The Iron Bound

by J. M. Briggs

  A soft glow appeared under his finger as if something in the metal was reaching out towards him. Merlin smiled fondly down at the dagger with a strange look that Alex wasn’t sure about. She could almost see the wheels turning in Merlin’s head, and she wasn’t sure that she liked it.

  “So, how many of the Iron Souls have been good at smithing?” Alex hoped her question sounded casual.

  “A few have been,” Merlin answered with a thoughtful expression. “But not as many as you might think… though Morgana and I haven’t known all of the Iron Souls. There were plenty of times when magic was at a low level and we didn’t need to seek them out.”

  “Oh...” Alex breathed uncertainly. “I guess that makes sense, though with how protective you and Morgana are it does surprise me a little bit.”

  “We can be a bit overbearing I suppose, but I must confess that I feel a bit lost when it comes to you, Alex.” Staring at her, Merlin slowly shook his head. “I loathe the idea that it’s because you’re female in this life.”

  “Half of the species is female, Merlin.” Alex didn’t look at him. “It was overdue.”

  “That sounded just like Morgana,” Merlin teased with a loud laugh. Alex froze as she realized that he was right. “But perhaps that is the best way to consider it.”

  “I can’t believe I sounded like Morgana,” Alex grumbled. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. Shaking her head, Alex turned to straighten the already organized hammers. “Sounding like my mother is bad enough.”

  “I went through the same thing,” Merlin chuckled warmly. “We all do, Alex.” There was another long pause and the feeling in the workshop changed to something thicker and more serious. Alex braced herself for the questions she knew were coming. “Have you spoken to your parents recently?”

  “Yeah, every week or so. Uh, they don’t talk about what I told them. I think they’re still waiting for me to admit it was just a joke or something.”

  “Alex-”

  “It’s fine,” Alex said quickly as her throat felt tighter. “It’s a lot to dump on their plate, but they’ve left the iron protections in place.” She paused and looked back over at the dagger. “Maybe when they’ve had some more time I’ll make them some daggers too.”

  “I’m sorry that times are so different now.” Merlin’s voice softened further, like he was talking to a spooked animal. “I’m sure things will improve soon.”

  “Maybe, but until we know more about what is going on I’m not holding my breath.” Alex turned to face Merlin, crossing her arms over her chest. “We still don’t know where Arthur and the Queen are, what they even are or how they are controlling the Sídhe creatures.” Alex shuddered slightly at the mention of the creatures. “It’s almost February and we still know nothing. Imbolc is right around the corner and we just don’t know what is coming.”

  “Alex?” Merlin took a step towards her. “Is there something else going on?”

  “I’m not sure.” She sighed in defeat with her shoulders slumping forward before she looked squarely at Merlin. “Do you ever have the sense that you’ve forgotten something important? Like it just slipped through your fingers?”

  “I assume you aren’t talking about forgetting to pay a bill or not finishing grades on time.”

  “No, it’s silly.” Alex tried to laugh, leaning back against the edge of the worktable. “I’ve got something at the back of my mind and it just won’t slide into place. It’s like I’ve forgotten something really important and it's starting to get to me.”

  “Have you had the dream again? The one with the ship?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not sure it means anything,” Alex admitted as she wiped her sweaty forehead on the sleeve of her shirt. “I’ve had it a couple of times, nothing really changes, but maybe it’s just because I’m fixating on it.”

  “Yet your instinct is that the dream is important,” Merlin pointed out with a thoughtful nod. “Add that to your sense that you’ve forgotten something and I’m inclined to say that it is indeed important. You’ve had prophetic dreams before.”

  “This wasn’t prophetic,” Alex huffed, holding back a shudder. “It couldn’t have been. The ship was too old and- well, it isn’t the future.”

  “The only thing I can suggest is that you meditate and try to take control as much as possible in the dream. Explore the environment, and you may find what you’re looking for.” Merlin offered her a warm smile and reached over to squeeze her shoulder as he leaned against the table alongside her. “Trust your instincts.”

  “I know.” Alex rubbed at her hairline in an attempt to stave off the building headache. “But my instincts failed horribly when it came to Arthur.”

  “Morgana and I made mistakes too,” Merlin reminded her gently. “It wasn’t just you. We’re older and more experienced. We shouldn’t have been so easy to fool.”

  “Except I’m the one that dated him,” Alex growled. Her chest ached with the familiar rush of anger and frustration that came with discussing or thinking about Arthur. “I’m the one that handed him Cathanáil. I’m the one that slept with him!”

  “Oh.” Merlin coughed at the end of her statement.

  Alex almost laughed at the old mage as he blushed. Three thousand years old and yet he had the most normal discomfort points imaginable. Her sudden amusement eased the tight feeling in her chest, and she sighed.

  “Yeah, I slept with him,” she admitted. “We were dating and I’d had a thing for him since we first met.”

