by J. M. Briggs
“They’re stone.” Merlin laughed as he tapped the first of the remaining two figures. The old mage’s brown eyes were bright with amusement and astonishment. “Remarkable.”
“Oh, marvelous!” Morgana said, stepping forward to study them.
Then with a small smile, she shoved the third statue over and watched it strike the mountainside. Thor grimaced as the statue collided with the stone and a large section of the head crumbled away. There was no blood or brain matter, however, only a pile of stone fragments. The Dvergr rushed past him and before Thor could say or do anything the other two statues were harshly knocked against each other. They both cracked a little and the small Dvergr knocked them together again while Morgana laughed. With a third smacking, the two stone figures began to crumble with bits of them falling into the cave entrance.
“Apparently even once they… adapt to the changes the crossing made, they still have some interesting weaknesses.” Merlin reached down and collected a piece of the rubble. He sniffed at the rock and turned it over in his hand thoughtfully. “Do you suppose that they are aware of it?”
“Possibly.” Morgana frowned and looked down into the entrance. “We weren’t followed by many. Could be just the young and stupid ones that came after us.”
“Well, they come out at night,” Merlin agreed softly with a nod.
“They can see in the dark,” the Dvergr grumbled, crossing his arms. “They only have light so we can work.”
“Ah yes, our guest,” Merlin breathed as he turned back to the Dvergr. “I apologize for the rudeness, but I am unfamiliar with your… kind.”
“And where you come from,” Morgana asked sharply. “And how you got to the Iron Realm!”
“I am Brokkr, I am a Dvergr,” Brokkr replied with a touch of impatience. Then he sighed and his shoulders drooped as he glanced towards the tunnel. “I am a long way from home. My brother and our friends were traveling when this…. hole opened in front of us. We fell in while looking at it and found ourselves not far from here. Those things captured us and brought us here.”
“To what end?”
“We are craftsmen.” Brokkr sounded insulted by the question. “This lot needed help and enslaved us to make them weapons and whatever else they need.”
“That explains the weapons.” Morgana sighed, rubbing her eyes. “We were curious as to how they were managing that.”
“Well they are shoddy work,” Brokkr grumbled. “Bad metal and worse forge.”
A roll of thunder overhead interrupted the odd conversation and Thor looked up into the sky. The section of the sky that had been clear was quickly shrinking and the smell of lightning was growing stronger. Giving Merlin a look, Thor could tell that the older mage was conflicted. Morgana was eyeing the entrance and Thor wondered just how bloodthirsty she really was because she looked half ready to go back down there.
“Thor, would Brokkr’s presence in your village be a problem?” Merlin was looking straight at him now with a mixed expression of worry and excitement that made Thor uneasy.
Blinking in surprise, Thor looked back at the small being. In the better light, he could see the elegant detail work on Brokkr’s heavy hide vest. There were small tools on his belt and the Dvergr was looking at him with equal curiosity.
“I’m not sure,” Thor replied honestly. “None of us have ever seen anything like him.” He shrugged weakly. “I suppose we can try. With everything that has been happening I don’t think anyone will try to hurt me.”
“And what of my fellows?” Brokkr demanded with darkening eyes. “Do you mean to free them?”
“We can’t have them making arms for the Dark Elves,” Merlin assured Brokkr, but Thor noted that he didn’t really answer the question. “What we know about them has changed. We need to meet with our allies and decide our next course of action.”
“The fact that the Dark Elves are either capable of opening portals or that the magic of the Iron Realm has been so badly affected by the Sídhe forcing themselves through the barrier that it is causing portals is certainly a worrying development,” Morgana said.
“Do you know where your world is on the Tree of Reality?” Merlin asked Brokkr, only to get a blank look in response.
“Tree of what?” Brokkr had a doubtful look on his face.
Thor felt a bit better that he wasn’t the only being who was lost around Merlin and Morgana. Another roll of thunder made Merlin look up sharply at the clouds with a deep frown.
“We need to return to the village,” Merlin said. “I fear that the Dark Elves may attack tonight. They caught us spying, we killed several and the four that followed us and a prisoner are missing.” Merlin hummed thoughtfully. “The problem is that we don’t know if they have other entrances in the area so trapping them and killing them off here isn’t the solution.”
Thor tensed at the words and looked towards Morgana, hoping that she might say something to the contrary. Instead, she nodded in agreement and gestured towards the path leading away from the cavern. Turning towards Merlin, Thor licked his lips and struggled for something to say. He didn’t want to go back into the cave, but those creatures couldn’t come to his village again. There had to be something that they could do.
Merlin met his gaze and without a word turned back to the cave opening. Green magic flared around his hands and he pushed a cloud of the green sparks towards the mountain. The ground shifted beneath his feet and Thor sucked in a panicked breath until he saw that the mountain was remaining intact. Instead, a mass of earth rose up and covered the entrance as if it was dripping mud only to solidify a moment later.
