The Iron Cursed

by J. M. Briggs

  The Iron Cursed

  Book Seven of the Iron Soul Series

  J.M. Briggs

  © 2017 by J. M. Briggs

  © 2017 by J. M. Briggs

  All rights reserved. No unauthorized reproductions permitted except for review purposes.

  Published by J.M. Briggs

  www.authorjmbriggs.com

  Printed in the United State of America

  First Printing 2018

  ISBN 978-0-9991171-4-9

  For you the readers.

  You aren’t why I write, but you certainly help.

  1 The Dead

  2 The Nonmagical

  3 Irish Morning

  4 Through the Fog

  5 Another Gateway

  6 Stirrings of Magic

  7 Advisor Meeting

  8 The Outsider

  9 The Rescued

  10 Dreams of Dying

  11 The Old Wife and Ally

  12 Life After the Mound

  13 Whispers of Lives Past

  14 Spring Unpleasantness

  15 King of Man

  16 Dead World

  17 Her Screams

  18 Pookas and Sídhe

  19 News Comes

  20 Meeting the Faeries

  21 Making Plans

  22 Life Marches On

  23 Goddess of Twilight

  24 Return to the Mound

  25 The Magician

  26 Lost to Memories

  27 To the Walls

  28 Level of Frequency

  29 The Magician

  30 March of the Sídhe

  31 Family Meal

  32 Dreaming in Ravenslake

  33 The Iron Brooch

  34 Herald of the Lie

  35 Concerning Family

  1

  The Dead

  Magic couldn’t restore the dead to life: Alex Adams was living proof of that. Many times over. There was no spell that could fix this. Had it gone differently maybe there would have been time to use the Iron Chalice to save them from their injuries, but their deaths had been almost instant.

  The funeral hall was still, the soft murmur of voices behind her seeming very far away. Two dark wooden caskets were laid out side by side with smiling photographs of Doctor Elizabeth Adams née Kilmer and Michael Adams in front of them. They were nice photos, Alex decided as she studied them, even if they were from a few years ago. There had been more gray hairs on both of their heads and more wrinkles on their faces, but in the photos, they were smiling with eyes full of life.

  A phantom warmth slid over her hand as Alex allowed herself to remember the last time she’d been to a funeral, and her mom had held her hand. She couldn’t remember who had died, but something about funerals always made her cry. Almost always. Right now there were no tears. The churning of different emotions in her chest stretched at her skin. Her eyes landed on the two coffins again. Somehow it hit her at that moment that they contained her parents. Her mom and her dad were in those things, and this was it. She wasn’t ever going to see them again.

  Alex shivered as the cold tangle in her chest tightened and tried to knot further. Images of a truck flashed in front of her eyes. Vertigo hit Alex and she gripped the bottom of the chair she was seated on. Someone was talking at the podium now. He was vaguely familiar and Alex thought that her father probably worked with him. Across the aisle, her mom’s best friend since college was crying. She blinked away the tears that had started to gather and pushed down the wave of grief. Soon enough the emotions were swallowed up the thick ocean. It all dulled and she allowed herself to pay attention to the goings on around her.

  More people came up to speak. Many of them offered sad but supportive smiles to her. Alex nodded each time but didn’t try to smile or say anything. Next to her, Matt said something once or twice as people shook his hand. Ed on Matt’s far side stayed silent and completely still, looking like some sort of reaper in his all black suit.

  Lots of people had come. The funeral hall they’d gotten for the service was almost filled with the rows of chairs containing coworkers and friends of her late parents. However, there were faces that Alex recognized much more clearly. Several of her old high school friends who had remained local for college filled one row near some of Matt’s friends and a larger group of people from Ed’s own grade. Michelle, who she’d been with on the track team during junior year of high school, caught her eye and offered her a weak smile.

  Alex tried not to stare. In truth she didn’t pay much attention to the people in high school she’d been so certain would always be her friends. Not being physically close had taken its toll, but Alex knew that much of the distance was her own fault. She never called anymore and rarely responded to online messages. What was there to talk about? They weren’t mages and couldn’t know about magic.

  Holding back a grimace, Alex glanced over at Matt. In his black suit, he looked older than his twenty-three years. Guilt and pride mixed strangely in her chest as it occurred to her how proud their parents would have been. He was already transferring to a local law school and had left his part-time job. Matt had been the one taking care of the arrangements and was progressing through the custody process for Ed. She would be returning to Ravenslake to a different set of responsibilities and leaving Matt to bear it all alone. The guilt overtook the pride and Alex’s hands trembled as she fought down the rush of emotion. In her chest, the tight, painful knot threatened to take over and Alex squeezed her eyes shut.

  A tear slipped out from her right eye. Pulling on her magic, Alex let the warm energy spread through her chest and limbs. It wrapped around the little knot and soothed the sharp ache that was trying to make itself known. She breathed easier and opened her eyes to focus on the faces moving in front of her. Alex knew that she’d never remember all of them, but she wanted to at least make some effort to recognize the people who came.

