The Iron Hammer

by J. M. Briggs

  The chain seemed too short. Alex remembered how long it had been when it connected to the other chains in the hold of the slave ship. Yet the main chain that had been infused with magic was only about three feet long and while heavy and sturdy wasn’t all that awe-inspiring. Alex draped the first piece that was just over a foot long over her lap next to Mjǫllnir before dragging out the second half.

  “I broke the Iron Chain,” Alex said. There was nothing in her voice. No excitement, no pride or relief. She didn’t feel anything though she knew that she probably should. Raising her eyes to Morgana’s she watched the green eyes flicker with worry and uncertainty for a moment. “Mom and Dad are dead aren’t they?”

  It wasn’t really a question. She knew it. There was a cold weight in her gut. It might crack or burst at any moment. Morgana’s eyes widened and the older mage swallowed thickly. Alex just looked out towards the window. Deep in her chest, something hurt, a tight twisting, but it was small. There was too much else. It was just too small. She blinked, wondering why she was so calm. That wasn’t normal, right? She wasn’t sure now.

  “I already know,” Alex said. She exhaled, the sound loud in the silent room. “Did my brothers call while I was asleep?”

  Merlin and Morgana exchanged surprised looks but remained silent. There was worry, almost panic, and fear in their eyes. Morgana looked the worse of the pair, almost like she might start crying for her sake. Alex wasn’t sure, but her mind nagged her that she wasn’t reacting properly. Alex lay back against the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. She followed a small crack with her eyes as she listened to them shift on the bed.

  “You’re probably exhausted,” Merlin said carefully. “It’s been a long time since I used the potion, but it was… an experience.”

  “I’m not tired,” Alex answered automatically. “I’m fine.”

  “Alex,” Morgana said softly as she squeezed her hand. “Yes, your parents-”

  “Morgana,” Merlin hissed.

  “She already knows,” Morgana whispered. There was a pained sound from Morgana and Alex almost looked at her. “There was an accident in Spokane. Your parents were killed. Your brother Matthew is on his way back to the city to look after Edward.”

  “It wasn’t an accident,” Alex said, still keeping her eyes on the ceiling. “They were killed. Arthur arranged it.”

  “How do-” Merlin gasped only to cut himself off.

  “I saw it,” Alex answered without any hint of emotion. She almost frowned at herself. Her parents were dead, gone, and destroyed because of their connection to her. It was Arthur lashing out at her and the other mages and yet she just… “I’m okay,” she told them.

  “I doubt that,” Merlin said. Alex looked at him. There was a dark expression on his face, almost thunderous. He looked down at the remains of the Iron Chain. “Alex, you’re not alright. You loved your parents, don’t you care?”

  The words hit her in that small twisted spot. For a moment it was hard to breathe. Suddenly she did hurt a little, but the feeling was swallowed up in the ocean of everything else. Still, images of her parents’ faces and a memory of them all laughing together at something sprang forth. She did feel something and her eyes prickled a little. Licking her lips, Alex tried to consider it. Merlin said this wasn’t right and she trusted him, but…

  “I’m not sure,” she finally said. “I feel something, I do and I’m a little sad.”

  “A little sad!” Morgana’s grip on her hand tightened. “Alex, what happened?”

  “Indeed, the potion must have given you some sort of vision.” Merlin made a small noise and Alex heard the Iron Chain being moved. “And you were able to reach and destroy the Iron Chain.” Merlin hummed in thought and Alex could hear a soft clink of the links being shifted against each other. “Remarkable.”

  “But you never moved,” Morgana said. “So how in the world could you have moved the item here without a water tunnel?”

  “No water tunnel,” Timothy said quickly.

  Alex just kept looking at the ceiling crack. It reminded her of something, a river somewhere maybe. Strange thought, but it made her smile a little.

  “Alex?” Merlin called. “What else happened?”

  Frowning, Alex tried to remember all of it. There’d been so much going on, but she slowly found the words. “I was in a cavern underground and there was this body being made. There was magic being smithed like it was metal, but there was no one there but me.”

  “Ah, I saw that same thing long ago.” Merlin’s tone was a bit warmer now, but there was still an undercurrent of worry.

