The Iron Witch

by Karen Mahoney

  “You’re not saying much,” Xan said, all traces of his earlier confidence wiped from his face. There was a deep frown-line between his brows, and his eyes looked heavy and tired. Shadows danced on the planes of his cheeks and the dip of his throat.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Donna gestured with one gloved hand, trying to find the right words. “I don’t understand why you’re showing me this. Xan, your back—”

  Xan shrugged. “I’m used to it now.”

  Donna felt a pain in her chest, one that almost matched the ache in the bones of her hands and arms. “No you’re not,” she said. “How can you ever be? Nobody could get used to that.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “Because I’m speaking from experience.”

  And Donna did the thing she’d never imagined that she would do. She swallowed, then carefully and slowly peeled off her long velvet gloves, feeling not unlike a burlesque act. Except an experienced burlesque dancer’s hands wouldn’t be shaking as much as hers were right now. She tossed her hair back and tried to meet Xan’s eyes as she held both hands out, palms down, in front of her.

  It was one of the hardest things she had ever done.

  From mid-forearm to the tips of her fingers, Donna’s arms and hands were covered with swirling silver artwork. It was as if a tattoo artist had created a spectacular silver pigment and used it to ink her arms in intricate whorls and curves; curls that extended down to her wrists, and then across the backs of her hands and down each finger. If you looked quickly, there was the illusion that her hands and arms were made of metal—it was only when you looked properly that you realized a delicate pattern enclosed her flesh.

  What people wouldn’t know was that the marks were the result of magical wardings branded not just onto the surface of Donna’s skin, but inside as well. There had been operations when she was a child, magical operations that she chose not to think about. Not because there had been pain at the time, but because of the strange cold metal that now encased her bones. Maker might be a master craftsman, but Donna sometimes had a hard time appreciating his work when it made her feel so cold.

  But this strange beauty was part of her now, forever. Her skin never itched or tanned under the sun, or scalded if the water was too hot.

  Xan didn’t say a word for what felt like a lifetime. Donna swallowed hard and forced herself to look at him as he drank in the sight of her. He was transfixed by the shimmering silver spirals that wound around her wrists and up toward her elbows.

  His eyes shone brighter than ever as he looked at her. “I knew there must be a reason that I met you. You’re like me. You understand.”

  Donna couldn’t help a small, sad smile. “And you understand me, too.” She pulled on her gloves again, concentrating on the task so as not to see the warmth in Xan’s gaze. There was a buzzing sound in her ears and she felt lightheaded.

  “Thank you,” Xan said, his voice grave.

  “For what?”

  “For trusting me.”

  Donna shrugged awkwardly as silence fell between them again, making her wonder if she had just made a terrible mistake. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind? As she contemplated the state of her sanity, the silence stretched and took on a new quality. It felt loaded with something heavier—somehow more real—and Donna wasn’t sure she wanted to let the moment unfold. She shifted uncomfortably.

  “I still don’t know what to say to you, Xan.” She nibbled at her lower lip. “I mean … my life has had some pretty strange things in it, but up until now a guy with wings wasn’t one of them.”

  “I don’t have wings anymore,” he said, his voice hollow.

  “Sorry, I just … ” She shook her head, unable to continue. What could she say? She forced a smile. “Don’t tell me you’re some kind of fallen angel, please. Because, you know, I don’t think I could handle that.”

  Xan barked out a short laugh. “You mean you could handle something else?”

  “I don’t think I believe in angels, that’s all. And if you were one, that would mean I’d have to re-evaluate my beliefs. I’m not quite ready to do that.”

  “You’re in the clear, Donna Underwood. I’m certainly no angel.” A smile spread slowly across his face.

  She laughed, a strained release of tension more than anything else. “Phew.”

  They stood in silence for a moment longer.

  But Donna couldn’t help herself. She had to say it. “So, you’re fey, then.” Because really, what else could he be?

  He started, surprise in his eyes, then something that looked a lot like relief. He drew in a shaky breath. “Only half.”

