The Iron Seal

by J. M. Briggs

  “Except that Arthur can’t come into Ravenslake,” Bran pointed out. “And I doubt he’ll spill his plan to whatever poor human he enslaves next.”

  The word enslaves made Alex shiver. It was a sharp reminder of what Arthur could do, but also made her think of a ship and a cargo hold full of people. It seemed that some things would never completely go away.

  “True,” Alex said. “Yet I can’t help but think that he’ll show himself again.”

  “I can believe that.” Bran nodded in agreement. “He’s arrogant and wants to be seen, wants us to know what he can do. In that regard, he’s a rather cliché villain.”

  “I suppose he is.”

  “Sometimes I’m surprised that he didn’t just stay with us,” Bran said. “We thought he was the Iron Soul; he was the most important of us. I wonder if he ever considered letting the charade go on longer.”

  “Probably not,” Alex said. “Cyrridven seemed to know. I don’t know how, but she threw the sword to me before she died. Merlin probably would have been suspicious about that.”

  “And Arthur probably wouldn’t want his position on the basis of a lie.”

  “Oh, I’m not sure about that,” Alex said instinctively. Then she sighed and groaned. “Sorry, that might have been Arto talking. I’m not sure anymore. There are moments that Arthur’s like Medraut, but then there are lots of times when he isn’t.”

  “He’s a reincarnation, just like us,” Bran said. “He probably doesn’t remember.” Alex looked up at him sharply, but he nodded to reinforce his point. “He probably doesn’t, Alex. At best, he probably has a few scattered visions from dreams. Most of what he knows or think he knows probably came from the queen.”

  Alex shivered as her stomach turned. “Yeah, who is his mother and lover. God, that’s so, so…”

  “Creepy,” Bran provided. “But it’s a way of controlling him. If you had to make yourself human and had access to the soul of someone who had been loyal to you, but probably wouldn’t remember it, it figures that you’d do everything you could to keep control.”

  “Please don’t say it like that,” Alex snapped. “With the ‘you.’ I could never do something like that.”

  “Of course not,” Bran agreed. “You’re a good person.” Alex’s expression must have betrayed something because Bran frowned at her. “You are, Alex. You proved that, no matter what your former lives did, when you went back for those children.”

  “You like to bring that up. I’m sure all of you would have.”

  “Maybe,” Bran said. “But then, everyone hopes that they’d be brave in times of trouble. Doesn’t mean that they are.” He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Come on, let’s see if we can find the others for lunch.” With a smooth motion he pulled out his cell phone and started texting the others.

  The crowd was fading away; most of the students were already heading out to either their next class or the food court. Bran pushed himself off the wall and gave her an expectant look. They headed down the stairs and outside into the fresh air. Sunshine warmed her skin, and Alex rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off her earlier melancholy.

  “You’re tense today,” Bran said.

  “It’s just been an odd day. Not bad, just odd.”

  Bran’s phone beeped, and he smiled. “Come on, Nicki and Aiden are already in the food court. We can grab something and join them.”

  Following Bran, Alex found herself still scoping out the other students for any sign of danger. When they reached the main food court the sheer number of people made her stomach tighten. But there was no Arthur. He couldn’t come to Ravenslake, so there should always be a limit in how many people he could control. Bran spotted Nicki and Aiden and pointed them out to her before moving into the food court to order something.

  Alex didn’t feel very hungry, but she headed for the grill and ordered a burger. There were more and more people coming in and ordering. She moved off to the side to wait and avoid getting knocked over. No one seemed all that worried. It was only the first week and spirits were high. Tests and quizzes hadn’t started yet. It was raw energy and nervous looking freshman.

  Then her food was up, and she went to join the others around the small square table. It was a tight fit with the tables around them filling up and people trying to navigate. Noise filled the tall space, and more and more students were coming in for lunch. Yet, surrounded by the others, Alex found herself finally relaxing a little.

  “You okay?” Nicki asked. “You’re wound up tight.”

  “Do you find it hard?” Alex asked. Bran, Aiden, and Nicki all looked at her with small frowns of confusion. “School, I mean. Focusing on it when you know what you do now.”

  “A bit,” Aiden said. His fork with the slightly off-smelling sushi was almost to his mouth. “But it makes for a nice distraction. I can focus on the absolute reality of engineering and lose myself in that a bit.” Then he looked at Bran. “That reminds me: that free corner we’ve got in our room, can I have that? I need to build a project this semester.”

  “Sure,” Bran replied. He smiled a little at Alex. “I’m about halfway between you and Aiden. I enjoy having class and homework to focus on, but I find myself being distracted by questions about physics and magic. And I can’t find out the answers. It can be frustrating.”

  “I try not to think about it too much,” Aiden admitted. “Started driving me crazy.” He shook his head. “And honestly, unless we have a chance to examine the physical laws of the other worlds, it’s always going to be elusive. I understand the theory in play. The idea that the physical laws conflict makes sense to me, but I mean, is there a limit? Or do certain worlds make it worse?”