  “Alex, you don’t owe me an explanation.” Merlin’s discomfort faded and he looked at her in concern. He paused for a moment and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. “Uh… are you doing alright with all of… that?”

  “Jenny and I have appointments at the clinic to get checked over if that’s what you mean,” Alex replied in confusion, uncertain what Merlin was asking. “Just in case. It was Nicki’s idea and she’s going along for moral support.”

  “Do you think he’d use… uh, a sexual disease?” Merlin asked awkwardly. “That’s an odd attack strategy.”

  “No, I don’t really think that,” Alex assured him with a forced little smile that quickly dropped away. “But my gut instinct has been shit when it comes to Arthur, so better safe than sorry right.”

  “Indeed.” Merlin coughed again. “Uh, what I meant to ask was are you doing alright otherwise?”

  “Well, the positive thing about the stupid ship dream is that I haven’t got time for nightmares about my ex-boyfriend stabbing me.” She sighed and let her hands fall down to her sides. “But one day at a time, right?”

  “Yes,” Merlin agreed after a moment. “Believe it or not, one day at a time can get you through a lot.”

  “Even three thousand years?”

  “Especially three thousand years,” Merlin assured her. “We’ll sort this out Alex. Morgana and I have solved a lot of strange mysteries concerning invaders and strange magic over the years. With the help of the four- uh, six of you, I’m sure that we will find the information we need.”

  “And until then?” Alex pressed with a frown. “It feels like we are just treading water, Merlin.”

  “You keep smithing for one, keep practicing ways to use your magic creatively and let Aiden try to figure out how to replicate every spell in those books he’s so fond of.”

  “Laugh if you want.” Alex chuckled as a smile tugged at her lips. “But if Aiden does manage even half of those spells you and Morgana are going to be left in the dust.”

  “That would be a very pleasant surprise. I know that Morgana would love to see the Sídhe’s face when confronted by that.”

  Smiling, Alex nodded and pushed herself back onto her feet. The furnace had finished burning down and the warmth of the workshop was beginning to seep away. Through the window, she could see the sky beginning to turn into a wash of reds and pinks as the day ended. Merlin caught her eyes and gave her a soft smile before nodding towards the door. Alex nodded in return and moved to the doorway where sh
e retrieved her coat and messenger bag. She stopped only for one moment to look back at the unfinished dagger before her eyes dropped to the not-so-secret hiding place of the safe.

  They might have lost Cathanáil, but they still had the Chalice, and maybe in time she’d be a good enough smith to make her own powerful object. Maybe it would even be something to help with the madness that seemed to have taken hold of the creatures from the Sídhe worlds. With that in mind, Alex stepped outside into the cold night air with a quicker pace than she’d arrived with. One day at a time, she reminded herself. One day at a time and one step at a time.

  11

  That’s Okay

  “That’s it!” Nicki slammed one of the heavy library book shut with a soft growl. “I give up! I can’t find any mythological objects or examples of something like this in Celtic mythology! I’ve been through all the books they have and nothing stands out from any of the Cycles.”

  Jenny looked over at the redhead whose face was slightly flushed in aggravation, her freckles standing out a bit more than usual. Dropping her eyes down to the open book in front of her, Jenny had to admit that she was in the same boat. The words from the book on Slavic tales were swimming in front of her eyes, and so far the notepad that she had for notes was empty.

  “Okay maybe we’re not going to have any luck today,” Alex said with a hint of painfully false cheer. “That’s okay everyone.” Alex sighed softly and rubbed her eyes. “Anyway, my eyes are starting to get tired.”

  “Mine too,” Bran admitted from his spot on Alex’s left opposite Nicki. “It may be time to call it a day.” Jenny watched him rub his eyes with his left hand as his right hand dropped to his side. For a moment his fingers lingered over where she remembered his brace used to be and he smiled a little. “We’re all tired,” he added. “Even if we found the right story we might not even recognize it.”

  “Good point.” Alex smiled gratefully. “That’s enough for tonight, but thank you all for looking.”

  “We’re not going to find anything, Alex.” Nicki shook her head. “I’m afraid this situation just hasn’t happened before.” Nicki groaned and folded her arms on the table in front of her, dropping her head down into her arms.

  “Now what?” Aiden asked. “We’re hitting a dead end with research. There isn’t anything that fits in Celtic mythology.”

  “Well, I’m not through Slavic mythology yet.” Jenny watched the reactions of the mages nervously.

  “I’m not sure we’re going to find the answer in a book,” Alex said. Leaning her chin on her hand, Alex closed the book she’d been reading. “As much as I hate to admit that, Nicki is probably right that this just hasn’t happened before. There isn’t anything similar enough to make me think we’re on the right track. This weekend we should probably keep training our magic, see what else we can come up with.”

  “Well, I’m curious about if enchantment is possible for other mages,” Nicki said. “More than just putting a little bit of magic into an item. Actually making it do something special like Alex can.”

  “You ready to give it a try?” Aiden turned in his chair to look over at her curiously. “Already?”