  “Half fey.” She nodded, confirming something to herself. Of course, she knew that there were half-fey beings walking among humans. Apart from the interspecies mating that must have happened over the course of centuries, even before the faeries had left this world for good, there were the small numbers of solitary fey left behind. So it wasn’t inconceivable that there would be some half-faery kids wandering around, hidden among their human cousins. But she had never imagined that any of those children would have actual wings.

  Or should have had wings. Her throat constricted with sorrow; sadness for what Xan had lost, but also for how alone he must feel. Her eyes flickered to the clock by his bed—the same one she’d seen when she was first here, Saturday night. It seemed like so long ago, and yet only two days had passed.

  Donna felt so tired. Her shoulders ached and her throat was scratchy. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with something. “I have to go. I’m having a late dinner at Navin’s tonight—his father invited me. I was only supposed to meet you for a coffee.”

  Xan was too polite to point out how obvious it was that she’d made late plans with her friend as a safety net, an escape route from coffee with a stranger.

  “Always dashing off, just like Cinderella.” His face showed disappointment, but he helped her on with her coat and straightened her collar. “I still don’t know anything about you.”

  “I just showed you something that would beg to differ.”

  Xan pushed his hair out of his eyes. His bangs looked as though they needed cutting. “Seeing is one thing, but I’m left making guesses and not coming up with a lot that makes sense.”

  She sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “So,” he said. “Can you meet me tomorrow?”

  He was insistent, she had to give him that. “I guess … ”

  “Thanks for sounding so enthusiastic.” A smile touched his lips.

  Donna wondered how on earth Xan could find anything to smile about at a time like this. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just finding this—”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Hot?”

  “I was going to say intense,” she replied, tempted to hit him.

  “And hot?” His voice held a wistful note, but she knew he was just teasing her. Why did guys have to do that, anyway? She shook her head and decided to ignore it. “I’ll meet you after my classes tomorrow.”

  Xan insisted on walking her back across the Common. She didn’t protest this, not after their run-in with the elf. There were no further incidents, although she’d caught her breath when they passed a young homeless guy sleeping on a bench under a newsprint blanket.

  It was getting late and she was drained, half-wishing she didn’t have dinner plans. If they had just been with Navin, he’d understand her need for a quiet night, but they were with Navin’s family, and she didn’t want to let his father down on such short notice. It had been kind of him to invite her and, anyway, she really did want to check whether Navin was okay. She had to see for herself that he wasn’t slowly going nuts with all his new knowledge. All the craziness.

  Truth be told, Donna really just needed to know that Navin was still her friend.

  The moon-sliver hung high in the obsidian sky. She kept glancing at her companion striding along so quietly beside her. I’m falling for him, Donna thought fiercely. And then: That’s ridiculous
. She probably only felt so drawn to him because of the things they had in common. That made far more sense.

  Giving herself a mental shake as they passed through the gates at the edge of the Common, she turned to Xan. “You can leave me here, now. Thanks. It’s not much farther.”

  “Let me walk you all the way home.” They stood, looking at one another.

  “You’d better not.”

  “Ah.” He looked serious. “You don’t want your friend to see us together.” His intimation was clear.

  “Navin is my friend, I told you.” She tried to push down the annoyance she felt tightening her chest. “It’s just … I haven’t told him about you, yet.”

  Xan’s brows drew together. “He met me on Saturday.”

  “I mean, he doesn’t know I was seeing you tonight.”

  “So you’re going to tell him.” It sounded like a challenge.

  “Maybe. What I do or don’t tell Nav is none of your business.”

  She saw a muscle working in his jaw. He looked about to say something, but then stopped, took a visibly deep breath, and rubbed a hand over his face. “Right. Of course. I just wish we could spend more time together, that’s all.”

  She nodded and decided to let it go. He was pretty intense and that could be scary, but under the circumstances it was hard to blame him. “It’s okay. Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night—” He took a step toward her.

