by J. M. Briggs
“Affected, yes,” Timothy confirmed, tilting his head and scratching it thoughtfully. “I felt a great weight pressing down on me, but then it flowed off of me.”
“I asked the spell not to harm the freed.” Alex picked up the mug of hot chocolate, cupping it in her hands. “I didn’t want to hurt them.”
“Interesting.” Merlin shifted in the chair, still looking exhausted with his wrinkles much more prominent than before. “You were able to control the effect of the magic far more than I thought possible.”
“Well, Alex was also channeling more magic than I’ve ever seen one person wield in centuries,” Morgana said. There was a proud little smile on her face.
“There was a lot of magic in the air,” Alex groaned, rubbing at her temples. “At least I was able to break the connection between the Iron Chain and the faeries nearby.”
“The Iron Chain?” Merlin asked gently. “What did you learn?”
“That I have a previous life who was a slave ship captain.” Alex gave Merlin a dark look as she slouched back. “I’m not sure how, but he slowly enchanted one of the chains in the hold to… control people. The eyes of those slaves were so vacant... Thing is, I don’t think he even knew about the magic, not really.”
No one said anything, and Jenny moved over to sit next to Alex on the sofa, reaching over to take her hand. She caught Lance’s eye from where he was still sitting by the window with a dark expression.
“I’m sorry Alex.” Morgana placed her hands on Alex’s shoulder, standing protectively behind her. “That’s… an unpleasant thing to learn.”
“Yeah,” Alex whispered. Jenny squeezed her hand. “Anyway, the Iron Chain seems to have the power to bind things together or bind a being to whoever controls it. I’m not sure how the Queen found it or is able to use it, but that’s how she put Medraut’s soul into Arthur. She had this piece of iron, probably from the Iron Gate they were stuck in and used the chain to bind his… soul, I guess, into her pregnant body.”
A small sound of horror escaped almost everyone in the room, but Jenny bit her lip and stayed silent as Alex’s grip on her hand tightened. Jenny felt a twinge of pity for Arthur that she hadn’t been expecting and wondered just what else Alex had seen in those visions of hers. Alex seemed calm enough, but Jenny didn’t believe the act. She remembered all too well the problems with learning that you’d committed a great wrong in another life.
“Her ability to use it may sadly be based on the fact she was caught in the magic of the Iron Gate,” Merlin theorized in a dark tone. “She would have been… surrounded in a way by the Iron Soul’s magic.”
“Wonderful,” Morgana all but growled with a strange tone in her voice. Merlin gave her a sympathetic look and Jenny guessed there was a bit more to it than she knew. “But Arthur also needed Alex’s blood, so perhaps her ability to use the Iron Chain is limited. After all, Arthur only handled Cathanáil once Alex’s blood was on it.”
“The character of the item itself may also have some impact,” Merlin added thoughtfully. “Based on Alex’s vision we can assume that… well, the life in question didn’t value the lives of those in the Iron Realm. Perhaps that makes it easier for them to use the magic.” He looked towards Alex with sad eyes.
“Anyway,” Alex said. “The Iron Chain is the source of the Queen’s control over the faeries. Maybe she is using my blood to achieve an effect of this scale, after all, she’d had the Iron Chain for years and only just did this. More importantly, what do we do now?”
“I assume you looked at the flow of magic when you were freeing the faeries?” Merlin looked with a hint of worry down at Timothy who, Jenny noted, was gazing up at Alex with a star-struck expression.
“I did, but it stretched far off into the distance. I don’t think I could affect it.”
“Maybe not,” Merlin said. “Was there anything else?”
“Arthur and probably the Queen are half-Sídhe like the pair of you,” Alex added. “Uh she used the flesh of a… well she used the Iron Chain to combine Arthur as a baby with… you know. I didn’t see her do it to herself, but she remarked that Arthur was a test run for her.”
“That fits Scáthbás,” Morgana muttered darkly from her place behind Alex.
“Beyond that… uh, bits of Arthur’s childhood. The power of the Iron Chain in him is what connected us. When we first met it was my own magic that I was sensing,” Alex explained with a slight quiver in her voice. “There were… other things too.”
The way Alex said that told Jenny a lot. Unbidden her thoughts turned back to some of the strange things she’d seen and heard around Arthur’s home. She remembered the way his mother Elaine had looked at her the first time they met and shuddered. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but the feeling in her gut didn’t think so.
“But that isn’t the issue.” Alex straightened up and raised her chin. To Jenny, she just looked tired and uneasy, but the rest of the room seemed ready to at least pretend. “How can we break the connection between the Iron Chain and the faeries? Better yet, how can we break the connection between Scáthbás and the Iron Soul’s power? They’ll run out of my blood eventually, but they might be able to get more.”
“A fair point.” Merlin looked past Alex to Morgana. Jenny glanced back in time to see Morgana nod in agreement. “Thor’s hammer may be our best option. It was a tool for not only creation but destruction as well.” He smiled a little; a look that Jenny was learning meant that he was remembering something from his long past. “And the Hammer did prove capable of breaking unusual magical connections.”
