The Iron Hammer

by J. M. Briggs

  “Let’s hope that they will calm down now,” Sif said, touching her father’s arm gently. “Perhaps they were just in a panic. They attacked rather viciously after falling through the portal.”

  “Maybe, my lady.” Brokkr shifted over by Thor and shook his head. “But I doubt it.”

  Thor rather doubted it too, but the ground beneath them suddenly began to tremble. Turning quickly he looked up the hill towards Merlin. The older mage was looking back towards Sif’s village and the abandoned tunnel entrance. A white mist of magical sparks appeared high in the air above them, spreading through the sky like a blanket of glittering stars. It was beautiful, but terrifying to Thor as his own magic began to flare in his limbs and chest. His whole body ached, but his instincts spurred him to action.

  “Come on!” Morgana shouted. “Gawking won’t do any good.”

  They began to retrace their steps up the slope. Above them, the points of light began to gather together, spinning into a thin pillar that grew higher and higher into the dark sky. Thor paused and looked up at it in time to see beams of light growing out of the main pillar and stretching out into the night sky. It was a tree, he realized with a start. The branches were stretching out across the night sky and fading into stars. Thor was frozen in place, his magic humming almost painfully in response. Certain points on the tree were gleaming and shining brighter than all the rest as the branches extended out all around them.

  “They’ve-” Morgana gasped next to him. “But what-”

  “It’s the Tree of Reality,” Merlin growled. “The fools, what do they think they are doing?”

  “What does it mean?” Sif asked as her eyes darted between the nearest glowing branch and Merlin.

  “They’re pushing magic out along the lines of connection,” the Merlin explained in a rush. “That’s what is causing the tears. It’s unstable!”

  The ground trembled again and bile surged up Thor’s throat. He clamped his jaw tightly shut and gripped Mjǫllnir. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but every instinct was screaming it was bad. He caught Merlin’s eye. The older mage nodded and they began to rush back towards the tunnel. There were a few Sídhe standing guard nervously at the edge of the passage with their spears and swords at the ready. Frea was waiting for them, a stern expression her face and her wounds bandaged up.

  “Frea, perhaps you should remain with your people in case those creatures return,” Merlin suggested as he summoned an orb of light.

  “My warriors are prepared to fight,” Frea said sternly. “I am going to help rescue those I can.”

  Merlin said nothing, merely nodding and taking the first step into the tunnel. Thor met Morgana’s eyes as she fell into step beside him. Already he could feel his chest tightening in response to going underground.

  “Be careful, Thor,” Morgana told him. “You were lucky back there. Very lucky it worked, but it took a lot of your magic. You need to be careful that you don’t collapse.”

  Nodding, Thor turned his eyes forward and focused on the orb of light being cast by Merlin. Behind him, he could hear the others following them and hoped that numbers would be enough to overcome whatever magic the Dark Elves had conjured. If he still believed in the gods he might have even prayed that the whole host of Sídhean wasn’t waiting for them.

  28

  Land of Bones

  Screaming filled Alex’s ears and drowned out the sudden rush of sounds in her head. It did nothing to stop the flow of images, smells, and emotions bombarding her. Part of her was aware that she was still underground, that there was an old body only a few feet from her, but most of her mind was occupied swimming through the faces. She recognized the two boys playing ball in the yard and their sisters sitting to the side with books as Eckstein’s children. Alex recognized the brown haired woman in an old-fashioned gown as Gwenyvar. There were several images of Merlin and Morgana with different emotions accompanying them all.

  But most she didn’t know. Most were being pulled from deeper in her mind like long forgotten memories. She fought back, clawed at it and repeated her own name: Alex over and over. It brought forth other images and she switched to her full name, repeating it and willing the magic to recede. Everything slowed down and the shocked face of a living Eckstein floated in front of her. Hundreds of emotions crossed his face and she screamed again as the flesh melted away and decayed into the vacant skull across from her.

  Slamming her eyes closed, Alex shook her head as if that would dislodge everything pounding through it. Hands grabbed at her shoulders. Someone was right beside her and making low soft sounds. Another voice shouted for them to be careful. Her whole body was trembling. Cold was seeping into her bones. She was dying again, all over again back on that shore with Arthur smiling in victory.

  “Alex, it’s okay,” a familiar voice said. “We’re here. It’s Bran and Aiden.”

  The names cut through the fog a little. Alex wanted to open her eyes, but they were so heavy. Images kept flashing beneath her eyelids. So many faces and names. They all triggered a different set of emotions, but it all blurred together. Her chest ached, was she still breathing? No, she was dying.

  “Alex, focus on my voice,” Bran commanded. “Focus on me and keep breathing.”

