The Iron Realm (The Iron Soul Book 1)

by J. M. Briggs

  Picking her up roughly, he tossed her through the doorway and into the dark space. Her knees collided with a black floor painfully and she looked behind her just in time to see the heavy golden double doors closing. Darkness surrounded her and Morgana dared not move. There was always light and always someone nearby, if not Lady Eolande then one of the Sídhe assigned to educate her and the other iron childes. Now there was no light and she was alone. Darkness and silence. Two words she'd heard of, but never understood. Now she did and they weighed on her, compressing her chest and locking her into her own mind with fear.

  Morgana gripped her arms to reassure herself that she was still there in the darkness and not fading away into the nothingness that surrounded her. A cold chill began to creep over her skin, the white tunic dress she wore offering almost no protection. Curling into herself, Morgana closed her eyes and tried to calm down, but there was no glow of light on her eyes as there had always been. There was no soft chatter from the other earth childes, no soft snores or breathing. Nothing.

  A whimper escaped her, a sound she had been taught long ago to never make. Fear was consuming her and tears pricked at her eyes. Had she caused trouble? Lady Eolande had not seem displeased with her; in fact her caretaker had been unusually attentive. Perhaps it was just a ruse, a trick and she'd been brought here to this horrible darkness as a punishment for some crime. She was going to fade away, she just knew it. What other fate could await her in such darkness?

  A spark of anger ignited in her. She'd always been so good! She did what she was told, never cried, tired not to show her human emotions and always tried to please the Sídhe! How could they let her fade away into nothing? Maybe this was a test before she turned seven and her duty to the Sídhe was selected. Biting her lip, Morgana reached for the pain that told her that she was still there. She wanted light! She didn't know how to pass this test without it, but if it was a test then there had to be a way.

  Morgana's eyelids suddenly brightened and her eyes snapped open to find a small orb of light glowing in her palm. It was a small orb like the ones that dominated the halls of her home. She stared at the softly glowing ball of light in her hand with a sense of relief, awe and confusion, unsure of where it had come from.

  Then there was a musical laugh that echoed in whatever strange space she was in. Morgana could still not see and strained her eyes trying to peer beyond the reaches of the light. The orb glowed more brightly, illuminating the smoothly tiled floor all around her, the carved pillars inlaid with gold that lined the space leading up to a crowd of Sídhe who were all watching her. Morgana quickly lowered her head, but was at a loss of what to do with the light.

  “How precious,” a high female voice cooed. “Just look at my little mage.”

  Morgana dared not look up even at the sweetness of the voice, far too used to such tricks being used on her in the past to test her behavior. There was the gentle swish of fabric moving and soft footfalls ahead of her as the Síd moved gracefully through the space. Around her, the hall brightened even as the light in her palm dimmed. A sense of exhaustion seeped through Morgana as the light flickered away before her eyes.

  “So precious,” the female voice breathed, right in front of Morgana. Even with her lowered head, she could see a pair of blue slippers with elaborate golden embroidery. “My own little earth mage,” she cooed once again. “Morgana,” she called gently, “Look at me my little darling.”

  A command. One that chilled Morgana. The voice was too soft and gentle; even when they were ill Lady Eolande never spoke like that. She'd only ever heard such a tone from Brodie, a simple minded girl who had looked after her years ago until the Sídhe decided to euthanize her. Slowly and carefully, Morgana raised her chin, waiting for a smack or another sign of displeasure.

  Her eyes met a pair of large brilliant purple eyes with violet and black color around them making them stand out against her pale skin. Elegant features looked down at her, relaxed in a calm and pleased expression. Her lips, painted a dark shade of red, curled into a smile. Morgana stared in awe at the Síd before her who seemed taller than the others she had met and whose clothing nearly glowed with magic interwoven with the golden fabric of her gown and the white thick cape that hung over her shoulders. The strange woman's pale hair was woven around a tall golden crown that curved with elaborate shapes that met at a glowing violet gem. Strangest to Morgana was that the woman wore no gloves: her long pale fingers with her long arcing claws at the tips were fully visible without decorative covers.

  “Oh, how obedient she is,” the woman praised and Morgana heard low voices all around them, but dared not look away from the woman. “Eolande has trained you so well.”

  The woman turned from Morgana and she found herself watching the flowing white cape as the woman strode across the hall. The return of light meant that Morgana could now see that she was in a vast hall, filled with carved pillars and statues of the Sídhe. Long ribbons decorated the arched ceiling, stretching from one side to another and accented by small orbs of light and jewels. Gold lined everything, even the tiles that Morgana remained kneeling on. But the centerpiece of the room was the throne, a solid golden chair on a raised dais at the far side of the hall with white and golden cloth draped artistically over the arms. It was here that the strange Sídhe woman stopped, turning and lowered herself regally into the throne.

  “Morgana, my childe,” the woman spoke, her words echoing in the great space, “I am Queen Scáthbás, the liege lady of the Sídhe.”

