The Iron Sword

by J. M. Briggs

  “Plus he looks good,” Nicki pointed out and when Alex looked at her funny she laughed. “I’m gay honey, not blind. I can appreciate the aesthetics of the male form and your beau has an excellent male form.”

  “I’ve hit the jackpot,” Alex agreed with a widely smile as a shiver of delight tingled up her spine. “There’s this little part of me that’s gloating,” Alex confessed with a sly glance towards Nicki.

  “You didn’t date last year did you?” Nicki asked, raising her eyebrow and smiling.

  “No,” she agreed with a shake of her head. “I intended to, of course, figured once I settled in a little bit that I’d meet someone or at least ask out a cute guy from time to time. Things last year…. Well, everything just got a little insane for that.”

  “You could have done what I did; hook-ups are fun,” Nicki observed with a shrug. “Although in my case you get a lot of bi-curious girls who aren’t interested in more than once which can be sad if you want to date them.” There was a flash of distaste on Nicki’s face and she shook her head. “And then sometimes they are distinctly not fun.”

  “Hookups have never really been my thing,” Alex admitted with a sheepish shrug. “In high school, I had a couple of boyfriends and had fun with them, but it was always after a few dates at least. I planned on finding a boyfriend since Thomas and I broke up, but after all the magic stuff started I just never seemed to have any free time and there was always the possibility of being attacked while out on a date.”

  “Plus you had that crush on Arthur,” Nicki teased with a grin and small wink. “And then things got chaotic with the Sídhe and you having to keep an eye on the doomed love triangle.”

  Alex was grateful for the slight subject change even if the reminder of how the latter half of her freshman year had gone made her grimace. A stray thought crossed her mind, questioning if one of the reasons she hadn’t tried to date last semester had been that she was secretly hoping that once everything was said and done that Arthur would see her as a potential girlfriend and not just his friend. She shoved it away: she hadn’t done anything wrong last year and even if there had been a selfish little wish in there somewhere, she hadn’t acted on it. Arthur had been the one to kiss her first and ask her out.

  “I’ve got Arthur now,” Alex said firmly with a pleased smile. “He’s the Iron Soul, I don’t have to keep secrets from him or lie to him about where I’m going. I can be totally honest, that’s just perfect.”

  “I’m glad for you, it’s nice that being a mage helped bring you two together.” Nicki’s expression turned a little sad. “And you’re right about the secrets thing. Aiden and Sarah had a rough summer. The long distance thing was bad enough, but he didn’t know what to tell her when she was home. Even when we all got together to make the gate she didn’t meet you or Bran.”

  “That’s horrible,” Alex gasped as a wave of guilt crashed over her happy haze. She hadn’t thought about how her friends’ relationships were faring at all. “He hasn’t said anything.”

  “Aiden not really the sort to talk about his feelings; he’ll geek out on you no problem, but actually talking about something that’s bothering him: no. Sadly I was surprised that they hadn’t broken up by the end of summer.”

  “I thought Sarah was your ‘true love’ or something.”

  “Oh, I’ve moved on,” Nicki laughed. “She may be beautiful and everything, just my type with dark hair and those awesome blue eyes, but bros before hos and all that. Aiden is my brother, has been since we were in grade school, and dating his ex would not be good, especially if he never told her about magic.”

  “I wonder how you do tell someone about magic,” Alex asked thoughtfully, leaning back in the sofa. “I mean in modern times, who do you trust not to draw you to the attention of the government or some shadowy research corporation? It’s just messy.”

  “I don’t know, I wonder sometimes if Morgana and Merlin have revealed themselves to anyone other than mages in the last millennium.”

  “Maybe, but my gut is no,” Alex admitted with a shake of her head. “Morgana… I don’t know. Sometimes I get the sense that she’s got a huge heart, but sometimes she’s really cold.”

  “There are multiple sides to some people Alex; it isn’t always straightforward. Morgana and Merlin are really old: they’ve seen and been through a lot. At a certain point, it is going to weigh on a person. At least they have each other.” Nicki tilted her head in consideration and added, “I wonder if they’ve ever gotten together in the past, you know, just for comfort or something like that.”

  “Great, now I’m thinking about teacher sex,” Alex groaned with a grimace and shudder of distaste that made Nicki laugh. “But I doubt it. Their relationship just doesn’t seem like that to me. They’re… I don’t know equals, partners, friends… but I don’t think they’re lovers. I think Morgana would be worried about threatening their ability to work together peacefully.”

  “Well, you know her better than I do, after all, you’re her favorite.”

  “I am not.”

  “Oh you totally are Alex,” Nicki countered with a loud laugh. “Hands down, why do you think if there is something we really want to know we ask you so that you’ll ask her?”

  “Yeah well, I think you’re Merlin’s favorite.”

