The Iron Bound

by J. M. Briggs

  “Bran and Aiden told me.”

  “It’s nice you’ve made friends with them.” Giving him a shaky smile, Jenny viciously stamped down the jealous feeling clawing at her chest.

  Lance gave her a soft smile and met her eyes with a curious expression. “Alex considers you her friend, and I think Nicki is trying.”

  “I know; it’s still a bit… odd with Alex.”

  “The reincarnation thing, or Arthur?”

  “Both,” Jenny admitted. “It’s just weird all around. Finding out that you were married to your female friend in a couple of different lives and betrayed them in each is a bit much. Plus being used by the same villain isn’t the best thing to have in common either.”

  “Just be careful and never put it that way around Aiden,” Lance cautioned her. “He’d have too much fun with that.”

  A laugh escaped Jenny and she slapped a hand over her mouth trying to keep herself from making too much noise. Her brain supplied too many comments that sounded like the fire mage and she couldn’t help but giggle. Lance grinned warmly at her and Jenny felt her heart do another flip in her chest, which while only slightly alarming did stop the giggles. There was a moment of comfortable silence and Jenny held back a grin.

  “We should probably call it a night too,” Lance suggested. “I doubt we’re going to find anything tonight.”

  “It’s a shame.” Nodding her agreement, Jenny began to gather up all the books. “I was hoping that us being a bit removed might help us see something.”

  “Well, don’t count us done yet,” Lance said. “Maybe you and I should have a brainstorming session. Just see what we can shake loose.”

  “I don’t know… I’d hate for it to be picked apart by Merlin and Morgana,” Jenny said in a soft voice.

  “We’ll give it to Alex then; she can mark off anything they’ve already covered.” Lance pulled on his coat and picked up a stack of books. “Just a thought.”

  They took the stacks of books over to one of the rolling shelving carts that were parking nearby and placed them on an empty shelf. One of the library staff who was shelving other books gave them a slightly dirty look but said nothing as they retreated. Jenny felt a little surge of gratitude to her father who was able to pay for her tuition and give her an allowance: work study didn’t sound very fun.

  She stayed silent as they pulled on their coats, and Lance calmly waited as she tidied up her long hair and buttoned up the long coat. He held the door for her and Jenny held back a small smile. Around them, the library was quiet with a few students sitting at the special desks with locking cabinets that were rented out to graduate students. The squeaking of a cart made her look over her shoulder at the student employee as they reached the stairs.

  It was a strangely warm late January with only a few patches of snow left scattered around them. The heels of her boots clicked softly against the concrete as they moved up the sidewalk towards the dormitories in the northwest side of campus. Beside her was the calm and steady pace of Lance’s footsteps as he moved slowly so she could keep up with his longer stride. Around them, the lamps provided a warm glow, but Jenny’s eyes kept sweeping around carefully for any sign of a Sídhe Hound or another threat. Her fingers shifted towards her purse where the new dagger from Alex was carefully tucked away. There were a few other students moving across campus: a girl with her blonde hair in pigtails and a stack of books, a group of boys with skateboards by one of the staircases and a couple who were moving away from them and giggling.

  “Can you imagine fighting monsters becoming ordinary?” Lance suddenly asked her conversationally.

  “No, but then again I suppose it was bound to happen,” Jenny replied uneasily. “Does seem a bit strange or insane.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.” Lance chuckled, but Jenny caught his eyes shifting out towards the shadows between the buildings where there were no lights. “Did Alex give you a dagger too?”

  “Yeah, yesterday, just in case. I’m not sure how much damage I can do with it, but Alex says the iron would be enough to make any Sídhe creatures hesitate. You?”

  “Yeah, this morning she swung by my dorm room. I actually went to get a strap for it,” he said in a low voice. “It’s on the back of his jeans beneath my shirt.”

  “That makes sense.” Jenny glanced at Lance’s back, but thanks to his loose Ravenslake sweatshirt there wasn’t even a bulge. “I should probably get something to carry it for times I don’t have my purse.”

  “There are a lot of different options, but I’m not sure how many options the local sports shop would have for a woman,” Lance said thoughtfully. “But Nicki could probably help you make something. Might be a good thing to put that into her head: I think Alex still carries hers in a bag.”

  “Alex has magic.”

  “And yet they all still have daggers,” Lance said. “Which as their friend I appreciate.”

  “Fair point.”

  Lapsing into silence again, Jenny breathed out slowly and watched the faint hint of her breath dance in the air. It reminded her a bit of the San Francisco fog and her heart tightened in a wave of homesickness. Up ahead she could see the dorms, and the sounds of students and music washed over them, growing louder with each step.

  Then they were at the front door of Rhodes Hall with other students maneuvering around them to get inside. Above their heads, the warm lights of the building illuminated the sidewalk and made it easy for Jenny to see how nervous Lance was when he turned to her. Licking her lips, Jenny took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her and waited.