“How do we get it?” Aiden asked. He was starting to look excited. “Is this going to be another fetch quest? I’m still irritated that I missed the last one.”
“No,” Merlin chuckled. “I know where the hammer is. My TAs can finish midterm testing for me and I’ll leave at once.” He gave Alex a soft smile and stood up, moving over to Alex. He put his hand on her head and Alex almost melted at the gesture. “The spring equinox is fast approaching. I’ll bring you the Hammer, Alex. We’ll help you gather enough magic to break this terrible connection Scáthbás has created.”
The mages nodded and Alex sank back into the sofa with an audible sigh of relief. Alex’s grip on her hand loosened and Jenny gave her a reassuring smile.
35
What Will Come
Midterm week was always an odd beast at Ravenslake University, well probably any university Alex amended as she looked towards the University Commons from her place on the lawn. The sun was shining overhead and it was truly feeling like spring with only the mildest hint of a chill in the air. Despite it being only Tuesday of midterm week, the population of the campus was already beginning to drop as professors had exams early or students turned in midterm papers before the deadline. Everyone was in a hurry to escape for their week of vacation, yet Alex had no set plans and a sense of dread that she couldn’t shake to look forward to.
Professor Yates had already vanished and his TA had apologized for his absence, saying it was a family emergency via an email. Alex wondered if using that as an excuse ever bothered Merlin as he had no family anymore. Though she supposed leaving before midterm to retrieve an ancient magical hammer might not sit well with the administration, even if he did have tenure.
Alex’s hands shook slightly as she raised her sandwich to her mouth and took a bite. The flavor was muted and bland, but Alex wasn’t sure if that was the sandwich or her. Inhaling slowly, she closed her eyes for a moment only to flinch as the hold of the slave ship flashed before her eyes. Their hopeless vacant eyes meeting her own as the Iron Chain glowed softly, binding them all to Captain Cuthbert Allard.
If she looked him up would she find anything? Alex wasn’t certain. She certainly viewed him as the worst imaginable sort of person; slowly and maybe unknowingly using the gift of his magic to bend those around him to his will. But to history, he was probably just another ship captain, one that may have had lower incidents of mutiny or killing of s
laves on his ship. Alex shivered: she couldn’t stand the idea that he might have been recorded as a fair captain. Magic may have been at low levels then, but with so many beings from Avalyens like Cyrridven and Chernobog living here there was always some, and his single-mindedness had slowly enchanted a terrible object.
Alex looked down at her tablet, reminding herself that her midterm was only an hour away. It was her last one, but she still needed to be able to write an essay on some question about the Bible. With Professor Yates gone she wouldn’t even have the benefit of Merlin grading it, so she needed to focus. She should be reviewing her notes.
The sound of grass crunching behind her made Alex tense up, and she slid her hand into her messenger bag. As her fingers closed around the hilt of her dagger, Alex both realized what she was doing and heard Nicki laugh at something. Looking over her shoulder, she relaxed slightly as Nicki, Aiden, Bran, Lance, and Jenny all walked up. Nicki looked calm and was smiling, while Aiden had a small smile on his face. Lance was stoic as always, but Jenny and Bran were both looking at her in concern.
They all sat down around her and Alex barely held back a sigh, bracing herself for the conversation they would try to start, again. She got it; they were worried and she’d been rather anti-social since leaving Merlin’s house. They were her friends and they were worried, and she did appreciate that, but couldn’t they understand the concept of distance? Unless Morgana had told them to keep an eye on her, which wouldn’t surprise her.
“How are your midterms going?” Jenny asked. The girl gently offered her a warm smile. “Anything major?”
“No surprises so far,” Alex replied. She raised an eyebrow, looking at the group expectantly. “But that’s not why you all came over together.”
“So what will happen now?” Lance questioned as he shifted on the grass, leaning back a bit. Alex almost smiled when she noted Jenny sitting down next to Lance and her body shifting towards his. “Are you all just going to wait for Merlin to come back?”
“Yeah.” Nicki shrugged casually, but there was a shadow of uncertainty on her face. “This mage thing has two basic speeds: look out they’re trying to kill us and waiting.”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Bran chuckled a little bit. “But I see your point.” They were silent for a moment before Bran caught her eye. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” Alex answered shortly. Looking down at her sandwich, Alex picked it up and took another large bite.
“Okay,” Bran agreed with a nod. “But if you need us we’re here.”
They were all quiet again as Alex nodded and chewed her sandwich. She hated that the conversation seemed to be requiring her input. Jenny toyed with some grass and Nicki shared a look with Aiden. Only Bran and Lance seemed truly comfortable with the silence, but Alex couldn’t take it.
“Anyone have plans for spring break?” Alex asked, not wanting to talk about magic or give too much attention to the sympathetic looks she was receiving.
“No.” Bran gave her an odd look. “Didn’t seem wise to leave Ravenslake given the circumstances.”
“Jenny? Lance?” Alex looked at them hopefully.
