The Iron Hammer

by J. M. Briggs

  Several of the Dark Elves were ignoring them. Their hands were set tight against the rough stone walls with a soft violet glow surrounding them. Magic flowed across the stone like water, all being drawn to the wall at the far end of the tunnel. Violet, purple and other shades blended together above the dark stone in a swirl of power that made the air hum. Thor’s hairs were all on end and every instinct was screaming, crying danger. The urge to run battled against the need to fight and he was frozen for a moment. Fight won out as one of the Dark Elves turned and noticed him.

  It pulled its hands off the wall and charged without so much as a knife. Shock hit Thor first. Something was driving these beings, some mission or sense of purpose or maybe revenge that he couldn’t understand. Instinct kicked in and he swung Mjǫllnir, catching the Dark Elf in the side. Another Dark Elf was knocked into his back, reminding him that he was ahead of the main battle line. Morgana shouted something and the weight on his back vanished.

  Thor sent a lightning bolt at another Dark Elf who abandoned the wall and charged him. They were all looking between him and the wall as green and silver bolts blasted past them. Another two Dark Elves were destroyed without even leaving the wall leaving only two more. Both of them snarled at him but did not leave the wall. Thor hesitated, confused by their decision and looked at the tunnel walls in alarm.

  The swirl of magic across the stone was becoming clearer. He could see a large chamber made of cut white stone and filled with figures that were drawing back in horror. There were so many bright colors visible even in the low light and flashes of violet eyes as the figures ran away. Thor grit his teeth as the pitch of the whine changed, becoming higher and more painful. Musical voices echoed out of the swirl of magic, shouting with fear-filled voices. Something about them was familiar, like Frea’s voice, and yet the alien quality set him further on edge.

  He didn’t move. The wrongness of it all rolled over him and pushed him to take another step forward. One of the Dark Elves left the wall, but before he could react Sif stabbed it through the chest. Her sword gleamed gold and the Dark Elves shrieked as it began to turn to dust. The other moved to attack her, spurring Thor into action and he swung Mjǫllnir at the Dark Elf’s head.

  They were all gone, but the wall continued to shimmer and the vision on the tunnel wall did not vanish. Sif walked towards it, her face slack with shock. Beyond the veil of magic, a couple of the figures stepped forward curiously. Then Sif shook her head and lashed forward with her sword. There was a clang as the metal struck the back of the tunnel and crashed against the stone. Sif stumbled back, gaping between her sword and the vision. Thor caught her with his left arm and shifted her protectively behind him. More Sídhe were appearing, these ones in elegant golden armor. They had long horns that curved up from their foreheads unlike Frea and her people.

  Thor couldn’t help but stare. This was another world. He was seeing into another world. Magic shimmered over the image, forming a perfect veil that he could have reached out and drawn back. Something tugged at his senses, it was familiar and yet he couldn’t name it. The magic in his chest was flowing through his limbs faster and stronger than he’d ever felt before.

  “The worlds are touching!” Merlin shouted with alarm in his voice. “We have to stop them!”

  Merlin’s words echoed through Thor’s head. They were correct, but he was at a loss. Then his own magic pulsed in warning, pulling sharply on the ground below as more tried to gather. Kneeling down, Thor placed his left hand on the stone floor. There was a soft pulse of magic that reached for him, soothing him and countering the harsh whine in the air. Thor held out his hammer, pushing all of his magic into the metal. His skin was raw and his legs trembled. More and more magic rose up from the ground into his hand and traveled through him to the hammer. Breathing was a struggle, it was like being stuck in that small cave all over again.

  But he forced himself to move, shifting to his feet and jumping forward. The magic leapt through his limbs, giving him a boost of speed and power. Smashing Mjǫllnir into the wall, Thor gasped as light exploded out from the impact point. The veil of magic rippled and shifted beneath the force of the blow. His bright blue magic spread over the veil. The hum in the air became a high pitched whistle. Thor grit his teeth, fighting to ignore the pain in his spine and head that the sound generated. A roar of frustration escaped him and he pushed more magic forward. Then the time of Sídhean began to fade. There was shouting and screaming around him and beyond the veil.

