by J. M. Briggs
They all settled into the room, Bran leaning back on the empty bed with a pillow behind his back that Nicki had given him and his legs stretched out. He'd removed the brace from his right leg, but had his cane leaning on the dresser right beside him. Deciding to give him room, Alex sat in the chair in front of the empty desk, pulling it out so she was seated next to Aiden who'd taken over Nicki's desk chair when Nicki had climbed onto her bed. Jack-o-lanterns had been strategically placed around the room, their flickering candles casting strange shadows on the wall that didn't help to put anyone at ease.
“Okay,” Alex spoke up, unable to bear the tense silence. “Any clue where to start?”
“Magic is real,” Aiden offered, failing to hide the fear in his eyes, “And it has some ugly strings attached.”
“Figures,” Nicki grumbled, “It couldn't be like in the stories now could it and of course fairies are evil.”
There was weak laughter in the room that faded away awkwardly. Shifting in the desk chair, Alex looked around at the three other apparent mages in the room. She didn't think that any of them had ever met Arthur, but decided that it couldn't hurt to ask.
“Have any of you had a …. Connection,” she asked, remembering the word they had used after a moment, “With anyone else?”
Bran frowned in confusion and Aiden tilted his head slightly as he considered the question. Shaking her head, Nicki reached into her fridge and pulled out a pitcher of water before grabbing a couple of glasses from a high shelf over her desk.
“I guess not,” Alex sighed in response to their silence. “There's this guy, Arthur Pendred and when I first met him… I saw fire and heard I don't know maybe charcoal burning and there was this weird ringing noise like metal being struck. It was a lot like what happened with you guys except-” Alex cut herself off before she said: it didn't scare me.
Raising an eyebrow and giving her a knowing smirk, Nicki handed Alex a glass of water which she took gratefully. Aiden looked thoughtful and Bran just shrugged.
“Strange that Merlin and Morgana didn't identify him if he is a mage,” Aiden murmured. “Don't you think?”
“Maybe they've never met him,” Nicki suggested as she retook her seat. “We all have a class with at least one of them.”
“I don't think Arthur is in any of their classes,” Alex replied with a shrug. “But when we first met it really felt like a Connection.”
“Maybe it was a different kind of connection,” Nicki ventured with a smile.
Shooting her a quick glare, Alex tried to be irritated, but honestly the bit of humor felt awfully good at that moment. She shook her head quickly when Aiden and Bran looked over at her.
“Maybe you're wrong,” Bran told her. “It might have been a smell trigger or something.”
“Or maybe they just don't know about him,” Aiden added with a quick nod to Alex. “We'll have to mention it when they contact us about magic lessons.” He blinked and snorted, shaking his head. “That's gonna take some getting used to.”
“There was a time when you have jumped at the idea,” Nicki reminded him with a soft wistful smile. “Wasn't that long ago.”
“And you were right there with me,” Aiden replied with an equally warm smile towards Nicki.
Alex smiled as she observed the moment. It made her miss her brothers with a fierce pang in her chest that made her eyes tear up. She blinked to stop them, afraid that if she let herself start now she wouldn't be able to stop.
“So?” Aiden asked, turning back towards them. “As you may have noticed Nicki and I are major geeks and fans of fantasy. We've always wanted magic to real,” he shrugged, “Be careful what you wish for and all that. Apparently Alex had a potentially magical experience before we met each other. Has there been anything else?”
“Me,” Bran answered, his head lowered slightly as the others turned to look at him. “I've always had a … sense of what to do to make things turn out alright for me,” he told them softly. “Just little things like where misplaced items were, what route to take to avoid problems, standardized test guesses, that sort of things.” His hands shook slightly and he reached over to grip his cane like a life line, still not looking up from the floor. “When I was fifteen my mom and I were hit by a drunk driver, that's how this happened to my legs,” he explained gesturing to them. “The thing is that while I was in the car I… saw what was going to happen. I grabbed the steering wheel from my mom and jerked us mostly out of the way. The other car just hit my side and not badly enough to kill me. I think… I think if I hadn't had that vision my Mom and I would have died.”
Swallowing, Alex looked over at Aiden and Nicki for some guidance, but both of them looked as lost as she felt. She looked back at Bran who was still clutching his cane and looking at the floor with a completely blank expression.
“Then magic is good,” Alex announced trying to sound more confident than she felt and ignoring the tightening in her throat. “Maybe the source isn't what we all imagined and wanted as children. Maybe it is born from bad things happening, but maybe at the core of what it is, it really is good.”
She risked a glance at Nicki and Aiden only to find them both smiling gently at her before they turned their attention to Bran. He shifted on his cane, leaning forward off of the bed to look at them. Giving Alex a small nod, he looked to Aiden and smiled.
“Well,” Aiden sighed, “I guess then we'll have to worry about magic lessons.”