  “That’s a good point,” Bran said. His eyes brightened, and he grinned excitedly. “The world where the Old Ones come from isn’t as based on matter. They’re bound up energy, but not bound all the way to matter… it would make sense that interaction with their world is worse.”

  “They are the ones that go mad,” Nicki said. She was smiling in amusement and had an eyebrow raised. “And banish people here.”

  “And then you have the dragons,” Aiden said. He mostly ignored Nicki. “They can’t die properly. I mean… it’s like the electrical signals that keep their brain running can’t shut down. Of course, their bodies may not work like ours, so who knows what’s going on there.”

  Alex exchanged a look with Nicki. Her lips were curling up into a smile and she found herself holding back a laugh. Nicki rolled her eyes dramatically and shifted her chair a bit closer to Alex. Leaning closer to Nicki, Alex let the boys’ conversation fade away and listened as Nicki went over her plan for asking Avani out.

  14

  Central Battlefield

  Central Diner was loud and busy with staff all but running between tables and rowdy college students. The classic restaurant was full to the brim, and even the brightly colored red seats along the old-time soda counter were full. Bran smiled lightly. They weren’t the only ones out celebrating the end of the first week of school. Hurray, they’d all survived. Good for them, but for him and his friends, that was a bit more literal.

  Thankfully, they’d arrived a bit later in the night and managed to get one of the corner booths that could hold their large group. Jenny and Lance were in the middle with Lance’s arm over her shoulders. Avani was next to Jenny on the left with Nicki next to her and Aiden at the end of that side. He was on the other side of Lance and Alex was at the end of their side. Any more additions to the group and they’d have to start stealing chairs.

  “Is it always this loud here?” Avani asked. She was looking around with a fond smile, taking in the old 1950s décor. “I can’t hear the jukebox.”

  “Sorry,” Nicki said. “First Friday night of the school year. This is a favorite place for off-campus eating. They have really good…” Nicki trailed off and then paled. “Uh, shit, are you cool with us eating burgers? I swear that they have other things!”

  “It’s fine,” Avani s
aid. She smiled gently and nodded. “I don’t eat beef, but I don’t mind you doing so.”

  “Oh,” Bran said slowly. He blinked and then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I forgot that cows are sacred to Hindus.”

  “That’s not your fault,” Avani said. “Besides, the atmosphere here is great! Very classic American. Almost doesn’t seem real.”

  “Well, they do play it up here,” Alex said. She was smiling and looking calmer than Bran had seen her in a while. “Still, they do have good food. It’s one of those places where they only make what they can do a good job with. I do recommend the fries.”

  Avani took the suggestion when she ordered a chicken sandwich with a side of fries. Bran easily settled on a burger and fries like the others. He’d never had the chicken sandwich and hoped that it was good. They settled comfortably into a conversation about classes and the semester ahead. They were juniors now, except for Avani. Unlike freshman year, they didn’t have any classes together. There were no group projects or sharing notes or whining about shared professors. Food came without much fanfare, and Bran pushed the tomatoes that had been mistakenly put on his burger to the edge of his plate.

  Despite not feeling hungry when he came in, Bran plowed into the burger and didn’t even feel bad about it. Aiden, Lance, and Nicki were laughing about some new cartoon show that was good, and Avani seemed interested. Jenny was shaking her head and glancing at Lance with a fond smile as she scrolled through something on her phone. It was calm and peaceful. Alex was smiling, and Bran allowed himself to focus on the conservation.

  Suddenly the front door opened so fast and hard that a high-pitched squeak filled the diner. The door hit the wall with a crack, and everyone turned to look.

  “There’s something outside!”

  The shout made their table freeze in alarm. A young woman, probably another student, was stumbling inside with a young man right behind her. Their eyes were wide and almost panicked. One of the waitresses hurried over to them, trying to calm the girl down.

  “There’s something out there!” The girl screamed again. “Small and hiding in the dark. Lots of them. They were laughing and tried to grab us!”

  Bran felt Alex move and grabbed her hand to keep her in the booth. If they left now, it would draw attention. People were staring at the young woman. Then the noise broke out. Other people started standing and moving towards the doorway.

  “Shit!” Bran swore. “We can’t let them see what’s out there.”

  “Probably Red Caps,” Nicki growled. “But if we-”

  Avani shifted in her seat, clasping her hands tightly together and lowering her head. Bran frowned, but he and the other piled out of the booth. The noise level was even worse, and the waitress was saying that she’d call 911. Then the air shimmered throughout the diner. There was a faint hint of gold in the air, and the noise of the crowd became muffled.

  Twisting around, Bran looked back towards Avani. Her head was still bowed, but he could see her lips moving as she chanted something too softly for him to hear. Then the diner went silent and still. Frowning, Bran turned to look around. People were frowning and blinking at each other. The pair of people who’d come running in were standing still.

  Bran’s eyes turned to the waitress. She was peering at the phone on the counter, holding the receiver of the old-fashioned landline in her hand and blinking in confusion. Patrons were silent and dazed. The couple who had come in shouting swayed and the young woman had to leaned on the wall. A waitress hurried over to help the young man keep the young woman on her feet.

