The Iron Bound
Page 28
A wave of pressure hit Alex in the chest, sending her stumbling back. The world around her flickered like a bad recording. Looking back at the woman, Alex could see strands of black magic spilling out of the piece of iron tied to her by the chain and seeping into her stomach. Small sparks of magic rolled across the surface of the chain and the small piece of iron began rusting rapidly in front of Alex. Red dust and flakes fell to the ground, and in mere moments the piece of iron was gone. The pressure in the room eased and the woman placed her hand on her stomach as she allowed the chain to clatter to the floor. She made a nasty smile.
Around Alex, the world began to dissolve. The basement became fuzzy and she sighed in defeat only for the basement to suddenly sharpen around her. Suddenly the air was different; thick with moisture and soft whimpers bounding off the wall. Alex swallowed thickly as her heart began to race. Something was wrong, and she spun around to search the room.
Behind her, a slumped figure was huddled in the corner with its head lowered on its knees. Alex stared at the dejected figure dressed in an oversized hoodie. It took her a moment to recognize strands of long white hair spilling out from under the hood. She looked down at its hands and swallowed at the sight of the pale, almost shimmering skin. Taking a step forward, Alex frowned as she took in the creature with confusion and a flare of sympathy.
The door at the top of the stairs crashed open and Alex spun around. The blonde woman was striding down the stairs with dangerously high black high heels clicking against the wood. She was no longer pregnant and was now wearing form-fitting clothing, but Alex’s eyes were drawn to the carrier in her right hand. A scowl was present on her face as she looked through Alex at the captive creature.
“Stop whimpering,” the woman commanded. She reached the bottom of the stairs and marched past Alex. “Have some dignity. You descend from the greatest race in the whole of the Tree of Reality, even if you are tainted.”
The woman set the carrier down next to the table and Alex’s eyes widened at the soft gurgling coming from it. Moving over to the woman’s side, Alex looked down in shock at the infant that was swaddled in thick blankets. She glanced back at the woman in confusion. Of course, she’d known she was pregnant, but what was going on now? This was all happening so fast in comparison to the weeks of dreams about the ship.
Watching the woman retrieve the chain from the cabinet again, Alex felt her stomach turn over and swallowed a rush of bile. It suddenly occurred to her that she was following the chain. Not through its entire history, but the important bits. This was important, and magic wanted to her to see.
Alex backed away from the woman and the chain, glancing fearfully at the tiny baby. Its blue eyes were wide as he watched his mother. A tuft of bright blond hair covered his head and a sinking feeling weighed down Alex’s limbs.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Not possible. You can’t be.”
Of course, no one in the room spoke in response to her words. The woman turned towards the Sídhe descendent chained to the wall and Alex followed her gaze. It had raised its head and its violet eyes were dark with fear. The Síd creature tugged at the chains holding it in place and looked up at the woman with completely white features. For a long moment, they just stared at each other, a sneer taking over the woman’s features.
A cry from the baby broke the heavy quiet, making Alex jump and flinch. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her arms nervously. The woman huffed, turned on her black heel and looked at the baby. With a roll of her eyes, she knelt down and picked the infant up. As the blankets fell away, the baby began to cry louder and louder. With a sneer she set him on the table, protected only by his blanket with nothing to keep him from rolling off.
“Hush Arthur.” She set the crying baby down on the table. “Enough wailing!”
Alex wrapped her arms around herself at the confirmation of the baby’s identity. She looked towards the frightened Síd as a horrible suspicion settled in her stomach. It was difficult to look back at the woman, Elaine Pendred, her mind provided, but Alex forced herself to. She was supposed to learn something, and she did not want to go through this again. Somehow Scáthbás had learned of the Iron Chain, found it and used it.
“What are you going to do with me?” the Síd asked. “What are you?”
“You are going to help me create something very special,” Scáthbás answered. “The Iron Realm has Merlin, and Morgana betrayed me, but I can make a new hybrid.”
“I- I don’t understand.” The Síd tugged at its chains.
Rolling her human eyes, Scáthbás turned back to the chained Síd and sneered. Alex actually shuddered and moved away from the look. “I am Queen Scáthbás,” she informed the Síd. “And you should be honored to serve me with your life.”
“You can’t be,” the Síd whispered in terror, violet eyes wide with horror. “Scáthbás was destroyed: the mages killed her.”
“The greatest ruler of Sídhean, and yet now just a mere myth!” Scáthbás kicked the Síd in the side. “A boogeyman to the children of those that served me and failed.” She kicked again, this time much harder, and then again and again with a gleeful expression twisting her features. “If your ancestors had done their jobs properly we would have taken the Iron Realm. It would all be over!”
Silvery blood was trickling from the mouth of the captured Sid by the time Scáthbás finally stopped her assault. She stepped back and cleared her throat as she fixed a few strands of blonde hair. Scáthbás smoothed down her shirt and made a soft sighing noise as she tossed her head. It was disturbing to see the woman swing from enraged to seemingly calm, and Alex just stared at her with a growing sense of dread. She knew what was to happen already and really didn’t want to see it.
