The Iron Seal

  The Iron Seal

  Book Nine of the Iron Soul Series

  J.M. Briggs

  © 2018 by J. M. Briggs

  © 2018 by J. M. Briggs

  All rights reserved. No unauthorized reproductions permitted except for review purposes.

  Published by J.M. Briggs

  www.authorjmbriggs.com

  Printed in the United State of America

  First Printing 2019

  ISBN 978-0-9991171-8-7

  This book is for every friend who is buying the books to support me even though fantasy isn’t their genre. Thank you, even if it is unlikely that you’ll ever read this page.

  1 Bracing for the Worst

  2 Waiting for the Right Time

  3 Woes of a Farmer

  4 Danger at Home

  5 New and Lost Connections

  6 Weight of Fear

  7 No Rest for Mages

  8 New Surroundings

  9 Shadows and Strangers

  10 Little Comfort

  11 Living Situation

  12 Letting Them In

  13 Semblance of Normal

  14 Central Battlefield

  15 Searching for Shadows

  16 Waiting Room

  17 Salvation Within Creation

  18 Holding Back Shadows

  19 Forging Something New

  20 Raising the Alarm

  21 Strange Allies

  22 Magic in the Metal

  23 Stalking the Enemy

  24 Not His Life

  25 Into the Furnace

  26 Waiting Game

  27 What He Wants

  28 Returning Home to Questions

  29 Desperate Measures

  30 God of the Dark

  31 Retaliation

  32 Dying Dreams

  33 Departing in Peace

  34 Battleground

  35 All Over the News

  1

  Bracing for the Worst

  Magic had some advantages. As much as it had cost her and complicated her life, there were still moments of wonder that Alex Adams was able to enjoy. Watching a Brownie bounce around their new living room with small items floating around him as he tried to organize the shelves was definitely one of them. Unfortunately for Timothy, piles of boxes of Alex’s belongings filled the center of the living room. The number of boxes was far more than she’d ever taken to college.

  There were items from her family home. Morgana had packed them: probably packed up her entire room and combed through the house for anything that was hers. Alex had dared to peek into one of the boxes and found a pile of family photos. She didn’t know how Morgana had managed that. She didn’t know the details of how Morgana had altered her brothers’ memories and didn’t want to know. That said, Alex hoped that Morgana hadn’t just taken all of the family photos. Maybe she’d used magic to duplicate the photos without her in them so that Matt and Eddy would have something. Maybe someday she’d be brave enough to ask. Maybe someday she’d go through all of those boxes. For now, she was focusing mostly on the things she’d brought to college. The rest could be stored in the laundry room for later.

  Nicki laughed from where she was putting some movies on a shelf. Timothy was sliding across the wood surfaces of the furniture that Morgana had bought for the house. Alex wasn’t sure if he was having fun or cleaning dust that she couldn’t see. The small creature was only a few inches tall with a pudgy face, tiny pointed ears and little black eyes. In some ways he resembled the Sídhe a little, but he was something completely distinct from them. Alex still wasn’t sure what the similarities between beings from the same branch of the Tree of Reality were. The Sídhe, Brownies, and other creatures from that branch of the Tree of Reality all shared a weakness to iron. Except for Red Caps, who had trained or bred that weakness out of themselves through contact with human blood.

  Aiden huffed as he walked into the house with another large plastic bin. Setting it down on the floor, he groaned and rolled his shoulders. His brown hair was a mess from the wind and his cheeks were red from work.

  “I thought I was in better shape than this,” he said.

  “Take a break,” Nicki said. “You’ve got most of it in.”

  “Yeah.” Aiden looked at the boxes and around the room. “You girls need to speed up. The others will be here soon, and we’ll need room for their stuff.”

  “They won’t be here that soon!” Nicki gave Aiden a stern look. A strand of her red hair fell over her eyes, giving her expression a little boost of danger. “So stop whining.”

  “Why do I put up with you?”

  “Blackmail material,” Nicki replied. She turned back to the shelves and shoved another stack of books and disk cases into place. “We’ll never fill this place.”

  “Don’t say that,” Alex said. “You’ll be amazed at all the junk we’ll end up collecting.”

  “Besides,” Aiden added. “It’s cool to have our own place. I mean, yeah, it’s weird that a teacher arranged it for us, but it does make sense.”

  “Morgana is hardly our teacher in the traditional sense,” Nicki protested. “I don’t think any of us have classes with her this year.”

  “I do,” Alex said. When they looked at her, she shrugged. “I can use some of the history classes as related credits.”

  “For English Literature?” Nicki asked. Raising an eyebrow, Nicki asked. “Is that a new rule that Morgana pushed through?”

  “No.” Alex laughed but knew that it was the sort of thing that Morgana would be willing to do. “It’s long standing. It makes sense when you think about it: history provides context. Anyway, I’ve got a class with her this year about the Renaissance.”

  “Oh… that sounds interesting actually,” Nicki said. “I wonder if I could take that? I didn’t spend as much time working on scheduling as I should have.”