  “Maybe,” Nicki said with a shrug. “But I don’t think he’s got a favorite; expect probably Arthur, mister perfect Iron Soul and all that.”

  There was an odd tone to Nicki’s voice that confused Alex and she looked at her friend, trying to put her finger on it. But Nicki’s expression was normal and she leaned against the wall with a growing smirk.

  “So we don’t need to have a birds and the bees talk, but you’re up to three dates now. Just keep in mind that the logistics for college are a bit different than high school,” Nicki reminded her with a chuckle. “Since he’s got a single you’ll probably be over there so long term plan on taking some stuff over. And stash a brush in your purse for tonight; the walk across campus is easier in the morning if your hair doesn’t look like you just slipped out of someone else’s room.”

  “Plus side no parents and fathers who glare at boyfriends,” Alex added with a thoughtful expression, pursing her lips slightly.

  “True, though I think my grandmother would prefer having one girl to glare at. She was a little disappointed to find out that I’m not interested in you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, she liked you being here for me last year,” Nicki paused and brushed a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. “But she likes me having a sister.”

  Alex smiled and nodded, her throat feeling too tight for words. Nicki returned the smile and winked at Alex before retreating into her room. Resting her head back on the top of the sofa, Alex stared up at the white ceiling and considered a small hole that she could see. It probably held a hanging plant in the past and for a moment Alex distracted herself with wondering if they should get something like that. Maybe they could even use it to practice magic on since those books of Aiden’s did have a lot of plant spells. Merlin’s magic affected the earth and some plants so it should be possible.

  The distraction only lasted for a few minutes and Alex pulled out her phone to check the time. Arthur had probably been late to his class since Nicki had come home after hers had been canceled, but it wasn’t time to meet for lunch. Pushing herself off the sofa, Alex walked down the hallway to her own bedroom and pulled a random Jane Austen book off the shelf, planning to lose herself in someone else’s messy life until lunch.

  11

  Best Friends

  The Michaels Cafeteria was fairly quiet as Aiden scooped up another ladle full of tomato sauce onto his tortellini and glanced around for his friends. They were ahead of the main dinner rush, with all of them wanting to eat before fencing club. Aiden watched Arthur and Alex head to the fountain drinks dispenser, staying very close to each other. A small smile tugged at his lips and he shook his head as he picked up his own tray
and headed over to the corner where Nicki had secured them a round table. For a moment he nearly laughed at just how appropriate that was, even if Merlin had informed them that the legend of the round table came much later in the King Arthur mythos. Apparently, the closest Arto’s council had gotten was sitting in a circle around a fire pit.

  “Italian again,” Nicki observed as he sat down with his pasta, salad, and a slice of cake.

  “It’s in my blood,” he defended, raising his chin. “Besides this is one of the few Italian dishes that the staff here does well. The spaghetti or alfredo sauce has to be avoided at all costs.”

  “You don’t get that defensive over Irish dishes.”

  “Well next time I see coodle, cottage pie or soda bread in the campus dining room I’ll be sure to rate them.”

  “Touché,” Nicki conceded with a nod. “Maybe on St. Patrick’s Day.”

  “They probably just use green food coloring in the mashed potatoes like they did last year,” he reminded her, curling his nose at the memory. “I know that Mom’s people are known for the consumption of potatoes, but that was a bit much.”

  “To be fair I don’t know if most college kids would be willing to try cottage pie, but maybe they could make up a good Irish stew. Your mom’s recipe is really good.”

  “What are we talking about?” Bran asked as he set his tray down and sat in the seat between him and Nicki.

  “Cultural foods of Aiden’s family,” Nicki replied without any hint of embarrassment.

  “Mom would be glad to give you the recipes she’s got,” Aiden offered Nicki with a small smile to Bran, planning on wrapping up the conversation. “After all, you’re part Irish.”

  “I think half the planet is part Irish,” Nicki laughed. “You just give me a greater claim to it since I like your grandfather’s stories.”

  “Hi guys,” Arthur greeted cheerfully as he set his tray down.

  He turned and pulled out Alex’s seat earning a beaming smile and a slight blush from his girlfriend. Aiden heard a small chuckle escape Nicki and glanced towards her. She shook her head a little and rolled her eyes making him smile. He supposed living with one of the love birds meant that she had to see a lot of this.

  “Hello,” Alex greeted them all as she sat down and picked up her napkin. “Looks good Aiden.”

  “Oh don’t get him started again,” Nicki scolded quickly with a fake stern expression.

  “Okay…” Alex said slowly with a confused expression. “I guess that’s the cue to find a new subject of conversation.”

  “I’ve got a question for Bran if you guys don’t mind,” Arthur informed him, turning his eyes towards Bran.

  “Shoot.”

  “Well, it’s about how the Tree of Reality is supposed to work. I’m afraid that I don’t get it,” Arthur admitted, shaking his head. “How are the Sídhe so similar and yet different than us? They look so human. I’m just not sure that I understand.”