“Okay,” Alex called out. “I’m good, I get it. I don’t need to see it.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, willing it to be over, but the sounds of Scáthbás moving drew her attention. Torn between a fierce desire to hide in the corner and the fear that she’d be forced to watch again, Alex opened her eyes to watch Scáthbás. The long heavy chain rattled as Scáthbás dropped it down onto the table next to the whimpering infant. Rolling her eyes, Scáthbás leaned over the infant and glowered down at him.
“Honestly Arthur, enough of this,” she huffed, but the infant released another sob. “Medraut, I mean it. This is all necessary, and you behaving like a simple human infant is not helpful to the cause. I’ve already bound your soul into this body. We just need to get the body properly attuned if my plans are going to work. We’ll test if on you and then it will be my turn.”
Scáthbás went to the cabinet and pulled a long, vicious looking knife from inside it. Swallowing thickly, Alex glanced back towards the bound Síd as Scáthbás advanced on it. The Síd released a long and desperate scream that echoed in the basement. Alex turned away and half-collapsed against the wall. The scream of the Síd turned to a gurgle and then was gone. A strange half-grinding sound filled the room, and even the whimpers of Arthur weren’t enough to hide the sound of the chain being moved once again.
Keeping her eyes closed, Alex focused on the soft crying sounds of baby Arthur rather than the odd fleshy thumps happening across the room. She shook her head and wondered if she could become ill in a dream. Afraid to look, Alex covered her ears and shivered. She waited, listening to the muffled sounds until finally, the basement went still. There was a strange scent lingering in the air that Alex couldn’t identify. Taking a deep breath, Alex forced herself to turn around and open her eyes.
There was a pile of carved flesh on the table by baby Arthur, but unlike any that Alex had seen before. It was pale with silvery droplets still running down the smooth surface of the muscles. The chain was spread over it and Alex felt her stomach turn over as she realized that the power of the chain was keeping the Sídhe flesh from vanishing. Climbing to her feet, she swallowed back a rush of bile but did not approach the table as Scáthbás set the long knife down on the edge it.
“Your consciousness as Medraut cannot return soon enough,” she grumbled to the infant. “Stop crying.”
The chain rattled as Scáthbás shifted it so that Arthur was now wrapped in its links. She pulled it tighter and tighter. Arthur shrieked as his body was forced deeper and deeper into the nest of flesh. Alex’s heart clenched and she jumped at the Queen as her instincts demanded she stop this. Her hands passed through the Queen like a ghostly limb and she could only watch as the chain began to shimmer and glow. Alex reached towards the chain and gasped softly as her fingers touched it as if it were solid. It shimmered and flashed once again, tearing a scream from Arthur as his tiny body and the flesh began to glow dark silver.
Stumbling back, Alex covered her mouth as Scáthbás grinned in glee. A sloshing sound filled the room followed by a terrible grinding sound that made Alex slam her eyes shut. Arthur’s little cries faded away and her eyelids burned with a brilliant flash of light. The sick feeling in her stomach returned as her vision did and she watched the pieces of flesh melt into Arthur’s tiny body, making his entire form glow and his blue eyes flash violet. Then thankfully as her limbs started to shake the world around Alex dissolved and faded to black.
29
Tale of Arthur
The world slowly came back into focus. Thankfully she was no longer in the basement, but Alex knew it was still the Pendred house. She was in a large master bedroom that greatly favored white with gold accents. Scáthbás was sitting calmly at a large white vanity and applying her makeup. She toyed with her blonde hair, shifting it around into different styles while she smiled at her own reflection with bright red lips. It was so normal that Alex was left stunned.
Alex just stood there watching Scáthbás even as her mind pointed out that the former Queen was hardly going to start explaining things to her reflection. Still, Alex watched her for another long moment, wondering how the Queen had managed all this. They had some answers to the mysteries that Arthur posed: he was part Sídhe like Merlin and Morgana, but also had a connection to the Iron Soul thanks to the Iron Chain. She was pretty sure that the piece of iron Scáthbás had used with the chain while pregnant came from one of the ancient Iron Gates and contained Medraut’s soul.
But now Scáthbás herself was a mystery. Was she some sort of ghost or shade who could possess humans because of being sealed in the Iron Gate, or was there more power hiding in her? The body she was in seemed human, or at least it had been, Alex amended as she remembered Scáthbás’ comment about testing the Iron Chain on Arthur first. The thought made Alex even more uneasy as another loud wail erupted from the next room.
“For the glory of Sídhean, Arthur be silent!” Scáthbás snapped just before the phone rang.
“Elaine Pendred.” Scáthbás picked up the phone and inspected her long manicured nails. “Oh, it’s you.” She scowled and was silent for a moment. “Look Marion I’m not interested. Yes, Marcus was your brother, but he’s dead! I can care for our son on my own.” A dark look crossed Scáthbás’ face, twisting the attractive features into something ugly. “I wouldn’t say things like that if I were you, Marion!” Scáthbás slammed the phone down into the cradle. “Foolish human.”