  Her lungs burned at the words. She hadn’t been breathing. Alex gulped for air. The haze begin to lift. She became aware that her whole body was shaking. Aiden was kneeling by Gottfried’s body, studying it with a strangely blank expression on his face. Alex didn’t want to look, but her eyes moved of their own accord to the corpse. The bones were browning with age and Alex thought she could still see signs of decaying flesh. His uniform was decaying and the bits of metal were all that truly remained. Yet Alex couldn’t help but see flickers of his face. She’d seen it only a moment, but it was already lodged in her brain. He’d had a very normal face, intelligent and kind even if not handsome. Graying blond hair and blue eyes that were long gone now.

  “Easy Alex,” Bran whispered to her. “Easy.”

  “I’m okay,” Alex tried to reassure him though it fell flat. “Really. I’m okay.”

  “What do you want to do?” Aiden asked her gently. “Just leave it or take it with us?”

  “I… I don’t know.” Alex swallowed thickly and forced herself to study the body, careful to keep taking slow and steady breaths. “How would we explain it?” She remembered that they weren’t supposed to be there. “And I have no idea where our- his kids are at now,” she forced out the words, fully aware of how she stumbled over the description.

  “We could cremate it,” Bran suggested, keeping a hand on her arm.

  “Yeah with my fire I could do that quickly.” Aiden looked back at her and waited. “Take the ashes and you could decide what to do later.”

  “He died down here alone,” Alex suddenly heard herself say. “He knew he had to disappear. There was someone else who helped him…”

  “Don’t try to think it about it right now,” Bran cautioned her. “One thing at a time, Alex.”

  “Right, sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Aiden assured her before Bran could. “Why don’t you go back with the others? I’ll take care of the cremation.”

  “Do you think it’s safe down here to do that?”

  “I’ll use my magic to help clear the air and keep things under control,” Bran promised. “But the others are worried about you.”

  Alex nodded, suddenly realizing that she came in here alone. The others must have heard her scream and scrambled to get through to her. She gave Aiden and Bran soft thankful smiles which they returned.

  “Think you can get back to the others now?”

  Nodding to Bran, Alex turned back towards the little opening and inhaled deeply. “Guys I’m coming out,” she called out to the others.

  In response, Alex could hear movement in the small tunnel and slid her arms inside. It was tight and dark leaving her to wonder how she’d gotten through before. As she began to crawl though Alex struggled t
o breathe. The position of her arms was tight against her chest. She was closed in, a problem she’d never had before. Gottfried had crawled in there to die all alone either by starvation or maybe he’d used his service firearm. The idea made everything seem tighter and darker. She stopped moving for a moment and tried to catch her breath. It wasn’t all that long of a tunnel, only about seven feet so she couldn’t understand why she was struggling.

  “Keep going, Alex.” Aiden’s voice was muffled behind her as the voices of the others at the other end of the crawl space became louder. She could see light up ahead and movement at the opening. “Keep going.”

  Her hand reached out into the larger cavern and someone grabbed it in a large warm hand. Alex tightened her grip around the hand, relishing the contact and sense of security. Lance’s face appeared overhead as she pulled her upper body out of the crawlspace. He was kneeling down and began to gently pull her forward. With a soft groan, Alex managed to get to her own knees and let Lance guide her into a standing position. He offered her a soft smile and released her only to have Alex’s knees start to buckle. Vertigo hit her, she began to fall, but Lance caught her quickly while Jenny made a small sound of alarm.

  “I’ve got you,” Lance assured her. “Come on let’s give the others some room.”

  Leaning against Lance, Alex let him lead her a couple of steps away. He gently set her against the wall and Alex took in a long deep breath. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back, not even caring when her head met the tunnel wall. Through the small opening, she could hear low voices and energy flared in her chest. She paused and realized that Aiden must have started the cremation. That feeling was new. Or was it? She wasn’t certain now.

  “What’s the delay?” Nicki questioned, bending down and looking through the opening. “Guys everything alright?”

  “We’re taking care of Eckstein’s body,” Bran called back. “Just give us a few minutes.”

  The others looked at her and Alex tried not to flinch away. Jenny stepped up next to her and wrapped her in a hug. It was a little awkward since Jenny still had her backpack on, but Alex leaned into the embrace and breathed in the scent of Jenny’s shampoo. Jenny made soft comforting sounds and Lance’s presence at her back was warm and reassuring. A bittersweet feeling welled up inside of her that Alex couldn’t fully distinguish the source of.

  A few minutes later she could hear the others crawling back out, their grunts mixed with words of encouragement from Nicki. Pulling away from Jenny, Alex wiped at her eyes and turned to look at the others. Aiden straightened up and dusted himself off a little. It didn’t do anything for the layers of mud collected on his boots and jeans from the flooded areas. She watched Bran pick up his backpack and slip something into it before pulling it back on.

  “Okay, so Eckstein stashed the hammer and got lost down here.” Bran looked towards her sympathetically before continuing, “So we still need to find the hammer.”

  Alex nodded her understanding and looked around for the light orb. In her… confusion she’d lost track of it. There were still light orbs from the others illuminating the room, but a soft glow of light from the crawlspace alerted her that it was still near the remains. Swallowing, Alex closed her eyes and tugged with her magic. She could feel the pulse of magic swirling in the air and reached for it. A few thin wisps of magic began to be drawn towards her. Closing her eyes, she pushed the rest of the world away.

