The Iron Chalice

by J. M. Briggs

  “Good to see you,” Matt told her gently. “Mom and Dad said that one of your friends got hurt?”

  “Yeah, but it’s okay now,” Alex answered, shoving herself a little tighter against her brother until he made an awkward little noise. “Good to see you both,” Alex told them as she released Matt and stepped back to shrug off her coat.

  “Boys, go and get your sister’s things,” their mom ordered, gesturing to the door. She grinned at Alex. “Your dad should be home soon, but I’m going to call him just to make sure he doesn’t try to stop for anything else.”

  “Okay,” Alex answered.

  She hung up her coat on the hooks by the door and followed her mom into the kitchen. There were boxes of Christmas sweets stacked on the island and Alex wondered how much time her mom had managed to get off this year from the hospital. Then again as a doctor, plenty of her patients sent sweets during the holidays. Alex pulled a glass out of the cabinet and filled it with water, draining it in one long gulp before pouring herself another one.

  “Man sis you brought nothing home!” Matt called as he reentered the house carrying her duffle bag while Eddy tried to push past him with her laptop case.

  “Yeah well I wasn’t sure I’d make it home this year,” Alex reminded them. Their mom gave them both a look through the kitchen door. “But Aiden’s awake and doing fine,” Alex said with a wide smile.

  “Oh Alex that’s wonderful news,” her mom cheered, reaching over to hug her again. “We understood of course that you didn’t want to leave, but that is just wonderful!”

  “Yeah, Nicki will be keeping us all up to date, but they’ve already moved him out of ICU.”

  “So quickly?” Her mom was frowning a little now. “Do they know what caused it?”

  “Nothing yet, but Aiden’s awake, alert and everything is coming back normal… well, as normal as can be for Aiden.”

  “That’s good news at least,” her mom agreed though she still looked a little worried. “But go and sit down Alex. I’m sure you’re tired.”

  Settling on the loveseat, Alex tucked her legs under her and glanced around the living room. A large Christmas tree filled one corner of the room with lights already strung up. An open box of ornaments was sitting on the piano bench next to the tree. Alex’s eyes scanned over the fireplace where the family stockings were already hanging, including the one for Anne. She paused as she looked at the set of iron fireplace tools and released a small sigh of relief even as she wondered how likely it would be that her parents would notice the poker missing while she was here. Her iron dagger was still in Lance’s truck in Portland.

  Matt and Eddy took her things up to her room, judging from the noise overhead, and returned a few minutes later. They crashed onto the couch and Alex felt the usual twinge of sympathy for the poor thing. It was easy to fall back into the usual habits of light teasing around asking how school was all around. Matt would be graduating in the spring and heading to law school so he was just walking on air while Eddy was whining about driver’s ed in the spring. Leaning back on the loveseat, Alex just let the sounds of her family wash over her. It didn’t change what had to happen during this trip, but a small part of her was beginning to wonder if it had to be tonight or if she could afford to wait until Christmas had at least passed. Maybe one more totally normal family Christmas was in order.

  The sound a car door slamming brought Alex sharply back to reality and Anne began jumping around by the front door. Matt hoisted himself off the couch and went to let their dad in. Alex turned on the couch and looked over towards the door eagerly. Her dad stepped inside, shaking a bit of snow off his long coat and handed the bags of groceries over to Matt who promptly took them into the kitchen.

  “I hear my princess is home,” her dad called as he looked into the living room at her.

  “Hi, Daddy!” Alex cried as a warm rush of excitement hit her.

  She jumped up and moved over to him. Her father’s hair had stopped receding, but the dusting of gray at his temples was spreading through his brown hair. Behind his glasses were gray eyes much like her own that were bright with excitement as he moved forward and wrapped one strong arm around her.

  “Oh it’s so good to have you home!” her dad cheered as he hugged her. “Your mom says Aiden’s awake?”

  “Yeah, he is,” Alex agreed as her dad let her go and began to take off his coat. “Nicki is going to be keep me informed, but he’s okay and his family is doing fine.” There were happy tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

  “A Christmas miracle then,” her dad chuckled as he slung an arm over her shoulder and led her back into the living room. “And we get you home.”

  As her dad sat down in his armchair and Anne curled up at his feet, whimpering for a cuddle Alex collapsed back onto the loveseat. Her dad reached down to rub Anne’s head and Alex sighed in relief, rolling her shoulders. She let the warmth of home sink into her bones and smiled. Then her phone began to ring from the pocket of her sweatshirt earning a small groan from her. Alex reached for her phone automatically and didn’t stop to check the caller, assuming it was Nicki or maybe Morgana, as she brought it to her ear.

  “Hello lover,” Arthur purred on the other end. “It seems that Aiden’s awake.”

  “Arthur,” Alex forced out, her whole chest constricting painfully.

  “It’s really something isn’t it,” Arthur laughed, though it carried a hint of sharpness. “Humans are remarkable, aren’t they? Sometimes they accidently get it right. King Arthur and his, well her, brave knights going on a quest to find the Holy Grail. That is what you used, isn’t it? I’ve been pouring over all the stupid little scraps of mythology to find something worth leaving Ravenslake for while Aiden was dying.”

