The Iron Sword

by J. M. Briggs

  It lunged into the alley, a lithe fast moving form that screamed something that almost sounded like a word. Alex shivered as the Shadow launched itself at the brick wall. The darkness shimmered and a pair of glowing red eyes appeared just before a long human-like limb reached out and gripped the bricks. Then another limb appeared and the creature moved towards them, creeping along the wall like some kind of spider. Horns formed a twisted crown atop its head and the Shadow snarled revealing rows of long gleaming white teeth. Jumping towards them, it twisted in midair and landed with a barely audible thump in the middle of the alley.

  Jenny was right in front of it, looking right at Alex with wide pleading eyes. The Shadow lashed out an arm, its hand grabbing Jenny’s leg and pulled her down.

  “Jenny!” Alex shouted, a rush of fear jolting through her body and overwhelming every conscious thought.

  Alex felt her hand shoot forward, magic blasting off of it as she desperately tried to hold onto the desire for an ice spear. The words repeating in her head weren’t enough; she couldn’t see the spear that she needed. Her friend’s scream cut through her concentration.

  A strange laugh erupted from the Shadow as it tugged Jenny towards it as she frantically grabbed at the ground. Anger surged through Alex at the thing toying with her friend and she barely felt the magic jolt up her arm before it blasted away from her skin. Dark silver magic arched off her fingers and struck the Shadow’s head like a bolt of lightning. There was a roar of rage and pain as it clutched at its head and in the corner of her eye, Alex saw Jenny scramble away.

  The surge of magic dropped off and Alex gasped, sucking in air as quickly as she could. She tried to remember just what it looked like when her magic had killed the first Shadow. But she couldn’t hold onto it; fear was prickling at the back of her mind, jarring her attempts to concentrate. The Shadow stalked towards her, Jenny forgotten.

  Alex threw another bolt of magic, slowing the creature down, but the darkness of its form just seemed to swallow the magic. She released another bolt and another bolt, trying to form the ice, but it wasn’t working. Then there was a dull cry that echoed in the alley, and the Shadow tensed and began to turn around. A body struck the creature from behind, releasing a loud scream of anger and alarm. Alex blinked in shock at the body that was suddenly pinning the Shadow, holding its front limbs down with bare dark skinned hands. Then the face of the person turned up towards her and while it did not shock her to see Lance’s face, she could barely believe it.

  “Alex!” he shouted in a blend of alarm and pain. Water dripped off Lance's fingers where the ice of the Shadow and his own body heat warred.

  She moved quickly, pushing herself off the ground and half standing. Ice crackled beneath her feet just before the slickness sent her falling forward to her knees. Alex grit her teeth in pain and outstretched an arm. Magic sparked violently, darting off around her in swirling untamed sparks of dark silver as the pain in her knees overwhelmed her senses.

  “Alex!” a pained half-shout half-groan called, cutting through the ache.

  Alex gave up on the words ice spear; gave up on trying to control how her magic killed the creature. Instead, Alex allowed everything to pinpoint on the frantic, fearful wish for the Shadow’s death. Magic erupted down her arm: her skin felt like it was burning through the layers of her coat and shirt. The ice around her no longer mattered and Alex hissed in pain but kept pushing the magic forward. There was a shout of pain from Lance, as ice began to crystallize over his fingers, but his grip didn’t loosen.

  Dark silver sparks surged forward, vanishing into the darkness of the Shadow. The blackness before Alex shimmered and then rippled like the surface of a still pond. The Shadow howled beneath Lance, a sound, unlike anything Alex had ever heard before. Half human, half animal, and filled with terror and pain. Light tore through the darkness of its flesh from within and dark silver magic surged out like a stream of water, twirling in the air before diving back into the glowing silver wound. Another wound opened and the Shadow convulsed beneath Lance who rolled off and slammed into the brick wall next to Alex.