  “To be fair, there’s a lot of other things on our plates,” Aiden said. Slumping down on the new blue sofa, he stretched out his legs. “Between Arthur, the Fae, the Sídhe, Demons, and Old Ones, we’re very busy mages.”

  “God, I hope we have a quiet semester,” Nicki said. “My GPA is horrible.”

  “You’re failing?” Alex asked.

  “Failing as in not passing at all, no; failing as in not meeting my own standards, yes,” Nicki said.

  Aiden rolled his eyes but wisely said nothing. Shaking her head, Alex looked down at the boxes with her name. She needed to start moving them. There would be a lot more stuff when the others arrived, and frankly since Morgana had already furnished the house there wasn’t a ton of room. As large as the living room was, it was crowded thanks to the super long sofa, loveseat, and armchairs.

  The new house that Morgana had arranged for them was nice. It wasn’t brand new by any means, but it was solid, and judging from the new windows and doors, Merlin had probably made some modifications. Alex was certain that if they pulled out the frames they would find lines of iron to help protect the portals of the house. Thankfully it didn’t seem to affect Timothy too badly. Whatever protection she’d granted him from iron during her… unusual blood protection spell was still holding.

  The house was fairly large, and thanks to the finished basement they had five bedrooms. With an open layout, movement through the house was easy, but if they were ever invaded it might complicate things. All told it was three floors and thankfully had two and a half bathrooms, which would help the college students deal with each other in the mornings. The kitchen was decently sized, with an island and lots of counter space that would hopefully make meals easier. Alex expected a chore wheel to end up on the wall there within a week or two, regarding at least cooking since they didn’t have easy access to the university cafeterias anymore.

  Officially Lance and Jenny still had
separate rooms, though Alex wasn’t sure if that was going to remain the case for long. Aiden and Bran had decided to share the massive basement room that had extra outlets. Alex knew that as soon as Bran got back with his stuff gaming systems were going to be set up. If Jenny and Lance did decide to share a room, then they would end up with one more bedroom for something. Alex was sure that something would come up soon enough. It always did.

  She hoped the others were safe. There were blood protection spells in Portland, Eugene, and San Francisco, but that hadn’t stopped Arthur from killing her parents. Whatever magic he’d used was still a mystery, or maybe he’d simply paid off some desperate man. Neither option was good. Looking around the room Alex was sharply aware of the people who were missing. Bran should be here; Lance and Jenny should be here. Bran would be helping unpack while Lance carried boxes and Jenny ran around organizing the books, movies, and trinkets.

  “Are you hungry?” Timothy asked. His voice while higher pitched than a normal human’s but was surprisingly soothing. Still, it was enough to make Alex jump a little after being lost in her thoughts. “I could make something if you like?”

  “No, Timothy,” Alex said. Smiling, she shook her head. “I’m still full from breakfast. And you don’t have to worry about cooking all the time. We are adults.” Looking towards Aiden, she gave him a stern look. “And we do appreciate your help. Both with the house and contacting the Fae.”

  “I’m glad to help,” Timothy said. He adjusted the hem of his shirt which had been tailored from old doll clothing. “And it’s nice to be around humans that I don’t have to hide from.”

  “Speaking of the Fae,” Nicki said. “Anything new on that front?”

  “No,” Alex said. “Some are siding with Arthur and the Queen, and some are neutral. I’m not sure any of them except Timothy can be said to be on our side.” Alex shrugged. “Not that I blame them for that.”

  “Still,” Aiden said. “It could get ugly if we end up against a huge horde.”

  “We killed a lot of them,” Nicki said. “I can’t blame them for still being angry. Yes, they were controlled, but…” Nicki shook her head and trailed off. “Well, we’ll just have to see what happens. Thankfully, the blood protection spell in Ravenslake does seem to be keeping out anything with violent intentions.”

  “Let’s just hope it has some effect on those damn Red Caps,” Aiden said. It was his turn to shudder. “I hate those things.”

  “We all hate those things,” Nicki said. “Maybe next time we see them Alex will let you borrow Mjǫllnir to smash some of them.”

  “Uh, no thanks.” Aiden shuddered. “Who wants to get that close to one? Fireballs work just fine.”

  It spurred on some kind of argument, one in good fun, between Nicki and Aiden as they debated fire or water against Red Caps. Alex didn’t hang around to listen after Timothy bounced into the kitchen. He’d start working on food soon enough, no matter what she said about not being hungry. Someday she’d get used to the small creature moving around and moving things with his surprisingly strong magic. But not today. Instead, she knelt and picked up one of the boxes.

  Carrying the box up the stairs, Alex went to the second door on the left which led into her room. It wasn’t the largest, but it was the corner room with a nice view of the forest. Her new full bed was already made up and her stuffed dog Galahad was sitting on a pillow. It was a comforting sight, but it was mostly devoid of personal touches. Her computer was set up on the desk in the corner by the window, and a lot of her clothes had already been packed away in the dresser. Setting the box down on the bed, Alex sat down next to it and looked around.