  Her dad was looking at Alex with concern and glancing towards her brothers. Alex supposed that she hadn’t sounded pleased when she said Arthur’s name. Closing her eyes, Alex tried to block them out. She couldn’t deal with their worry and Arthur at the same time.

  “Cat got your tongue, Alex?” Arthur teased lightly, smugness radiating through the phone.

  “Like you said, Aiden is awake and doing just fine,” Alex forced out between grit teeth. “And you’re still down a sword.”

  “But now you have a grail.”

  “Chalice actually, and no you can’t have it,” Alex managed to reply, trying to sound more relaxed than she felt as every muscle in her body seized up. She thought she heard her mom calling to her and just waved her hand blindly.

  “You gave the sword to me darling, you sure you can hold to that promise?”

  “Go to Hell Arthur,” Alex growled, squeezing her eyes tight and trying to banish the memory of handing Arthur the sword; the feeling of honestly believing in him. “And rot there.”

  “When I go to Hell Alex, it’ll be to become its king.” Arthur chuckled smugly. “Enjoy your holiday dearest; I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon enough.”

  The line went dead and Alex dropped her phone on the ground in front of her. She brought her hands up and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm down and drown out the questions coming from her family. Finally, she looked up to find them all crowded around her with almost identical looks of worry, frustration, and anger.

  “Alex?” her dad asked. “What was that about?” He leaned forward and frowned deeply. “What’s happened between you and Arthur?”

  Her mouth instantly dried up and Alex’s fingers clenched around her water glass. A look of panic must have come over her because her dad shifted back to give her some space. He grabbed Matt’s arm and pulled him back too. Raising her glass to her mouth, Alex took a deep gulp of water only to nearly choke on it.

  “Alex? What happened?” her mom demanded sharply as she held her shoulders, draping herself over the arm of the loveseat. “Sweetie? Oh god did he do something-”

  “I’m fine,” Alex said as she handed the water to Matt. “I’m okay Mom. Uh…” Alex struggled to breathe as she looked aroun
d at her family who were all crowding around her. Suddenly her mouth was dry again and her heart was racing far too fast. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly to calm down even as she knew horrible theories and fears were racing through her family’s minds. “Please sit down guys… I’ve got something that I have to tell you.”

  “Alex? If he hurt you-” Matt started to growl, the fierce protectiveness in his voice bringing a soft smile to her face. She wondered if that was how Galath had acted or was it even worse because she was a girl?

  “Just sit down Matt, it’s a long story and I have to explain a lot of things. Arthur and I aren’t a couple anymore because-” Alex shook her head and forced a laugh. “Like I said, I need to explain a lot.”

  They all looked ready to argue with her, but Alex straightened up on the loveseat and did her best to look calm. When her dad tried to ask her something, Alex shook her head and pointed to his chair. As Matt started to sit down, Alex took her glass of water back from him and took a long greedy drink. She waited until her whole family was seated, though none of them looked at ease. Her parents were glancing between her and each other and both of her brothers were damn near vibrating on the couch next to each other. Inhaling slowly, Alex reminded herself that this had been the plan all along. All she had to do was start from the beginning and tell them what had happened.

  35

  Telling the Family

  It was simple in concept; just tell her family the truth, but it was infinitely more complicated in reality. The desire to run or try to laugh everything off was overwhelming. Alex hadn’t expected to feel more afraid than she had in that tunnel, or worse when lying on the shore dying, but this was horrible. Clenching her fists, Alex licked her lips nervously. She was keenly aware of her father’s gray eyes as he studied her with a terrified expression on his face. There must have been dozens of horrible situations running through his head.

  How did she even start this conversation— with some stuttered explanation about the Tree of Reality and reincarnation? Feeling lost, Alex shivered slightly and swallowed thickly. Magic it was then: show them what she could do, or at least part of it, and then explain from there. Still, it felt like reality was completely falling away now: this was the last of it, the last little haven she still possessed against the magical war that had taken over the rest of her life.

  Breathe, Alex reminded herself and inhaled greedily. She didn’t have very flashy magic like the others. Aiden could have simply made a fireball, Nicki an ice sculpture and Bran could make items fly around the room. Hesitating, Alex told herself that she didn’t have to do anything impressive. Just enough that they could see it and know she wasn’t crazy. The connection in her chest fluttered to life and Alex drew her magic forth, letting the dark gray sparks dance around her arm.

  “Alex?” Matt asked in a soft, strained voice. “What the?”

  She focused on making a light and allowed the sparks of magic to swarm together into a condensed dark gray orb that began glowing brightly a moment later. Releasing it gently, Alex guided it up through the air with her eyes until it was hanging amongst the members of her family. They were just staring at it with blank expressions, too shocked to even properly react. Alex swallowed thickly at the stillness and silence. It was Eddy who moved first, standing up from the couch and reaching out to touch the orb.

