The Iron Realm (The Iron Soul Book 1)

by J. M. Briggs

  Professor Cornwall set an elegant leather satchel on the computer cart at the front of the room and pulled out her materials while the class waited. Then Professor Cornwall looked around the room, noting every student with a quick look over. As the professor's eyes moved over her, Alex found herself sitting up a little straighter and trying to look ready to learn.

  “Let's begin,” Professor Cornwall said a moment later. “As I informed you last week we are going to start with the earliest civilizations and examine the core components of Stone Age technology and society.”

  The Professor strode over the wall and flipped a switch, turning off every other light in the room. A moment later the projection system turned on and an image of a human hand outlined on a stone wall with burst of color shown onto the screen. Without missing a beat, Professor Cornwall launched into lecture mode.

  An hour and twenty minutes later, Alex and Jenny stumbled into their dorm room and collapsed on their respective beds.

  “That woman is something else,” Jenny groaned as she rubbed her head. “Maybe I should have dropped the class when she warned us. How is that an entry level course?”

  “Yeah, but at the risk of having to take a worse semester down the road to get enough credits to graduate on time,” Alex mumbled into her pillow as she curled up against it.

  “Don't you have another class?” Jenny asked as she kicked off her shoes.

  “Not until 3:30,” she answered as she toed out of her sneakers and listened to them thud to the floor with satisfaction. “I can have a quick nap.”

  “I'm not waking you up,” Jenny warned as she curled into her own comforter. “My brain hurts.”

  Groaning, Alex reached over to the bag she'd dropped on the foot of the bed and wrestled out her mobile phone. She set an alarm for 3 in the afternoon and placed it up on the desk.

  “Happy?” Alex asked Jenny, as she snuggled down.

  “Just so long as you don't wake me up when you go, yeah,” Jenny replied and Alex could hear the smile on her face.

  Sleep came quickly, but was not peaceful as a nightmare crept into Alex's mind. She was standing alone in total darkness, one hand braced on a smooth rocky wall to her right. Music floated to her from somewhere in the darkness, a haunting melody that she had heard before. Reaching out, Alex found another rock wall to her left and carefully mapped the tunnel that surrounded her. She dared not take another step, unable to see anything and fearing that a chasm might be just in front of her. Strange voices spoke, their words echoing along the rocky wall, but Alex realized they were coming closer. She opened her mouth to yell for help, but an icy feeling in her chest stopped the sound from escaping her throat.

  Then her cell phone beeped loudly, startling her from the nightmare. Sitting up slowly, Alex took in a deep breath and grabbed her phone to turn off the alarm. She pulled herself out of bed, brushed her hair and gathered her things as quietly as she could manage. Stepping out into the sunlight chased the last hint of fear from the nightmare away and Alex headed towards the Natural Science Building.

  Alex found her way to a larger classroom in the Natural Science Building with square black topped lab tables spread throughout. Judging from the cabinets of beakers, cylinders, flasks that dominated one side of the room and the fume hood in the corner it was usually a chemistry lab. A short balding man with a thick beard stood at the front chalk board, writing on it from a sheet of paper in his hand.

  “Tables are labeled,” he announced as Alex came closer. “Just sit where I put your name.”

  Sighing, Alex found her name right at the top of the list on the board. With a surname like Adams, she was naturally at table one. Alex located the table which was marked with a propped up piece of paper. Another girl with dark hair and glasses was already sitting there. Alex slid into a seat across from the girl and smiled when the girl looked up at her.

  “Hi,” she greeted. “I'm Alex Adams.”

  “Helen Baker,” the girl replied with a slight shrug before she turned her attention to the mobile phone in her hands.

  Alex unpacked the assigned workbook and her tablet and waited in silence as the rest of the class trickled in and found their seats. A boy with red hair sat down and smiled at Alex and Helen before taking out a notebook full of doodles. He introduced himself as Rob Anderson before he pulled out a green ballpoint pen and resumed doodling.

  “Hey,” a familiar voice said as someone sat down next to her.

  Eyes widening, Alex looked over at Aiden who was sitting next to her and pulling out his tablet.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Check the board,” Aiden told her, gesturing towards the front of the room where Aiden Bosco was listed under Robert Anderson and Helen Baker.

  “You've got to be kidding me,” Alex growled as she glared at the board.

  “Funny how we keep running into each other,” Aiden observed with a chuckle. “Let's play nice and pass physics lab, Alex.”

  “Did you do this on purpose?” Alex demanded with a cautious glance towards the board.

  “Yes I hacked into the school system just to take this lab with you,” Aiden replied with an eye roll. “You're a bit paranoid aren't you,” he teased.

  “Alright,” Alex huffed. “Fine we're in a lab group together. I can be civilized if you can.”

  “Have I not been civilized at some point?” Aiden asked with a slight tilt of his head. “Not my fault we're in so many classes together. You've got two with Nicki after all and I don't see you accusing her.”