  “Jenny, uh, look I’ve been trying to be the good guy and give you space.” Lance adjusted the strap of his bag nervously but kept his brown eyes locked with hers. “But I’m wondering if you’d be willing now to give it a try. A real honest try between us.”

  Blinking her eyes up at him Jenny tried to gather her suddenly scattered thoughts. She’d known that this was coming of course and she’d admit that she encouraged it a little bit. And yet she’d still somehow been hit with something right in the chest.

  “Okay,” she heard herself blurt out. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she desperately hoped that the darkness and her olive skin would keep her from visibly blushing as she dropped her eyes. “I mean, yeah I think that would be okay.”

  “Really?” She looked up at Lance and was drawn into his hopeful brown eyes that suddenly made her think of a puppy. “Uh, if you aren’t really ready yet-”

  “No!” Jenny rallied against the uncomfortable churning of emotions in her stomach. “I think it’s time Lance and I do… I do care about you a lot and you’ve been… well, wonderful.”

  “Oh! Wow, okay, I wasn’t expecting you to say yes,” he admitted with a sheepish grin. “What would you like to do?”

  “How about lunch tomorrow?” A giddy flush began pushing up through her chest. “Just the two of us. We’ll go from there.” Before she could become too nervous, Jenny leaned up and kissed Lance right at the corner of his mouth. The tiny brush of their lips made the happy feeling triple in strength and as she stepped back she knew she was beaming like an idiot. “See you tomorrow Lance.”

  “See you tomorrow Jenny,” he replied with a stunned grin.

  Moving towards the door, Jenny fumbled for her key card and had to make a point not to look back at Lance. The insane thrum of desire to stay near him that she’d felt when they first met was humming through her, but alongside it, intertwined with it was a softer feeling that made her feel dizzy. She swiped her card and pushed the door open before she turned back to Lance.

  “Text when you get home,” she told him softly. “Just in case.”

  “I will,” Lance promised. Nodding, he shifted in place like he was torn between moving towards her and leaving. “Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Dashing into the dormitory, Jenny let the door close behind her with a heavy thud. She threw her hands over her mouth to muffle the squeal that burst forth. Rocking on h
er feet for a moment, Jenny tugged the collar of her coat up to hide her face as if it would keep the world from observing her being a fool. Once she had recovered herself, Jenny ran to the stairs and quickly ascended to her floor by taking them two at a time. She got a few looks but ignored them all as she let herself into her shared suite.

  The living room was dark, but the hallway light was on. Jenny went straight into her room, turned on the light and breathed out slowly. Her room seemed empty even though she could hear her roommate Clara giggling in her own bedroom just through the wall. Breathing out, Jenny dropped her purse onto her bed and looked over at her stuffed bear Zoe who was waiting on her pillows. Lance had asked her out and she’d said yes. It hit her hard, like a punch to the chest, and Jenny felt her knees shake threateningly. Pressing her lips together tightly, Jenny fought back a smile but gave up as she collapsed onto the bed.

  She had fished out her phone before she even processed the movement. Rolling onto her stomach, Jenny pulled Zoe over to her chest and caught the bear in a one armed hug. As she began to text Alex, it occurred to her that Alex was probably still out fighting monsters. Even in a car, it would have taken them a bit to get to Morgana’s place and that was after they got to whoever’s car was closest. Jenny distracted herself for a few moments by checking her texts, including one from her father that she’d reply to in the morning. Then she gave up on that and sent Alex a text to call as soon as she could no matter the time. Tugging off her boots, Jenny kissed Zoe on the head and giggled.

  “Weird isn’t it?” she said. “Husband in former lives and yet she’s the one I want to tell the most.” Dropping the phone onto the comforter, Jenny leaned her chin on her hand. “I…. I guess that’s okay.”

  Smiling to herself, Jenny looked over at her desk and wondered what assignment she could do to keep herself busy until Alex could call.

  12

  Impatience

  115 C.E. Sør-Trøndelag, Norway

  Impatience gnawed at him as he could feel magic racing through his blood just below the skin. Thor struggled to keep his breathing slow and steady; tried to focus on the soft sounds of Morgana across the room and the rhythm of village life he could hear through the walls. It didn’t help, and Thor tightened his hands into fists.

  “Don’t force it,” Morgana chided.

  From his seat on the wooden bench of the hut, Thor was able to open his eyes and look over at the other mage. She wasn’t even looking at him and was instead focused on the loom she was sitting in front of. The large wooden frame was leaning against the side of the hut, and thick rough threads hung from the top and were weighted by tied rocks at the bottom. Morgana’s fingers deftly slid the new thread through the weighted strands to create the weave of the new cloth calmly.

  “You’re trying too hard,” Morgana continued, completely unbothered by his staring. “You were able to call forth magic before we got here Thor. Focus the same way you did then: don’t worry about the next steps just yet. Just let it come.”

  “When can I learn to do more?”

  “Your breathing and ability to call forth your power are coming along nicely, but doing more is up to you Thor.”