  “Careful,” Alex cautioned with an uneasy chuckle. “Uh… my magic tends towards… well, energy so electrical shocks are pretty common. I, umm, tend to fight with lightning bolts.”

  “Lightning bolts?” her mother whimpered at the same time that her father gasped, “Fight?”

  Staying silent, Alex let the magic disperse into the air though the glowing orb remained in place. She glanced quickly towards the living room window and sighed gratefully as she realized that the curtains were drawn while fighting back irritation that she hadn’t checked that earlier.

  “Our world… our universe is one of many,” Alex explained slowly, trying not to fidget from her place on the sofa. “It’s all pretty complex and a little more physics based than I’m good at, but bottom line is that those universes all have slightly different rules and are connected to each other.” She paused and licked her lips, picking absentmindedly at her nail. “When they come into contact with each other those different physical laws sort of… react oddly and things go weird.” Alex grimaced at the poor explanation and tried to remember how Merlin and Morgana had put it. “Magic is a part of our world, but it’s like the defense system of our world. Magic becomes active when a threat to our world enters it and mages are like white blood cells who fight back against the infection.”

  They were all staring at her, and she blinked in surprise at seeing that Matt had Eddy in a headlock with a hand firmly across his mouth. The air was electrified with her magic which wasn’t as under control as she hoped it would be. Unable to sit still, Alex stood up off of the couch and stepped away, wringing her hands. Her mother slumped into her vacant place, looking lost and stunned.

  “So yeah, I use my magic to fight these beings from other universes. That’s what it is there for,” Alex finished with a wide spread of her arms, trying not to fidget.

  “Why you?” her mother asked. She looked pale and worried even as a hint of wonder shined in her eyes. “Why my daughter?”

  “It had to be someone,” Alex replied with a helpless shrug. “Most of us were born in the northwest. Nicki… I’m not sure where she was born, but Aiden was born in Ravenslake and Bran is from Oregon.” She was stumbling over the words and once again debating with herself. “Besides… I’m sort of…” Alex flattered and shook her head. “I’m a special mage Mom. I have a soul that was made by the magic of Earth to protect it. It’s called the Iron Soul. It gives me stronger powers and connects me to other lives.”

  “Reincarnation?” Matt repeated. He was so stunned that his hand slipped away from Eddy’s mouth.

  “Alex, can you do spells?” Eddy asked eagerly, his wide eyes fixed on her.

  “Yeah, spells are basically magical effects that you make happen,” she explained gesturing up at the small light orb. “When we use magic it takes a raw form that bests suits us, but we can shape it into other forms through our will. I’m learning to do other things now. Nicki’s magic first worked like water and ice, but she can also heal and we can all do little stuff like mending clothes, fixing scorch marks and that sort of thing.”

  “Going back to reincarnation,” her dad pressed, shaking his head and looking overwhelmed, “Are you serious?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Alex answered with an apologetic wince. “I don’t know much about my other lives, but one of them, the first one was named Arto and he, uh well he made this sword and his story got combined and retold with other stories over the years so he’s probably the inspiration for King Arthur.”

  “King Arthur?” Her tightened her grip on Alex’s shoulder. “You can’t- what?”

  “Professor Cornwall is Morgana le Fey, but don’t worry she’s on our side and looks after me and Professor Yates is Merlin. You know; ‘Ambrose Yates’, immortal gatekeeper, and Morgana was originally from what is known now as Cornwall,” she added with a weak forced laugh. “Not very clever, but it gets the job done.”

  “But this is dangerous isn’t it?” Her mom asked, clutching at her arm and glancing between Alex’s face and the glowing light orb. “That’s the cost of your magic; you have to fight things that come into our world.”

  “Yes,” Alex said solemnly. “That is the cost of having the powers I have.”

  Her mom closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. Eddy’s excitement was fading and Matt was staring at her like he’d never seen her before. A laugh suddenly escaped her dad that quickly shifted from confusion to hysteria. Matt jumped up from the couch and grabbed their dad’s shoulder. Alex flinched at the sound of her dad trying to hyperventilate. This wasn’t nearly as simple and easy as she’d hoped it might be. A letter might have been a better idea.

&n
bsp; “So is Arthur a mage too?” Matt asked, turning his attention away from their dad. “You seemed angry with him on the phone, did something go wrong?”

  “Yeah,” Alex answered. “Arthur... well, he tricked us all into thinking that he was the reincarnation of the Iron Soul as part of a plan. He’s working with our enemy, the Queen of the Sídhe-”

  “Sídhe?” Eddy cut in with a confused look.

  “Nasty faeries before the stories made them nicer,” Alex supplied quickly. “But Arthur is our enemy.” She hesitated and added, “It’s because of him betraying us that Aiden was in his coma.” Alex tugged at a strand of her blonde hair nervously. “The reason I didn’t come home was that I was in Wales with Nicki, Bran, Jenny and Lance finding… well, this magical chalice that heals people. Another one of my lives made it and it was our best chance at saving Aiden’s life.”