The Iron Cursed

by J. M. Briggs

  Three Sídhe dressed in golden armor drew their swords and marched towards them. The horns curling out of their heads were covered in ornate golden plating that matched their armor and gauntlets. White hair was twisted around the horns and their pale skin shimmered in the low sun. Alex noticed that their eyes squinted in pain from the light, but they still didn’t retreat into the darkness. It was surprising, but this wasn’t the time to question it. The Sídhe stayed close together for half the distance before suddenly spreading out. An attempt to flank, one of the voices in Alex’s head noted.

  With each step the Sídhe took forward out of the tunnel the pulse of the magic around her became stronger. Every second they were here caused the Iron Realm, Earth itself, to push back at them through Alex and her fellow mages. Bringing up her hands, Alex focused her thoughts on her magic. It was easy now to ‘see’ the bolt of lightning, and her magic made it so. She struck down the first Sídhe as a blast of yellow magic from Bran hit another one. A red bolt from Aiden, sailed through where Bran’s had been. There were more guards coming out now: they’d clearly learned from her escape and having their earlier entrance sealed.

  She released a wave of dark gray magic, watching it ripple through the air. It struck the Sídhe, but didn’t destroy any of them, rather making them all stumble. Her fellow mages took advantage and released a volley of spells at them. Silver magic from Morgana killed one and green bolts from Merlin struck down another. It was almost easy now. A familiar dance as none of these Sídhe were able to return fire. There were enough of them though that they were closing quickly.

  One headed straight for her. The Síd bore down at her, swinging a golden sword. Around them, the ravine flickered in her vision, replaced with a tunnel made of tightly fitted stones. Alex blinked back the vision and threw herself away from the sword just in time. There was a shout of alarm behind her. Silver magic flashed past Alex, striking the Síd in the chest. It fought against the magic for a moment, trying to move, but its armor crumbled and it screamed before dissolving into golden dust.

  Shaking her head, Alex rolled to her feet and threw her hand forward. Lightning blasted forth from her fingertips and exploded across the ravine to strike a Síd. It vanished in a rush of gold. In the corner of her eye, Alex saw a Hound destroyed in a flash of fire. Another Síd was pinned to the side of the ravine by ice spikes and began to dissolve a moment later when Bran thrust an iron dagger into its neck.

  Then as quickly as the noise and fighting had begun it was over. All the guards were dead, and the only noise was the water babbling along in the small creek. Alex looked towards Morgana. The older mage was eyeing the tunnel suspiciously.

  “There will be more down there. I’m sure they heard the fight,” Morgana said. “Ambrose and I will stand guard, but you start working on the gate.”

  Merlin nodded in agreement and the pair marched closer to the opening in the hillside. Their hands were glowing with their magic, and Alex could faintly see wisps of it hanging in the air at the edge of the vision. It was distracting, but she forced herself to turn towards Bran, Aiden, and Nicki.

  Aiden was already shrugging out of his backpack and pulling out the iron bars that he’d been charged with carrying. Alex pulled off her own backpack and moved to join him as Nicki and Bran added their iron to the pile. Dumping the iron out of the bag, Alex looked it over carefully and told herself to breathe. This wasn’t the first time they’d made a Gate, but this was different. She looked down at her hands for a moment before drawing her dagger from its sheath on her belt. With a grimace, she carefully cut her left index fingertip. Blood seeped out of the wound and Alex brushed her finger over the first of the iron bars, leaving a soft red mark. She squeezed her finger and repeated the process on the next two bars.

  “Are you going to do that with all of them?” Nicki asked with a hint of worry.

  “No,” Alex replied. She forced a small smile. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I just thought I’d give myself a handicap on this one.” She looked towards Merlin and Morgana. “Uh, how do you want to do this? I mean making the Gate and standing guard?”