  There were only two things on the walls. A pair of vertical weapon displays hung just to the left of her bed near the door. The first had two small wooden hooks that were holding up Cathanáil. Her eyes traced over the sword that was better known to the world as Excalibur. Its golden hilt gleamed softly in the sunlight still coming through the window. It was just over two feet long, and Alex wasn’t sure if it was technically a longsword or a short sword. Standing up, she gently took the sword out of the stand with her right hand.

  Despite being made of iron, it wasn’t very heavy. There was only a slight strain in her muscles from holding it with one hand. Beneath her fingers, soft warmth radiated up into her skin. Stepping back from the wall, Alex gave the sword an experimental swing. Swishing through the air, it produced a soft musical hum that sank into Alex’s bones. Sparks of magic glowed just under the metal, giving the sword a soft aura. Someone who didn’t know what it was would dismiss it as a trick of the light, but Alex knew that it was the magic that her first incarnation Arto had put into the sword three thousand years ago.

  Alex shifted into the starting stance that she’d learned at fencing club almost two years ago and adjusted the sword. It wasn’t like the rapier she’d practiced with at the club, but the principles were similar enough. Keeping the sword steady, Alex swished it through the air, ensuring that she kept a firm grip on the hilt and trying to familiarize herself with the weight. Her room was no place for this, but maybe they could set up a practice dummy in the backyard. Now that they had Cathanáil back she needed to learn how to use it.

  The second display held Mjǫllnir, the Iron Hammer, which was known to mythology as Thor’s hammer. Unlike the usual depictions it’s two sides were different sizes. One was larger while the other end tapered into a small hammer surface. It was a reminder that before it was a weapon the artifact had been a tool. Her left hand pulled the hammer free, and she adjusted her grip. Like the sword, it hummed in her grasp. Magic reached up for her, caressing her skin while also gently pulling magic from her. An equal exchange for now, but Alex knew that if she ordered it to the Iron Hammer would release lightning bolts.

  In her left hand, the hammer was heavy. She’d almost exclusively used it in her right hand until the final fight in India. When she’d recovered Cathanáil, it had seemed most natural to put the sword in her right hand. At least it lessened the likelihood of her stabbing herself. Alex lowered Cathanáil and carefully swung Mjǫllnir. The heft of the hammer wanted to keep going, but her firm grip kept it in check. A thrill-filled her chest and an unbidden smile appeared on her face.

  Part of her knew these weapons. As far as she knew she’d only really wielded each in one of her lives, but something about them transcended her deaths and rebirths. That was an odd thought and she shook her head. Being the Iron Soul meant that she kept coming back again and again to protect Earth, but she knew very little about herself. What had caused the creation of her soul? What was a soul? What impacted the when and where of a reincarnation? Those were questions that Merlin and Morgana didn’t seem to worry about anymore, and questions Alex was sure she’d never have answers for.

  A knock on her door made Alex tense. The sound was too sudden, and her magic flared through the sword and hammer. Then the knock came again, and Alex relaxed. Shaking her head, she called for them to come in. The door opened, and Aiden poked his head in. He blinked at the sight of her and pushed the door the rest of the way open.

  “Are you planning to dual wield?” Aiden asked. Grinning, he leaned against the doorframe and nodded towards the artifacts. “You did okay in India, I’ll give you that.”

  “My arms hurt a lot afterward,” Alex said. “I need to work on building up more muscle and endurance with these.” She checked the heft of them. “They do seem bit lighter than they should though. I wonder if I’m doing that without knowing, or they were made that way.”

  “You might just be imagining it,” Aiden said. “Don’t forget that iron or not, swords and hammers were always meant to be picked up and wielded.”

  “Maybe; things like that just remind me of how little I know.”

  “We’ll work on it,” Aiden promised. “And we have a yard now, so we can work on fighting and practicing without going to Merlin or Morgana’s place. That should make things a little easier.”

  “I thought that myself earli
er,” Alex said. “I just need to set up a training schedule. I miss running, but maybe sword practice in the mornings will be a nice replacement.”

  “It might, and Nicki and Merlin are still exploring ways to hide Cathanáil with magic.”

  “That would be ideal,” Alex agreed. She looked at the gleaming blade. “I’d feel better having it with me.”

  “Yeah.” Aiden looked at the weapons displays. “I know that Arthur can’t come here, but leaving them out in the open kind of freaks me out.”

  “Maybe a safe-”

  “That has other problems.” Aiden shook his head. “If you need them, you need to be able to get to them.”

  “True,” Alex said. Looking at the plain wooden displays, she smiled. “Maybe Nicki could carve something into the wood.”

  “Well, she is determined to figure out how to make more interesting items. And Merlin’s staff does prove that some magic can work with wood, at least for a little while.”

  Nodding in agreement, Alex’s mind coursed with questions. A few strange memories tried to push forward, and the soft voices of her other lives whispered. It was odd. Two years ago, she’d been freaked out over visions when meeting her fellow mages, and now she was living with voices in her head.