  Magic pushed back against him making Thor’s stomach turn. It wasn’t his magic. It was all wrong. Sídhean his mind provided as nausea hit him. He sank to his knees and tightened his whole pained body. His limbs were too heavy. His chest was aching, burning and raw. There were a few flickers of magic remaining, but every spark hurt. Mjǫllnir slipped from his fingertips and hit the ground with a metallic thud. Overhead the cavern rumbled. Adrenaline jolted through him, pulling him harshly out of the haze.

  “Thor!” Someone was shouting his name.

  Thor tried to stand, but even the adrenaline wasn’t enough. The cavern roof trembled above him and his eyes widened. Small hands grabbed his arms and started hoisting him up. Thor blinked in surprise when he looked down and found Sif throwing his arm over her shoulder. Mjǫllnir gleamed in the dying light as the magic dissipated and Thor managed a small grunt. Sif shifted them just enough to grab it herself. She pulled him out of the tunnel where they found Merlin and Morgana striking down one last Dark Elf.

  Behind them, the cave rumbled. Already the air was clearing, allowing Thor to become even more aware that he was in a collapsing cave. Rocks were falling around them as the ground shook. Sif kept a tight grip on him, pulling him along as they joined the others in a dash up the tunnels. Thor’s eyes landed on the Dvergrs who despite their short stature were making the best time of any of them.

  As long as it had taken them to come down it felt like they reached the surface in moments. Thor gasped for the fresh air, shivering as the cold winter air settled over him. Sif led him away from the opening and he risked a look back at the mountain. It looked intact and the rumbling had stopped. A sigh of relief escaped him. With any luck, the Dark Elf area was collapsed, but neither his nor Frea’s village would be at risk of rockslides.

  “Don’t do that again,” Sif said. There was a hard promise to her voice that really should have worried him, but he was too relieved to find it anything but adorable. He smiled and she scowled at him. “I mean it, Thor.”

  “I’ll do my best, Sif.”

  “Thor, I wasn’t sure what you doing. There was this glow around you and I thought-” she stopped herself and released his arm, letting him stand up. “Never mind. It’s over now I suppose.”

  “Would it be alright if I kissed you now?” Thor asked.

  Sif looked at him sharply. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but it quickly turned to amusement. There was still a spark of sadness in them for what he knew would be their eventual end, but it was muted. He waited as hope grew in his chest that maybe she’d agree it would still be worth it. Then Sif nodded with a small smile.

  Grinning, Thor leaned down to quickly press his lips to his. He’d meant for it to be a quick kiss, but Sif’s hands came up and gripped his face as she pressed her body against his. Fumbling for a moment, he slipped Mjǫllnir back in his belt and wrapped his arms around her. The kiss was soft and over too soon, though Sif didn’t pull away from him. Thor closed his eyes and just breathed, enjoying the little bubble of peace he found himself in.

  The sound of someone approaching finally forced him to look up. Odin was a few feet from them with a soft little smile on his dirty face. “Well, I suppose I should welcome you to the family,” Odin said. The Old One fixed his good eye on Thor and would have looked intimidating if not for the slight smile on his face. “You did well, lad.”

  Thor nodded, keeping an arm around Sif as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He was grateful that no one was protesting. He was grateful tha
t no one was pointing out that he was a mortal and Sif was an Old One. Odin’s smile was a bit forced and Baldr was frowning a little, but they both backed away to give them space.

  “What happens now?” Frea asked. She nervously stepped over to join them and eyed the tunnel. “I’m not sure about leaving all those tunnels empty. What if there are still Dark Elves down there.”

  “We’ll check the tunnels out,” Brokkr offered. He stepped towards the tunnel and looked down it. “We’re happier underground, your world is too bright and open.”