  “Arto was able to make Iron Gates himself,” Merlin said calmly. Alex bit her lip despite the fact that there was no judgment in Merlin’s tone. “I’d like us to start easing Alex into making them with less outside help. That way she can create Gates even if the rest of us have to fight. Make this Gate with the others; Morgana and I will be here, but only if you really need us.”

  Nodding her understanding, Alex had to admit that it was a valid point. This tunnel had guards and they’d been willing to come out into the sunlight even though it half blinded them. If the Sídhe were that desperate to get human slaves again then they might end up with big fights on their hands. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but Alex couldn’t ignore the possibility.

  Taking Nicki’s hand, Alex gave it a soft squeeze of thanks and then took Aiden’s hand. The magic crept over her own skin, licking up her arms and feeling both familiar and alien at the same time. Nicki and Aiden’s magic was familiar and that of allies, but her body knew it wasn’t her own. The reaction was stronger than it ever had been before and was a sharp reminder of why healing magic was so difficult.

  Alex tried to calm down. They were safe, she told herself, and there was time to focus. Pulling on the power her friends were offering, Alex felt the alien magic brush over her skin as her own magic reached out for it. They twisted together and Alex didn’t need to look down to know that their magic was turning gray to match her own. Slowly, bit by bit, she took control over it all and pushed it towards the iron bars. Gray magic swept forward and spun into them as a thin gray stream.

  The spots of her blood on the iron flashed bright red. There was a shout from Merlin, but it was hazy to her mind. Alex’s eyes jumped up from the iron to the hole in the hillside. Distantly she remembered the crying of the children she’d saved, but something else was poking at her memory. There was another face now: a young preteen girl with brown hair and defiant eyes. The ravine rippled in the corners of her vision, the rocky ground becoming a grassy plain for a moment. Then it was gone, and the iron bars were floating in front of her.

  Everything tensed. The magic built, thrumming in the air like a string about to break. There were voices from inside the tunnel that echoed up into the ravine. They were horrible to Alex’s ears, too high and unnatural. She knew them as the enemy, and the magic reacted. Everything snapped. Alex released the hands of her friends, feeling the magic rush out of her and into the metal.

  Flying through the air, the iron bars twisted and struck the stone sides of the opening with a deafening clang. In her chest, Alex’s heart started to race. She could see the patches of her red blood glittering brighter than the rest of the iron. The bars forced themselves into the stone, causing it to crack and crumble. A Síd appeared and swung a gold sword at an iron bar that was narrowing and stretching across the opening. The golden sword shattered, sending flakes of Sídhe gold through the air. It glinted in the sunlight and vanished.

  A blast of green from Merlin struck the Síd in the chest. It stumbled back into the darkness, but its screams could still be heard. In the limbo that the tunnels formed between Earth and the Sídhe empire, Alex wasn’t sure how long it would take the magic to kill it. She turned her hands and pulled on more magic. It rushed forth at her command.

  There were faint strings of gray linking her fingertips and the iron bars like marionette puppets. With the turn of her hand, the iron bars stretched out across the opening and crisscrossed to form the barrier. Deep in the tunnel there were now howls of rage, but they meant nothing to Alex. There were shimmers of magic hanging in the air, faint little wisps of color. It was different, and beautiful. Slowly the connections between her own fingers and the iron began to fade. It lingered briefly in the air, but the magic slipped into the new Iron Gate and settled there.

  The Gate shimmered in the sunlight and Alex’s eyes could see the magic sinking into the stone. Li
ke a gray haze, it was spreading through the rocks and hillside, carving itself and its intention into and around the stones. She watched it, completely unaware of the others. A soft breeze tickled the back of her neck and alerted her to the sweat trickling down her back.

  “Marvelous, Alex!” Morgana cheered. The older mage rushed to the twisting iron bars that crisscrossed over each other in the opening of rock. Running a finger over the iron, Morgana’s smile widened, and even from her position Alex could see a shimmer of magic rising through the metal to meet the mage’s finger. “You were able to put a great deal of magic into the metal. And so quickly too!”

