The Iron Seal

by J. M. Briggs

“Where’s Aiden?”

  “In the kitchen,” came a shout. “Helping Timothy with drinks!”

  “Ah,” Nicki said. She nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll just go and help them.”

  “Hello, Avani,” Morgana said after Nicki headed into the kitchen. “Thank you for coming to Ravenslake.”

  “Of course,” Avani said. She was tense even as she smiled, and watched Morgana with thinly veiled awe. “I’m honored to be of service to the mages.”

  “I imagine that they’ve brought you up to speed on the situation,” Merlin said.

  “Jenny and Lance explained what happened with Arthur to me,” Avani answered. Her dark eyes lost their spark as anger took over. “And the various enemies that the mages have dealt with. I confess a certain amount of amazement over the complexity of the situation.”

  “Indeed,” Morgana said. “Many forces have been active in a short span of time. Usually, we only have to be concerned with one enemy at a time. At least the situation with the Demons has been resolved.”

  “And Cathanáil is in our control,” Merlin added. “The Iron Gates should remain strong enough to keep the Sídhe forces out. Chernobog and Brekszta are dead and unable to cause trouble. Hopefully, any other Old Ones with delusions of killing us will think twice.”

  “So, it is just this Arthur and his mother?” Avani asked.

  “That seems to be the case,” Morgana agreed. “But we shouldn’t underestimate them. Arthur knows everyone here, except for you, and has proven that he is willing to kill.”

  Avani shuddered, but Alex said nothing. Her good mood was draining away rapidly, and she wished that Merlin and Morgana could have let them at least have today to settle in. That was a pipe dream, and Alex knew she should have known better. The older mages had been well aware of when they’d all be home. Bran had come back last night, and Lance and Jenny had given them an estimated time of arrival.

  There was the clinking of dishes and glasses from the kitchen. Alex let her head fall back against the thick pillows of the sofa and rolled it so she could see a little further into the kitchen. Nicki and Aiden were carrying platters with drinks out. Alex didn’t even know they had platters. That had to have been something Morgana stocked the house with. Along with the matching glasses and small plates. Alex’s dishware had been a mixture from thrift stores and cheap box store sets.

  Nicki kept her platter much more level as she set it on the coffee table. They had a coffee table. A nervous, almost hysterical laugh started building in Alex’s chest. Nicki’s platter had tall glasses of iced tea that she quickly passed around before moving to the sofa and sitting by Avani. Lance and Jenny were on the loveseat and started moving over so that Aiden would be able to squeeze in while Merlin and Morgana watched from the other loveseat. Aiden put down the tray with some cookies even as the plate threatened to shake off.

  “Timothy made them,” he said. “Not sure how he manages it, but he does.”

  “Baking via telekinesis isn’t so hard,” Bran said. He shrugged. “I gave it a try while I was home. For me it was more work than it was worth, but when you’re Timothy’s size I guess it is the best option.”

  Aiden shrugged and squeezed in next to Lance, who leaned forward so his broad shoulders wouldn’t hit Aiden or Jenny. Morgana’s eyes scanned the packed sofa, and she smiled slightly. At least she seemed calm, though there was calculation in her eyes.

  “We may need to get you a larger sofa,” she said. “How is the house otherwise?”

  “It’s great, Morgana,” Alex said. She straightened up and smiled at the older mage. “I know I feel a lot better having some privacy, and knowing that if we’re attacked we don’t have to worry about the city or other students.”

  “Plus, it is nice to be in one place,” Nicki said. “Honestly, it was overdue.”

  Nodding in agreement, Morgana folded her hands in her lap and exchanged a look with Merlin. It was one of their silent communication glances. Even after several years of seeing it and memories of it from long ago, Alex still had trouble believing the amount of information they could share in a single look.

  “Ambrose and I have been reviewing some of our old records to find ways to protect all of you better. Normally the blood ward would be reliable, but with the Red Caps and now Arthur toying with human minds it can’t be depended upon.”

  She had the attention of everyone in the room. Worry was thick in the air, and Alex knew that everyone was thinking of Bran’s report of the attack on his home, as well as the murder of her parents. Morgana took in their reactions, her green eyes darkening with her anger and understanding.

  “We believe that we’ve formulated a new warding spell that can help… deter those who mean harm, for lack of a better word. It won’t stop them or prevent the most determined, but it might help.”

  Nicki nodded in agreement. “It sounds worth a try. Would it be something that could be done at the school or our homes?”

  “The school would be difficult,” Merlin said, but he looked thoughtful. “The amount of area and bluntly the mindset of some students could cause problems. We don’t want to affect too many minds. But your homes are certainly possible.”

  Avani tentatively raised her hand as if they were in a classroom. When Morgana raised an eyebrow at her, she ducked her head in slight embarrassment. Nicki’s eyes went soft and warm. Alex could almost see hearts in them.

  “When looking through my family’s library I found a perimeter alert spell,” she said. “It hasn’t been used in years due to the amount of magic that has to be concentrated, but for mages surely that wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I am not familiar with that spell,” Merlin said.