Shifting back, Alex decided that if her connection to the Iron Chain was going to give her access to the old home of her enemies then she’d better make the most of it and take a look around. Besides, there was a sick feeling growing in her chest at the mention of the names Marcus and Marion. She knew that Arthur’s father was dead, but he’d never mentioned an aunt. She suddenly had a feeling that Marion had probably met with a terrible death for trying to interfere with Scáthbás’ little warrior.
Turning around, Alex strode out the doorway and glanced into the neighboring room where the infant Arthur was whimpering softly by himself. Everything about the nursery seemed normal with a pretty white crib in the center of the room, a matching changing table, and a rocking chair. Yet the room lacked any spark of life. It was just window dressing, and Alex found herself moving towards the crib before she’d even had time to consider it. The infant Arthur was crying softly as the mobile hung lifelessly above him. Staring down at him, Alex couldn’t help but notice that he looked just like any other baby, with bright blue eyes and only the slightest bit of hair on his head.
“Why did you turn out like that?” Alex heard herself ask. “Is it Medraut’s soul? Her magic? How she raised you?” Of course, the infant had nothing to say; he didn’t even know she was there and Alex sighed before looking up at the ceiling. “Why am I even here? I know about the Iron Chain now. I know that the Queen used it to fuse Medraut’s soul into the baby her human host was carrying. I know that she then…” Alex trailed off and shuddered at the memory. “Made him half-Sídhe like Merlin and Morgana, but is there more?”
Alex looked at Arthur for only one more moment before she fled to the hallway. It was just too weird. Her fists clenched just thinking about the games Arthur had played with them. Looking around, Alex had to admit she had no idea of what she was looking for until her eyes landed on a heavy looking closed door that stood out in the hallway. Her hand passed through the doorknob and Alex allowed herself a grumble of frustration at her inability to open the door. The next moment, however, she felt like a bit of an idiot and reached out a hand and watched it vanish through the wood. Chuckling nervously, Alex stepped forward through the doorway.
The room was a bit fuzzy; Alex could tell it was an office and a fancy one too with a large dark wood desk, high-backed leather chairs and built in shelves heavy with books, but everything seemed to be just a little out of focus. Nonetheless, she looked around quickly, hoping to see something that might be useful. Ideally a blackboard with the steps of the Queen’s master plan or a map with little pegs, but of course there wasn’t anything like that.
Alex eyed the desk thoughtfully only to remember that while the ability to pass through things was useful on doors it meant that she couldn’t actually pick anything up. Sighing in defeat, she looked around the room one more time and her eyes fell on a framed photograph that had been put to the side. A younger Elaine Pendred and a tall young man who looked a lot like Arthur were smiling for the camera with their arms around each other. Judging from the background they were at a restaurant and Elaine was holding her hand at just the right angle to show off an engagement ring. They both looked happy and Alex didn’t see even a hint of trickery on Elaine’s face.
“Scáthbás destroyed you didn’t she?” Alex felt a wave of guilt and sadness. “Both of you.” She swallowed and turned towards the door. “I’m sorry.”
Once she’d passed through the door again, Alex tried heading further down the hallway. She stopped in her tracks, feeling a sharp tug in her gut that wasn’t familiar. She took a step back and felt the pull ease. Taking a step forward again, Alex felt the pull increase to the slight pang she’d felt a moment before.
“Okay,” she sighed. Alex headed back towards the nursery. “Only seeing this because of my connection to the Iron Chain, so I guess I can’t stray far from it.” She paused and looked into the nursery suspiciously. “Or is it Arthur?”
She felt a flash of magic and straightened up with a sharp gasp. Around her, the world started to blur and this time Alex simply closed her eyes and waited. Magic washed over her, but she remained calm even as her stomach tightened as she wondered what she’d be shown next. Just the edge of her awareness she could feel the cold magic of the Iron Chain pulsing and reaching for her.
Except that she was right back in the same hallway a few moments later as the world shifted back into focus and the tug in her gut eased. Alex rubbed her stomach muscles uneasily as
she looked around. She recognized that while she hadn’t moved things had certainly changed. There was a series of photographs hanging on the wall that followed Arthur growing older, with the latest one being of a young elementary school boy. Staring at them, Alex was again struck by the reality that Arthur had been a child, a real child.
Swallowing, Alex shook her head and moved towards the stairs as she heard soft sounds below her. Thoughts about Arthur in a sympathetic light wouldn’t lead her anywhere good. This wasn’t some teen romance where love would redeem him or he’d switch sides. Alex felt stronger remembering that, but couldn’t ignore the pang she felt at the notion. This whole thing was messy and she was caught right in the middle of it.
The downstairs of the house provided a bit of distraction. There were large photos of Scáthbás in her human body with Arthur and a few of her alone. Alex sneered at the nearest one of Scáthbás looking a bit too sultry that was hanging near the front door and moved into the living room. Elegant parquet was teamed with fancy old looking tables and sofas that were oddly reminiscent of Morgana’s own decorating taste. Alex would never mention the similarity.