  “Sorry,” he apologized. “She… uh…”

  “Sit down here,” the waitress helped the young woman over the counter. “I’ll get you some water.”

  “Do you need an ambulance?” the waitress at the phone asked. “I can call one. You looked ready to fall over!”

  “No, no, I think I’m alright.” The young woman smiled and nodded. “Some water please. I’m not sure what happened.”

  “We were outside and…” the young man frowned, but pushed forward. “Your legs started to give out.”

  “I’m fine, Derek. Really. Just give me a second.”

  After another beat, the other patrons seemed reassured that the young woman was okay. Their conversations resumed and their started eating again. There was a lingering sense of ‘that was odd’ in the air, but Avani’s spell seemed to have misdirected things just enough to prevent all out panic.

  “I think…” Bran whispered. “I think Avani took care of it.”

  “That’s amazing,” Nicki gasped. She leaned across the table. “Avani, are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Avani blinked rapidly and looked exhausted. “But hurry, it won’t keep them from noticing a problem outside. It only wipes away their immediate concerns.

  “Lance, Jenny, stay with her,” Alex ordered. “Come on.”

  They moved quickly to the front door, and Bran looked around in awe. Avani’s spell was amazing! It packed more of a punch then he would have expected, but then again maybe it was just the sort of spell that a family of magicians would need in a big city. Cool air hit his face as he stepped outside with the others. They weren’t immediately attacked by Red Caps, and Bran flexed his fingers as he called on his magic. The magic in his chest pulsed in time with his heart. He tugged softly on the connection, letting the small flame burst to life.

  Yet Central was much the same as ever. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but the neon signs had already started coming on. Bran scanned the shops, restaurants, and bars that filled the lower levels of the buildings. Twilight was closing in on the town, but it wouldn’t be dark for a while. Red Caps weren’t happy in the light any more than other Fae species. Moving forward, he looked into the alleyway along the side of the diner. It was dark. The usual lights that illuminated emergency exits and dumpsters were out.

  “What do you think?” Nicki asked. “It’s probably a trap.”

  “Probably,” Aiden agreed.

  Alex walked forward. She ignored their soft protest and turned slowly to examine the brick walls. There was still enough light that they could see most everything, but the alley was full of shadows. Sunset was here, and no sunlight could reach between the buildings now. Bran moved forward a few steps with Nicki and Aiden alongside him.

  “I think we need more light,” Alex said. She looked back toward the alley. A few people were still visible on the street, but none of them were looking their way. “Bran?”

  He nodded, but didn’t look at Alex. There was scratching against the walls, but he still didn’t see anything. Too many spots were too dark to be sure of anything. Sparks flared in Bran’s hands, spinning together in a heartbeat to form a glowing yellow orb. The yellow faded, leaving white light pouring forth. Small eyes gleamed in the light of the orb. A small mouth opened to reveal rows of needle-like teeth. Bran’s breath caught. He’d seen Red Caps dozens of times now, but they always frightened him. Low giggling echoed around them, seemingly coming from everywhere at once. The eyes he’d been watching vanished back into shadows, and he heard scratching along the dark walls as the things moved.

  “I’ll hide the fight,” Alex said softly. “We can’t let people see.”

  Bran wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but Alex moved back near the opening to the street. The move surprised and worried him. Her hands glowed dark gray, and a strange wall appeared between her and the street. It wasn’t solid, but rather a slight distortion to his eyes that rippled with hints of wrought iron gray. He didn’t know if it would work, but Avani’s spell was certainly proof of concept. Alex was a bit out of breath, and Bran started to move back towards her. No one on the street seemed to be reacting to them.

  A snarl behind him made Bran spin on his heel. Small figures were leaping out at them from all sides. There was no panic. He was calm as he shifted his fingers. The magic flowed easily from his chest through his hands. It was easier now. So much easier than when they’d started. Pushing his hand forward, Bran’s magic
crashed forward like a wave and knocked the sudden rain of creatures back. There were over a dozen.

  Bolts of red and blue showered down into the frenzy as they flew back. One then two then three were struck and dissolved into dust. Nicki said something behind him, but it was difficult to understand as the Red Caps snarled. Another volley of bolts cut down their numbers again, but more were coming out of the shadows and advancing. All were dressed in bright red hats that were supposedly dyed in blood and stitched together out of rags. Some were carrying extra weapons while others simply held their sharp talon-like nails forward. Some were just baring their teeth.

  A group of four were running along the ground, rushing at him with knives at the ready. Yellow magic flared around his hands, and Bran sent it spinning at the group. It collided with them, sending all four slamming back into the wall. Small cries of pain escaped them, but those didn’t bother him. A yellow glow held all four of them in place, pinned to the wall. Bran turned his hand, extending one finger. Glowing bolts of magic blasted forth from his finger. They collided with the Red Caps in rapid succession, turning the creatures to dust.