  “We know that at least some magic can be put into iron by mages other than the Iron Soul, thanks to Merlin putting some magic into our daggers to keep them from breaking or rusting.”

  “True,” Aiden agreed, “But that’s pretty different than what you have in mind.”

  “I’m starting small,” Nicki protested. “And sure the enchantments probably won’t hold for the centuries that they do in iron, but I want to try.”

  “Can you imagine if she can pull it off?” Bran asked kindly. “With Nicki’s imagination, it could be amazing.”

  “Hard to believe Merlin and Morgana haven’t tried something like that.” Lance frowned a little as his eyes moved between the mages. “Might be a reason.”

  “They’ve done some things,” Nicki countered. “But they’re a bit set in their ways.”

  “I suppose after three thousand years that’s a bit natural,” Jenny said.

  “Yeah.” Alex smiled even as she slumped back into her chair. “So we’ll close up the books for the weekend and focus on training; maybe it’ll help us come up with something clever.”

  Jenny wondered if she should offer to keep looking through the weekend. She didn’t have any magic to train, but she wanted to help. In the corner of her eye, she caught a slightly guilty look on Lance’s face and wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Her heart jumped uncomfortably when Lance caught her gaze and turned his head just enough to glance at her. For a moment Jenny stared dumbly at him before realizing what she was doing. Looking away from Lance, a tiny sound escaped her as she found Alex smiling softly at her.

  The beep of a phone saved Jenny from the comment that was no doubt about to escape Alex, and Aiden fished out his phone just as Alex’s phone chirped with a text message. Jenny shifted back to give Alex room to retrieve her phone from the bag slung over the back of her chair.

  “Sídhe spotted near Morgana’s,” Aiden announced as he read the text just as Alex pulled out her phone. “Enough that Morgana alerted us.”

  “I’m getting sick of this!” Alex pushed back her chair and swung her coat on in one fast movement. “They aren’t even all that strong!.”

  “No, they aren’t.” Bran stood up and pulled on his own leather coat and retrieved his cane. His own phone beeped with the arrival of the message and he just shook his head. “They attack, we fight and kill them, rinse repeat.”

  “We really need to find something,” Nicki said. She glanced at her own phone while wrapping a long green scarf around her neck over her coat and sighed.

  “Sorry to bail on you two,” Alex apologized. Giving both Lance and her warm looks, Alex made a move towards the door. “Uh, this shouldn’t be a problem, but just in case-”

  “I’ll see Jenny home,” Lance said. That earned him a wide smile from Alex before she reached down and gave Jenny a quick one armed hug.

  “See you for breakfast,” Alex said.

  Then the mages were out the door. Staying in her seat, Jenny watched them vanish beyond the rows of books as they all moved quickly and efficiently. She wondered if they even realized what they looked like. All of them were striding purposely with their heads held high, and even from her vantage point behind them, Jenny could easily imagine that they looked more than a little heroic. Which was a feat in itself when dressed in jeans and sweatshirts.

  “They’ll look after each other,” Lance promised. “Try not to worry.”

  “I know.” Jenny debated looking at Lance now that they were alone. “It may be becoming normal and even boring to them, but knowing there are creatures that want to kill them still sends shivers up my spine.”

  “Yeah.” Lance chuckled softly and Jenny finally looked over at him. He was looking down at the book in his large hands with a sad expression. “It’s all still pretty crazy.” He paused and closed the book, sliding it onto the table as he sighed. “Worse is being on the sidelines.”

  “Yeah.” Fighting the Sídhe wasn’t something that she wanted to do, but knowing that there was a species trying to take over her own world… “It’s a mess isn’t it?”

  “Actually, they seem to have it disturbingly under control,” Lance said with a frown. “That’s half of what worries me.”

  “How so?”

  “Arthur,” Lance muttered with a sympathetic glance her way. Jenny tried not to flinch at the sound of her ex-boyfriend’s name as her stomach churned painfully. “He knows all about them, and yet even Merlin and Morgana are at a loss for how he and the Queen even exist still.”

  “You think they’re holding back?”

  “I think these little attacks are meant as a distraction.” Lance’s jaw tightened. “Why aren’t they trying to kill Alex themselves before she can make more gates?”

  “They’re probably looking for the sword,” Jenny suggested. “So they can open the o
ther gates and let the real Sídhe through.”

  She shuddered at the idea. The night that Arthur had caught Lance and her and they’d run after him right into the midst of a Sídhe hunt remained her most terrifying memory. And that was including the strange almost possession she’d experienced during Arto’s funeral at Stonehenge. Giving herself a small shake, she focused her attention on Lance.

  “How can they find it though? Bran and Alex are training so that they can find it using Alex’s connection to it, but how the hell would Arthur find it?”

  “Oh… I don’t know.” Licking her suddenly dry lips, Jenny struggled to gather her thoughts. “I didn’t know about the training thing. I guess given that they found the Chalice it makes sense.”