The Iron Cursed

by J. M. Briggs

  “Red Caps!” he snapped.

  “Oh lovely,” Morgana growled. She strode towards the door. “Mages outside; stay in pairs at least.”

  “Timothy,” Merlin called towards the kitchen. “Stay inside the house.” He paused at the door as the mages followed him with Alex at the lead. “Swords are in the cabinet.”

  Lance kept his arm around Jenny while the mages filed out. There was a flash of silver through the air that rolled past the large window. Then Jenny shook her head and slipped out of his grasp. Walking past Avani, she offered the newcomer a smile and opened the cabinet. Inside as promised were several swords in leather sheaths. Jenny pulled one out and handed it to Avani.

  “Do you know how to use this?” Jenny asked.

  “I’m more familiar with a scimitar style of blade, but I should be alright.” Avani accepted the sword and wrapped her hand around the hilt. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” Jenny walked back to him and handed him one. “Let’s hope they don’t break the roof again.”

  Lance wanted to chuckle, but the reminder that it could happen made it very unfunny. He pulled the sword out of the sheath and tossed the leather covering onto a nearby table. The blade gleamed in the light of the lamps and he considered turning them off as a bolt of lightning blasted past the window. A car alarm began to go off and he heard Nicki curse. Then it went silent, whether by damage or magic he wasn’t sure.

  “At least they can fix the cars,” Jenny murmured next to him. “I’d hate to see the body work bill.”

  “Not to mention the questions it would get.”

  “Is this a frequent problem?” Avani asked. Her brown eyes were wide, but she didn’t look frightened. In fact, she looked more curious than anything as she joined them near the window. “Red Caps attacking?”

  “Frequent? Uh, probably not frequent,” Lance managed to say.

  “But often enough,” Jenny said with bite in her voice. “And they’ve slashed the tires. We aren’t going anywhere.”

  “And so you just wait inside?” Avani questioned. She was looking at them carefully. “Forgive me if I’m rude, but I’m not completely up to speed on everything going on here. You two are the reincarnations of Lancelot and Guinevere, correct?”

  Next to him, Jenny blushed and lowered her eyes for a moment, but she rallied quickly. “Those weren’t their names,” she said. “But close enough. We were the wife and friend of the original Iron Soul.”

  A Red Cap flew past the window in a rush of yellow magic from Bran. Then there was a shower of flaming sparks, but the magic flared blue. Lance thought that was probably Nicki. Avani eyebrows went up.

  “And you keep being reborn?” Avani asked. “Over and over?”

  “We aren’t in every life,” Lance said. Then he realized that Avani would be aware of that. “Just sometimes… but this time it’s different.”

  “Yes,” Jenny agreed. She nodded eagerly and then grimaced at the sight of a group of floating Red Caps being enveloped in green magic and turning to dust. “There was never a romantic relationship between Alex and I, and Lance and I are together and working things out.”

  “I’m glad that you’ve made peace with your reincarnations,” Avani said calmly. “But why do you stay in this town if it is so dangerous?” She gestured towards the window. “Surely Arthur will make you targets.”

  Lance paused. He’d never had to try and explain things to someone who hadn’t been around for at least part of it. “Well, we’re loyal to Alex. I suppose on some level we’re trying to make up for things. While we may not have magical powers, there are still times when they need us.”

  “Magic isn’t everything,” Jenny said. She eyed the door and then the sword in her hands. “Besides, I’m not half bad with this thing.”

  “That’s good,” Avani said. Then she tapped the hilt of the sword and twisted her lips thoughtfully. “Though I suppose I could teach you a bit of the rituals I use to do magic.” They both turned to look at her and Avani smiled. “If you like. You can’t do big things like mages, but it can be useful from time to time.” She nodded out the window where another bolt of lightning was flashing past. Three Red Caps were suddenly tossed past their view and shouted some gibberish. “It’s not as impressive as mages obviously but being able to pick a lock or do some basic repairs can be a nice talent to have.”

  “How does it work?” Jenny asked. A blast of red light outside that made several Red Caps scream lit up her face. “You can’t just make something happen like the mages can, right?”

  “No, we actually use what you’d think of as spells,” Avani explained. “We gather up magical energy and use spells to direct the magic. Create a set pathway for the magic, if you like.” Her smile widened and she giggled. “To my parents’ annoyance, I use a bunch of spells from books and movies. They stay in my mind better and I can get the magic to know what I mean.”

  “Books and movies,” Jenny repeated. She laughed, only stopping when a Red Cap hit the window. It slid down a second later. “Uh, are you a geek then?”

  “Bit of one,” Avani replied with her accent thickening a touch. “Fantasy is a great source for inspiration. The family magical tomes are useful, but with all the modern technology you need to be creative in how to interact with it.”

  “Oh no, not another one!” Jenny sniggered at Avani’s curious look. “Uh, most of the mages are pretty serious geeks. I think you’ll like them.”

  “What about you?”

  “Me?” Jenny shook her head. “No, I’m more of a social and shopping sort.”