“And learning to use iron weapons,” Nicki added before looking at Aiden, “I think I owe your dad a huge thank you for letting me learn fencing with you.”
“I don't think this was something he imagined,” Aiden told her before looking over at Alex.
Shrugging, Alex said, “I guess all we can do is wait and see.”
Nicki's stomach growled suddenly and she blushed before jumping to her feet. She pulled a box off one of her shelves and pulled out a couple of bags of popcorn.
“I can't offer you anything special without leaving the room,” she told them as she opened the microwave, “But I can at least take the edge off.”
The next hour and half was passed with lots of questions about families, favorite books, reasons for majors and anything else that someone could think of to pass the time. It was clear that everyone was tired, but unwilling to sleep until the night ended and the sun rose. Two of the jack-o-lanterns had completely burned out with the last two nearing the end of their wicks when the first bit of sunlight poured into the room through the window.
Jumping to her feet, Nicki pulled the curtains open all the way and grinned as she looked towards the east. Alex quickly followed her to the window to look out at the reddish clouds glowing just over the horizon. The sun wasn't visible yet, the first rays felt warm on Alex's skin. Relief made her legs shake softly and she quickly sat back down, turning her chair towards the sunrise.
“Good morning everyone,” Nicki cheered with a beaming smile.
They gave it another twenty minutes before the need to sleep finally scattered the group, now armed with each other's phone numbers in case of emergency. Nicki promised to call her grandmother and see if she had any ideas for where they could get some iron horseshoes this weekend instead of waiting for Merlin's iron knives.
Despite the sun beginning to shine across the campus, Alex and Bran moved across the lawn swiftly. Bran kept looking around even as he did his best to take solid steps to ensure he didn't stumble while Alex made sure that she didn't rush ahead of him in spite of her own desire to return home and sleep. Pulling out her card key, Alex quickly unlocked the main door Hatfield and held it open for Bran.
“Thanks,” Bran told her shifting on his cane. “I'm afraid the running last night is something I'm going to feel for several days.”
“Will you be alright?” Alex questioned with a worried frown.
“Some sleep and pain killers will help for today and I'll be seeing my physical therapist on Tuesday,” he assured her with a smile. “You get some sleep,” he
chuckled and looked down at the slippers she was still wearing. “And don't forget to return Nicki's clothes.”
Alex watched Bran turn away and head down the corridor to his first floor room for a moment. Once again, she decided against the elevator and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Already people were moving about and talking in the corridor, but everyone seemed to be keeping the noise level reasonable. Reaching her doorway, Alex unlocked the door with a strong sense of relief and stumbled inside, locking it behind her. She dropped the basket with her stuff on the floor and used her foot to shove it over by her dresser. Striding towards her bed, Alex kicked off the slippers and debated changing clothes. She decided it was too much work and collapsed into her bed. Alex snuggled into her pillow and clutched Galahad to her chest as she turned on her side. Inhaling the soft scent of the stuffed animal, Alex gratefully held Galahad to her face.
Her exhaustion faded slightly as the pure relief of being back in a familiar environment returned. Galahad shuddered in her arms as Alex's entire body began to shake from her conflicted emotions. Shoving her face into the stuffed toy, Alex wished he was a lot bigger. It took her a moment to recognize that she was crying softly, but she couldn't really understand why. Those hounds tried to kill her, but she'd met Merlin and Morgana le Fey. Magic was real and she was going to learn, but it came at a price and terrible evil creatures were trying to take over Earth. Biting her lip, Alex stopped a hysterical laugh from escaping her and thought for a stray moment that she was grateful the breakdown was happening in private. Opening her eyes, she looked across the room to where she assumed Jenny was still asleep.
There was no one there. Frowning, Alex welcomed the distraction and looked around the room for signs of her roommate. Jenny's outfit from earlier on Friday was still draped across the bed and her shoes were on the floor. Her eyeliner and the magnification mirror she had used to do her Cleopatra look were on the desk where she had left them. There was no sign that Jenny had returned home at all. Worry replaced the mixture of terror, relief and sorrow that has been churning in Alex's stomach. What if she was right about Arthur and he was a mage too? What if the hounds had also attacked Arthur and Jenny was with him?
She sat up and crawled across her bed to reach for the basket that contained her cell phone. Suddenly the door opened and Jenny stumbled into the room, out of breath and a mess. Her dress was wrinkled and her makeup badly smudged. Alex nearly leapt off the bed to hug her roommate, but Jenny's sudden stop when she spotted Alex derailed the action.
“Alex?!” Jenny gasped, “Uh hi!”
“Hi,” Alex returned with a confused expression. “Are you only just getting back?”
“Yeah, uh we… oh god!” Jenny exclaimed with a horrified expression. “Oh honey I'm so sorry. Lance got distracted and ….”
“It's okay,” Alex assured her quickly, her entire body relaxing and the exhaustion returning. “I just got back… I met up with some other friends and lost track of time.” Alex waved the phone she'd just retrieved. “I was about to call to make sure you were okay,” she confessed.
