The Iron Hammer

by J. M. Briggs

  “How are the Dark Elves different?” Sif only half asked. She sounded as uncertain as him which allowed Thor to relax.

  “Indeed, what are Dark Elves at their core?” Thor asked with a frown. He stared into the dark tunnel beyond the ruins of a small house. Merlin and Morgana were still guarding the entrance, still as stones themselves. “Why do they do these things? They enslaved the Dvergrs to make them armor and weapons so they have that in common, but why come after Frea’s people?”

  “I’m not sure,” Sif admitted softly. “The Sídhe… they’ve long been enemies of this world. Long ago they started small raids to take humans into their realm. When the gates were made those trapped on this side scattered. Whatever happened to the Dark Elves has driven them onto another path.”

  “Yes, but Frea and her people are peaceful. From what Morgana and Merlin said their ancestors were not.”

  “Their ancestors were warriors, they were trained to be raiders,” Sif reminded him. “Perhaps their culture taught them not to view humans as real living things or taught them that they didn’t matter. I suppose anyone that disagreed with that never would have been given access to the tunnels.”

  “So only the worst came through,” Thor murmured, his frown deepening. “And their descendants didn’t have magic and just keep their heads down. I suppose that makes sense.”

  “You’re not convinced,” Sif said, smiling slightly. “And Baldr thinks you’re just a foolish warrior.”

  “I’ll try not to be offended by your brother’s view of me. We know the history of the Sídhe and on the surface, the Dark Elves aren’t so different…”

  “But their actions are different,” Sif agreed. “They seem to have some sort of lingering connection to Sídhean that Frea’s people lack.” Sif tugged at the end of the braid thoughtfully as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Thor watched her with a growing smile despite their topic of conversation. She looked so human and pretty. “What?” Sif asked him a moment later, frowning up at him with narrowed eyes. “What is it?”

  “Nothing… you just looked…” Thor shrugged weakly as a blush rose to his cheeks. “You just keep surprising me Sif.”

  Sif’s eyes widened in surprise and there was a slight smile on her face for a moment. Then she sighed regretfully. To Thor’s surprise, she stepped closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  “Why’d you have to be like this?”

  “Like what?”

  “Smarter than you look,” Sif teased wistfully.

  Acting on instinct, Thor wrapped his free arm around her waist. Sif was so warm beneath his hand, warmer than a human and he was once again reminded that Sif was something else. “I’d apologize if I understood the problem,” Thor said.

  “You’re human,” Sif whispered. “I’m not.”

  “I’m aware,” Thor said, tightening his hand around her waist.

  He looked down at her and admired her beautiful features though it was the gleam in her eyes that he admired most. Thor slowly brought a hand up to her cheek. It was warm beneath his hand and he had to inhale sharply. Sif’s eyes widened, but she leaned into his hand and brought her own hand up to his face. Her fingers brushed over his skin for a moment and the thoughtful expression returned to her face.

  “We’re a tragedy,” Sif murmured sadly.

  “We don’t have to be,” Thor protested, holding her tighter. “Can’t you let us try?”

  “You’ll grow old and resent me,” Sif argued weakly. She pulled his hand away from her cheek though she left his hand on her waist alone.

  “And I’ll be reborn, I’m the Iron Soul,” he reminded her. “I just keep returning in new lives. Maybe-”

  “Don’t,” Sif interrupted sharply. “Don’t promise me anything. You haven’t the right to bind your future lives to me.”

  He wanted to say something, but Sif’s words settled heavily on his shoulders. She gave him a sad and almost pitying look that he hated so he quickly looked back towards the tunnel. Morgana was watching them and he felt a flash of anger at her knowing expression like she knew exactly what Sif had just said. The knowledge that he’d had other lives hadn’t really bothered him before even though he disliked the idea of just being one in a long line.

  “I’m sorry,” Sif said. “I wasn’t trying-”

  “I know,” he interrupted quickly. He didn’t look at her. “I… I’m sorry too.” Sighing he scrambled for something else to say. “What do you want to do Sif? When this is over never see each other again?”

