by J. M. Briggs
Lance reached over and took her other hand as he stepped closer to her. He said nothing, but Alex didn’t think she imagined a softening of Jenny’s features. Satisfied that Jenny was okay, and feeling a bit silly for only finding out now that she had a problem with heights, Alex turned back to the chalice. She picked it up but frowned in confusion.
“What is it?” Bran asked. “What’s wrong?”
“When I picked up Cathanáil… I felt something,” Alex struggled to explain. She used her teeth to tug off her other glove and shoved it into her pocket so she could put her other hand on the chalice. “I’m… I’m not sure.”
Alex took a deep breath as she called on her magic once again. Her hands glowed and the Chalice began thrumming softly in her hands. Tiny flickers of magic illuminated it. Swallowing thickly, Alex raised her eyes to look at Bran. For a moment she couldn’t speak, but then her gray eyes caught his wide green ones and she managed a small smile.
“Hey Bran, wanna try it out?”
23
Emrys
Alex’s question was both expected and a shock all at once. Nicki couldn’t believe that Alex had phrased it that way, but on the other hand couldn’t imagine how a person could calmly present such an idea. Her eyes shifted from the Chalice to Bran, and any witty remark she might have been tempted to make died on her tongue. Bran was staring at the Chalice with a hopeful yet lost expression, his fingers holding his cane so tightly his knuckles were white.
The darkness around them and the tension were getting to be a bit much for her. Nicki’s hands were shaking as she looked down at them and pulled her own magic forth. They’d found the Iron Chalice so maybe they could afford to use a bit more magic. Icy blue sparks shimmered around her hand and Nicki concentrated them into an orb. Closing her eyes, she focused on making a light, on the orb’s magic becoming light instead of water or ice. It thrummed in her hand and then through her closed eyelids she could see the glow. Opening her eyes, Nicki smiled at her little achievement and carefully lifted it into the air. She concentrated on it staying afloat without her hand and pushed it a little further up.
With more of the cavern revealed, Jenny made a small displeased sound behind her. The dark local stone shimmered in the soft bluish light of Nicki’s magic. It was a fairly small cavern in all truth: the ceiling was only a short ways above their heads and the floor they were on extended out a few more feet in front of the pedestal. The beams of her light reached down several feet, illuminating another large ledge on the other side of the cavern, but the bottom of the cave was nowhere in sight.
“Bran?” Alex called nervously. “I didn’t- I didn’t mean to pressure you; it’s totally up to you if you want to use-”
“Yeah,” Bran said. He was still panting, but he nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it since we left Ravenslake and, well, especially since we had that Fisher King talk.”
“Right.” Relief was obvious on Alex’s face. “Uh, I think we need to put some liquid in it. Then I’ll see if I can activate it or something.”
The nervous expression was back on Alex’s face, but Bran nodded and pulled out the water bottle. Pouring what was left into the Chalice seemed to take forever. Alex looked lost for a moment, and Nicki noted that a bit of the rusting rim seemed to have washed off into the water. Bran was pale and staring at the Chalice with a look that was a mixture of hopeful awe and resignation. Nicki couldn’t blame him; the dull rusting thing in Alex’s hands didn’t exactly inspire her. Nonetheless, Alex closed her eyes and her magic began to swirl around it. The sparks seeped into the iron and it began to look a little brighter. Bran gently took the Chalice when it was offered to him, and after a beat raised it to his lips. No one moved as Bran gulped down the water and drew the Chalice back from his mouth.
“Did you feel anything?” Alex asked. Her eyes darted between his face and his leg. “Any magic?”
Bran swallowed with a blank expression but shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Let me try something else,” Alex said. She took the Chalice from him and placed it back on the pedestal of rock carefully. There was an almost frantic expression on her face. “I just need a minute.”
