The Iron Gate, page 12
part #2 of The Iron Soul Series
“Awesome.” Aiden glanced towards Nicki. “It would be nice not to have to worry about setting things on fire.” He set his hand on Alex’s shoulder for a moment and added, “It was cool for the first week, but then it got a bit irritating.”
“Yeah,” Nicki agreed weakly, managing a small smile. “I still think that Bran has the best power.”
Smiling, Bran gestured to his bag and concentrated on a mental picture of his bag of trail mix rising from the front pouch. It took a moment, but he felt the soft tug in his gut that he’d come to associate with his magic working and the messenger bag shifted slightly. The most difficult part was envisioning the small plastic bag floating through the air. He’d tried just picturing it in his hand, but that had just caused the bag to tear and drop to the floor. It was getting easier, and the bag moved faster than it had when he first started, floating into his open hand. With a smile, he popped the bag open and reached in to grab a piece of chocolate, tossing it into the air and catching it in his mouth.
“Most useful in everyday life at least,” Bran agreed with a widening grin. “But you’re better at fighting the Sídhe.”
“You each have your own strengths,” Morgana announced in a voice that left no room for argument. “Now, it is getting late. We will send you details of when and where to meet. Dress comfortably, but nothing too loose.”
The dismissal was clear, and Bran nodded, hoisting himself up from his desk as the others moved to finish straightening out the desks. He paused and adjusted his posture to make sure that his brace was secure and his footing was stable before scooping up his coat and bag. Stepping back, Bran pulled his desk sideways to fit it properly into the row and adjusted the two around it without a word to the others. Merlin and Morgana were speaking to each other in the unfamiliar language that they used on occasion, but neither looked upset, so Bran moved towards the others. Alex pulled on her coat and swung her bag on as they stepped out into the hallway and headed for the stairs.
“You okay, Alex?” Nicki asked softly, her voice still echoing in the tiled corridor.
“I’m fine,” Alex assured them all with a rather forced smile. “Just a bit tired and feeling… I don’t know. I’m just disappointed that I couldn’t do it. I managed it in the tunnels.”
“Not as much adrenaline,” Aiden suggested, leading the way up the stairs. “You knew that the Sídhe would hurt you,” he glanced over his shoulder at her. “While I hope you know that I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“And you were worried about it hurting us too.” Nicki put her arm around Alex’s shoulders. “You’ll get it, don’t worry about it so much.”
Bran nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath of fresh air as they stepped outside. “Then you’ll have the best magical ability,” he added with a smile. “Turning the Sídhe’s magic back on them.”
“Well….” Alex trailed off and then smiled slightly. “That would be pretty cool.”
“Then don’t worry about it so much,” Aiden insisted. “We never thought we’d manage magic in the first place and now we’re moving onto something new and more powerful. We’re awesome.”
Shaking his head at the comment, Bran couldn’t help but smile. By silent agreement they all stayed together and near the street lamps as they headed back towards the dorms, turning their conversations to classes and homework instead of magic and invading Sídhe.
11
Seen and Heard
As the elevator doors opened, Alex hummed softly to herself and twirled her small key ring on her index finger. The keys clinked together as Alex moved her hand to wave at one of their neighbors. It was odd, she decided with a soft hum, to suddenly have a free Thursday night. She’d grabbed dinner with her fellow mages in Michaels Dining Hall at six o’clock as usual, but instead of heading to Kittell Hall they’d split up to return to their dorms. Since the start of magic lessons after Halloween, she’d become used to the set schedule of practice and lectures, excepting only Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. To take advantage of the extra free night, Alex was already mentally listing the upcoming deadlines that she had for papers and the reading that needed to be done.
Stopping in front of the door with the numbers 321 in shining letters, Alex spun her keys and fit the correct one into the lock. Inside she could hear muffled sounds, presumably a movie or Jenny humming. With a smooth motion, Alex turned the key, unlocking the door and eased the door open. The main light was off, and the curtains were drawn with only Jenny’s desk lamp illuminating the space. The sounds were no longer muffled, and Alex blushed bright red as her eyes were drawn to the figures in Jenny’s bed. Limbs were tangled around sheets, and a dark, muscular back blocked her view of Jenny. A loud moan echoed through the small space and snapped Alex out of her shock. Slamming her eyes closed, Alex stepped back and eased the door closed. As the lock clicked back into place, Alex opened her eyes and darted back to the elevator. An embarrassed giggle escaped Alex, making her blush even redder and she shook her head.