“That won’t hold them back long,” Merlin said. He leaned on his staff as he began to sway. “But it will buy us a little time and may change their minds about an attack. And it won’t harm the prisoners.”
Brokkr nodded his understanding and relaxed slightly while Thor felt even tenser than before. Glancing towards Morgana, he turned on his heel and began walking down the path. There was an urge to stay and guard the entrance battling against the desire to return and protect his home. He glanced back at the now sealed cavern and another shudder ran down his spine, but at least the others were now following him back towards his home.
31
Waking the Mage
The darkness was welcome. Alex sighed in relief as she floated in the sea of magic. She could now feel it pulsing around her, dragging her towards something else. As long as she didn’t have to watch her ex-boyfriend who stabbed her make out with his mother. The thought sent a shudder through her body as the world began to reform.
Magic swam over her skin and this time she found herself in a dark wooded area, unable to make out anything for several long moments. Around her, Alex could hear thick breathing and the small sounds of giggling. She could smell the evergreens and hear the wind rushing through the branches, and for a moment she was lost. There was a flicker of magic brushing over her skin that she couldn’t identify.
“Quiet,” a deep and familiar voice ordered.
Alex’s eyes finally adjusted and she moved towards the sounds. Her feet were silent as she stumbled down the dark hillside and passed through the fallen branches with a growing sense of dread. Up ahead she could see artificial lights and something was nagging at her, a tugging feeling that was much stronger than before. The sounds of things moving in the underbrush were growing louder and she was closer to the light. As she passed through a low hanging branch, half ducking to avoid it before remembering that she didn’t need to worry, Alex caught sight of a human ahead.
It was Arthur: much changed since she had lost seen him. His blonde hair was longer than before, swept back from his face and damp from the rain. His lips were curled into a sneer as he eyed the assembled faery creatures. Forcing her gaze away from her, Alex looked at the large group of gathered faeries with confusion. Overhead as she heard the rumbling of a storm. There were dozens of them, some small and hidden in the shadows and others that were full human sized Sídhe descendants.
All of them had dead looking eyes, and Alex’s stomach turned in understanding of what had put it there.
Turning back towards Arthur, Alex gasped as lightning flashed overhead and illuminated his face making his blue eyes glow dangerously. They were colder than she remembered; no longer masked beneath a veneer of compassion and concern. But worse was when she looked beyond him and spotted Merlin’s house. In front of the well-lit, one story light green house were familiar cars, and she caught sight of Jenny walking past the window.
For a moment Alex’s mind was completely frozen. Arthur was back in Ravenslake. If this was a vision of the present then he was right outside the house with faeries ready to attack. Faeries bound by the same Iron Chain that had created him. Bile rushed into her mouth and Alex fought back a full body shudder.
The sounds of more creatures moving made Alex turn around. Several dark creatures that walked like dogs were moving towards Arthur. They reminded Alex of Chernobog’s Shadows: the shapes were fuzzy and the faces kept blurring as if they were trying to slip out of view. Alex wondered for only a moment if that was the power of the Iron Chain or something else before the full reality of what was happening sank in.
Rushing past Arthur and down the hill, Alex felt a tug in her gut, but it wasn’t pulling her back towards Arthur: it was instead leading her into the house. She passed through the door and spared only a glance towards Jenny and Lance who were talking quietly in the living room, completely unaware that enemy forces were gathering outside. The pull of magic was becoming stronger and Alex tried to yell at Merlin who was seated in one of the armchairs, but there was no response.
The pull of the magic was getting stronger and Alex felt it dancing over her skin. She sucked in a sharp breath as she realized that it was pulling her towards her body and ran down the hallway, almost walking through Aiden and Nicki in her haste. Morgana was lingering by the door of the guest room like a sentry and the room was dark except for the light of the bedside lamp.
Her body was lying on the bed, motionless with closed eyes. Bran was half asleep leaning on the bed with his back twisted in what looked like a painful position. Alex was stunned for a moment, but only for a moment. Without considering how this magic was working or what she should do, Alex followed the tug right up to the end of the bed. Reaching out towards her own body, Alex felt another jolt of magic as her fingers connected with her hand.
There was a spark and her vision went white. Air rushed into her lungs as if she’d been holding her breath and Alex felt the crush of aching muscles as her magic tingled up and down her limbs. There was a soft hum of Bran’s magic against her right hand as Alex fought back the fog that was trying to roll in over her mind.
“Arthur!” Alex’s eyes snapped open, leaving her looking at the plain white ceiling of Merlin’s guest bedroom.
“What?” Bran’s groggy voice asked next to her.
She turned her head to find her friend sitting up in his chair and blinking rapidly as Morgana came rushing into the room.
“Alex!” Morgana smiled in relief. “You’re awake! You’ve been asleep for-”
“Arthur’s in Ravenslake!” Alex began to sit up as her heart raced. “He’s just up the hill!”