Nicki frowned; she couldn’t help but feel concerned over the odd tone in Alex’s voice. Magic burst from Alex’s hands and swirled in the air, illuminating her face and casting eerie shadows upon the walls. Alex grimaced, confusing Nicki until the dark gray magic spun down over its owner’s hands and sliced one of them. Red blood began to pool in Alex’s left hand, but she only smiled as she reached for the Chalice. Grimacing in sympathy, but unable to look away, Nicki watched Alex spread her blood across the Chalice. Then the blonde mage closed her eyes and poured more magic into the Chalice. The blood seeped into the metal and it once again looked a little brighter, but Alex was beginning to shake.
Bran plucked the Chalice away from Alex, glancing towards Nicki with lost green eyes. Lance reached forward and handed her a bottle of water. Sharing another look with Alex, Nicki poured some of the water in and Bran again took a deep drink while Alex watched with wide hopeful gray eyes. But then Bran lowered the Chalice and slowly shook his head. He was watching Alex with worried eyes as she took in his own expression. Defeat took over her face as she looked at the Chalice and slowly took it out of Bran’s hands. The glow of her magic had faded, and she turned with shaking hands and put the Chalice back on the pedestal. Nicki’s eyes widened as Alex stumbled back from it, her breathing uneven and loud in the cavern. Alex turned to look at them, her eyes wide and her face pale. For a moment she looked like she was going to say something, but then the tremors in her body took over and her knees gave out.
“I’m not the Iron Soul.” Alex’s face was in her hands and her whole body shaking. “This proves I’m not.”
Bran was looking at the Chalice and skull, a confused and sickly look on his face. Nicki began to reach for him, but he shrugged his shoulder and twisted away from her. Nicki turned to look back at Alex only to find Jenny kneeling down and wrapping an arm around her. Above Nicki’s head, the magical light flickered as her own desire to see what was happening began to fade.
“You are the Iron Soul,” Jenny assured Alex. A dry sob escaped Alex and her shakes got worse. “Alex, honey, breathe!” Jenny looked up at Nicki with a wide-eyed, worried look. “This doesn’t mean anything, not really.”
It was all coming down around them, Nicki realized in the back of her mind even as she clenched her fists. She wanted to say something, but the anger was building in her chest again and she dared not. Alex was shaking against Jenny and staring off into the distance. Blood was dripping from Alex’s cut hand onto the dark stone. Was she back on that beach with Arthur, Nicki wondered? Or was she replaying that promise she’d made back in Ravenslake to be worthy of the sacrifice that Aiden had made for her? Nicki felt bile rising up in her throat as guilt warred with anger.
“Shit,” Alex swore. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing,” Jenny insisted. “Alex, the Chalice has been inactive for two thousand years; maybe you just need to-”
“I didn’t feel anything Jenny!” Alex snapped, looking up at Jenny with wide gray eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing. We’ve been wrong about the identity of the Iron Soul before, maybe we are again.”
“I don’t believe that,” Jenny said. “I don’t Alex. We’ll sort this out: maybe the Chalice needs a certain liquid or spell to reactivate it.” Jenny glanced towards Nicki, her mouth moving as she tried to think. “Let’s just get it out of here and then we can call Morgana.”
“Morgana…” Alex repeated the name, but her face lost all color and for a moment Nicki believed that she was really going to be sick. “Shit!” Alex hissed as she pulled away from Nicki and lunged towards the edge of the ledge.
The sounds of Alex getting sick over the side didn’t help as Nicki tried to think of what to say. Jenny started shaking as she tried to crawl over to the edge, but she stopped and looked pleadingly towards her. Mov
ing before she’d even thought to, Nicki knelt down by Alex, mindful of the edge and pulled back her blonde hair to keep it out of her face.
“We’ll sort this out,” Nicki promised, rubbing Alex’s back gently.