“Sock on the doorknob, Jenny,” she muttered as she opened her bag and looked inside of it. “I mean seriously if you and Arthur-”
Alex froze in place, her stomach twisting and a cold feeling rushing up her spine. She didn’t even notice when the elevator doors opened and a pair of girls stepped inside. The skin of the person in bed with Jenny had been dark…. Arthur was white. Every worry about Jenny cheating with Lance on Arthur crashed through her, making her knees buckle. Reaching out, Alex caught herself on the wall and fought to keep the sick feeling surging through her in check.
“Hey?” a female voice cut in. “You okay?”
Alex’s eyes snapped to a short brunette girl who was giving her worried look and awkwardly shifting in place next to her friend.
“Yeah,” the other girl said with a shake of her head and a shrugging motion. “You don’t look so good.”
“Feeling a bit sick,” Alex replied weakly. “Just need to go to bed.”
When the elevator opened again, Alex jumped out without even looking to see which floor she was on. There were sounds behind her as someone called after her and people moved to the elevator, but Alex didn’t stop. She rushed into the stairwell, shivering at the cold air in the cement space and leaned against the wall, the icy feel of the cement through her shirt distracting her as she struggled to focus.
“Dammit,” she hissed, clenching her hands into fists and slamming them back against the wall. “Dammit, Jenny!” Letting her head fall back against the wall, Alex took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, but her mind was racing. She couldn’t remember a calming thought, couldn’t remember the tricks she’d used to meditate while trying to learn to control her magic. There was only a sense of betrayal and a feeling of worry.
Biting back the urge to swear or scream into the stairwell, Alex pushed herself off the wall and glanced at the floor number before heading down the stairs. She kept moving when she reached the first floor and stepped outside. Indecision made Alex pause as she looked towards the other dorms and started to reach for her phone. Telling the others would be a good first step, but Alex wanted to speak with Morgana. Maybe she’d have some ideas of what to do now. Watching and being Jenny and Arthur’s friend hadn’t achieved anything. Closing her eyes, Alex took in another slow breath in hopes of calming down.
Another burst of bile surged up her throat as the image of Jenny tangled up with Lance sprung unbidden to her mind. Shaking her head, Alex opened her eyes and started heading for the Hamilton Building. Questions were echoing through her mind: how long had this been going on? Did Arthur suspect? Was this the first time? Did this happen every time she was at magic classes? What would they do now? How could they protect Arthur from the fallout of finding out the girl he’d been dating since he was sixteen was cheating on him with his best friend? How much choice did Jenny and Lance have in this? Had it always been evitable?
Without meaning to, Alex thought back to Halloween. Despite being chased by Sídhe Hounds and finding out from Professor Cornwall and Professor Yates that magic was real, she’d made it home before Jenny. Lance had taken Jenny home… he’d promised to pick her up too but never returned. She hadn’t thought much about it, but suddenly Alex couldn’t help but pour over every detail of Jenny coming home that night. At the time she’d been too overwhelmed by the revelation of magic and fear that the Hounds might have hurt her roommate to think about it, but now everything took on a much worse possibility.
“Alex!” a male voice shouted behind her, “Wait up.”
She recognized the voice and swallowed painfully. Sucking in a sharp breath, Alex turned slowly and looked over to see Arthur Pendred walking up the sidewalk towards her. His backpack was tossed over one shoulder, and his letterman jacket was hanging open to reveal a Ravenslake University t-shirt. Alex barely kept herself from running away as he jogged toward her, his blond hair shining in the lowering sun.
“Arthur.” Alex’s entire body tensing up as her smiling friend reached her.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Not much,” Alex forced out. She resisted the urge to drop her eyes. Her fingers twitched awkwardly, and Alex folded her hands in front of her to keep them from moving.
“Alex?” Arthur called, his smile falling away. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
He started to reach for her, his blue eyes darkening with concern. Instinctively, Alex stepped back and did her best to ignore the hurt that flashed in Arthur’s eyes. Instead, she gestured over her shoulder and forced a sad smile.