Her stomach ached and her muscles protested the sudden change in position after who knew how long. Bran stood up and pushed back his chair as both his and Morgana’s eyes narrowed on her. Swinging her legs off the bed, Alex carefully put her weight on them and started to stand.
“Arthur is in Ravenslake,” Alex repeated. “Coming down from the hill; he’s just outside the house!” Alex insisted as she stumbled towards the doorway. “There’s a bunch of faeries with him. They’re going to attack!”
She stumbled into a wall but kept moving. At the edge of her senses, Alex could feel something beyond the walls of the house. It was like smelling a lingering scent or tasting something in the air; absolutely there, but just beyond her understanding. Someone grabbed her arm, but Alex shook them off as Nicki and Aiden came moving up to her. Nicki tried to take her arm, but Alex shook her head.
“Arthur is here!” Alex struggled to catch her breath. “He’s got faeries outside, lots of them!”
Seeing worry and confusion take over Nicki’s face, Alex pushed past her into the main room. Her legs were feeling stronger as the muscles stretched out and Alex ran to a window. The others were gathering around her and Alex shuddered at the sense of being surrounded.
“Alex.” Merlin put a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down and then tell us what is happening.”
“There isn’t time!” Alex shook her head. “There isn’t time to go into all the details, but I connected with the source of the magic controlling all the faeries. It’s connected to Arthur too and showed me how he was created and then showed me that he is outside. They were all gathered up; they haven’t spread out yet.”
“Okay.” Merlin nodded and Alex blinked at him in surprise. She’d really been expecting more of an argument than that. “They haven’t started their attack yet, so let’s be smart about this. Everyone get your shoes and coats on.”
“Nicki and Aiden should go out the back and try to flank them once they rush the house,” Morgana suggested. “Jenny and Lance stay inside the house. Bran should support from the porch and Merlin and I will stay near Alex.” Morgana looked her over with barely veiled concern.
“I’m fine,” Alex insisted. “Really. I have to fight him.”
She couldn’t elaborate on that and thankfully no one asked her to. Vaguely aware that her palms were becoming sweaty, it took her a moment to realize that she didn’t have her own shoes on and Alex was beginning to look around just as Bran held out the pair of tennis shoes.
“You okay?” Alex accepted them and used the wall as support as she pulled them on. “I didn’t hurt you?”
“A bit tired,” Bran admitted lowly. “But I’ll make it. You?”
“Yeah,” Alex replied automatically before she shook her head. “No, I’m not sure. I’ve got some serious issues to sort through later.”
“The dream?”
“I didn’t like what I saw to put it lightly.” Alex pulled a hair tie from her jeans pocket and pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail. “But this first.”
She moved towards the door, softening her steps as if Arthur was right outside. A wave of fear rolled down her spine, but Alex picked up her coat as calmly as she could. In the corner of her eye, Alex saw Merlin pulling several sheathed swords out of a cabinet. He handed one to Lance and then a smaller one to Jenny, speaking with them in a voice too low for her to hear.
Merlin was holding a tall wooden staff that Alex vaguely remembered seeing before with symbols carved into it. Something nagged at her memory, but Alex shoved it away unwilling to be distracted. The sounds of giggling suddenly exploded outside, and Alex knew Arthur was ready for the attack. No one looked surprised or startled, and Nicki and Aiden suddenly rushed towards the back door through Merlin’s kitchen.
Pulling on her magic, Alex formed a small dark silver orb in her right hand just as Morgana pulled open the front door. She didn’t look first. Alex threw the orb forward and it blasted into the chest of a Redcap holding a long jagged knife. It screamed and began to dissolve. Another creature began to jump forward, but a flash of silvery magic from Morgana flung it back. A stream of green magic flooded out the door beside Alex and expanded into a field, pushing faeries off the porch and further from the house.
Small explosions echoed through the air and Alex’s eyes widened as Bran tackled her to the ground. A nearby window shattered and she could hear glass falling. Alex could hear shattering wood, metal, and glass cracking in a cacophony of destructive noise. Risking a look up, Alex spotted a silvery bubble of magic around them. Merlin was by the door with a swirling fog of green magic around him and sparks spinning around his staff. His features were dark and angry, sending a shiver down Alex’s spine.
Around them, parts of the front door were scattered on the ground in chunks
of wood and fallen glass. Alex couldn’t see Morgana, but as the clicking sounds of the firearms being reloaded outside echoed into the house, Merlin’s eyes almost glowed with rage. There was a moment of stillness and then the small army outside opened fire once more. Green magic flared around them and burst into the darkness beyond the doorway sending light pouring in through the broken windows. Shifting forward, Alex gasped softly as bullets slowed down in the air and were slowly crushed in the field of magic.
“You should know better than that boy!” Merlin shouted into the darkness. His hand glowed and the symbols on the staff flashed.