  Morgana swallowed, she'd known of course that she was to appear before the Queen. Lady Eolande had told her that as soon as she had read the message, but there had been no time to think, not time for her to properly explain what it meant to Morgana. Now, Morgana could feel the weight of the moment, almost taste it in the air which was much sweeter than what she had always known and hear it in the hall which dwarfed the tunnels she'd grown up in. Her majesty was watching her with fond amusement as Morgana tried to understand how she was supposed to react. Chuckling, Queen Scáthbás lounged in her throne and gestured a bare hand towards Morgana.

  “Just look at her,” Queen Scáthbás announced, “We take a child to serve us and find that we have one of the Iron Realm's mages!”

  Laughter rippled throughout the room and Morgana frowned softly. The word mage was unknown to her, but it sounded a bit like magic, a force she knew only the Sídhe to possess. Unsure of herself, Morgana remained silent. Her eyes traced the crowd quickly, taking in the abundance of gold on their clothing and jewelry. Their clothing was more complex than the robes wore by the childe caretakers, but not like the armor worn by the guards. This was something completely new and like the stories that played out on the walls of the tunnels, but Morgana didn't understand which story this was.

  Slowly, the laughter died down and Queen Scáthbás studied Morgana intently before shaking her head. “Oh, my poor little childe doesn't understand.” She motioned Morgana forward with a graceful movement of her hand, one of the long claws beckoning. “Stand up and come closer to me.”

  Standing up on shaking feet, her knees aching from her earlier collusion with the floor, Morgana took a few steps forward. The Sídhe drew back from her, clearing a side path for her towards the throne. Whispers filled the space as they pointed and peered at her, turning into a blur of colors and purple eyes as she forced herself to keep moving towards the enthroned figure.

  Morgana reached the steps of the dais and dropped back to her knees, setting her hands against the floor and leaning forward to hide her face once again. Strands of her long dark hair fell forward, pooling on the tiled floor in front of her. The whispers lessened and silence consumed the hall as everyone waited, including Morgana to see what would happen next. Then a few whispers started once again as Morgana heard the golden fabric of the Queen's robe shift. Soft delicate footfalls reached her ears and she sucked in a breath as Queen Scáthbás came closer and closer to her. No one moved and the whispers stopped as the Queen stood dire
ctly in front to Morgana. She was so close; Morgana could feel power radiating off of the woman, so much stronger than anything she'd even felt from Lady Eolande or the other caretakers. Her palms were sweaty and she kept swallowing as her heart beat faster and faster, uncertain of what was going to happen and feeling almost more afraid than she had alone in the darkness.

  Then a hand settled on the back of her head, stroking her hair gently. There was a collective gasp of shock from around the room and Morgana felt herself stop breathing. A brush of bare cool skin against her temple told her exactly why all the Sídhe had gasped: the Queen was touching her without gloves. Tears pricked at Morgana's eyes as the gentle gesture continued. No Síd ever touched a human without gloves except those who wished the thrill of the danger and she'd always heard whispers of them from the older children, the ones who hid in the corners before they were dragged away and handed to the Síd who had selected them. Only the other earth children had ever touched her skin.

  Morgana trembled, her limbs shaking as tears welled in her eyes. Biting her lip, she sought to stay silent and contain the shudders of her body. Queen Scáthbás made a soft cooing sound that resonated in the silence of the hall.

  “That's a good girl,” Queen Scáthbás praised, “It's alright my precious one. You belong to me now. You have magic all your own Morgana and you will do great things with it.”

  A bare hand moved from her hand and traced gently down her cheek. Turning into the touch on instinct, Morgana sighed in delight when the hand paused to cup her cheek, a thumb carefully brushing away a tear. Tugging gently, the Queen's hand pulled up Morgan's chin and made the young girl look up at her.

  “I don't understand,” Morgana whispered as her green eyes met Queen Scáthbás' purple ones.

  “You don't do you,” the Queen replied with a small smile. “My sweet Morgana, seven days ago the magic weaver who serves in the Iron Realm keeping the tunnels lit grew ill and weak. As the lights dimmed, you were already asleep, but even in your dreams you sent forth your magic and made light in the sleeping quarters, making a small orb like the one you made today. Eolande informed me and I knew at once that you might be a mage. A simple test was all I needed to be certain,” Queen Scáthbás smiled broadly at her, exposing sharp long teeth, “And you passed it so perfectly.”

  “I have magic?” Morgana breathed in awe. Sídhe had magic, all of them carried at least some magic, but iron childes like her had no magic.

  “It is rare in your primitive poisonous kind,” Queen Scáthbás agreed, “But in truly precious children such a beautiful gift may be found.” The Queen smiled gently again and brushed a strand of Morgana's hair from her face, brushing the back of her finger over Morgana's forehead. “You'll use that gift to help me will you not my beautiful girl?” Queen Scáthbás asked as she gently cupped Morgana's cheek once again.

  Morgana's eyes widened and she tried to speak, but felt too overcome to form the words. The fear of her seventh year faded into nothing, the fear of the terrible touches of the guard ceased to be and the fear of the unknown fate that awaited her vanished. After so long, it all felt too good, too wonderful to be true and yet her mind could not have imagined such gentle touches from a Sídhe. A tear rolled down her cheek and she managed a tiny nod.

