by J. M. Briggs
Despite years of training, it wasn't a simple task. She was alone in the roundhouse and yet still felt surrounded by those the changeling had known as family. Their scent was in the air around her, their things scattered nearby on the tables and shelves and she could feel their presence in the wood of the house itself. Morgana moved slowly, watching the doorway and carefully moved her dress enough to retrieve the bag that had been hidden beneath her belt against her body. It was a small smooth bag that her fingers rejoiced to feel after nothing but the coarse fabrics of the iron realm. A small drawstring was tied tightly and Morgan needed a moment to loosen it. Once it was open, she dared not look inside for several minutes before she grew angry at her own fear.
Tilting the bag gently, Morgana held her breath as a small smooth metal disk fell into her hand. Gasping softly, she set the bag to the side and brushed her fingers over the metal with some hesitation. She closed her eyes and breathed to connect to her magic. Morgana flinched, the connection had twisted and felt so weak, but she pushed the magic forth and into the metal. A chill rushed over her body at the effort, but Morgana continued the effort until the surface of the disk began to shimmer softly. The smooth surface was cloudy, but the face of the Queen was distinct and well known to Morgana. Guilt sunk into her as she gazed at the face, but Morgana wasn't certain of the source. Was it guilt for her enjoyment of the iron woman's touch or guilt for the falsehood she was committing against the Iron folk. The thought was disturbing and Morgana had to fight it back.
“Morgana my darling,” the Queen cooed, her voice cool and musical, but it no longer seemed as comforting. “How goes your mission my precious one?”
“I have been accepted by the iron folk in the place of the changeling,” she said clearly, gratified that her voice did not quake.
“And the weapon?” the Queen asked urgently. Morgana did not need to see her clearly to know that she eyes would be gleaming.
“It is here,” Morgana answered, minding her voice and tone. “It is very young. I do not believe it has any knowledge…. but….” She was going to speak of the strange burst of magic when she met the childe's eyes, but the words would not form.
“But?” the Queen pressed, her voice taking on a cold edge that Morgana was familiar with when the Queen scolded her enemies, but the queen's voice gentled a moment later. “What is it my darling?”
“But I shall need to observe it more carefully,” Morgana assured her. “This may yet be a trick. I will need to watch all the iron folk and observe how they treat the weapon. The answer may be there.”
“My clever darling,” the Queen praised, “Indeed the weapon may not know what it is, but the iron folk must know something. Watch and be vigilant my precious one. This is the day when our glory truly began! You my perfect girl shall be the greatest of heroes and all the iron folk will be brought into the light so they may rejoice in your name.”
“Yes Your Majesty,” Morgana whispered with as much awe and reverence as she could muster.
Her response satisfied the queen and the metal disk returned to normal as the magic was withdraw. Sighing in relief, Morgana dropped it on the bed, rubbing her hands together in a desperate attempt to warm them. Her body's aches were worse than before and her mind felt muddled. Magic had not been so difficult for many months, but she felt as though she had just cast her first clumsy spell. Picking up the metal disk, Morgana slipped it back into the bag and hid it once again under the dress. She lay down on the bed, this time feeling true exhaustion and this time grateful for the blackness that became overtook her.
22
The Tree of Reality
She was dreaming, Alex knew that she had to be dreaming, but she couldn't wake up. The darkness of the tunnel stretched out before her and the small light of her phone barely provided any visibility. Cold stone met her fingers as Alex reached out to trace the wall and once again tried to force herself to wake up. Far behind her she could hear musical voices whispering and laughing, the sounds echoing down the tunnels and distorting. Taking another step, Alex kept the light down so she could see her feet and the stone beneath them. The air was chilled and stale, making it difficult to breathe.
A whimpered echoed down the long tunnel and resonated all around her, followed by a muffled sob. Stopping, Alex listened to the sound and her stomach tightened painfully as she recognized that someone was crying. The noises behind her grew louder, their words were indistinct, but the tone had shifted. A shiver rushed down her spine and Alex resisted the urge to stop and look back, knowing that she wouldn't see anything.
She stepped forward, shining her low light forward. There, just ahead the tunnel turned and widened. Alex took a few more steps forward and looked around the turn. A sudden blast of fresh air met her nose and she inhaled deeply. The air rushed over her skin which felt raw and frozen in the icy breeze. Swallowing, Alex continued forward, minding her footing as the tunnel sloped upwards towards the surface. Up ahead Alex could see the moonlight and the stars shining into the dark tunnel, making the black stones shine. For a moment Alex couldn't move and the knowledge that this was only a dream faded away. Desperately, she reached forward, letting go of the wall and nearly dropping her phone. A few steps more was all it took before she was looking up towards the night sky where a few stars were shining down.