  “That’s fun too,” Avani agreed. “I’m a bit worried about staying in a town this size too long.” She tossed her long black hair over her shoulder. “Where’s the best place to restock on makeup around here?”

  “Oh, I’m afraid that Ravenslake doesn’t have a lot of good options on that front,” Jenny said with a grimace. “I order most of my makeup and hair supplies online. There are some good boutiques on Main Street at least.”

  “I was afraid you were going to say that.” Avani sighed and looked at one of her small braids. “I barely brought enough stuff for three days.”

  “Well let me know what you need and I’ll check my stuff,” Jenny said.

  A crash outside made them jump as another car alarm started going off. Lance raised the sword and shifted over the front door as a scraping sound moved across the wood. He barely made it there before the door gave way. Jumping to the side, he managed to avoid Nicki’s body crumbling inside. A Red Cap was on her chest. She groaned and started to move. There was blood on her chest. Swinging the sword, Lance caught the Red Cap in the upper torso. It screamed. There was a bit of silvery blood and its body began to dissolve as it was thrown back.

  “Oh god!” Jenny cried. “Nicki!”

  Lance stepped forward to block the doorway with the sword at the ready. There were still a dozen or so Red Caps running around. With sharp claws and small knives, they kept lashing at the ankles of the mages. Merlin kicked one against the house and Morgana destroyed it with a bolt of silver magic. Bran waved his hands and swept up three of them in a small cyclone of yellow magic. Alex unleashed a bolt of lightning into the group to kill them before having to kick away one trying to cut her tendon.

  “Nicki!” Aiden shouted, looking towards the door.

  “We’ve got her!” Lance called back. “Stay focused!” He risked a glance over his shoulder. Jenny and Avani had pulled open Nicki’s shirt and were applying pressure to the wound. There was a lot of blood and both women looked worried. “We need the Chalice!”

  Aiden shoved a hand forward and sent waves of red spark rolling down along the ground that glittered by embers. Then he took off around the side of the house towards the workshop. Merlin called after him, but Aiden didn’t stop. Merlin gathered a green orb of magic and threw it at the ground. Blades of grass sprang up, entwining around the legs of the Red Caps, who hacked at the grass with their knives. Merlin took off after Aiden.
<
br />   Morgana used the Red Caps’ distraction, and with several quick bolts of bright silver more were dead. There were only two left that he could see, and they were both scurrying towards the forest. Alex snarled at them, her gray eyes bright with anger. Dark silver magic twisted around her hands and then two lightning bolts flashed off of her fingertips. They caught each of the Red Caps, who vanished in a burst of ash. Then everything went quiet. Bran came rushing to the doorway, looking over Lance’s shoulder.

  Stepping out of the way, Lance let Bran and Alex through and both knelt down next to Nicki. He watched Alex’s face. There was a flicker of something in her eyes and then she grit her teeth. Her expression smoothed out and she took Nicki’s hand. Lance wasn’t sure if her calm was good or bad. Jenny kept talking softly to Nicki and brushed strands of red hair out of her face.

  Aiden and Merlin came in through the back. There was the brief sound of the faucet in the kitchen running and then Aiden was kneeling next to Nicki, calling her name. Avani moved back to give him space. The Iron Chalice shimmered in Aiden’s hand as he handed it to Alex. Magic glowed around her hands and the metal of the Chalice lit up. With a soft apology, Aiden lifted Nicki’s head as she groaned and whimpered. Then Alex put the Chalice against Nicki’s lips and tilted it.

  “Easy,” Morgana cautioned from the front doorway. “You don’t want her to choke.”

  The warning wasn’t necessary. Lance averted his eyes to give Nicki privacy, settling for watching Aiden’s face. There was a long moment of silence. No one moved. Then relief filled Aiden’s face and Lance relaxed. Nicki was already sitting up and he caught sight of the pinkish, but intact skin across her upper chest. Then Nicki realized that half of her shirt was torn and sat up with a bright red blush staining her cheeks. Lance began to take off his sweatshirt, but Avani unzipped her hoodie and handed it to Nicki with a small smile.

  “Here,” she said.

  “Thanks,” Nicki replied. If anything, her blush worsened and she quickly pulled on the hoodie. Holding back a laugh, Lance remembered Nicki’s dibs. “I appreciate it.”

  “Oh, please don’t worry about it,” Avani replied. “Let’s get you up.”

  Everyone backed away to give Nicki room to stand up. Merlin glanced towards Morgana and headed outside. There were flashes of green light and Lance really hoped it meant that he was repairing tires and vehicle damage. Morgana lingered by the doorway and the wooden pieces of the front door glowed silver. Lance watched as the pieces of wood flew back into the doorway and fit themselves together like a puzzle.

  Lance helped Nicki over to the couch. Despite being healed, she swayed a little and sank onto the sofa with a sigh of relief. Aiden sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder while Bran gave her a glass of water to drink. Merlin came back inside a few moments later, panting slightly, but he waved Morgana off.

  “I’m okay,” Nicki finally said. “That was…” she trailed off and shook her head. “Never mind. I’m fine. Thanks for the quick response.”