Jenny was frowning slightly and watching her with a thoughtful expression. Alex really didn’t feel comfortable with the way her gaze was settled on her. Jenny shrugged and tugged up the blade of grass between her fingers. Shifting on the grass, Alex rolled her shoulders as she began to feel restless herself.
“I’m staying,” Jenny replied. “Just wasn’t sure what would happen, and in a weird way this feels like the safest place to be.”
“That’s understandable.” Nicki gave a small reassuring smile to Jenny. “You haven’t distanced yourself from us and Arthur’s probably more than a little angry at the moment.”
You had to love Nicki’s willingness to say what they were all thinking. Or not, based on the grimace Jenny made. Lance shifted a bit closer to her and put a hand over hers for a moment. There was an almost audible sigh of relief from the whole group and Alex smiled a little at the reminder she hadn’t been the only one hoping they’d work it out.
“So anyone have ideas on what to do with Timothy?” Aiden lay back in the grass, kicking at the grass a bit. “He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”
“Weren’t you the one who wanted a Brownie?” Alex teased, feeling her lips curve up in a real smile. “I seem to recall a conversation along that train of thought.”
“Well I wouldn’t recommend bringing him to a dorm,” Aiden answered with a chuckle. “And while my mother may be Irish I don’t think she’d really take well to having a Brownie in the house.”
“And Gran would never go for it,” Nicki offered with a grin. “But we do need to talk about what to do next year,” Nicki reminded them all with a more serious expression. “Summer will be here any day now and we need to have housing figured out.”
“We were talking about getting a house together,” Bran informed Lance and Jenny helpfully. “Just to keep us away from the other students.”
“Given that I was attacked in my dorm that’s a good idea,” Alex muttered. “Timothy didn’t seem bothered by the iron around the window or the iron at Merlin’s house.”
“After three thousand years it makes sense that some of them would be resistant,” Aiden pointed. He didn’t look happy about the idea. “At least until you draw blood.”
“Balls of sunshine,” Jenny murmured in a low voice. “Are all your conversations like this?”
“No,” Nicki assured her with a smile. “On our good days, there are a lot of Monty Python references.”
“A house might be a good idea,” Alex said, getting the conversation back on track. “And Timothy could come and stay there with us if he wants to.”
“You’d trust him that close?” Lance gave her a slightly worried inquisitive look. “After what happened?”
“If Merlin and Morgana are right then on the Spring Equinox I’ll be able to break the power of the Iron Chain, at least for a time. Timothy didn’t want to do any of that. It was the Queen and the Iron Chain. It’s power…” Alex trailed off as she began to feel chilled and the memory of those blank eyes settled on her shoulders again. A wave of guilt that was her own for actions that were not rushed over her and she had no idea how to process it. “Anyway, we should take a look at what’s available when spring break is over.”
“Ideally we’re looking at six rooms,” Bran reminded her. “Might not be easy to find.”
“We’ll have the help of Morgana and Merlin,” Aiden said. “Honestly it wouldn’t surprise me if they outright bought a house near one of theirs.”
“That would be rational,” Nicki agreed. “But like Alex said, we’ll have that conversation after break is over and Merlin returns.” Nicki turned her attention back to Alex. “So if we’re all staying together for break, is there anything special you want to do?”
“Not really,” Alex answered with a shrug. “Not in town anyway.”
“Okay then, let’s say we don’t have to worry about staying in Ravenslake? What would you like to do then?” Nicki pressed, leaning towards her slightly.
Alex paused at the direct question and even more so when she realized that everyone was watching her and waiting for an answer. “I guess… well, I want to try and do the blood spell in Spokane,” Alex replied slowly before her mood began to brighten. “If you went with me and used your magic then I could make it my own and hopefully cover the whole area with one spell!”
Judging from the looks she was receiving no one was surprised by the answer. Alex had to admit to herself that given the attack it made sense that she’d be worried about her family. Arthur was twisted. While she felt a flicker of pity for him, for the forced reincarnation that had then been altered and raised by a monster, she couldn’t ignore what he’d done. Morgana had been fused to a Changeling and raised by the Sídhe, but she had sided with her own realm in the end. Arthur- Medraut, whatever and whoever he was, didn’t seem conflicte
d at all, and Alex couldn’t shake a sense of dread.
“Alright then!” Nicki grinned with a look of slight relief. “Road trip to Alex’s hometown to protect it!”
“And we’ll stop in Lance and Bran’s towns too,” Alex added quickly. She pulled herself from her thoughts. “See if we can’t get some other areas protected.”
“Thank you,” Lance told her with a slight slump of relief. “It’ll be easier knowing that they’re safe.”
“Remind me to get you all tickets to California sometime soon,” Jenny added with a small tight smile. Alex could see the tension in her shoulders and felt a surge of sympathy for Jenny whom Arthur knew far too much about. “Lest Arthur decide that he likes the idea of returning there.”
“Okay.” Alex made a reminder to herself that they’d also need to protect her brother Matt’s home too. “We have a plan. My last test is in an hour. I’ve got all my papers in otherwise. What are your schedules?”