  “How horrible for the kids,” someone said behind them. Alex tensed up and tried to ignore them. “Matt’s seeking custody I understand.”

  “Will they be alright?” a male voice whispered.

  “Elizabeth and Michael had life insurance,” a third voice explained. “Apparently a larger policy until all the children were through school, so at least their educations won’t suffer.”

  “Still… the poor things.”

  Glancing towards Matt, Alex watched her brother’s jaw tighten. The line of speakers ended and the man from the funeral home whose name escaped Alex stood up to close the ceremony. Standing up, Alex brushed off her black skirt and carefully got her balance in the black heels. The comforting weight of an iron dagger tucked away in her purse rested against her hip as she followed Matt to the front of the room. Ed fell into step behind her and she stayed quiet as the others in the room came up towards them.

  There were soft words of well-wishing and a few more religious remarks that made Alex want to roll her eyes. Some people had nice things to say about her parents and others told them to call if they needed anything. It all seemed too rehearsed to Alex; inorganic and stiff. She didn’t try to smile and was very aware of the coffins just behind her. The knot started to ache again, but the magic and mess of emotions swallowed it up quickly.

  Time slipped away and Alex just kept shaking hands and nodding. Next to her Ed made small grunts and sounds in response to questions. People gave her and Matt worried looks and moved off into small groups.

  The tone of the room changed. Alex frowned and looked around, bracing herself for something bad to happen. At the back of the room, she caught sight of Morgana who met her eyes and shook her head. Not magic then. Ed moved away from her side as the last of the line headed for the main hall and the food.

  Matt frowned at her, his eyes dark and angry. There were furrows much like the
ir father’s forming between his eyebrows, but then he shook his head and tightened his jaw. Alex waited, giving him a moment to collect himself and said nothing. Matt licked his lips and looked over his shoulder at Edward. Their younger brother was sitting in one of the chairs with a splotchy face and red eyes. The sight made the knot twinge again.

  “How can you be so distant?” Matt’s voice was low and Alex’s eyes jumped back to him. The anger in her brother’s eyes was turning to fury, and the first time ever Alex thought he might hit her. “Mom and Dad are dead!”

  She waited for him to say it was her fault. In truth it was, and she almost wanted him to say it. The car crash had been caused by Arthur out of some sort of petty revenge for breaking his mother’s spell over the Fae. Magic fluttered around Alex, soothing her as it washed over her skin. Death wasn’t the end. She almost said as much, but her lips didn’t want to move.

  “Alex?” Matt sounded sadder now. “What happened? You’re so…” he trailed off. Her brother took a physical step back, his whole posture and expression suddenly changed. Silence filled the space between them. A desire to say something, maybe hug him hit Alex in the chest, but she didn’t move. “I need to check on Ed,” Matt finally said. “Just try to…” He shook his head again. “Just make sure you’re available. A lot of people came to support us.”

  He moved away and Alex swallowed. Suddenly alone, she turned and looked at the photographs of her parents. Something shifted in her chest again, but she viciously forced it down as her knees tried to tremble. She folded her hands awkwardly in front of herself and glanced around the room. Some of her old friends were gathered together near the doorway. Morgana was seated in a chair near the back watching everyone calmly. Alex nodded to her and walked over to her old high school friends.

  “Alex,” Michelle greeted. She stepped forward and hugged Alex. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks for coming,” Alex replied. Michelle nodded vaguely, a few strands of her brown hair falling into her face.

  “It’s just horrible,” Emily added. The blonde tugged at the bottom of her black skirt that was probably too short for a funeral before giving Alex a hug. The contact felt strange and it was all Alex could do not to jump away. “If you need anything…” The sentence trailed off and they stood in silence.

  “We’ll be fine,” Alex forced out.

  “Are you going back to school or staying in Spokane?” Michelle asked. “You could transfer for the next semester.”

  “I’m going back to Ravenslake,” Alex answered. “Matt is moving back to Spokane. He’s transferring into Gonzaga law school for the fall.”

  “Well that’s good then,” Emily agreed. Then she looked around nervously. “Good turnout, I suppose.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Alex shrugged a little and looked out into the front hall. People were sitting in the more comfortable chairs and chatting in small groups. Some looked more relaxed now as they pointed at photos that had been put on one wall. “It's nice to see so many people wanting to honor Mom and Dad.”

  “I just can’t imagine,” Michelle told her. “When my mom heard-” Michelle stopped herself and shook her head. “I’m really very sorry, Alex. This is terrible.”

  “We’ll be okay.”