  Donna backed away, almost tripping over the edge of the pathway where it joined the sidewalk. Turning quickly, she walked home without looking back.

  That was the best meal I’ve had in ages,” Donna said, her stomach full to bursting. Despite how tired she felt, she was happy, after all, that this dinner had been scheduled. “Thank you for going to so much trouble, Dr. Sharma.”

  “No trouble at all, Donna. Always a pleasure to have you sit at our table.” Navin’s father smiled benevolently at Donna and his two children, frowning when his usually mild gaze came to rest on his daughter.

  Nisha, her head down, was busy texting. Her long black hair shone under the lights, looking to Donna like a raven’s wing. Donna gave her a gentle prod under the table.

  Nisha’s big brown eyes flashed with annoyance, but when she noticed that her father was giving her a stern look, her expression softened. Glancing gratefully at Donna, she slipped the cell phone into the pocket of her skinny jeans, having to half-stand to do so, but at least Dr. Sharma looked mollified.

  Hiding a smirk, Navin started to clear the table and Donna quickly rose to join him. Dr. Sharma stopped them with a sweep of his arm. “Don’t worry about that today, son—you attend to your guest. Nisha and I will do the dishes.”

  Nisha shot Navin a glare, but didn’t argue.

  Donna tried not to smile at being referred to as Navin’s “guest.” She’d been coming over to visit for three years, yet Dr. Sharma still treated her like an honored guest each time she was here. It was sort of nice, she had to admit.

  Upstairs in Navin’s tiny bedroom, she lay down on the bed to stretch her stomach. “That was an amazing curry.” It felt good to be doing something normal with her friend. She even dared let herself believe that everything would be okay between them.

  “Yeah,” Navin agreed, sorting through an untidy stack of CDs. “He and Mom often cooked together when we were younger. Now he says he’s glad he didn’t leave it all to her or he’d be pretty useless now.”

  Donna smiled. “He does a great job.”

  Navin came and sat at the end of the bed, leaning against the wall. They listened to the quiet music—a movie soundtrack Navin was currently very excited about—and Donna allowed the comfort of just being together to ease her worried mind.

  “Nav … ” She sat up and leaned against the headboard.

  Navin’s brown eyes were soft as he waited for her to speak. He was giving her time, which she sort of appreciated, but on the other hand, she wished he would make everything easier and fill the gap for her.

  Sighing, she reached out and took his hand in hers. “I’m so glad you let me come over tonight.”

  He frowned. “Dad wanted you to come—why would I get in the way of that?”

  “Oh Nav, you know why. After everything I told you … ” Her voice trailed off and she stared at the psychedelic screensaver flashing across his computer monitor. Anything to avoid his gaze. How could she tell him that she didn’t think she could go on if he wasn’t her best friend any more?

  Navin touched her chin and gently drew her around to face him. “It’s all right, Donna. I’m not saying this is easy—getting my head around everything and readjusting my whole worldview—but I’m doing my best. And I’m still here, okay?”

  Donna felt a warm glow spread through her chest, pushing away the last cold threads of fear. “You’re so important to me. You know that, right?”

  He smiled. “Wow, you must be stressed, Underwood. Admitting your true feelings for me? I should get that recorded.”

  Donna gave him a shove, being careful to hold back.

  “That was pathetic. Call yourself a superhero?”

  “Oh, ha ha. You’re so funny. Maybe you could be my sidekick, Sink Plunger Boy.”

  “Nah, girls make far better sidekicks than guys,” jibed Navin, giving her a hard push back. “You should learn your place, you know?”

  A full-scale fight ensued—more tickling than anything else, but totally fun and probably way too noisy. In the midst of it, Donna wondered briefly if they might be too old for this, and she was also conscious of Dr. Sharma and Nisha not all that far away. But then she decided, What the hell.

  Gasping for breath, Donna finally pulled away and sat up to smooth her wayward hair and straighten her sweater. “You’re such a pushover, Sharma.”