  “I suppose the Dvergrs living in the tunnels wouldn’t be a problem,” Merlin agreed slowly. He looked thoughtfully and turned his eyes towards the horizon. It was too dark to see them, but Thor knew Merlin was looking at the nearby snowcapped mountains. “There are still those new creatures to contend with.”

  “We’ll keep an eye out for them,” Thor promised. He nodded and looked up into the night sky. It was cold, but the stars were clear and the magical form stretching into the sky was gone. “Do you think they’ll be any other openings?”

  “There shouldn’t be,” Merlin answered. “That was the result of the Dark Elves trying to reach Sídhean. I somewhat wish we’d had a chance to learn how they did it.”

  Morgana gave Merlin a dark look that clearly said she was fine with their destruction. “That isn’t something we need to know.”

  Thor silently agreed with Morgana. There were plenty of beings from other worlds here now as it was. Merlin turned to look at him. The old mage had a thoughtful expression that made Thor feel nervous.

  “And what of you Thor? What do you plan to do now?” His eyes shifted to Sif who was still tight against him.

  “With all the other world beings here someone needs to keep the peace,” Thor replied. He met Merlin’s gaze straight on. “It isn’t their fault they’re here, but I won’t let them cause harm to the Iron Realm.”

  He’d been sure that Merlin or Morgana would argue, would try to dissuade him or say something about Sif. Instead, Morgana simply shook her head and sighed softly. Merlin nodded and stepped away from him, going across the snow to speak with Odin. Shifting slightly, he kissed Sif’s forehead and let her presence wash over him. Maybe he couldn’t stay with her forever, but then again maybe they’d get other chances in other lives. Sif sighed a little and he knew their conversations and worries weren’t over yet, but he couldn’t bother with that was a warm happy feeling settled in his chest. Thor rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. The sounds and smells of the Iron Realm surrounded him, soothing the last of his fears and leaving him satisfied.

  34

  Iron Touched

  The potion seeped into her tongue sending some shivers down Alex’s throat. Her whole body and tensed and braced itself. A dozen questions about what was going to happen that she should have asked ran through her head. Alex glanced to the side and saw Merlin watching her. He didn’t look worried exactly, just on edge and curious. Nothing happened at first and she was able to ask if something went wrong, but then a wave of dizziness struck her. The world went a bit fuzzy and the colors started to brighten, overwhelming all the small details. Alex wavered, tightening her grip around Mjǫllnir as she tried to find something to ground her. It was worse than that time at Kayla’s party in high school. She tried to say something, but her mouth wouldn’t move.

  Panic clawed at Alex. She couldn’t see straight. Maybe the potion was too old and had expired. Maybe it was all poison now. Before that thought could send Alex fully into panic mode a rush of magic swept through her. It righted the dizziness and filled her chest with energy. It pulsed in time with her heart and Alex regained a little control. She looked around.

  Sif’s human appearance was completely gone. In her place was a column of vibrating golden energy hovering off the floor. Alex was surprised, but it didn’t linger and her eyes shifted to Merlin and Morgana. They still looked human, but a glow of green surrounded and filled Merlin while a glow of silver radiated from Morgana’s chest. A small sound at the side of the room that was far too loud made her spin sharply. A tiny dark purple shape was moving across the counter. There was a faint red and gray mixed glow around it in a swirl of energy, covering the form protectively like a shield. Timothy her mind provided.

  The taste of the potion sank further into her tongue and her surroundings faded further with the four forms vanishing. She breathed out, almost sighing as the world drifted around her. Images of places trickled past like water as the resonance of the magic around her changed. It grew stronger and thicker. Alex didn’t fight it. She could feel the magic churning and coming to life. Something was summoning it and calling it even if it wasn’t her. There wasn’t anything she could do and her fears that she’d been poisoned were eased. A strange calm settled over her.