  “But I want to learn more than that,” Thor protested. “I can make my magic come forth already, Morgana. I want to do something with it!”

  “If the other Iron Souls had been as impatient as you-” Morgana muttered before cutting herself off. “Thor, you can’t just be better today because you want to be. Surely it took time for you to learn how to use the forge.”

  “I was the best student Erlendr has ever had!”

  “And how many students has he had?” Morgana chuckled, looking over at him with a smirk. “You will learn Thor, provided you focus. As for what you will be able to do, that depends on your own mind. How creative can you be? I know you can create swords, pots, and axes for the village, but magic requires more than just the ability to create. It requires true creativity. Your magic will do what you envision it doing; it will follow your instructions and if you work hard, you will be amazed.”

  Holding back a scowl, Thor let the words wash over him and inwardly grumbled at the riddles these two were so fond of using. Their statements were poetic and pretty, but they didn’t really tell him anything solid. He needed something that he could grab onto. Instead of risking another lecture Thor fell silent and looked into the low flames of the fire in the hearth.

  “What brought you here anyway?” Thor asked after the silence became too much. “You mentioned your journey only in passing.”

  “When our magic began to grow stronger I used a special magic called scrying to help me locate the source. It took some time and multiple attempts, but gradually I was able to discover that we needed to head east. Once we arrived on our shores things became easier. All we had to do was follow reports of elves.” Morgana’s fingers easily adjusted the threads on the loom. “Almost the moment we arrived we heard rumors of strange creatures. Merlin and I assumed they were the reason for the growing strength of magic in the world and came to investigate. We never imagined that we’d find magically altered Sídhe.” Morgana paused and rolled her shoulders with a soft sigh before she chuckled. “I admit that I am curious as to where the name elves comes from.”

  “There are old stories of fair and wise creatures,” Thor offered. He shifted on the bench to be more comfortable and watched Morgana work, noting that the woman furrowed her brow slightly at his comment. He wondered what she was thinking, but not enough to ask. “So are you and Merlin married?” He looked thoughtfully around the small hut.

  In the mere week that the pair had been in his village, the holes had been patched, though Thor had rarely seen Merlin bring supplies to the hut. The once empty space had a few luxuries scattered amongst the necessary tools of life. Morgana had gotten or built a loom in the last two days and was making quick work on a long piece of blue cloth. The pair certainly seemed comfortable living together and complimented each other in their own way.

  “No.” Morgana laughed, suddenly sounding younger. “We’re not, but due to our shared nature and responsibility as mages it is simpler to remain together.” She paused and pulled her fingers back from the loom. “Do many in the village think we are?”

  “You don’t interact with anyone except for me,” Thor reminded her carefully, uncertain of the woman’s temper.

  “It’s easier to keep to ourselves,” Morgana said with a wistful hint to her voice. “Though I am a widow since you’re so interested.”

  “Really?” Thor grimaced at how surprised he sounded. “Uh, I’m sorry that he’s deceased. Sorry for your loss,” Thor amended with slumping shoulders.

  “Thank you, it has been some time.” Chuckling softly, Morgana tugged on a stubborn bit of thread. “How about yourself? Merlin and I haven’t discussed your future plans with you. Are you engaged to anyone?”

  “No!” Thor laughed, shaking his head. “I’m not sure marriage is for me.”

  “Not an unusual declaration for someone your age, but how does your father feel about that?”

  “Irritated; even Arvid is moving towards marriage with Embla, which thrills Father to no end.”

  “She a nice girl then?”

  “Embla is an only surviving child so Arvid will move in with them,” Thor explained with a shrug. “It expands the family’s property which is good I suppose.”

  “Ah, politics,” Morgana said. “I suppose that even here it is an active force of life.” She paused for a moment and glanced his way. “My marriage was partially based on expanding my family’s position of power. My step-father introduced me to important men or the sons of important men whose connection with us would give us more control over the bronze trade.”

  Thor was a bit confused but said nothing. Morgana was smiling wistfully as she used the heddle to tighten the weave. For a moment he closed his eyes once more and tried to breathe slowly like Merlin had instructed, but his mind was too active. Realizing that he was picking at the b
lanket with his right hand, Thor folded his hands on his lap and gave a sigh of surrender.

  “How long will you stay?”

  “As long as we need to,” Morgana replied simply. “You must be trained, and the threat of these… tainted Sídhe must be dealt with. That may be months or years. Either way, I suppose Merlin is right and we need to make peace with the village.”

  “Keep helping to kill those creatures and they’ll warm up to you,” Thor promised. Looking around the hut, Thor gave it an approving smile. “All you need is some animals and you’ll be properly part of the village.”

  “I will not have animals in the house!” Morgana shuddered and looked at him distastefully. “That cannot be healthy Thor.”

  “You’ll change your mind in winter if you are still here.” Holding back a smile, Thor nodded towards the doorway. “I don’t think you understand how cold it can be when the wind brings in the ocean fog and chill.”