  Her wide eyes met Jenny’s on the other side of the alley as the Shadow twisted and released another terrible scream. It gurgled something that again almost sounded like words, rolling over and reaching towards the night sky. Then it was silent as another wound ripped open its flesh and her magic spun out and dissolved into the air. Without another sound the darkness fell apart, forming tiny shreds of seemed to be black cloth blowing in the wind before those too vanished.

  “What did I just do?” Alex gasped, staring at the empty space as her body threatened to collapse despite the adrenaline pumping through her.

  Above them, the lamp above the doorway hummed and the level of light increased so suddenly that Alex slammed her eyes shut. It took her a moment before she dared open her eyes and check for signs of any more Shadows. In the distance, she could once again hear the sounds of people on the main street and past the end of the alley, Alex saw a car drive by. She exhaled loudly, breaking the silence in the alley and allowed a small relieved laugh to escape her.

  Rising to his feet, Lance stumbled towards Jenny. He had to grip the wall, the ice under his feet making him unsteady. Jenny was trying to get up as Lance stepped over to her and extended a hand down to her. Alex froze, staring at the scene right out of the tales of Camelot as Lance helped Jenny to her feet. She dropped her gaze to the ground, but even the rapidly thawing sheet of ice couldn’t distract her. Lance had tackled one of the creatures, been exposed to its magical cold and she should really be checking that but…. perhaps she was a coward after all.

  “Lance,” Jenny breathed, her voice sounding weak and overwhelmed making Alex look up sharply with worry. She rallied quickly, raising her chin and straightening her shoulders. “Thanks for the help.”

  “Jenny are you okay?” Lance pressed, reaching for her face.

  Alex climbed to her feet as quietly as she could, using the brick wall behind her. The melting ice beneath her feet threatened to send her sliding, but she managed to stay upright. Under other circumstances, she might be tempted to shout out that she was alright and complain about the lack of concern for the person who actually killed the Shadows. But under the current circumstances, Alex actually regretted that she could clearly see both Lance and Jenny’s face and hear them.

  “I’m fine Lance,” Jenny answered in an almost cold voice, but there was a slight waver to it.

  She couldn’t help it; Alex studied Jenny’s profile, trying to read her emotions and expression. Lance was staring at her longingly with a soft and worried frown. It hit Alex like a punch in the gut.

  “Jenny, I mean it. That thing didn’t hurt you did it?”

  “I’m a bit bruised,” Jenny replied with a soft sigh. “But nothing more serious.”

  “There aren’t any problems from exposure to them,” Alex announced, reminding them of her presence and trying to calm Lance. “Well, I suppose if you were around them too long, but other than the cold nothing.”

  “See Lance?” Jenny said, giving him a stern look. “I’m fine.”

  There was a moment where Jenny hesitated, her eyes dropping to Lance’s hands as he rubbed them together. There was no sign of any ice or discoloration. The hesitation was gone and Jenny started to step around him, tightening her coat around herself. Lance moved to catch her arm, his worried expression still in place.

  “Lance stop!” Jenny snapped, pulling her arm away from him.

  Lance stepped back as if burned, swallowing thickly. He nodded and quickly answered, “Of course, I’m sorry.”

  “No, I meant…stop trying so hard,” Jenny sighed, as she turned back to him. She suddenly looked exhausted and her shoulders slumped. “Please. Every time I see you…. The way you look at me, it’s just too much. I realize that what happened between us wasn’t just our past lives. I know that we made certain choices too and those were the result of a real… attraction, but I’m just trying to sort my he
ad out. You’ve sorted yours out, but I’m still trying. It means a lot knowing that you care and that you want to protect me, but you’ve got to back off. This isn’t something that can be fixed overnight.”

  “Okay,” Lance agreed softly, nodding as he took a step back. “I’m sorry Jenny. I didn’t mean to be that guy-”

  “You’re not,” Jenny insisted, interrupting him urgently. “But I need time,” she added in a softer and sadder voice. “Finding out that you’re the reincarnation of a famous adulteress who caused a lot of pain, even if by accident, isn’t something I can just bounce back from. I’ve known Arthur for years and I hurt him through my selfishness, through being something that I never wanted to be, never dreamed I could be.”