  Those words were the best that Alex could manage. Yet they were weak and too vague. Michelle and Emily both frowned at her, looking torn between wanting to say something and fear that they’d say the wrong thing. Bad situation overall and Alex didn’t try to reassure them. The three of them tried not to just stare awkwardly at each other, and Alex wondered just when things had changed so much. She couldn’t remember any moment when their friendships fell away, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d called them or they’d called her. It had gone both ways and it wasn’t something she could blame on magic. That was almost reassuring.

  “Alex,” Matt called. She turned with a mix of relief and dread to find her brother standing behind her. “The cremation.”

  Matt put a hand on her back and gently pushed her towards the front of the room again. Two men from the funeral home in well-worn black suits were waiting for them. Ed was lingering by an impressive flower arrangement from the newspaper their father had worked at and eyeing it dangerously. Guilt tried to take over again. Ed had been the one most excited to learn that she was a mage. He’d also been the least frightened when Alex had explained that it was the mixing of multiple worlds that generated magic. She and her fellow mages were in a way just glorified white blood cells meant to get rid of beings from other worlds and from different sets of physical rules. Her parents had been scared for her, but Ed had just wanted to see her use magic, but now it had cost him his parents.

  The men said a few words to them and Alex heard the attendees file back in. There were a few moments of silence and then the funeral directors closed the caskets and hit a switch. There was a soft thrum of a machine and the coffins began to slide away. Alex wasn’t sure if they were going straight into the fire or into another room. She supposed it didn’t really matter, and she forced herself to watch solemnly. Her gray eyes jumped back to the photographs of her parents and she swallowed thickly.

  “Why did you want them cremated?” Matt asked. He crossed his arms in front of him. “It was the only thing you actually seemed to care about.”

  Alex ignored the thinly veiled insult. He didn’t understand. This wasn’t his fault or the result of what he’d been born carrying. If she let the grief have any power there’d be nothing left. Soft voices filled her head and Alex kept her eyes open and locked on the coffins as they rolled out of sight. If she didn’t close her eyes then maybe she wouldn’t see all the other funerals that she’d dreamed of in the last few days.

  “Cremation helps release all of a soul,” Alex answered. “Part of my soul got stuck in my first body.”

  The words were honest, but Matt gasped sharply. Something in his eyes flickered. He looked angry and then heartbroken before resignation overtook his features. The expression was all wrong for him, but Alex said nothing. Her eyes moved to the screens that now covered the dark tunnels her parents’ coffins had vanished into. Next to her, Matt made some sort of abortive sound before he stepped away and said something to Ed. Behind Alex, their footfalls managed to echo against the carpeted floor as the sound of voices faded away.

  “Alex?” Morgana’s voice said behind her a few moments later. Then there was a hand on her shoulder. “The others are outside if you want to…”

  “No,” Alex replied. She didn’t turn around to look at Morgana. “I know they’re here.” Where else would they be? It was a Saturday and they’d driven up to Spokane the night before. Merlin was guarding Ravenslake, but her friends had wanted to be with her. “I’m fine Morgana.” Alex was still staring at the screens. “Just remembering.”

  2

  The Nonmagical

  It wasn’t easy for Lance to keep his focus on the road as they drove through the darkness. In front of him the highway stretched out towards Ravenslake and his bed, but his mind was bristling with apprehension and ideas. He couldn’t help but worry about Alex. All through the funeral she’d been like a statue. They’d stayed in the back of the hall and watched, unable to do anything, but there just in case. Ahead of them, Lance could see the lights of Morgana’s car as it followed the curves of the road. Time ticked by slowly as the pop music played at a low volume.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but all I want to see now is my bed,” Bran said. “Any idea how much longer?”

  “We’re close now,” Lance promised. “Maybe another twenty minutes.”

  “Good, I need sleep,” Jenny said. She was in the passenger seat next to him and the three mages Aiden, Bran, and Nicki in the back of his truck cab. “I have a meeting first thing tomorrow with one of my TAs. I’m going to need so much coffee.”

  “Can you skip it?” Nicki asked, leaning forward a bit.

  “No, this is about my final project. I really need some help and it’s one o
f my major classes.”

  “Well with how crazy things have been this year I’d be impressed if any of us got decent grades,” Aiden said. “At least my parents know about the whole magic thing and won’t kill me. Still, a professor’s son flunking out; embarrassing.”

  “You aren’t going to flunk out,” Nicki sighed. “Stop being so dramatic.”

  “We’re going into our junior years and school hasn’t exactly been our priority,” Aiden said. “Not to mention what happens after we graduate. Do we find jobs in Ravenslake and hope that they give us enough time off to travel and fight monsters?”

  Maybe he didn’t mean it to, but Aiden’s question came out dark and foreboding. Lance suppressed a shiver. It was a cold reminder of the life the mages were dealing with. He looked towards Jenny and even in the dim light he could see that she was uneasy. Silence filled the truck again, with the low pop music seeming to fade away in the tense atmosphere.

  “At least there was no sign of Arthur,” Jenny said softly. “That’s what I was worried about most at the funeral.”