The Iron Seal

by J. M. Briggs

  Safety. Keeping that word in mind, Alex pushed more and more magic through Mjǫllnir. Her dark gray magic flickered over the surface of the hammer, and the triskelion design lit up with a bright blue glow. Like lightning. Thor’s magic dimmed slowly to the same shade as hers. Moving quickly, Alex heated the ends of the coils in the furnace, pushing a little more magic into them as she did. Putting Mjǫllnir down, she arranged them on the worktable in the proper formation to make a triskelion, but even with the heated ends they didn’t seal together as she would have liked.

  After a moment of debate, Alex decided to forgo the welder. She’d have more precision with her magic. Extending her pointer finger, Alex heard it crack slightly after so long gripping tools tightly. The dark sparks of her magic appeared quickly enough. With a quick flick of her finger, Alex focused the magic into the center of the triskelion shape. There wasn’t any resistance. The metal swallowed her magic and heated up immediately. Biting her lower lip, Alex leaned forward and stared hard at the metal, urging it into the proper shape. If she could have used Mjǫllnir to push more magic into the shape, she would have. The ends of the three pieces melted further, turning hot orange and joining together.

  Alex pulled back and ended the stream of magic. The metal began to rapidly cool. She just hoped that she hadn’t hurt the workshop table. Then again, she decided as she looked around, none of the old tables were in good shape. Half of them had deep burn marks and the other half were covered with had unfinished projects that were gathering dust. Merlin’s hobby of blacksmithing had taken a hit when they’d entered his life.

  Looking over her shoulder, Alex noted the top of the safe. The Chalice was in there, tucked away and hopefully safe. Tightening her fingers on Mjǫllnir, she allowed herself to wonder about Arthur’s victim for a moment. Only a moment. Guilt welled up, and she closed her eyes to breathe. The heat filled her nostrils and throat. She should ask Merlin and Morgana what had happened. But she knew that if there had been good news, they would have shared it.

  Shuddering, Alex walked over to one of the side tables and picked up another iron ingot. It was hard not to sink into her guilt and fears as the metal heated up, but Alex did her best to stay focused on her task. She pulled the iron out with the tong, picked up Mjǫllnir and got to work lengthening and narrowing the piece. With every swing of the hammer and crash of iron to iron, more gray sparks were pounded into the metal.

  Once it was thin enough, Alex bent it over the anvil horn and started to curve the metal. Reheating it a few more times and pounding out more of a curve, Alex kept glancing at the triskelion to gauge how much more she needed. After the fourth time she gave up and pulled the mostly complete circle out of the fire. It cooled angrily in the air, and Alex carefully brought it to the triskelion. Setting it down, Alex waved her right hand and commanded her magic to pick up the triskelion section.

  The triskelion floated into the air, and Alex grinned. Flicking her left hand, she pushed out some more magic that scooped up the circular piece. As they floated in the air, Alex fit the two parts together and forced the last bit of the circle to finish curving around the triskelion seal. Picking up Mjǫllnir, she grit her teeth and tried to keep her focus as she hit the metal two more times in hopes of putting a bit more magic into the symbol. A few well-placed streams of magic welded the edges of the triskelion to the circle and secured the design. Letting go of her magic, Alex caught the iron seal and set it to the side. With a grateful sigh she wiped her forehead, feeling both relief that she was done and a bit of pride that she’d managed it in only a short time.

  It wasn’t all that impressive. The magic finished seeping into the metal, leaving the surface as dark wrought metal with a few visible tool marks. Alex reached out and called on a little more magic. Dark sparks sank into the metal, and with a soft flicker, the last tool marks were smoothed out. Straightening up, Alex studied it for a moment. There was a soft glimmer in the metal. It was barely there. She was confident that only mages would see it, but hopefully it would be enough to power their spell.

  The triskelion was almost perfect. This time she’d managed to get all the coils about the same length and the curves the same size. A longer and thicker band of iron surrounded the triskelion, nestling it in a circle. Alex was reminded of the metal artwork that she’d seen in home décor shops in the past. Smooth and elegant. It was a far cry from the first one that she’d made. Alex frowned. She’d given that one to Arthur not long after they’d first met. Now, Alex wondered what had happened to it.

  Pulling off the apron, Alex flinched and groaned. She hadn’t stretched before starting. She never did. Sighing, Alex carefully flexed her sore fingers and rolled her back. The muscles protested but loosened a little bit. A glance at the finished project made her feel a bit better, and she started cleaning up.

  Her sweat had dried and the furnace had started to cool when Alex caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Out the window she saw Merlin crossing the back lawn. Alex held back a sigh. She’d known that he’d show up sooner or later. Wiping off her hands, she set Mjǫllnir on the table next to the door. It opened a moment later and Merlin stepped inside, his eyes widening slightly. Green magic was shimmering around his hands, but it vanished a moment later.

  “Alex? What are you doing here?”

  “Working on a project. You did say that I could use the forge whenever I needed,” Alex answered. Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled and shrugged. “Nicki was in a creative zone and we made a plan that we’re going to try. Avani’s family has spells that can be used as alarms, but they run out of magic. Since I know that magic can be linked together, we’re going to use Avani’s spell, but power it from a central location. I’ve put a lot of magic into this symbol that we can hang on the wall inside.” She picked up the symbol and held it up for him to see. “Pretty good huh? Made it in one go.”