  She flinched and Thor had the bad feeling it was the wrong suggestion. Her eyes were sad, but she didn’t cry. He wondered if Old Ones even could cry.

  “No,” Sif sighed. “I suppose not.” She looked up at him and offered him a forced smile. “I’m… I’d like us to try Thor, but please be aware that we are different species. We can’t have children and you’ll age, but I won’t.”

  “I don’t think having children would be a good idea for me. The next threat that comes along could go after a human wife and children. Seems like a big risk.”

  “The Dark Elves may be the only threat in your lifetime.”

  “Maybe, but maybe not,” he countered as some of his confidence returned. Sif gave him a warning look and despite how much he wanted to kiss her, he settled for brushing his lips against her forehead. A soft sound escaped her, but she didn’t pull away. “You’re assuming that I’ll die years from now, but either of us could be destroyed.” Thor’s chest to tighten at the idea. “I mean-”

  A scream from outside the village cut him off and made them jump apart. His eyes searched outside and noted a faint glow reflecting off the snow. More shouts from beyond the village made Thor rush for the edge of the cliff with Sif on his heels. The rocks were slick from the snow, but the trail was worn enough they navigated their way beyond the rocks safely. A group of Sídhe was huddled together with a strange light spilling over them and the snow.

  Thor looked up only to gasp. Above their heads, a patch of dark night sky was shimmering and rippling. The stars vanished from sight before a strange jagged line of bright blue and purple appeared in the middle of the strange darkness. It swelled across the sky, blocking more stars from view. A strange hissing sound was wafting through the air like a torch had been thrown into the snow.

  “What is it?” Thor asked Sif in a low voice.

  “I’m not sure…” Sif whispered back with audible shock. He could feel her hand trembling in his before she seemed to recover herself. “It may be an opening into this world.”

  The lines of blue and purple were growing larger, their jagged edges more pronounced and reminding Thor of tearing fabric. All the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck were rising and his hand flew to grip Mjǫllnir on his belt on instinct. Drawing it forth, Thor held it out before him and pushed some magic into the metal. The soft pale blue glow stretched out around them, but the light was swallowed by the strange tear in the night sky.

  A dull hum began to fill the air and sent a shudder up Thor’s spine. His instinct was to cover his ears, but he stayed firm and kept Mjǫllnir at the ready. The Sídhe were quick to fall back and Thor heard one of them running off and shouting Frea’s name. Thor lifted Mjǫllnir higher. Lightning flashed into the air just as several large forms fell from the hole and crashed into the ground.

  The rippling light from the hole brightened and illuminated the lumps as they began to move. The first of the large creatures unfolded itself with a loud snarl. It was tall standing at least seven feet tall with pale blue skin and thick patches of white hair that resembled fur more than anything else. Wild dark blue eyes peered out from a misshapen humanoid face at them all. The other figures began to stand, looking much the same as the first and roared sending the Sídhe scattering. Thor eyed the large creatures, but they were completely unfamiliar to him. Its large form towered over him as it stood on two legs. Another form fell from the hole and another and another making Thor’s eyes widen in alarm as he lost count.


  “Uh greetings,” he shouted. “You’re in the Iron Realm. Can you understand me?” Thor could feel a tingle of magic running over his body and his tongue suddenly heated up painfully.

  “Jǫtnar!” the creature bellowed, exposing a double row of teeth.

  Thor paused in confusion, but then the creature reached up behind its shoulder and pulled something off of a heavy looking holster. It was a large hammer made of unfamiliar gleaming metal. Taking a step back, Thor exhaled and began to call forth more of his magic as the bad feeling shifted into outright alarm.

  It swung the hammer at him, once again shouting “Jǫtnar” with the others behind it taking up the battle cry. Thor grunted, rolling out of the way of the massive Jǫtnar hammer as it crashed into the ground. The beast growled at him and began to pull up its hammer. Jumping to his feet, Thor thrust Mjǫllnir into the air and pulled on the magic he could feel gathering in his stomach and the air. Overhead lightning flashed in the sky and the strange hole began to shimmer again.