  “Well your girlfriend has backed off,” Alex remarked as she turned her attention to her tablet.

  “Nicki is not my girlfriend,” Aiden told her with a smile. “Her interests run parallel to mine, not perpendicular.”

  Professor Hammon called the class to order and started handing out the syllabus as well as the first in class assignment. Alex barely restrained her ‘oh' when she realized exactly what Aiden meant and he chuckled softly. He quickly turned his attention away from Alex to focus on Professor Hammon as the syllabus and class schedule were outlined.

  To Alex's relief the Professor ended the class early after handing out a worksheet on the echo and sound wave experiment they were to come to class prepared for the next week.

  “Now take a few minutes and get the contact information from the rest of your group,” Professor Hammon told them all. “The catch of me releasing you early today is that you should meet at least once before next Thursday to have your process planned out. We will spend only half an hour covering the material and you will need almost the entire remaining hour and twenty minutes to complete your work. You are free to go.”

  Bringing up a new text document, Alex quickly entered her group’s names and phone numbers. At Aiden's suggestion she added emails too since they would probably need to share documents at some point. She was sending the information to them when Rob leaned over to speak with Aiden.

  “Hey man, haven't seen you in while. How'd the family road trip go?”

  Alex ignored their conversation as she packed her things. Rob departed a moment later with a quick goodbye to everyone and Helena followed a moment later. Aiden on the other hand seemed to packing up slowly, waiting for Alex.

  Sighing, Alex looked over at the departing Rob and then over at Aiden. “Friend of yours?” She asked, trying to make casual conversation that in no way related to the hallucinations.

  “Local kid like me,” Aiden replied with a shrug. “And he's a good customer at the book store my family runs.” He gave Alex a cautious look and added, “That's where the books in the vision you got from me came from and the garlic I can guess came from my dad's cooking. He's Italian and proud of it.”

  “I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” Alex said sternly as she stood up and pulled her bag over her shoulder.

  “No, we agreed to be civil,” Aiden replied. “Very different.”

  Marching out of the classroom, Alex picked up her speed when
she notice Aiden following her and nearly tripped on the stairs leading outside. The sunshine blinded her and Alex fumbled for her sunglasses as she slowly moved towards a patch of shade. Behind her the door opened and she heard more students come out, but Aiden's footsteps nearly echoed to her ears.

  “Alex,” Aiden called out as he jogged towards her, “Look just one thing then I'll leave you alone.”

  She hesitated, but turned towards him, the shadow of the building falling over them as they stood off the main path. Aiden had his hands raised in a calming gesture, but lowered them and slid them into the pockets of his utility jacket.

  “What?” Alex asked him sharply, drawing herself up to her full height and nearly glaring at him.

  Aiden didn't seem affected and calmly asked, “Have you ever believed in magic?”

  It wasn't the question Alex expected, but she answered quickly. “No, I don't believe in magic.” She turned on her heel and started to walk away from him.

  “I didn't ask if you do believe in magic,” Aiden called after her. Alex stopped and he walked up behind her. “I asked if you ever believed in magic?” he reminded her as he stopped two feet behind her.

  Turning slowly to him, Alex searched Aiden's face for any clues to what he was thinking. He had a soft smile while he watched her and his brown eyes seemed oddly bright.

  “Have you ever believed in magic?” Aiden asked softly. “Ever in your life?”

  The air around them felt heavy and thick as something rose within Alex, the strange pulse of unknown sensation she'd had the second before each hallucination occurred. Sounds of her classmates and traffic faded into the background as she stared at Aiden and tried to form a response.

  “Of course,” she admitted softly, a whisper that hung between them. “Don't we all when we're young?”

  “I like to think so,” Aiden said kindly before his eyes grew sad. “So why are you fighting this so much?”

  “Fighting what?” Alex asked, her tone taking on an edge of panic. “You think this is magic? I've never read a story where magic caused hallucinations and nothing else!”

  “Maybe we're still only at the beginning of the story,” Aiden suggested gently. “Don't you want to know more about this? See where this goes?”

  “You're talking about magic!” Alex hissed at him, “Yes I believed in magic when I was a kid, but I grew up, did my time in high school and I'm trying to get ready for the real world!” Alex's shoulders slumped and she took in a deep breath before adding, “Magic isn't something that happens in the real world, even if we'd like it to.”

  “Except that maybe it does,” Aiden pressed as he took a step closer. “Come on Alex, you believed once. Try to believe again, just for a few days.”

  “And then what happens when we have to accept that it wasn't magic, that magic isn't real?” Alex asked him, “What do we do then when that hurts?” Her eyes burned with unshed tears that she refused to let fall, her throat already tight from the unexpected words.

  “What do you do when you give up something too important to lose in the name of being 'grown up'?” Aiden replied sadly before he turned away from Alex, giving her a small wave over his shoulder as he walked away.