  “Oh, it was only created about four centuries ago,” Avani said. Alex nearly snorted. The Desai family had a strange notion of time. “But I believe you lay a line outside the house and then link the magic to an object. If something passes the line, then the object changes to reflect that. One of my ancestors had an object that would glow. The problem was that as they weren’t mages, the spell ran down.”

  “Yes… unlike the blood spell which draws power to keep working from the Earth, I can see that something like that would feed off the magic users.”

  “Unless we can adjust it,” Nicki said. “But honestly I’d accept some draining if it meant that we had a magical alarm system. No offense to Timothy, but he did get into Alex’s dorm room and almost took out her eye.”

  “That is a good point,” Morgana agreed. “While we couldn’t set something like that up at your family’s house, a deterring ward and a non-magical alarm system would not be a bad idea.”

  “Well my father already has a security system,” Jenny said. “I don’t know if Arthur would see him as a target, but anything that can be done to keep him safer would be welcome.”

  “So, what will you need from us to make this ward work?” Bran asked. “Is it similar to the blood spell?”

  “It combines the blood spell and an alarm spell that Merlin and I used in the past,” Morgana explained. “We developed it in the early Middle Ages… I think.” She blinked her green eyes, actually looking uncertain for a moment. “Maybe earlier. It was also during this period that we became confident enough in our magic to start… pushing against human minds.”

  “That is a dangerous thing,” Merlin said. “None of you should try it, but like Morgana said we learned how to push away other minds. We believe that we can link that spell into a perimeter spell.”

  “It sounds reasonable… I guess,” Aiden said. His was frowning, and his dark brown eyes were fixed on Merlin. “But it won’t protect our families while they are out and about.”

  “No,” Merlin agreed. “It won’t. It has to be tied to a place.”

  “So even something like a necklace wouldn’t work?” Nicki asked. She was frowning now and clutching one of the pieces of her jewelry that her artisan grandmother had made.

  “No,” Morgana said. “Something like that… I’d worry about th
e effect it would have on the person wearing it. We can experiment a bit, but don’t get your hopes up.”

  “I wish there was a manual,” Aiden groaned. “Seriously!”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Merlin said. He smiled sadly at them. “What we know is what Morgana and I have discovered over the years. I learned only a few things from my magician mother. She dabbled in magic, but had no natural power of her own.”

  “And as you children have pointed out, we aren’t the most creative minds in history,” Morgana added dryly.

  Alex stayed still as the others talked. Nicki had more questions about possible adjustments to the warding spell and how to combine it with Avani’s perimeter spell. Their voices blended together, making it impossible to keep track of their ideas. Holding back a sight, Alex looked towards the kitchen. From here she could catch the occasional glimpse of Timothy as the Brownie bounced around across the counters. He seemed content enough, and not worried. Alex wished she shared that, but the good mood that she’d been able to cultivate for the day was well and truly gone.

  8

  New Surroundings

  It was a quiet night. A soft breeze carried the sound of rustling leaves down from the hillside, and he could see neon lights in Ravenslake proper reflecting off the lake. The air was crisp, still warm from summer, but carrying the promise of the coming autumn. Years ago Bran would have found it comforting and relaxing. Now it put him on edge. It was the sort of night that might lure you into a false sense of security.

  While they had a plan to secure the new house and their homes, it wasn’t done yet. Between the memory of the man with the gun and the conversation that afternoon, Bran was finding it difficult to relax. Even as the noise of the others died down he had found it impossible to sleep. Instead he’d come outside to check on the perimeter, and stayed for the cooling night air.

  He was standing on their front porch and watching the lake. It wasn’t much of a view thanks to the other houses, but their new home was a bit higher, and there was a gap in the trees that let him see a good chunk of the lake. Beyond the lake, he thought he could make out the silhouette of the campus library. Drumming his fingers against the railing of the porch, he debated going inside and getting a start on his new textbooks. It wouldn’t hurt to get ahead of things. Their lives were too crazy now to assume that they’d have plenty of time to study.

  Except he didn’t want to. Bran made no move to go inside. Aiden was asleep, and he didn’t want to risk waking up his roommate. The rest of the house was silent and even Timothy had vanished for the evening. Holding back a sigh, Bran wondered if the others were feeling this restless. This on edge. Exhaling slowly, he tried to shrug it off, but the sense that something was coming clung to his shoulders.

  He heard the back door open and tensed. Unmoving, Bran listened for any sign if it was someone coming outside or something going in. It was difficult to hear, but he heard the door close with a soft thump and footfalls on the back patio. Relaxing, he slowly climbed down the front steps of the porch and went along the fence to the gate. There was no other sound. The gate opened easily enough, and Bran crossed the lawn to go around the side of the house.

