze.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Lance said. “She would have said something in her text if she wasn’t.”
“Still...”
An exhausted looking Alex half-stumbled into the house a moment later, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail which only let Jenny get a good look at the bags under her eyes. She had to wonder how much concealer Alex had been using lately before her eyes dropped to a small bag that Alex was carefully holding.
“I’m fine,” Alex said. She gave them a forced smile as she moved past them into the living room. Her eyes fell on the Iron Chalice and she seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Bran, hold onto that for me, will you?”
Bran gave her a surprised look, but nodded and leaned forward to pick up the Chalice. Alex licked her lips and looked back towards Nicki who was locking the front door. Without a word, Nicki moved over to the curtains Jenny had opened earlier and pulled them closed.
“Girls, what happened?” Morgana demanded, watching them with confusion. “Were you attacked?”
“Something like that,” Alex said. “But it became a bit more complicated.”
Alex moved over towards the center of the living room and sank down into the free armchair. The bag was sitting carefully on her lap and Alex glanced down at it with an odd expression that caught everyone’s attention. Then the bag shifted on its own. Jenny bit her lip to hold in a squeak of surprise.
“Alex-” Merlin began to ask, but Alex shook her head.
Alex motioned for the others to be quiet and set the small bag down gently on the coffee table. Before anyone could say anything else, she unzipped the bag and a small head popped out from underneath the arm of a rolled up hoodie. Alex leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, watching them with a small smile.
“This is Timothy the Brownie.” Alex giggled, with a hint of hysteria creeping in.
Alex extended a hand and the Brownie grabbed onto her extended fingers, letting Alex lift him out of the bag. He released his grip and landed on the wooden table with a soft thump before straightening up and dusting off the tiny coat he wore. Jenny stared at the little creature even as a small part of her noted the resemblance between the real thing and the illustration in the book on German folklore. The Brownie shifted nervously amongst them and looked around uneasily. It wrung its hands together for a moment before toying with a small plastic clasp on its jacket. Jenny couldn’t help but notice that the coat looked a bit like one she’d had for a male doll when she was young.
“What happened?” Merlin finally asked. He groaned slightly and rubbed his eyes.
“Well, he… uh attacked me,” Alex said. Jenny swore that Morgana’s eyes flashed silver at those words. “Just a small cut and Nicki already healed it,” she added in a rush. “But when I was trying to find him in my room… I spread my magic out to try to find him and saw this thread of magic connecting to him.”
“The binding of the control spell,” the Brownie said. His head was lowered and he scuffed his foot against the top of the table.
“Yeah and I, well I guess I broke it when I pulled on it because the next moment Timothy was apologizing and offered to talk with us.”
“You broke the spell?” Merlin gasped in surprise before a wide smile took over his face. “Remarkable! Did you pull on the magic again?”
“Exactly!” Alex nodded with a relieved expression.
Jenny just stared at the little creature; completely uncaring as to if she was being rude. It was a Brownie, an actual Brownie. She wasn’t sure if she should just sit there quietly in shock, laugh or run out of the house screaming. The Sídhe were one thing: she knew to run from them and get to a mage as fast as she could. Jenny knew from experience to flee from any of the fairy creatures, but now there was one just standing on the coffee table in front of her. And this was a rather cute and nervous looking thing that was twitching like some sort of stray puppy unsure of its welcome.
“Do you know what bound you?” Merlin eyed the small creature intensely.
“Not sure,” the Brownie answered in a small voice. “First there were nightmares…. Terrible nightmares of red human blood and this voice…” The small fairy creatures shuddered and wrapped its arms around its torso. “I couldn’t understand it at first, but it… sank in. It bound us to it. Magic surrounded us and chained us to her will and there was nothing we could do.”
“Her will?” Morgana repeated. “Are you aware of who bound you?”
“Yes, the old mad queen Scáthbás,” Timothy answered. “It was her voice that called to us!” The Brownie tugged on one of his ears and rocked on his feet. “She didn’t tell us much… it was very fuzzy, but it was her.” Timothy shook his head and tears gathered in his eyes once more. “There were always stories. Tales of the old worlds that were swallowed by the armies and enslaved. Stories about our ancestors who fled into this world when the Iron Gates were forged to escape her grasp.”
“Scáthbás was killed,” Morgana said. Then she shook her head. “At least, we thought she was.”
“Her magic strong,” Timothy said. “Somehow bound all creatures of Tree of Reality branch.”
“This magic,” Morgana folded her hands on the table. “Can you tell us anything else about it? Did you see a magical object, hear any special words or see a particular color of magic?”
“I could taste it,” the Brownie replied, tugging on the hem of his jacket. “As it took over me I felt it and could taste it.”
“I’m not sure that helps us,” Merlin told Morgana. “He has different senses to ours.”
“It tasted like her magic.” The Brownie pointed one long finger towards Alex only to shrink into himself. “I’m sorry. Maybe I’m wrong. So sorry.”
“No, it’s alright.” Alex gave the Brownie a forced smile
. “You’ve been very helpful.”
As soon as the words were out of Alex’s mouth she half-collapsed back into the armchair. She turned her head and looked in the flames of the fire leaving everyone, including Timothy, looking at her. Someone moved, but Jenny didn’t look to see who it was as she tried to sort out what was happening with Alex.
“This is good right?” Lance asked, breaking the silence. “Doesn’t that mean that Alex can break this spell?”
“She almost collapsed again after doing it.” Nicki returned with two mugs of coffee and handed one to Alex.
“Yeah.” Alex sighed before she took a sip of the coffee. “Thing is that I saw the lines of magic again like I did with Chernobog. That’s what happened during that attack at Morgana’s house. I’m seeing the magical connection between the fairies and Scáthbás.”
“If you can control it then you might be able to least free those that attack us,” Bran suggested carefully.