  “I see…” Merlin trailed off as his eyes landed on something over her shoulder. “Is that Cathanáil on your back?” Merlin asked. His voice was almost alarmed. “You really shouldn’t be walking around with that! If someone sees you and calls the police-”

  “Only mages can see it,” Alex answered. She set aside her work and turned fully to Merlin. She couldn’t help but grin. “Nicki figured it out. Only mages can see the sword and scabbard. When the sword goes into the scabbard, both vanish from sight. We tried it in front of Jenny and Lance. It was great! Even Avani can’t see it.”

  “I- I… are you certain?” Merlin’s expression was dubious and hopeful as he narrowed his eyes on Cathanáil’s hilt.

  “Positive.” Alex reached up to her chest and opened the buckle. The scabbard started to slip off her back, and she quickly grabbed it and swung it in front of her. “Take a look.”

  Merlin moved closer and bent down a little to study the small markings engraved into the leather. “Interesting,” Merlin said. “She’s used triskelions: that isn’t surprising, but she’s also used some unfamiliar symbols as well.”

  “I haven’t looked,” Alex admitted. “But you did say once that symbols were just a reflection of what we wanted.” She examined the markings herself. There were several small triangles that joined at their tips to form a circle. That didn’t make sense to her, but she had a suspicion that it came from a book or something. “She’s been working on it for a while, but finally got it. We have a non-iron magical item now.” She wasn’t sure what to make of Merlin’s expression. He still didn’t look like he believed it. “It works, I promise. I’ll try it out tonight downtown in one of the parks if you like. If anyone asks, we can say it’s for a play or something, but if it works Merlin, then I could keep Cathanáil with me all the time.”

  “That would be good,” Merlin agreed slowly. His fingers were still brushing over the surface of the scabbard. “Are you sure that it works?”

  “I doubt that Lance and Jenny would lie about it vanishing,” Alex said. Her temper was beginning to flare, but she held it in check. “Come on; you know that Nick
i has been interested in magical items since day one.”

  “That’s true.” Then Merlin chuckled, but Alex noted a shadow of worry in his eyes. “I never truly thought that she’d manage such a thing. The question will be how long it lasts.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There have been other magical items over the years,” Merlin said kindly. “But unlike iron, they eventually fade.”

  “So, I’ll keep putting magic into it,” Alex said. “Besides, I think that it might be getting some power from Cathanáil. The sword has been humming all morning. A sort of pleasant hum.”

  Again, she had no idea what Merlin was thinking as he looked at her. Then he exhaled and nodded, suddenly looking much older. Alex braced herself for something more, but then he started to smile.

  “You children have surpassed all my hopes for you,” he said. His voice had gone soft, and almost sad. “So creative. You work so well together. So eager to try new things.” Reaching out, he put his hand on the top of Alex’s head. “And you, Alex, one of the best incarnations of the Iron Soul yet. I know that Arto would have adored you. He’d be proud to be a part of you.” Then he dropped his hand off of her head.

  “Uh, thanks.”

  They stared at each other for a moment, Merlin watching her with searching eyes. Alex tried to gather her courage, but the words kept sticking in her mouth. With a soft cough, she moved away from Merlin and grabbed her open bottle of water from the table, keeping the scabbard clutched in her other hand. The older mage was still watching her as she took a drink.

  “So,” she finally said. “Any news from the hospital?”

  “I’m afraid his family is coming to say their final goodbyes. The story is that a brain problem made him act erratic and come to Oregon. I believe they’ve agreed to organ donation.” Merlin made a thoughtful hum. “You’re angry with me.”

  “I- I don’t know,” Alex said. She looked towards the safe again. “I want to help. It doesn’t feel much like we’re heroes if we don’t. I went back for those kids, but I didn’t help that man because I was afraid that you were right about it being a trap.”

  “I’m sorry if I was harsh,” Merlin said. “How you children view all this and how Morgana and I view it is different. Sometimes I am sternly reminded of that. We… we are old, and worry about different things. That Chalice is an invaluable tool, and I hesitate to risk it. Still, I understand your desire to help.”

  “Thanks, but that doesn’t make it better,” Alex said. “If nothing else… even if we didn’t use the Chalice, we should have tried to help with normal magic.”

  “Perhaps, but I still worry that Arthur might have plans for that,” Merlin said. His tone was soft. “This is war, Alex.” Then he smiled a little at her. It was a brittle smile. “Forgive me for not greeting you earlier.” Rubbing his eyes, Merlin fought back a yawn, and Alex stared at him. “If you need anything-”

  “I’m fine,” Alex said. “I was going to head home with this.” She gestured to her creation. “We’ll let you know how the spell goes.”

  “Perhaps Morgana or I should-”

  “Rest, Merlin,” Alex said. “You clearly didn’t sleep last night. We’ll be fine. It’s just an experiment. We’re not brand-new mages anymore.”