  There were more of them crashing around in the shadows. Thor gathered his magic in his left hand and tossed an orb of bright blue light into the distance. At least ten more of the Jǫtnar looked at him sharply. Their eyes caught the light and reflected it in animalistic eyes. A few spun away and began to run while others roared and adding to the echoing mess of noise.

  Silver magic lashed out to this right and wrapped around one of the creatures. Thor noted that the creatures were wearing rough metal plates strapped together. He could just make out strange designs engraved on the plates. The craftsmanship hinted at intelligence, but the eyes that met his were wild as another swung at him. Thor pushed Mjǫllnir forward and sent a wave of magic rushing into the metal. It lit up like the sun and lightning arced off the metal towards the Jǫtnar. It tried to dodge, but the lightning caught its body and illuminated the area.

  One of Odin’s foot soldiers rushed past him and struck at the leg of the nearest Jǫtnar, hitting a patch of blue skin on its leg with his sword. A blended snarl and scream echoed against the rocks and it swung a large hand at the Old One, batting it away like a fly. Risking a glance over his shoulder, Thor saw Odin raise his spear and send a shimmering wave of gold rippling through the air.

  The attack signaled the onslaught of chaos. Jǫtnar charged at him and he lost sight of Sif. Beneath him, the ground rumbled. Rocks jutted out of the ground silver bolts blasted the creatures down. As one descended on him, Thor swung Mjǫllnir and felt bones crunch in the creature’s leg. Thor brought the hammer down on the creature’s head as it crumbled. The Jǫtnar shimmered and vanished into pale dust.

  More were coming forth and his eyes jumped up to the strange hole. The violet color was pulsing and the dark blue color was fading away. He had no idea what that meant, but it was bad. A strand of his bleached hair fell into his face and Thor grunted in irritation. The spark in his gut grew stronger. It was vibrating against his rib cage as the power pushed up through his arms. Mjǫllnir’s metal surface sparked and overhead the sky brightened with lightning. Thor raised the hammer towards the sky and pulled on his magic and the power he could feel echoing from the sky into Mjǫllnir.

  “Get back!” he shouted to the others.

  In the corner of his eye, he saw the smaller figures of his allies falling back. Lightning blasted down and struck Mjǫllnir, sending a thrum of power through Thor’s body. He smirked as the nearest Jǫtnar roared and began to run towards him. The ground trembled under the force of the massive creature’s movements, but Thor stayed in place. He swung Mjǫllnir down and sent a bolt of lightning flashing forward. The Jǫtnar roared as the world burst into light and the arcing bolt struck it in the chest. The roar turned into a pitiful cry, the Jǫtnar’s body convulsed and fell to the ground. Lightning kept flashing, jumping from Jǫtnar to Jǫtnar. Around them, the bodies vanished in flecks of white dust that the wind carried away like snow.

  For a moment Thor was disorientated. His senses were all enhanced, but it was overwhelming. He was overheated, but there was a pleasant thrum throughout his whole body. Strength raged through him and a feeling of utter invincibility coiled around his bones.

  Then another Jǫtnar came charging out of the darkness. Thor’s eyes settled on it and the world snapped back into proper focus. He brought Mjǫllnir up in front of his chest and braced himself. Odin shouted something that Thor couldn’t hear over the pounding of blood in his ears. Around them the wind was billowing, creating waves of snow in the air that threatened to blind him. The Jǫtnar swung at him with its hand. Thor smashed Mjǫllnir into its large palm sending a rush of magic through the metal. It cried out and collapsed backward, but didn’t vanish. Thor’s leg’s trembled, but he rallied and brought Mjǫllnir down once again. The Jǫtnar tried to roll away, but Thor caught it in the back. There was a crack that made his own muscles flinch and a pitiful cry as the body vanished. Beyond him, he could hear crashing in the trees as the surviving beasts fled into the darkness.