  “It felt… well, it wasn’t too hard actually. Not compared to last time-” Alex cut herself off, not wanting to remember that the last, and only Iron Gate they’d made, had been with Arthur. “Maybe his magic actually made it harder.”

  “That’s very possible,” Merlin said kindly. He stepped over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was comforting and kept her swaying body steady. “It’s likely that by using your blood he was pulling magic from you.”

  “Yeah.” Alex licked her lips. She shook her head a little. The world was blurry and the whispers were getting louder. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear them, Alex let her exhaustion show. “But still… not super easy.”

  “Indeed,” Morgana agreed. She quickly returned to Alex’s side and put a warm hand on her other shoulder. “I think that’s enough for today, Ambrose. Alex needs rest.”

  The urge to insist she was fine rose up sharply in Alex, but she kept it in. The bundle of magic and grief in her chest throbbed, but she stayed silent. Morgana gave her another smile and joined Merlin in examining the Gate. They both seemed pleased and the whispers calmed a little. Then she exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment. Someone took her arm and Alex looked over at them. It was Aiden, and Alex quickly forced a reassuring smile. Everything was just fine.

  6

  Stirrings of Magic

  465 B.C.E. The Golden Vale, Ireland

  Leugio sensed the world change as he moved into the Sídhe mound. The smells all vanished. Darkness washed over him and the torch cast no light. Leugio froze in the entrance, but as quickly as the world had flickered away it returned. Then a sweet floral scent filled his nostrils, unlike anything he’d smelled before. He brushed his fingers across the iron clasp of his cloak. It centered him and he managed another step.

  A nagging voice in the back of his mind urged him to hurry. Vaguely he thought he heard crying echoing down the tunnel. It spurred him to take another step. There were no guards. He was alone as he went further, leaving the Síd behind him. The low light from the outside world faded more and more with each step. His torchlight surrounded him and Kent. The cries were louder now. It was Keelia: certainty set into his bones and Kent perked up. Leugio tightened his grip on his dagger and made himself walk faster.

  Up ahead the path split: one way was lit by glowing torches at regular intervals and the other was darker with only an occasional torch. Remembering the Síd’s word, and hoping he was true to their deal, he turned and walked down the dark tunnel. Kent trotted along beside him as the tunnel gradually sloped down. A cold breeze hit his face and Leugio shifted the torch. There was an opening to the right.

  “So far so good,” he said.

  His voice echoed in the tunnel and he grimaced. There was the soft muted sound of voices from far away, and also the faint sound of crying. He kept moving and came to the staircase. There were only two torches fixed to the wall, providing little light. Pausing at the top, he listened, but there were no new noises. He took the first few steps quickly, mindful of his footing while Kent climbed down beside him.

  The bottom was in sight when a sound in the hallway below made him freeze. In the light of the torches, Leugio saw another Síd appear at the bottom of the stairs. It looked up at him with wide violet eyes that then narrowed. Then it drew a golden sword from its belt which flashed in the light of the torches. Like the Síd outside it was dressed in an elegant tunic rather than armor. Still, the sword looked dangerous enough as the Síd began charging up the stairs.

  Snarling, Kent leapt forward. The Síd tried to move, but the large dog caught its arm in his teeth. Shock fogged Leugio’s mind, but only for a moment. He raced down the stairs with his iron dagger at the ready. The Síd looked up in alarm and opened its mouth to shout. Before he could change his mind, Leugio shoved the dagger forward into the creature’s chest. Its eyes widened and Leugio’s heart stuttered. They were frozen and then a low groan escaped the Síd.

  He released the dagger and the creature slumped to the ground. Kent released the arm. For a moment nothing happened. The Síd shook slightly on the stairs and silvery blood seeped out of its mouth. A wave of illness hit Leugio as the adrenaline rush ended. His knees quivered and he fell against the wall, turning his eyes away from the Síd. Kent made a small sound and growled. There were voices in the distance.