A scream ripped up the tunnel. Spinning, Alex stared back down into the darkness, holding her phone out in front of her, desperate for some light. The screaming died down, but shattering sobs echoed around Alex a moment later. The whispers in the distance were louder now and Alex caught a few stray words in the darkness: kill, slave, iron childe and blood. Heavy in the air, the words knocked around Alex's mind and a creeping doubt that she was dreaming began to take hold. Gripping the wall once more, Alex stumbled backwards towards the opening. On her back she could feel the chill of the wind through her sweatshirt and the smooth floor gave way to sharp rubble beneath her tennis shoes.
She was going to climb out of this, Alex reminded herself. This was a dream and if she got out of the tunnels, she'd wake up. The sobbing was weakening in the distance, accented by whimpering. Then a small and simple word rang down the tunnels to Alex's ears.
“Mommy!”
It was a child's voice. With shaking hands, Alex turned her light back towards the turn and took a shaky step towards it. The crying softened further, but the whispers were louder than ever. A few more careful steps brought Alex back to the narrow tunnel. Raising her phone higher, Alex shown the light away from her feet only to gasp.
A pair of purple eyes stared out at her from the darkness, glowing softly with glee. Her phone fell from her hand and cracked against the stone, the light vanishing from the tunnel. Whatever was in front of her chuckled darkly and reached for her.
The blaring of her cell phone alarm brought Alex sharply back to reality. Her eyes flew open as she gasped for air, turning her head away from her pillow. Disoriented as she was, Alex blindly reached for her phone and turned off the alarm before slowly sitting up in bed. She was in her dorm room and Jenny was seated over at her desk, giving her a funny look over her shoulder.
“You okay sweetie?” Jenny questioned with a touch of worry in her voice.
“Nightmare,' Alex answered quickly, rubbing the back of her neck, “what time is it?”
“Six o'clock,” Jenny replied, “Dinner time before your study group. We're meeting the boys in ten minutes.”
“Right,” Alex agreed with a little nod as the word came back into proper focus. It was Monday; she'd been tired and took a nap after literature class. “Food and then studying,” Alex repeated to herself as she found her shoes next to the bed and slipped into them.
“Go splash some water on your face,” Jenny suggested with a soft smile. “Might help you wake up a bit.”
“Good idea,” Alex answered quickly, shoving her keys into her pocket.
She stopped by her dresser long enough to comb the tangles out of her hair and tie it back before heading f
or the bathroom. Without looking in the mirror, Alex splashed some water on her face and rinsed out her mouth. Then she studied herself in the brightly lit mirror. She looked tired. The nightmare was occurring more and more regularly for her while Nicki had admitted she hadn't had it for a while. Alex just hoped that the theory it was linked to hearing about the Sídhe was accurate and it wasn't an omen of some kind.
When she got back to the dorm room, Alex grabbed her coat and wallet as Jenny touched up her makeup and picked up her purse. Neither of them spoke as they followed the sidewalk over to Michaels Hall. Lance and Arthur were waiting in the hallway by the main door of the cafeteria. Lance gave them both a smile and wave while Arthur stepped forward and greeted Jenny with a kiss on the lips. Then he surprised Alex by kissing her cheek quickly.
“How was your day darling?” Arthur asked as he took Jenny's hand.
“Not bad,” Jenny answered with a wide smile. “Busy certainly; I'll be glad when Thanksgiving break arrives.”
“Yeah, I can't wait to go home, even if only for a few days,” Arthur agreed as they headed inside.
Michaels Cafeteria was already busy with lines of students at the salad bar and the drinks station while others darted between the different food stations. Rather than join the line, Arthur headed for a small square table in the center of the dining space which was still empty and Alex, Jenny and Lance split up to select their preferred meals. Alex finished first with a slab of lasagna and a salad and sat down at the table with a smile at Arthur as he stood and went to get his own meal. She only had to sit for a few moments alone before Lance slid into the seat next to her with a full tray and a smile. Jenny was only a few steps behind and smiled at them both. No one said anything of significance until Arthur sat down and then Jenny launched into a story about her journalism class. Alex tried to focus on her friends and the story, but an odd sense of something hung about them making the air seem a bit thicker and heavier than it should. Lance was quieter than usual, which for him meant that he only said five words during the whole meal and two of them were a simple yes to agree with something Arthur said.
“Are you feeling okay?” Alex asked Lance softly when Jenny and Arthur left the table to grab some desert for them.
“Fine,” Lance answered quickly with a rather forced smile. “I think I have a touch of a cold or something,” he added with a shrug.
“Okay,” Alex replied uncertainly. “Just don't get too sick before Thanksgiving.”
“Oh I don't know, if I go home ill then Mom will make me chicken and rice,” Lance observed with a slight smile.
“She'll probably make it anyway,” Alex put in, “You've been away from home for a while now. I remember when Matthew came back home for the first time. Mom had his favorite things stocked up and made him his favorite meals, plus she did his laundry.” Alex grinned and added, “I guess it's my turn now.”