  “Oh yeah, whatever. I was holding back.”

  “And you think I wasn’t?” She grinned evilly.

  Navin sat up too, resting his elbows on his knees and watching her with a suddenly serious expression. “So, what are you going to do?”

  “About what?” Her mind had wandered back to Xan—to the smooth skin of his stomach, a cruel contrast to those terrible scars on his back—and she shook herself guiltily.

  “All of it.” He rolled his eyes.

  Donna shrugged. “I don’t know. Sneaking around behind my aunt’s back like this? I could be in big trouble if I don’t tell her about the things I’ve seen the past couple days. The Order doesn’t play games; you don’t know what it’s like.”

  He frowned. “Yeah, well, I would know if you’d start talking to me more.”

  She sighed. “You know it’s only because I can’t. And I was scared to tell you.”

  “Scared ? Of what?”

  “Of losing you,” she said in a small voice. For a moment she wished the bed would swallow her up, as she waited for the reassurance that she’d half-convinced herself would never come.

  “Hey, you’re never going to lose me, Underwood—you’re stuck with me for life. Do you hear me?”

  Donna shrugged and tried to believe him. She hated herself for sounding so pathetic. “I was protecting you, as well. It’s dangerous out there, Nav. There are things you wouldn’t believe.”

  “I think I’d believe anything you told me, at this point. I saw an elf yesterday, remember?” He flashed one of those quick grins at her.

  “That’s true.” She smiled weakly. Was it only yesterday?

  “If it’s any help, I think I’m beginning to understand why you kept so much from me.”

  She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “I didn’t want to hide things. I wanted to tell you so many times.”

  He shrugged. “Don’t sweat it. I’ve been looking into things for myself now, anyway.”

  “You have?” Donna’s temples started to hurt. Oh God, she thought, please don’t let him be doing anything stupid.

  “I asked my dad about alchemy, for a start.”

  Navin looked so proud of himself, Donna didn�
�t know if she had the heart to burst his bubble. She thought about it for moment … yeah, maybe she did.

  “Your dad ?” she asked. “What are you asking him for? You do know we’re well into the twenty-first century; most people who want to ‘look into things’ give Google a shot.”

  “You’re a barrel of laughs tonight, you know that? Seriously, though, I knew Dad would be up on this stuff; he’s totally into Indian philosophy. Apparently alchemy’s been studied in India for centuries. It’s really quite interesting—”

  “I’m sure it is.” Donna gave him a hard stare. “But maybe we could save the lessons for another time? I get enough of this at home.”

  “Okay, but I’m saving this stuff up for you. It’s pretty cool.”

  Donna couldn’t help smiling, but at the same time it sort of freaked her out that Navin had talked about this with his father. Sure, Dr. Sharma was cool as far as parents went, but she couldn’t afford for Navin to take any risks. Not just for her sake or to protect the secrecy of the Order, but for his own safety.

  “Navin, you were careful with what you asked, right?” Donna bit her lip, hoping she didn’t sound as if she didn’t trust him.

  He rolled his eyes. “No, I totally blabbed all about you and the Order of the Dragon. I haven’t gotten around to the dark elves yet, but give me time.”

  Donna blushed but let out a sigh of relief. “Shut up.”

  “Look, I wouldn’t even have to do my own detective work if you’d open up a bit more. Surely there are things you can share now, right? You’ve told me as much as you have already, so there’s no reason to hold back any more.”

  She took a deep breath. “Uh-oh, I don’t like the sound of this.”

  He smiled nervously, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “There’s no easy way to ask this, and I’m going to sound like I’ve completely lost it but … I have to know.” He took a visibly deep breath. “You are human, aren’t you, Don? Not that it matters to me, I swear. You know I’m an equal opportunities kinda guy.”

  Gripping her hands tightly together as she tried to ignore the hot thread of guilt running through her, Donna forced a smile. “Of course I’m human, idiot. What did you think? That I was suddenly going to grow fangs or turn into a werewolf at the next full moon?”