  “I know,” Lance answered in an equally soft voice. “I know that Jenny, it’s the same for me, but…” He shook his head slightly and forced a small smile. “Anyway, if you need anything… you know my number,” Lance finished awkwardly before he glanced over at Alex who had been trying to fade into the brick wall. “You two going to be okay?”

  “Well… you could walk us to my car,” Jenny offered with a tentative smile.

  Lance smiled right back at her, his shoulders relaxing and he nodded. He moved as if he was going to offer Jenny his arm, but thought better of it. Instead, he lingered near her side. Alex held back a smile and walked over to join her friend, examining some slices in her coat. Soft feathers and stuffing were floating onto the ground like snow. As she stepped next to Jenny, her friend linked their arms and gripped her arm tightly. Alex made no move to stop Jenny and gritted her teeth to hide a flinch of pain as Jenny’s grip became incredibly tight.

  As they stepped back out into the street, Alex breathed a little easier as she caught sight of people moving in between buildings, talking in small crowds and heading to their cars. For a moment she felt dizzy but forced herself to keep moving. The light from the neon signs spilled onto the side streets and nearby people were pulling away from the curb in their cars. She could smell food, car exhaust and a hint of frost in the air. Normalcy had returned to Ravenslake, at least for the rest of the night.

  17

  Spears

  Inhaling deeply, Aiden rolled his shoulders and did his best to ignore the ache in the side of his right knee. A cold blast of wind made him shiver, despite the Ravenslake sweatshirt he was wearing. He leaned back on the browning grass of Merlin’s back yard with a sigh and looked over towards Nicki who was trying to coach Bran through making an ice spear with his magic. Judging from the look on Bran’s face, he was having about as much fun as Aiden was having. The only difference was that a small shard of ice was floating in front of Bran, surrounded by a swirl of yellow magical sparks, something that he had yet to achieve.

  Scattered about on the lawn were ice spears of different lengths that Nicki had created when they’d started this process. In theory, it was supposed to help them visualize their own ice attacks. Aiden wasn’t sure if it was really helping or not. He’d lived in Oregon all of his life so he knew what snow and ice looked like. His mother had stopped him and Nicki from fighting with long icicles more than once after all. Still, Nicki was being very patient about all of this he considered as he watched his friend coaching Bran. The small shard of ice was slowly expanding, becoming longer and thicker with each passing moment.

  Realizing that he was staring, Aiden turned his eyes away from Bran and Nicki before he made them uncomfortable. His eyes landed on the other pair of mages who were working on the ice magic problem. Alex and Arthur were sitting on the ground together nearby, their knees touching while both of them were focusing intently on softly glowing balls of magic in their hands. Alex’s was a shimmering dark silver color while Arthur was a brilliant white color. Tilting his head, he wondered if there was any significance to the color of a person’s magic. His own was red and he used fire most easily while Nicki’s was a light blue color and ice was her thing. Of course, Bran’s magic was yellow and he had telekinesis and visions so maybe it didn’t mean anything.

  A sense of exhaustion was weighing on him and Aiden chuckled to himself. Maybe he and Bran shouldn’t have stayed up so late playing video games. Still, it was nice to have another guy to hang with, Nicki had been his best friend for years, but her interest in playing video games had waned over the years. A flash of light reflecting off of ice caught his attention and he grinned as he saw a small ice spear appear in front of Arthur. Alex grabbed her boyfriend’s arm happily, grinning like a maniac.

  “Great job Arthur!” Nicki called over with a wide smile.

  “Nice!” he shouted to them, giving Arthur a thumbs up.