  “It had a bunch of faces… or at least I saw a bunch of faces like Arto and Gottfried. Then it turned into my face,” Alex explained. “It was a bit overwhelming so I kept asking to see the Iron Chain. Then I was in a room with it. I broke it and picked it up. Not sure how it got here, but Mjǫllnir was able to break it.” Alex tapped the hammer thoughtfully. “Then I was with my parents…” There was a twist in her chest again that she pushed past. “I heard Arthur’s order. The driver was about to hit the car when I woke up. What happened to the driver?”

  “He died an hour ago in the hospital,” Merlin answered. Morgana made an irritated noise. “Your parents died almost immediately, they didn’t suffer.”

  The pang returned, but once more it was swallowed up. Morgana’s grip on her hand tightened and Alex was worried that she’d keep trying to talk about it. However, the professors stayed silent and Alex was sure they were having one of their silent conversations. Already her mind was trying to process what would happen now.

  Matthew was the oldest so he’d probably take custody of Eddy. It wouldn’t be too hard for him to transfer to a Spokane law school so that Eddy could stay in the same high school. She knew her parents had life insurance so they’d be able to pay off the mortgage and pay for college. Her parents had mentioned offhandedly once that information on their plots was in the family safe, but Alex had the strong desire to make sure they were cremated. It made her think of Arto’s bones and Bran’s skull and something lingering rather than moving on. There was a shift in the emotions in her chest. Alex closed her eyes and tried to pin down something in the mess.

  There was too much and instead, she turned her attention on the building magic in her chest. It was warm and reassuring, but beginning to twist too much. Alex ignored Merlin and Morgana for a moment, exhaling slowly and pushing the magic out. She kept her eyes closed and focused on feeling the magic seep out. Around her, it created a thin layer of mist letting Alex feel the other points of magic. While not as strong as it had been with the potion, Alex was very aware of the glowing presences of Merlin and Morgana. Like a spider web, it slowly spread out and let her become aware of things beyond the room.

  She could feel the imprint of Merlin’s workshop. There were tiny flickering points of magic where they’d poured magic into iron items. Beyond the house in the hills, she could feel the iron gate. It hummed in response and she almost smiled. Further away were more glowing presences and her muscles relaxed in relief. The others were back in the United States, maybe Portland. Small ripples of magic met hers even as it became harder and harder to see. Then the magical connection snapped and Alex gasped softly at the twinge in her chest.

  “Sif’s gone,” Alex murmured, suddenly aware that she hadn’t sensed the Old One.

  “She wants to check on some of the other Old Ones,” Merlin told her. There was a look of surprise and curiosity on his face, but he didn’t ask how she knew that. “She’ll be in touch. Sif seems to have decided to aid us.”

  Nodding, Alex opened her eyes and looked between the two older mages. Worry was still etched on their features. Alex knew that she wasn’t reacting like they expected, but she just… couldn’t. The knot in her chest pulsed a bit at the thought, but the pressure of everything else around it dulled the pain. A tiny part of Alex was a bit worried, but for now, she accepted the soothing presence that kept the ache at bay.

  “Alex.�
� Morgana shifted closer to her, pushing aside the Iron Chain and wrapping her arms around Alex. The hug was a bit awkward and Alex couldn’t help but tense up, suddenly uncertain. “When you’re ready and everything hits you just remember that I’m here.”

  “I know, Morgana,” Alex said. She relaxed into the hug and laid her head against Morgana’s shoulder. “You’ve always been a good sister.” Morgana tensed at her words, but Alex didn’t notice. Instead, she closed her eyes as the emotions finally settled a little. “I need more rest.”

  Part of her wanted to call her brothers, just to check on them. Surely she should be worried, scared for them, but the emotions didn’t come like Alex expected them too. Alex briefly wondered if this was part of her panic attack problem, but she didn’t feel fear this time. Merlin and Morgana got up from the bed. She heard Morgana start to say something to him as they left the room quickly. There was an urgency left in their wake, but Alex ignored it. Settling back into the bed, she let her eyes trace over the ceiling crack once more.

  Alex could still hear Merlin and Morgana talking in the hallways. Their tones were low and too muffled for her to understand anything they were saying. Rolling onto her side, Alex ignored Timothy and closed her eyes. The sight of the truck coming towards the car reappeared and a shudder went through her body. That tightness in her chest stung again and Alex squeezed her eyes together tightly. Slowly her body relaxed even as the whispers began to return. Their soft voices caused memories of places and faces long gone to dance across Alex’s mind. Magic spun up around her, its gentle hum blending with the whispers. Alex began to drift off to sleep, letting the memory of the truck and her worry fade away as the voices and magic gently cradled her.