Fear for Aiden and doubt was prickling over her like an icy chill, and Nicki struggled to ignore it. She forced herself to think back to her parents’ attempt to return to her life. Alex had been with her through that: she’d been there when her Gran called and had driven her home rather than have her drive across town upset. It had been Alex that sat with her while they waited for Aiden. Alex, who grew up in a sitcom home with two well-employed parents and healthy brothers, who comforted her when her own shit parents came back to see her after abandoning her because they ‘weren’t ready for the responsibility’.
“It’s okay Alex,” Nicki said. “I think you’re wrong‒ whatever is in your head that makes you think it isn’t you is wrong.” Alex gagged and Nicki looked back at Bran, but he was staring at the Chalice. “Look,” Nicki tried again, struggling to find the right words. “It wasn’t me or Bran or Aiden who turned around when we were almost out of the Sídhe tunnels to go and rescue some kids we didn’t even know. That was you, and despite the crap you’re going through now thanks to Arthur you came here to find the Chalice.”
“But I can’t make it work,” Alex protested weakly. Nicki was just grateful that Alex was moving away from the ledge.
“We’ll take it with us and try again on the Solstice; maybe it just needs more juice to start working again than you can use.” Nicki released Alex’s hair and gripped her arm. “You’ve only had your powers for like a year, so of course there are going to be some problems along the way.”
“But Aiden needs the Chalice.”
Nicki’s heart ached at the reminder. She dropped her forehead down to touch Alex’s shoulder as helplessness poured through her. There was nothing to say that could make this better. She had no idea what was wrong with Alex’s magic. Part of her wished that she could believe that Alex wasn’t the Iron Soul, but Arthur had been so sure and Cyrridven, Merlin’s ally of three thousand years, had died to protect Alex from Chernobog long enough for Alex to use Cathanáil. No; there was no doubt in her mind, but there was a dark fear creeping through her about just what that meant. Turning her head slightly, she looked towards Jenny who looked just as lost as she did.
Nicki froze as a strange scraping sound echoed up the cavern from below. Jenny stiffened sharply, looking around nervously and starting to crawl back towards the tunnel. Lance reached out and helped her up as he looked around for the source of the noise. Then the sound grew louder with an odd groan accompanying the scraping noise. There was the loud echoing sound of something catching the air. The sound grew louder and louder and Nicki could tell that something was coming up from below them. Nicki had only had time to tug Alex to her feet before something large and red reached the light of her magical orb. It landed at the far outcropping with a thump and Nicki forced herself to look.
It was a dragon. A real dragon. Nicki’s brain must have gone offline for a moment because the next thing she was really aware of was that the dragon had stretched out on another rocky ledge across the chasm. He-she-it was over a hundred feet long, and that wasn’t counting the long red tail tipped with spikes that it calmly curled around its body. Large wings were folded neatly against its shining red body.
“Wow.” Nicki was suddenly aware that her mouth was hanging open a little.
“Run,” Lance hissed. He reached for Jenny and Alex.
“No, wait!” Bran said. “Guys, it’s not attacking.”
Indeed, the dragon was just watching them calmly. Its red horns scraped at the top of the cavern when it shifted its head. To Nicki’s shock, it turned its golden eyes towards the ceiling with a disgruntled look. Then its gaze swept over them, lingering on Bran for a moment with its eyes widening as its nostrils flared. The long red scaled snout with hints of orange and gold came closer and sniffed again as they all stood frozen.
“Hello Bran,” the dragon greeted in a deep rumbling voice. It drew back its nose. “Or do you have another name now?”
It sounded calm and merely curious. Nicki sucked in a deep greedy breath, suddenly feeling faint. The dragon glanced at all of them once more, but it quickly looked back to Bran. His expression was cautious, but curious mixed with fear.
“No,” Bran said slowly. “Do you know me?”
“Indeed, I believe I do,” the red dragon answered in slightly accented English. “Your magic smells the same as it did long ago, and I have always had a good memory for smell.” The red dragon looked towards the pedestal, and then back at Bran with a curious expression. “Do you know me?”