  “It is the multiverse hypothesis,” Bran explained as he cut his sandwich in half. “The idea is that there are so many different universes that there is a probability of our world being fully recreated with other versions of us. Naturally, if replication like that is possible then it’s easily possible that in one of those other universes another species evolved into a form very similar to our own.”

  “Isn’t that just science fiction? The idea of other realities and stuff?”

  “Once upon a time submarines and flying machines were just science fiction stuff,” Bran replied with a small smirk. “Besides, traditionally alternate realities are branches off our universe. They are created by people making different choices causing variations in the timeline of the universe, but I don’t believe in those. It doesn’t really fit with Einstein’s theory of space and time.”

  “Bran,” Aiden said gently. “You’re going to lose the non-science majors.”

  “Uh, right,” Bran replied with a nod. “The multiverse hypothesis is something that has shifted from a science fiction trope to a viable explanation for many things observed in the world. Many physicists today accept at least to some extent the multiverse theory.”

  “But isn’t it still just a theory?” Alex questioned.

  “Technically it is a hypothesis,” Bran corrected quickly. “People use the word theory wrong all the time: in science a hypothesis is an educated guess based on observations and in this case some very complex math. A hypothesis has to be testable in order to be considered scientific which with current technology the multiverse hypothesis is not, of course, we know better, but that’s one of the reasons why so many physicists are still doubtful of it.”

  “But doesn’t what we’re doing prove it?” Arthur asked, tilting his head in consideration.

  “Prove isn’t the right word: proof only exists in a courtroom and in math. In this case, we know that the multiverse is a theory, not a hypothesis since it stands up to tests and can be observed. After all, gravity is a theory, evolution is a theory. Their effects can be studied and observed, but science isn’t proven.”

  Aiden’s eyes were beginning to glaze over now and he glanced at the others while Bran paused to take another bite of his sandwich. Nicki was blinking and she shook her head a little before straightening up.

  “As for ‘proving’ that it is real to the scientific community, well we’d have to expose magic and the war between the worlds and as much as a part of me would love to be the one who brought forth evidence of the multiverse it wouldn’t be safe.”

  “Okay Bran,” Aiden cut in with a shake of his head. “I think you’re going a little too much into technobabble territory.”

  “Oh… yeah sorry about that,” Bran sputtered as he took in the vacant expressions of the others.

  “That’s okay,” Alex assured him with a smile. “I go off on my own little rambles about literature and books.”

  “And I go off about history and just about anything I know anything about,” Nicki added with a chuckle. “You’re in good company.”

  “Okay,” Bran said, still a little sheepishly before looking over at Arthur. “Uh, sorry about that, was there something in particular you wanted to know about?”

  “Well… I guess will everything look so much like us?”

  “Merlin and Morgana would be able to better answer that from experience, but I’d say no. The Old Ones are supposed to be energy beings, but I get the sense that they only resemble us if they want to. According to the Dark Matter hypothesis, they probably come from a universe with less Dark Matter, meaning that there is little pull on atoms to bring them together. In that kind of universe, matter isn’t what… matters. They may not even come from a real planet in the sense that we’d understand it. Their universe may have very little matter.”

  “And that’s why they’re altered by coming here, right?” Alex asked, tilting her head curiously. Aiden wondered if she was even aware that she did that.

  “Exactly: atomic particles gain their mass by traveling through our space. When they come into our world they are suddenly in a space that gives them mass and a material form. That’s radically different than what they’re used to. It changes their physical being and since they’re energy than they probably also suffer side effects from at least one of the kinds of energy we have here. It’s insane when you really think about it.”

  “I’m getting that,” Arthur said slowly with wide eyes. “No wonder that ancient peoples just went with ‘they’re gods or from other worlds.’ Without higher math, it must have been brutal to try and understand that.”

  “Well, it is very probable that the notion of gods predated human interaction with them,” Nicki offered with a smile. “After all the creation and worship of a deity is a human response to fear and a desire for control. I bet in some places there were already local deities and when the Old Ones arrived they just took that identity.”

  “But do you think the big deities, the really famous ones, are Old Ones?” Alex asked her roommate.

  Aiden
chuckled and leaned back in his chair, listening with only one ear as Nicki turned the question into a little lecture of her own about some traditional deities that were more obscure. Personally, Aiden just hoped that the Greek Gods weren’t real. While they were the most famous, they were a nasty and horny lot that he’d prefer never entered the equation. He looked towards Arthur who was listening to Nicki with a slightly bored expression on his face. It only took a moment for Aiden to notice that Arthur’s eyes kept glancing towards Alex. Aiden smiled slightly: he was happy for them, and after everything Alex went through last year she deserved to be happy and have a relationship. They were lucky that they were both magical and could be honest with each other.