  Arthur had a pleased smile on his face, but a moment later the spear fell to the ground and began to melt along with the others. The sound of the back screen door swinging shut made Aiden turn to look back towards the house. Morgana was walking away from the door, looking more relaxed than Aiden thought he’d seen her in some time. Her long dark hair was in a simple braid over her right shoulder and she was smiling as she surveyed their limited progress. In her hands she carried a large tray of sandwiches and Merlin was trailing after her with a fresh pitcher of iced tea and a small bowl.

  “Time for a break,” Morgana called to them. “Come and eat some lunch.”

  Pushing himself off the ground, Aiden looked down at his hands with a small frown. His fingers felt stiff and awkward, crunching softly as he flexed him. Nicki shot past him, cheering about the break and food. Alex followed at a more sedate pace, giving him a tired look that he was certain was reflected on his own face. Arthur smiled at her and wrapped an arm around Alex’s shoulder, making her smile as they got to the table.

  Aiden almost fell into his chair, his back and arm muscles aching like he’d been lifting heavy boxes all morning. When he used his fireballs, he often felt a bit tired, but nothing like this. It was annoying and more than a little worrying.

  “Why can’t any of us get it?” Alex asked, leaning on her elbow and looking over at Merlin as he sat down in his chair next to Arthur.

  “We’ll get it,” Arthur assured Alex, reaching over and covering her other hand with his for a moment. “It’s just hard learning something new.”

  “Arthur’s right. You shouldn’t worry about it so much,” Morgana informed them calmly as she set the tray of sandwiches down onto the wrought iron patio table. “Magic doesn’t respond to your thoughts like that. Worrying about it has very little effect.”

  “It’s just you use light magic, but you also heal,” Aiden pointed out, flexing his fingers in frustration. “You’ve said that we can move beyond our initial form of magic. Nicki can already heal too.”

  “You can; it is a natural progression, but for you, for instance, fire will always be easiest to use and when you’ve under stress the most likely form that your magic will take,” she told him calmly as she pushed the plate of sandwiches toward him. “Some of you will learn other forms of magic more easily than others. That is natural.”

  There were some looks exchanged around the table while Morgana watched them with a knowing look. Obeying the silent order, Aiden grabbed one of the sandwiches and set it on his plate before taking a few of the apple slices.

  “Don’t worry about it so much, guys,” Arthur said with a wide smile. “You’re all great at magic; you’ve even started practicing new ideas from books.” Arthur grinned at Aiden, causing a spark of irritation. “I bet you’re only having so much trouble with ice because your natural thing is fire. If I can learn how to make an Iron Gate in only a few months then you guys can do ice spears.”

  “Well we’re not all perfect like you,” Bran muttered, shifting in his chair. Aiden looked at his friend with a touch of alarm, wondering how badly he was hurting. Bran’s facial muscles were tight and his hand was in a fist.

  “I am not perfect,” Arthur huffed, running a hand through his hair and looking over at Alex. Thankfully, she seemed to notice Bran’s discomfort and said nothing.

  “I’m inc
lined to agree with him Arthur,” Aiden chuckled, hoping to pull the attention off Bran. “You are a little too perfect.”

  “Oh come on,” Arthur protested, frowning slightly even as the others around the table perked up slightly. Aiden thought he saw Morgana chuckle, her mouth mostly hidden as she took a sip of her iced tea.

  “I’m serious,” he laughed, leaning back in his chair and enjoying the banter. “It’s like you’re not even a real person Arthur. You became quarterback for the football team in your freshman year, look like a pretty boy model, no offense, get good grades, are generous enough to forgive your ex-girlfriend for cheating and are from a wealthy family. Oh, and you’re also the chosen champion for the entire planet Earth against beings from other universes.”

  An odd look crossed Arthur’s face, one that Aiden couldn’t read fast enough before it was gone. Arthur turned to look at his girlfriend who was trying not to laugh, a hand over her mouth and her eyes sparkling with amusement. Then a sheepish smile appeared on Arthur’s face and he turned back to him, shrugging helplessly.