Lance opened his mouth and started to speak when Arthur and Jenny returned with four small plates with chocolate cake on them. Smiling, Jenny set apiece down in front of Lance while Arthur handed a plate to Alex. The conversation changed once again to the wrap up of football season for Lance and Arthur along with Jenny asking Lance when he was going home. It was the beeping of Alex's phone that reminded her of her magic lessons and she regretfully stood up.
“Sorry guys,” she apologized as she pulled on her coat and collected her bag. “I'll see you later Jenny.”
“Right,” Jenny replied, her face falling before she replaced it with a smile. “Well, have a good study session hon.”
“Probably not, but thanks for the hope,” Alex answered, giving her friends a little wave and grabbing her tray.
Stopping long enough to deposit her tray at the dishwashing station, Alex pulled on her gloves and headed outside. The onset of autumn meant that magic lessons started after dark and since Halloween she'd become more than a little hesitant about being out after dark. Her hand slipped into her bag and rested gently on the hilt of her iron knife. It felt warm to her touch and Alex relaxed slightly. As she crossed the lawn, she noticed Nicki, Aiden and Bran a little ways ahead of her.
“Nicki,” she called, “Aiden! Bran wait up.”
The trio of stopped and Aiden turned to look over his shoulder at her as Alex rushed up the sidewalk to join them. Grinning, Nicki reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze. Returning the smile, Alex squeezed her hand back and then dropped it as they started to walk towards the Kittell Building.
“My parents sent me a letter,” Nicki told them as they passed under a street light.
“Oh,” Aiden replied sounding uninterested, but Alex noted him watching Nicki carefully in the corner of his eye.
“I sent them a response,” Nicki continued, “Gran read it for me to make sure it didn't come off too bitter or angry.”
“So you told them….” Bran trailed off, glancing at Aiden in search of guidance.
“I told them that I'm grateful for the chance to have closure, but I'm not interested in having them be a part of my life,” Nicki answered, looking up at Aiden with a sad smile. “I think Gran was happy with that.”
“She loves you,” Aiden replied with a shrug. “I doubt she'll ever forgive your mom.”
“I kind of wish she would,” she sighed, rolling her neck slightly. “Honestly, I've forgiven them now and I feel… just so much better.”
“Plus magic,” Bran added, making them all chuckle.
“The magic is good too,” Nicki admitted with a grin before looking at the others. “So any of you have a great truth that needs admitting to find balance?”
“Not me,” Aiden remarked, “You know me, pretty much an open book.”
“An open geeky book,” Nicki muttered, linking her arm through his and shaking her head.
“I'm not sure, but if it is something like that then it'll probably be about my dad's death in Iraq or Mom's guilt over the accident,” Bran informed him, shifting the tone back to heavier subjects. “But the mediation seems to be helping so maybe I'll find my balance soon.”
“I hope so,” Nicki huffed, “Honestly, working one on one with Morgana is every bit as intimidating as it sounds.”
Aiden bumped Nicki's shoulder with a laugh, “You're not really motivating me to find my balance,” he told her playfully.
The Kittell loomed over them, almost completely dark save for the main hall lights. Across the lawn the commons still had a few lights on and down the sidewalk the library was still brightly lit, but there weren't many students out. Aiden pulled open the front door and gestured everyone inside with a small bow. Nicki patted his head as she passed and Alex barely contained a snort at his look of indignation.
Professor Yates and Professor Cornwall were waiting for them in the room, speaking by the desk in low voices which stopped the instant that Nicki strode into the room. Everyone took their seats and Nicki braided a small strand of her hair while Bran maneuvered into the desk.
“Good evening,” Merlin greeted them with a smile. “Today we'll continue working on your mediation practices so you can keep working on it over Thanksgiving break.”
“Professor?” Nicki called, holding up her hand.
“Yes Nicole,” Merlin asked patiently.
Nicki ignored the use of her proper name and tugged at the small braid she'd made to unravel it. “I've been reading up on faery mythology and I was wondering how the other creatures matter. I mean,” she stumbled slightly, “Are they real and if so what's the connection? Are they weak to iron? Do they help the Sídhe?”
“I'm not sure that's the most pressing thing to teach you,” Merlin began to say.
Bran jumped in, leaning forward slightly in his desk, “But sir, we're not getting anywhere just doing mediation. Surely we also need to know more about what might be coming after us.”
Merlin and Morgana exchanged a look that spoke of just how long they'd know each other because without a nod or any sign of agreement, they both raised their hands and golden streams o
f light sprang forth. Despite being comfortable or mostly comfortable with the existence of magic, Alex watched in awe as the streams of magic formed a large tree in front of them. Soft blue balls of light were casually tossed by both Merlin and Morgana onto the tree, causing certain parts of the golden trunk and branches to pulse.
“The Tree of Reality,” Aiden observed as he studied it more critically than before. “Which one was Earth and Sídhean?”
Smiling at the question, Merlin pointed to a pulse of blue in the gold near the top of the trunk where the branches began to spread. “This is the Iron Realm, Earth,” he reminded them.