  Holding out her hand, Alex twitched her fingers and felt more of the magic following. The soft blend of all their magic shifted and began to turn a darker gray color. Alex tried to focus on the memory of Mjǫllnir, its unexpected shape, and the triskelion that she’d seen through Eckstein’s memory. The resonance of the magic shifted and Alex opened her eyes.

  The orb hovered before Alex for a moment before it began to move once more, drifting towards the way they’d come before. No one said anything about Alex causing them to backtrack. Everyone got their things, took gulps of water, and pulled their backpacks on once more. Aiden took the lead again with Lance right behind him.

  They followed the light in silence. No one seemed to want to talk and Alex was just fine with the quiet. The steady rhythm of their footfalls was enough to reassure her that she wasn’t alone. Around them, the tunnels continued to turn and vary in how intact they were. Another section was flooded and Nicki and Aiden made small sounds of displeasure as they waded through while Lance helped keep them steady. There was less modern looking graffiti and markings now as the tunnels became rougher and less sculpted.

  “Hey guys look at this,” Jenny called. Her flashlight was shining into a small room just off the hallway.

  Curiosity warred with Alex’s desire to keep moving. Her legs were beginning to ache and her chest was sore from screaming and crying though she didn’t want to say anything. Sharing a look with Bran, Alex stepped forward and looked inside. The room resembled a cave, but there were candle chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Smaller candles were scattered around in small niches and a large flatter stone had been shifted to the middle of the room. She stepped all the way inside and the others followed, bringing their light orbs in with them. Around them the walls were painted in a variety of colors with different symbols, pictures and names overlapping in a chaotic mural.

  “These chandeliers look modern,” Nicki observed with excitement creeping into her voice. “This is a break room.”

  “We didn’t bring any candles so let’s leave those alone for the next group,” Lance said as he looked around in slight awe. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”

  “Well, it is a society,” Aiden said, sitting down. “Let’s take a break for a bit.”

  “Alright,” Lance agreed as he shifted off his own backpack.

  Alex looked towards the entrance to the room. Their guide light was hovering just beyond the doorway, just waiting for them to continue. She shrugged off her pack and sat on one of the rocks that had a slightly worn patch from other visitors. Pulling out a granola bar, Alex focused on eating the small meal and not the weight of the rock overhead or the memory of finding her own former body.

  “Eat,” Jenny urged her. Alex looked over at the other girl who nodded towards the granola bar in her hand. She’d only taken single bite. “Eat something, Alex.”

  Nodding, Alex brought the granola bar up and quickly finished it off as Jenny watched. She could see worry in Jenny’s eyes, but the other woman was staying silent. Alex wasn’t sure if she was grateful for that or not. The others all seemed to be just as uneasy and only Aiden and Nicki managed a soft conversation. Lance moved to leave first, hoisting his bag back on and silently signaling them that it was time to move on.

  They followed the light and Alex licked her lips nervously. It was hard to tell, but she didn’t think they’d been detoured too far for Eckstein’s body. She must have been thinking of him too much when they cast the spell. Everyone was dragging despite the break and exhaustion was setting in, but they couldn’t stop. They didn’t have the supplies to be down here too long. Hopefully, they were close.

  Alex took a shuddering breath and lowered her eyes. She watched her feet intently, putting one foot in front of the other for a long time. It was too hard to look down the tunnels. Even with all the light orbs floating around them there was a deep lingering darkness always at the edge. There was the weighty silence of being buried underground far from the hustle and bustle of Paris and the knowledge of how much stone was above them.

  The front of the line stopped as they entered a small tomb-like room. Piles of browned bones lined the wall and formed a large mound of remains at the far side of the room. Alex looked around with a frown. The bones were right, but this wasn’t the place. The light shifted towards the ceiling and sailed over the bone pile leaving her gaping in disgust.

  “Oh god no!” Nicki groaned. The redhead shuddered and looked at Aiden desperately. “Not over the bones!”

  “We can’t abandon the quest now,” Aiden said though he looked
a bit pale.

  “Okay enough references,” Lance said. Despite his stern expression, he looked a bit ill himself. “You’re sure it’s going that way?”

  “Yeah,” Aiden took a couple steps forward. “Right over the bones. Guess there’s enough space to get through.”

  “But they’re bones,” Jenny protested. “We can’t crawl over human remains.”

  “Technically, we desecrated a grave back during Christmas break,” Bran reminded her.

  “Please tell me this isn’t going to become a thing we do on breaks.” Nicki was eying the bones with a mixture of morbid glee and disgust. “Because I didn’t sign up for that.”

  “None of us ‘signed up’ for this.” Bran sighed and shook his head. “Come on, the hammer is this way. We need to keep moving.”

  “Why do I keep coming on these adventures with you people?” Jenny asked. No one answered her.