Jenny shifted on her feet, looking oddly nervous before she moved to her bed and pulled the shoes off. Smiling at Alex, Jenny said, “I'm fine. I'm sorry about you not getting a ride. I'll make it up to you.” Jenny stood up and grabbed her toiletries. “I'm going to clean up and get some sleep.”
Alex blinked as her roommate all but rushed out of the room. She wondered if something had happened, but her eyelids were feeling extra heavy from her earlier crying. Instead of pondering Jenny's behavior further, Alex lay back down and curled under her comforter. Softly exhaling, she held Galahad to her chest, hoping that her childish belief of him repelling bad things was true.
15
Light in a Childe’s Hand
824 B.C.E. The Sídhean
The long network of tunnels was all she had ever known. Each tunnel was circular in shape with smooth polish stonework that shimmered in the orbs of light that floated every three feet above her head. Sídhe magic rippled across the white stone, creating images of their home realm in beautiful soft colors. As she turned into another tunnel, a scene from a Sídhe story played out beside her on the wall with a glittering palace crafted out of mist rising above a rich violet forest and three riders with their hounds rushing towards it. When she was younger she would have stopped to watch the images despite the summons, but now she had learned better and walked past with only a glance.
Ahead of her, a tall Síd woman with long white hair that shimmered in the lights was striding quickly down the hall. The train of her light blue robe trailed behind her and the girl was careful not to step on it. Her eyes went to the woman's pale hand where a message on a scroll was clutched tightly. The lady's white gloves were accented with golden fingernail covers that were digging into the parchment, the only sign of her aggravation which only made the girl following her more nervous.
Moving quickly, they passed a circular doorway that led into a series of large rooms. Several young children looked at her curiously; one even looked out into the hallway to watch her as she approached the end of the tunnel network. Directly in front of her was a massive golden circular door engraved with interwoven curling designs. Two guards stood before the doorway, one on each side of it; she only recognized one of them. They towered over the girl as she moved closer to them, their violet eyes narrowing at the sight of her. Each was dressed in elaborate golden armor decorated with designs like the one on the doorway and armed with a sword. The one on the right outranked the other, indicated by the golden decorations on his gray horns that rose above his white braids and was unknown to the girl.
The woman stopped and gestured for the girl to go forward. Taking a few tentative steps towards the doors, the girl stopped and dropped to her knees, lowering her head down low with her hands placed flat on the floor. One of the guards stepped forward, but she did not look up at them. The Síd stepped on her hand, but she kept in the cry of pain. He chuckled and moved off of her hand before placing the tip of his boot beneath her chin, pulling her face up.
“Aren't you a pretty one,” he observed with slow smile as his eyes traced her features. It was the higher ranking Síd so she did her best to stay very still. “Your name.” She remained silent and the Síd's smile widened. “You may speak.”
“I am called Morgana,” she answered softly, keeping her green eyes lowered respectfully.
“And your age?” the Síd asked, reaching a gloved hand with golden coverings over his claw-like fingernails down to brush a strand of her long dark brown hair. The claw touched the skin of her cheek.
“I am six years of age,” she told him, fighting down a rising sense of fear and dread. “In the care of the Lady Eolande,” Morgana added hoping he would stop touching her and let her pass.
“Not yet seven then,” the Sídhe guard sighed, “Your sort grow up so quickly and yet not quickly enough.” He dropped his hand away from her face and took a step back. Now he turned his attention to the woman waiting in the corridor. “Is there an arrangement for this one yet?”
“There is not,” the Síd woman behind her answered calmly.
“Then I shall be speaking with you,” the guard told her with a smile, “I like ones who don't show pain easily.” Morgana heard him move back to the doorway.
The second guard did not look down at Morgana and in a bored voice asked, “State your business here with the earth childe Lady Eolande.”
Behind Morgana, Lady Eolande moved forward, her gown brushing Morgana as she passed her. Holding out the scroll, Lady Eolande announced, “This iron childe has been summoned to appear before Her Majesty. I brought her here immediately.”
The guard accepted the scroll and read it quickly, before he gave his superior a nod. Then, moving in synch, each guard gripped the large golden rings on each half of the door and pulled the golden doors open. Morgana looked up, unable to contain her curiosity as the space beyond the doors was revealed to her for the first time.
“Easy pretty one,” he cooed as he dragged her towards the darkness. “You have the honor of entering the Crossing: where our realms meet and the Queen rules all.
Frightened even more by the darkness, Morgana tried to pull away. The guards both laughed and the one holding her wrapped his hand around her throat forcing her to be still. Leaning over her from behind her back, he put his lips next to her ear and whispered, “Not often your kind goes so close to Sídhean. I do hope you come back pretty one; it's been too long since I had the thrill of an iron childe. Just remember your place.”