  The urge to turn back hit Leugio, but his feet didn’t move. A soft cry echoed towards him, somehow louder the voices. His mind narrowed on that sound and Kent whimpered. The dog looked up at him and then down the tunnel. Swallowing, Leugio nodded and knelt by the dying creature. He gripped the hilt of his iron dagger and pulled it out. It slid free without any resistance as the flesh around it turned gray and began to fall away. Like ash; like a collapsing log in the fire he thought.

  Then it was gone, leaving only a few pieces of clothing. Some instinct told him to pick them up and hide them, but Leugio’s hands trembled. Kent took a few more steps and then looked back at him. Nodding, Leugio stood and forced his feet forward. The darkness ahead seemed thicker now. It was far too quiet. While he could hear distant voices there were no familiar sounds of life to be heard. No livestock, no clanging of workmen or people moving around. Just distant musical voices.

  This world was alien to him. It hit Leugio all at once that he had willingly entered the Sídhe domain. Taking a deep breath, Leugio focused on his sister. He forced himself to think of poor Keelia being grabbed by one of them and brought down here. At his side, Kent was nudging his leg with faint traces of silver blood around his mouth that were slowly fading.

  “Alright boy,” Leugio said. His voice echoed around them. “Let’s keep moving.”

  Leugio repeated the directions that he’d gotten from the Síd, hoping once more than their trade meant that the Síd had been honest. His stomach turned and Leugio swallowed a rush of bile. His legs shook as the initial desperation and insane courage that had compelled him forward began to wear off. The hallway was lit by torches all the way down, all them a few feet apart creating areas of shadow. Every time he passed through a darker area, his heart jumped painfully.

  The air was stale and smelt a bit of ash over the flowery smell. Some small part of Leugio wondered just how the Sídhe managed to survive underground. The stories said it was magic and that the mounds connected to a special magical realm, but so far there were just tunnels and darkness. Just as Kent was beginning to whimper again and doubts once more crept into his mind something glittered in the light of the torch.

  It was a series of small golden plates expertly molded together. There were small designs scattered on the edge of the plates for decoration, and on the whole it seemed far more like a work of art than any true warrior gear. Yet this was what he’d been told to look for. The golden armor was supported by a wooden frame. Small carvings all across the wood beckoned Leugio forward and he peered at the whole display in surprise and confusion. Sídhe gold was well known to him; known to practically everyone. They were cautioned against ever accepting it from one of the creatures, as it would vanish. He wasn’t sure how or why, but something about the displayed armor seemed wrong to him. It was like it shouldn’t have been able to be there at all.

  Shaking his head, Leugio carefully stepped around the display. If he hadn’t known to look for it, he might have walked right past the small tunnel. Kent sniffed at the air and sneezed lightly. L
eugio shifted the iron dagger still clutched in his right hand just enough to pet the dog with two fingers. The rough texture of the fur was earthy and familiar. With that, he headed down the narrow tunnel.

  Leugio searched his mind for any stories that might reveal something. He knew that the king kept prisoners, but he wasn’t sure about the Sídhe. Then again his strange guide had directed him this way, so maybe it was some kind of holding area. The idea settled coldly in his stomach. Shivering, he made his feet move forward. His footfalls were too loud on the stone and he wished that he had Kent’s softer paws.

  Another guard stepped out of the shadows. Its violet eyes widened in surprise. Leugio jumped at it with a grunt, swinging his dagger as Kent rushed forward. The dog bit its leg and he slashed at its chest. The Síd twisted out of the way even as it shouted in pain from Kent’s attack. Down the tunnel, there was a sudden sound of more footfalls. Terror surged in his chest. He swung his dagger again, this time slicing the Sid across its arm. The Síd stumbled back, shaking its leg in an attempt to get Kent off. Falling against the wall, it struggled to pull its sword. Leugio stepped forward and used the distraction to push the dagger into its neck. The Síd squirmed helplessly, clawing at its throat. Leugio ripped the dagger free and looked down the tunnel.