  There were faces again. The same ones she’d seen at Stonehenge and in the Paris tunnels. Alex recognized a few: Arto’s was first and his gaze locked with hers. Then more came, flashing past her in a line of the people she’d once been. Names, voices, and images of places washed past her like a slideshow moving too quickly. Mjǫllnir sparked against her palm and Alex’s eyes narrowed on a tall figure with long bleached blond hair. She might have called Thor’s name, but then he was gone.

  More lines of magic were appearing. Most were black stretching across the world, but Alex was surrounded by a red glow that pushed the black threads away. In the distance were more patches of red. The Blood Protection spells, she distantly realized. It didn’t matter, not really. She was floating on a cloud. More threads of magic appeared in different colors. There were silver and green that she thought might have been lingering traces from Merlin and Morgana. Faint red, yellow, and blue nearby for Aiden, Bran and Nicki’s last spells. Yet there were more in the distance in even fainter colors, yet she could feel them.

  Her magic spread further and further. Alex’s eyes slipped shut, they had no use here. She shivered as her awareness extended to more points of magic, some familiar and some not. There were more Old Ones like Sif, some of them much darker colors that left her uneasy. More and more flickers of magic appeared and brushed past her, a slight introduction that Alex knew she wouldn’t remember. She was moving or at least it seemed like she was. The vision blurry, running down in soft colors like rains around her with another scene slowly taking its place. All Alex could do was wait.

  She was underground. The heavy smell of dirt, metal, life, and decay hit her all at once. It wasn’t a Sídhe tunnel though, the feel of it was too different. All around her was a steady thrum of magic, familiar magic that caressed her with soft warm brushes against her skin. Like a steady heartbeat, it surrounded her, soothing her. Alex turned and tried to see in the darkness that surrounded her. There was only a soft glow from Mjǫllnir allowing her to see the smooth stone walls of the cave, but a moment later the Iron Hammer went dark.

  Alex was only in blackness for a moment. Something bright orange erupted in front of her, magic spinning together into an orb that looked like a hunk of red hot metal. Heat rolled off of it and filled the whole cavern. But then the surface of the orb hardened. A dark gray color like her own magic overtook the orb giving it a metallic shine. There was silence around her. Alex reached out slowly with her left hand, barely noticing as sparks of magic glittered around her fingertips. Her hand brushed across the surface of the orb only for Alex to pull it back in alarm as a sharp brutal heat hit her palm. Pain flashed across her skin and Alex looked down in alarm at red hot skin.

  Red light filled the cavern, coming from the orb as the metallic shell cracked. In a shimmer of heat, it returned to the prior red-hot state. Alex stared at the orb in confusion, her unburnt fingers tightening around Mjǫllnir as her thoughts about the Iron Chain tried to push forward through the haze. There was push back against her as the magic pressed her forward. A sharp metallic clanging echoed in the chamber around her and drew her eyes back to the molten orb as a sharp pang reverberated through her own chest.

&n
bsp; Alex gasped. There was a dent in the orb. She hadn’t seen a hammer, but something had struck it. The hot metal flowed back into place a little, but another clang echoed around her and Alex saw the hot metal bend. It was cooling, turning darker once more even as the new shape held. Heat flashed through the chamber and Alex could see the flickering light of flames around her as the orb was reheated. Another blow struck it moment later followed by another. Then it cooled.

  The cycle continued as the orb was lengthened. It was turned and twisted in the air by an unseen hand and Alex caught herself reaching towards it twice more. The ground rumbled, almost throwing her off balance. A section of the rocky floor rose to create a long pedestal that was almost an anvil. The long hunk of metal was lowered to it. Rapid rings of metal being struck surrounded Alex as the shape was refined. Parts of it were narrowed and the roughly rectangular shape was slowly being beaten into a new one.

  Time lost meaning to Alex. Mjǫllnir hummed softly in her hand and the burn in her free hand eased. Her eyes scanned the shape with each new strike and finally, she realized what it was. A human was being formed with a head, neck, torso, arms, and legs all taking shape. Spurred on, Alex stepped forward and leaned forward to examine in. Magic was shimmering across the surface, smoothing out the rough work of the unseen hammer and smith.