“I’m afraid not,” Bran admitted. Nicki was impressed by how calm he was. “Are you an enemy or an ally of those that put the Iron Chalice here?”
“I was a friend,” The dragon’s voice rumbling around them. “You called me Emrys.”
“Emrys,” Bran repeated doubtfully, but he didn’t look away from the beast. “That was your name?”
“The names of my kind are not something you could pronounce.” Emrys tilted his head and revealing his teeth in what Nicki almost thought could be a smile. “You and Gofiben insisted that you needed something to call me.” The dragon shifted on its front legs, giving another dirty look towards the ceiling, and extended his nose once again. He sniffed at the air once more and fixed his eyes on Alex. “I believe I smell another familiar scent.” Heart pounding and hearing a sharp inhale from Alex, Nicki gently pushed her forward. She had to keep both hands on Alex’s shoulders as the blonde tried to back away from the dragon’s nose. “Interesting,” Emrys said. “I recognize your scent as well Gofiben. It is good to see you as well.”
Nicki could hear a collective sigh of relief and risked a glance back at Lance and Jenny, who were in the tunnel staring at Emrys with wide eyes. Chuckling to herself, Nicki turned back and grinned as she took in the dragon. He was gorgeous; with shimmering scales and an air of dignity that even his obvious discomfort in the small space couldn’t hide.
“I am the Iron Soul?” Alex asked.
“Indeed,” Emrys answered with a hint of confusion. “Were you not aware of that?” Then his gold eyes traced Alex and then went to the Chalice. “Ah… then it was you who was ill.” Emrys chuckled when Alex tensed up and made a tiny sound of fear. “Thankfully you missed me, but the smell did wake me up. I was not expecting company.”
“What are you doing here?” Lance asked curiously, only to flinch back once he realized he’d spoken up. “I mean with the Chalice and underground.”
“I have little choice in the matter, I’m afraid.” Emrys looked at Lance for a moment. “The Old One Badb pulled me and my prisoner, the White Dragon, into your world a very long time ago.” Emrys nodded his head down towards the cavern below. “Not far from this cavern in fact. Unfortunately, even once Badb was dead there was no way to return home, and I still had the duty of keeping my prisoner confined.”
“Why not just kill him?” Nicki asked. She looked towards the edge of the ledge, wondering if there was really another dragon down there.
“I tried that,” Emrys confided, “But alas, the nature of dragons combines with the nature of your world in… odd ways.”
“Odd ways?” Bran pressed. “What do you mean?”
“Dragons have iron blood,” Emrys explained. “Unlike most other… guests to your world we are not naturally incompatible; many of the creatures from worlds on my branch of the Tree of Reality are like that. The problem is that it is still not our world, and the nature of life and death for dragons is different. We are reborn a short time later into a new body, and slowly regain our old memories.”
“Seriously?” Nicki gaped up at the dragon. “So what happens here?”
“Our souls, our essence, cannot take on a new body as there are not dragons being born. Instead, our bodies slowly heal our injuries, but our souls cannot move on. We are essen
tially immortal,” Emrys informed them before nodding into the cavern below. “Which is why I remain here to keep the White Dragon contained.”
“It’s the legend!” Bran looked over at Nicki with wide eyes. “It’s true.”
“Ah yes, the legend.” Emrys chuckled and his horns scraped the top of the cavern. “Parts of it are correct.”
“If you don’t leave here, then how are you aware of the legend?” Alex questioned with a frown.
“I have a little magic,” Emrys informed her with a soft huff. “There is water far below here that I stay in to keep myself cleansed of any other side effects being in your world might cause, but there is a small side pool through which I can view parts of the world, or at least the BBC.”
“You watch television?” Bran asked with a slack jaw.
“Sadly I cannot view any areas where magic is very active,” Emrys admitted with a sigh. “That is a veil I cannot pierce, so I’ve been isolated down here. Television has been a joy in the last… oh, sixty or so years. It is actually worthwhile to stay awake and check on the state of the world.”