  Avani was outside, standing in the moonlight and staring into the forest. For a moment Bran hesitated and debated if he should join her. She was fine, and they were safe enough. Yet some instinct nagged at him to go and talk with their new housemate. After all, she’d left her home and family behind to come and offer whatever aid she could. They didn’t have a lot of people scrambling to help them. The poor woman hadn’t even had time to unpack before Morgana and Merlin came to discuss the dangers she’d volunteered for.

  “Hey,” he said. Bran was sure to move with slow and solid steps that made plenty of noise. Avani tensed slightly but quickly relaxed. “Nice night.”

  “It’s a bit cold,” Avani replied.

  “I hate to tell you this, but it’s going to get colder.”

  “Nicki’s warned me.” Avani chuckled and looked over her shoulder towards him. “So did all my family when I talked about coming here. Jenny already took me out shopping for autumn gear in Portland after my plane landed.” She gestured at the red sweater she was wearing. “She said that there wasn’t much selection here.”

  “Well, college town or not, Ravenslake is a lot smaller than San Francisco or Portland.” Stepping up next to her, Bran quickly scanned the trees. “And much smaller than Mumbai.”

  “Yes, it’s strange. Nice, but strange. Everything is so quiet here, and the air is fresh. I never thought of Mumbai as that restrictive.” Avani lowered her face in embarrassment. “Honestly, sometimes it feels dangerous. All that open space, not many lights, and the quiet. Does it ever get to you?”

  “Me?” Bran shook his head. “No. Portland is pretty large, but my dad liked the outdoors. We went out on a lot of hikes when I was young. Camping a few times too. It’s one of the things I liked about the Pacific Northwest. You can enjoy life in a city, but the mountains aren’t too far away.” Then he nodded at the forest. “Then again… knowing some of the things that have come out of the dark after us… it makes everything else a little frightening.”

  “That’s fair.” Avani tugged at the turtleneck of her sweater. “I’m sorry if I intruded. It was rude of me and perhaps-”

  “No.” Bran cut her off and turned to look at her. “You’re a magician. You provide a more modern understanding of magic than Merlin and Morgana. They are amazing mages, but they don’t really ask why anymore. It’s natural to them while you have to study for your magic. That’s gives you a different perspective from us which is valuable. Besides, we need all the help we can get. Knowing you’re here, teaching Lance and Jenny and helping defend the house makes everything a little easier. Besides, your family knows how to get more out of only a little magic. I’ll be honest: all of us probably throw magic around too hard and too fast.”

  “I see.” Avani was silent for a time, and it was just them and the soft sounds from the houses and the nearby city. “I never thought about what being a mage would be like. Not really? I remember wanting to be one as a child, hearing the stories of what mages could do and their histories. But I never considered the emotional struggle there.”

  “It hasn’t been an easy road,” Bran agreed. “Not all bad though. I’m not the broody kind, but there’s been problems and complications and things that hurt.”

  “That hurt? You’ve been injured?”

  “No, not exactly. Has anyone told you about the Iron Chain?” Avani shook her head, and Bran allowed himself to sigh. “Shit. I don’t want to have to explain this, but you need to know.”

  He found it harder to start than he thought it would be. Looking at his hands, Bran forced himself to start speaking. “Not all of the Iron Soul lives have been good people. During the height of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the reborn Iron Soul was the captain of a slave ship. While we don’t think he had any real understanding or knowledge of what he was doing, he poured some magic into a chain on his ship. It carried his desire for the slaves to obey him and… well, bound their will to his.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Afraid so. Merlin and Morgana never knew about it, but the Sídhe Queen, Scáthbás, somehow found the thing. It could bind different magics together, or something like that. It’s how she made the human body she possessed part Sídhe like Merlin and Morgana, and she did the same for Arthur.” Bran shivered at the statement. He’d never seen it like Alex had, but his imagination was unfortunately happy to provide him with a mental picture. “Then she figured out how to use it and her Sídhe blood to bind the Fae folk, the descendants of the original Sídhe invaders, to her will. She commanded them to kill us.”

  Falling silent, Bran licked his lips. His chest tightened, and he tried to sort out the words in his head. Most of the time it was just… a fact, an unchangeable reality of what had happened at the back of his mind, but talking about it brought it all forward again. All the emotions th
at he’d never really processed, that he didn’t think any of them had processed.

  “You didn’t know about the Chain at first, did you?” Avani asked. Her tone was soft. She was trying not to spook him. “When they attacked you?”

  “No,” Bran agreed. “We didn’t know. We thought they’d just sided with her and defended ourselves.” He sighed and still didn’t look at Avani. “It wasn’t a lot… but enough. We killed them in self-defense, but they were under her control. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.” Nodding towards the house, he finally felt the unease left a little. “When Alex found out, she did what she could to free them. She broke the spell in the area one night when Arthur was attacking, and then we went to find the Iron Hammer to deal with the rest of the spell.”

  “And you were successful?”

  “Yes, the spell was broken. Alex shattered the Iron Chain and somehow pulled it back to Ravenslake. I don’t know all the details, just what Alex shared.” He finally looked at Avani and found her giving him a soft, supportive smile.