  “We need to start carrying the Chalice with us,” Alex said. “Needing Merlin to open the safe and keeping it here is too much of a risk.” She sat down in an armchair and drummed her fingers against the arms.

  “Probably a good idea,” Nicki said. She shuddered. “I just... I’m not even sure what happened. Suddenly it jumped off the car hood and-”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it.” Aiden tightened his grip around her. “You’re okay. I know it can be scary, but just remind yourself that you’re okay.”

  Alex was staring off into space again. Frowning, Lance studied her face, but Alex’s head was tilted. Again, it was like she was listening to something that they couldn’t hear.

  “Alex?” Bran called. “Alex? You’re not… having a flashback are you?”

  “Alex?” Morgana called. She crossed the room quickly and put a hand on her shoulder. “Alex?”

  “What?” Alex blinked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Alex, you weren’t having a panic attack were you?” Morgana asked. “You haven’t had any lately, but with your parents and seeing Nicki hurt-”

  “I’m fine, Morgana!” Alex snapped. Her gray eyes were bright and almost flared in the light. “For the ancestor’s sake stop acting like you’re Mother!”

  Morgana tensed at the words, hissing softly. Then she gripped Alex’s arm and pulled her out of the chair. Merlin made a worried noise and met Morgana’s eyes. They nodded and Morgana led Alex towards the door with Merlin on their heels.

  “That’s our protagonist guys,” Nicki said. Her eyebrows were up and she shook her head slightly. The levity in her voice quickly fell apart and Nicki frowned. “I’m worried.”

  “She’s getting better,” Aiden replied. He kissed Nicki’s forehead gently. “And her genre savviness is improving. That’s a victory right there.”

  “What do you mean?” Avani asked. Lance tried not to laugh, grateful for the subject change.

  “Oh; Alex was never really interested in magic to the same extent as us,” Aiden explained. “We’ve had to educate her a bit, but she’d coming along.”

  “Please tell me that she’d at least read Harry Potter,” Avani said. She looked worried, but happy for the distraction like the rest of them.

  Nicki grinned with stars in her eyes. “Nothing that bad,” Nicki assured her. She shifted a little closer to Avani and smiled. “She knew the mainstream stuff but needed a brush up on her knowledge.”

  “In her defense, I don’t think she had cable growing up,” Bran said.

  “I’m sure she’s doing her best.” Avani gave them a small smile and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Nicki just kept grinning at her. Lance felt a little embarrassed for her even as he was very amused. “She seems nice enough though, just a bit… distracted, or hyper maybe.”

  “Alex lost her parents recently,” Jenny explained softly. “It’s affected her more than she wants to admit.”

  “Oh.” Avani frowned, biting her lower lip. “Sif didn’t mention that. So… is she always like this?”

  “No,” Bran answered. He looked out the window. They could just see Alex speaking with Merlin and Morgana. “She’s been a bit… uneven lately.”

  “I see,” Avani said.

  Lance didn’t know what to say or do as he watched Alex through the window. Then Jenny leaned against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her. He rather doubted that Avani did see, but appreciated her trying to be nice about the situation she’d now found herself in. It was obvious that Merlin and Morgana had no idea how to deal with whatever was going on with Alex, and he had no ideas himself.

  “She’ll be alright, won’t she?” Jenny asked him softly.

  “Yeah,” Lance said. Kissing Jenny’s forehead, he smiled and nodded towards the window. “Alex will be alright. She’s got us to help her out.” No one looked very convinced.

  29

  The Magician

  Alex was aware of the tension among her friends. She wasn’t so far removed from them that she couldn’t see it. Caring about it just didn’t seem important. They could worry and talk, but it didn’t change anything. She felt lighter having told Merlin and Morgana, though it was clear that they hadn’t disclosed what was going on to the others. Alex didn’t know if it was because they didn’t want to admit that they had no clue, if they were trying to avoid scaring the others or if they thought that she cared about them knowing. In truth, it didn’t matter. She’d keep her chin up and do her job.

  She’d turned in her final paper to Professor Yates that morning and had only one more exam in a history class. Then she was done for the year, but she wasn't worried about the finals. It all just seemed so small in comparison to what was at stake. Still, there was the day-to-day stuff to get through. It was with a strange sense of relief that she joined the others at Merlin’s house; at least it meant that they were getting back to work.

  Smiling at Bran, Alex eased herself down on the grass of Merlin’s back yard. It wa
s short and tickled, and she vaguely wondered when Merlin found the time to keep it cut. Maybe he used magic. Probably, but this wasn’t the time for a mental wander.

  “Let’s talk through it,” Bran said as he sat down. “We’ll try this with just me first.”

  “Since you and I have done this before,” Alex replied.

  “Something similar at least,” Bran agreed. “Do you want me to try reaching out as well like I’m scrying, or just have you try this time?”

  Alex considered the question for a moment. One of the voices was reacting strongly to Bran, but she wasn’t sure if it was Gofiben or someone else. It was distracting and she lowered her eyes away from his so she could think.

  “Let’s start with just me,” Alex finally said. “I need to know if I can locate the weak points on my own.”