  To her surprise, Merlin nodded in agreement. The shadows in his eyes were darker now. He gave her another fragile smile and turned to leave the forge. Alex stared at him. Something had just happened, but she didn’t know what. Her eyes dropped to the scabbard, and she tried to remember the past conversations about enchanting. Nicki had always been curious, but nothing had ever really happened with it. Now that she thought about it, Merlin and Morgana didn’t really have any magical items. Merlin had a triskelion pin that he wore at the university that she thought might be magical. Morgana had a necklace, but Alex didn’t think that was magical. Was this really so different? Had Merlin’s staff been enchanted or just a good method of channeling his magical power?

  Moving to the window, Alex watched Merlin cross the lawn and head into the house. His reaction left an uneasy feeling in her gut. She didn’t know what it was, but Arto’s voice whispered his concern at the back of her head. Frowning, Alex tried to understand just what was going on. Arthur was being creative and vicious with his magic, and they were finally making some progress. Swinging Cathanáil and its scabbard back over her shoulder, Alex quickly fastened the strap once again.

  Shaking her head, she turned back to the forge and picked up the now cool iron symbol. The metal glowed where it touched her hand, and Alex smiled. She had a good feeling about this. It was just what they needed to seal the magic in place. Picking up Mjǫllnir in her left hand, Alex tucked the seal under her arm and headed for the doorway. She and the others could worry about explaining everything to Merlin and Morgana once this was done.

  20

  Raising the Alarm

  Bran was optimistic. He hadn’t been optimistic in a while. Knowing that Arthur was still out there and expanding his repertoire of magic left a bitter taste in his mouth. Most of the time, it all came down to distracting himself from worrying about Arthur. Classes, homework, and projects could keep him busy. But today Nicki’s excitement was infectious, and Avani’s confidence that they were onto something had created a pocket of hope in his chest.

  Avani and Nicki were running the show. In her excitement and slowly approaching caffeine crash, Nicki was behaving almost normally around Avani. Except for the moments when she trailed off and clutched her coffee to her chest like a zombie. Then Avani gave her indulgent smiles.

  “Put your phone away,” he hissed at Aiden.

  “Don’t take this from me,” Aiden whined. He was tapping on the phone like he was typing something, but it was definitely pointed at Nicki, who was yawning and blinking at Avani with big doe eyes. “She’ll be grateful at her wedding.”

  “Not with those bags under her eyes,” Bran said. Reaching over, he plucked the phone from Aiden’s hand and ignored his cry of protest. “Don’t be mean, Aiden. Just think of the damage she could do if she turned against us. I, for one, do not want a prank war in this house.”

  “It wouldn’t be that bad! Could even be good for moral.”

  “Nicki just made a magical scabbard that hides Cathanáil. Do you really want to see what she’d come up with for revenge?”

  Aiden did stop in consideration and looked over at Nicki. With a slight pout, he sighed and nodded. “Fine. Spoilsport.” Grabbing his phone, he put it in his back pocket quickly. “And for your information, Nicki did say that the scabbard drew magic from the sword.”

  “She thinks,” Bran corrected. “That’s an assumption, but seriously, Aiden: be careful tickling a slumbering dragon.”

  Aiden rolled his eyes but smiled. Shaking his head, Bran left his friend to his tasks. He was pretty sure that Aiden wouldn’t do anything too stupid. And if he did, he could honestly say that he’d tried to warn him. Nicki would probably allow him to make Aiden sleep in the living room during the fallout so that he could stay in their room.

  Kneeling at the side of the house, Bran pushed back the branches of one of the small shrubs that hid the house’s foundation. He inhaled slowly and gently pulled on the spark of magic flickering below his heart. A jolt of heat spread down into his gut and up his spine. Yellow sparks appeared around his right hand, and Bran reached into his pocket to wrestle out the small sheet of paper. The symbol combined a triskelion with a vector mandala. Extending his index finger, he focused his magic on the concrete of the foundation and deliberately carved the symbol into it. It was slow work, and his hand shook as he moved his finger, but the magic knew what he wanted and kept the mandala perfectly symmetrical.

  Smiling, Bran eyed the symbol with satisfaction and a bit of curiosity. He hadn’t given the whole visualization aspect of magic enough thought if it could compensate for uneven human movement. He stood up and checked on the others. He saw Nicki at the other end of the foundation on this side and figured the o
thers were spread around the house at this point. At least they didn’t have any neighbors too close by to wonder what they were up to.

  But someone was coming up the drive on a bike. He should have tensed up, but Bran doubted that Arthur would ever travel on a bike. His sense of importance demanded at least a motorcycle. With the helmet he couldn’t get a good look at the rider until the bike came to a stop and he walked towards it.

  “Hello, Aisling,” he greeted.

  Aiden’s sister took off her helmet and climbed off the bike. The teenager offered him a small smile. Her dark brown hair was much shorter than before, now only hanging to her shoulders. Those familiar piercing brown eyes searched him for a moment, making him almost uneasy. She was taller than the last time he’d seen her, and Bran searched his memory trying to remember how old she was. He knew that the age gap between her and Aiden was at least five years.

  “Hey, Bran,” she said. “It’s been awhile.”