  “What were those?” Thor asked Sif as she rushed up to him. “You alright?”

  “I’m fine,” Sif assured him. “And I’m not sure. I’ve never seen creatures like that.”

  “The Dark Elves must have done something.” Thor raised his eyes to the strange rip in the night sky overhead. “They fell into our world just like the Dvergrs.”

  “Then more could be coming or something even worse could happen,” Sif said, sounding out of breath as she lingered at his side.

  “What do we do about this?” Thor asked as he gestured at the hole. “We need to stop it before anything else comes through. Between the Sídhe, your people, the Dark Elves and Dvergrs we have enough different peoples trying to survive in one area.” He turned and looked into the group of allies until he found the smaller Dvergrs pushing their way to the front. “Brokkr any ideas?”

  “Don’t know,” Brokkr answered gruffly. “The hole behind us closed up after a bit. We were trying to reach it and debating if it was safe to go through when the Dark Elves found us.”

  Adjusting Mjǫllnir in his hand, Thor eyed the distortion with a deep frown. It was almost like he could smell something slipping into his world that didn’t belong there. He hated it and flexed his fingers around the handle of Mjǫllnir.

  “Thor?” Sif asked.

  “Even Mjǫllnir doesn’t like it,” Thor tried to joke, but it fell flat. “It isn’t closing like the last one. It must be stronger…”

  “Or go further in the Tree of Reality,” Sif suggested. She brushed a strand of golden hair out of her face and for a moment Thor admired the way the strange lights illuminated her face.

  “Their connection is too strong, we need to break it somehow,” Thor said. “But how?”

  Mjǫllnir’s steady hum and the sound of thunder rumbling overhead drew Thor’s eyes up to the sky. A raindrop hit his cheek as it began to rain. Lightning flashed and an idea hit him. A quiver of excitement raced through his body and he gestured for Sif to get back.

  “Thor?”

  He didn’t know what to say or how to explain. All he knew was he needed to act fast before the idea deserted him. Thor raised Mjǫllnir towards the sky and closed his eyes. Breathing deeply, he dug his toes into the ground beneath them. A cold wind raced across his hand and the rain began to turn to snow. Beneath his feet, the steady pulse of the Earth was speeding up. Magic was flowing up his legs making them lock in place and tremble all at once. It was too much and yet he kept pulling. A vicious crack in the sky made his eyes open.

  Snowflakes were gathering in his hair and beard as a bolt of lightning flashed down and struck Mjǫllnir. The hammer glowed the brilliant blue of his magic as he pushed the gathered magic from the Earth into the metal. Small bolts arced off of the surface and the triskelion symbol lit up like the sun. Thor pushed Mjǫllnir towards the lights. Lightning erupted from the hammer but formed a solid beam of light and magic. There was resistance. Air was forced from his lungs. Magic washed over the rip and the strange lines of blue and purple
flashed through a rainbow of colors.

  He could feel the resistance fading. The magic coursed easier. Then with a snap that echoed in his bones, the resistance was gone. Surprised, Thor pulled back on the magic and stumbled. He sucked in a greedy breath, suddenly feeling the pain in his chest. Around him, he heard low voices and someone caught his arm.

  “Thor?” Sif’s voice called to him.

  Thor opened his eyes, not sure when he’d closed them. He met Sif’s gaze before turning his head towards the tear. Thor watched silently as the hole in the sky shimmered once more, but this time his lightning danced over it. He grimaced and grit his teeth as they all waited. Then it rippled like fabric in the wind and the wound began to seal as a wave of gasps went through the gathered crowd. The light dimmed and the colors faded into the blackness of the night sky with only the tiny pinpricks of the stars left overhead.

  “Well that’s gone at least,” Odin said with visible relief on his features. His eyes moved over to Thor for a moment before looking out into the darkness. “But several of those creatures escaped.”