  Tightening her grip on her bag, Alex swallowed in an attempt to control her chaotic emotions. Her feet felt heavy, but she forced herself to start moving towards her dorm. Everything seemed fuzzy and her mind couldn't quite connect her thoughts together. Her question to Aiden kept replaying in her mind and his words answered it in a terrible re-enacting. She just felt drained and weak.

  “Alex!” a voice shouted behind her, cutting through the haze. She slowed her pace and relaxed as she recognized Arthur's voice. Turning, she stopped walking and watched as he jogged up to her.

  Arthur's blond hair was windswept and he was dressed in his jeans and a faded old t-shirt that Alex couldn't read. He paused when he got closer to her and his wide smile faded into a concerned look. “Alex,” he called gently, “Are you alright?” He placed a hand on her shoulder and examined her face.

  “Yeah,” Alex assured him quickly, desperately trying to keep her voice steady despite the flutter in her stomach. Her hand quivered, but she quickly tightened it to hide the movement. “I'm good.”

  Arthur's blue eyes took on an edge of suspicion as he looked around the area and spotted Aiden looking over at them from across the lawn. Aiden quickly turned and resumed walking away just before Arthur looked back to Alex. “Do I need to beat someone up?” he asked her seriously, his eyes nearly sparking.

  “No,” Alex nearly shouted with a short giggle. “No you don't,” she amended, tension draining from her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Alex silently rejoiced as the knot in the chest eased.

  Considering her carefully, Arthur gave a brief nod and stepped up next to Alex. He extended his arm to her with a widening smile. “Then shall we make our way back to the dorm?”

  Alex accepted Arthur arm with a genuine smile and laughed softly as they started walking. Neither spoke for a few minutes until Arthur broke the silence as they moved past the Administration Building.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly, but still looking ahead.

  “Talk about what?” Alex questioned, her voice sounding much calmer than she felt.

  “What is bothering you, seriously Alex you looked like you might cry.”

  “I…” Alex swallowed, almost painfully. “I don't know.”

  Arthur let it drop for a little longer until they were walking past Upham Hall with Hatfield Hall only a short distance away. “You know I consider you a friend which means that you can always come to me if something is bothering you.”

  “Thank you,” Alex replied, honestly grateful for the statement.

  “Or if you need a football player to frighten someone,” he added with a grin.

  Laughing softly, Alex looked towards Hatfield Hall and dropped her arm from Arthur's. “That's sweet of you,” she told him, not meeting his eyes.

  “Friends look out for each other,” Arthur replied with a small shrug, but the words rang with conviction and authority.

  “Yeah…” they were by the main door of Hatfield Hall. Alex moved towards the doorway to go and get Jenny for dinner. “Do you believe in magic?” Alex asked in a rush before blushing at even asking him that question.

  “What?” Arthur questioned with a surprised look. “Do I believe in magic?”

  “Yeah,” Alex replied, shifting uncomfortably.

  “Maybe,” Arthur answered slowly a moment later. “I don't not believe in magic and there's a lot we don't understand about the universe.” He gave her a bright smile, “And I absolutely believed in magic when I was a kid. So yeah, I think I might.”

  Alex smiled slowly and pulled out her cardkey. “Uh Jenny wanted to have an early dinner with you guys before you had to leave, I'll go and get her,” she told him nervously as she reached for the door.

  “I'll be waiting,” Arthur promised as he pulled out his phone and started to text Lance. “It'll be nice to spend some time with friends before the travel and practice chaos of my first college game,” he added without looking up from his phone.

  The door's lock clicked open and Alex pulled the door ajar. She stopped in the doorway and turned back towards Arthur, only to find him watching her with a knowing smile.

  “Thanks,” she said softly with a tiny smile. He grinned and nodded, causing her smile to widen as she walked inside Hatfield Hall.

  9

  The Sídhe Ride

  834 B.C.E. Snowdonia Wales

  The atmosphere of Myrddin's roundhouse was tense as he ran the polishing stone down the length of the bronze sword with care and tried to ignore his mother's accusing gaze. Never before in his life had he defied her. The Priestess Awena was well known for her knowledge of the mystical world and her abilities as a healer. His grandfather had been a noted priest who had taught his eldest child the mysteries of the Earth well.

  It had been that reputatio
n that protected Myrddin when he was born from a Sídhe father, but he felt no fear of her wrath. Instead when he looked at her he saw the gray hairs in her long auburn braid, the wrinkles on her proud face and the slowness in her steps. Her anger bothered him; he was still her son and she his mother, but it did not worry him. Despite the tension between them, the sounds of him polishing the blade and her working at her loom were in time with each other, a rhythm born of the deep connection they shared whether they wished it or not.

  “You should return to the lake,” Awena told him for the tenth time that night. “Winter will be upon us soon and trekking so far up the mountain will be too dangerous.”

  “I repeat to you mother: I have no reason or need to return.”