  “Lovely my precious,” Queen Scáthbás sighed happily. “You belong to me and no other now, none shall ever mistreat you,” Morgana soaked up the promises with a blissful expression. She gasped as the queen leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yes,” the Queen cooed, “My little earth mage will serve me well. We shall bring all of your poor iron cursed kind into our light.”

  “Yes,” Morgana cried softly, promised as the gentle caresses continued. “I'll do whatever you need me to do.”

  16

  The Triskele

  There was something very unsettling to Alex about walking through the side door of the Kittell Building Monday evening. Only a few days earlier she had been running around this building with the others to escape Sídhe hounds and the memory of their terrible echoing howls made her shiver. Most of Saturday had been spent sleeping, tossing with dreams of the long tunnels and strange music and nightmares of the hounds lunging towards her. Alex's conversation with her family had been brief with her delivering one word answers to questions before begging off early with the excuse that she was still sleepy from staying out too late on Halloween.

  Despite the urge to tell her family everything, Alex had no idea of where to start with the explanation. Not to mention she had no idea of what would happen if she did tell them. When she opened an email from Professor Yates or Merlin, a falling sensation had overtaken her as Monday night was announced as their first magic class. Fear was mixed with excitement and awe as she realized that this was happening and she was actually going to learn how to use magic.

  Sunday was strangely worse as Alex forced herself to get up in time to make her morning run and attend soccer practice. The surrealism of just getting up and going on with her life as if something life changing hadn't occurred threw her off balance. In the books she'd read, Alex had always struggled to believe that people could just go on like nothing had happened. Now the realization that it was all she knew how to do was educating her first hand of just how true that storyline could be. Jenny barely said a word as she got up for church as Alex was leaving for practice except to agree to lunch.

  Alex's only comfort at practice had been how tense and off balance that Nicki seemed which verified that it hadn't all been a horrible nightmare and she wasn't alone in her fear. They avoided speaking to each other at practice and acknowledged each other as they departed with quick nods. Lunch with Jenny was quiet with the boys at practice and Jenny lost in her own thoughts which suited Alex just fine. She managed to finish her homework in the few hours between lunch and dinner and wrote out her membership check for the fencing club. While Alex really wanted a real sword or a gun with bullets that would work against the Sídhe, she figured this wasn't a bad place to start. Aiden worked with her at practice, a determined glint in his eyes as he helped her practice the movements that his father had demonstrated. Like Nicki, he didn't speak to Alex about the happenings of Halloween, but his silence said enough.

  As she descended to the basement of the Kittell building where Yates and Cornwall had arranged to teach them, Alex jumped as someone approached her from behind. She relaxed when she turned to see Aiden smiling sheepishly at her, his book bag hanging over his shoulder. Alex smiled weakly at him; at least she hadn't been the only one to bring note taking materials.

  “Hi,” Aiden greeted as they fell into step next to each other upon reaching the bottom of the stairs. “Good fencing practice last night, sorry we didn't have a chance to talk.”

  “That's okay,” Alex replied softly. “I didn't feel like talking anyway.”

  “I know what you mean,” Aiden confessed as they walked towards an open door with the lights on. “All weekend I found myself trying to tell my family or talk to Nicki, but nothing would come out.”

  “You wanted to tell your family?” Alex asked with a surprised expression. “I thought about it, but never tried to…”

  “We're close,” Aiden explained with a small shrug. “And you may have noticed that I'm a bit of a geek: I get that from them. They'd probably believe me if I told them, but then they'd have to worry and I just… I don't know…” he trailed off and they fell silent.

  It wasn't difficult to find the right room, only one door was open in the hallway with a light on. Without a word, both Aiden and Alex stopped just before they reached it, remaining silent and waiting for the other to take the first step into the room.

  “Honestly!” Nicki's voice called behind them, “You cowards!”

  The red head strode past them, her own patchwork bag over her shoulder. Despite her words, Nicki slowed down for a moment before straightening her shoulders and stepping into the room. Exchanging a glance, Alex and Aiden followed her into the room.

  It w
as a decent sized lecture hall with three different floor levels for desks. Tonight however, the regular wooden desk and chair combinations were stacked at the back of the room with only four desks placed on the middle floor level, spaced out evenly. The lights at the back of the room were off with only the lights right above the teacher's desk and above their desks turned on. Despite the size of the room, it gave Alex the impression of an interrogation chamber.

  Morgana and Merlin were waiting, dressed in their usual attire except that Yates had removed his jacket and had his sleeves rolled up. Sitting at the professor's desk and grading papers was Morgana, who looked up at them and gestured them towards the desks. Bran was already seated closest to the door, his cane leaning against the back of the chair. As he walked past, Aiden and Bran gave each other quick fist bumps. Nicki sat down next to Bran, Aiden next to her which left Alex furthest from the door. Everyone took their seats, pulled out their things nervously, unsure of what they needed for the lesson.