“I got a really poor grade on a test,” she lied quickly. “I was going to see if I could catch my professor before she leaves for the day.”
His shoulder’s relaxed slowly and Arthur retracted his hand, letting it fall to his side. Alex was sure that he didn’t believe her, but he seemed ready to let it go for the time being. Once again, the image of Jenny and Lance together and the sounds flashed to the front of her mind. Her stomach turned, and the need to tell him surged through Alex. Biting her lip, Alex shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat to hide how badly they were shaking.
“Okay,” Arthur said slowly. “Good luck with your professor.” Alex lowered her eyes only to feel one of Arthur’s large hands settle on her shoulder. He squeezed it gently, sending a spark of warmth through her arm and upper chest. “If there is anything I can do, just let me know.”
“Thanks,” Alex whispered, barely managing the word. “You’re a good friend,” she added, keeping her eyes down as moisture began to gather in her eyes. “I’ve got to get moving.”
Pulling away from him, Alex turned and started walking quickly down the sidewalk, her eyes locked on Hamilton Hall in the distance. She managed a quick wave over her shoulder and shouted for him to have a good night. When Alex reached the doors of Hamilton Hall, her hands were shaking badly, and it was becoming harder to breathe. A professor coming out of the building held the door open for Alex and called to her after catching sight of her expression, but Alex waved him off quickly and headed for the staircase.
Turning sharply to the right at the top of the stairs, Alex locked her gaze on a door down the corridor. There was no light on, but the main door of the history department was still propped open. She forced herself to slow down as she stepped inside and glanced over the department administrator’s desk, but everything was packed up for the night. The only light was coming from a small crack in a doorway at the end of a small hallway leading off the main office space. A sigh of relief escaped Alex as she heard the voice of Professor Cornwall coming from her office, muffled slightly, but distinctly hers.
When she reached the door, Alex raised a shaking hand to knock on the doorframe, but then she heard her name. “I’m not sure about having Alex stay with Jennifer,” the voice of Professor Yates said. “She’s been losing weight since she found out.”
“That could be any number of things Ambrose,” Morgana countered. “Besides, it is the middle of the semester. Alex would have to give a good reason to change roommates at this point and risk alienating herself from Jennifer. Neither of us has classes with the girl, Lance, or Arthur. We need Alex to be our eyes.”
Pausing, Alex swallowed and lowered her hand to her side. She knew she should knock or maybe go back to the main door and call for Professor Cornwall, something to announce herself. Still, she didn’t move from her spot by the door.
“There are other options,” he insisted, and Alex could hear the frustration growing in his voice.
“This is the twenty-first century. We can’t just take an interest in random young people without suspicions coming forth. None of them have majors in our department,” Morgana scoffed. “The world makes the Iron Soul easy to find, but this era makes him hard to reach.”
“We may be worrying too much.” Merlin’s voice took on a gentler note. “Let’s stay to the original plan, train up the mages first so they can help protect the Iron Soul and protect themselves, and then we worry about the Iron Soul. Even we can’t manage five novice students at once.”
“I don’t think that Jennifer Sanchez and Lance Taylor can be trusted.” The volume of the conversation was becoming louder. “Their public behavior may be normal, but they will follow the same path as before and the consequences-”
“Morgana, I understand your concern, but we cannot take justice into our own hands,” Merlin said. “We don’t know if the betrayal has taken place yet; it may not take place for many years.”
Alex’s hands shook as she reached for the doorknob of the office, but she didn’t touch it. A sense of illness overtook her once again, stronger than before. Alex kept her eyes glued to the doorknob rather than close them and risk seeing Jenny and Lance once again.
“Ambrose,” Morgana sighed, her volume dropping as a weary note entering her voice. “I recognize that it is not their fault, but the Sídhe are invading again. We cannot risk facing them without the Iron Soul. I –we can’t manage without his powers.” The professor’s voice became soft and thin making Alex step closer to the door. “When they find us… I can’t…. if Arthur isn’t able to stop them.”
“I’m sure that-”
“No, Merlin,” Morgana hissed. “Nothing is certain. We can be sure of nothing, but our responsibility to protect and teach the Iron Soul. The other mages are almost ready to help protect him and aid him in this fight, you and I both know that we will have to reach out to Arthur Pendred soon.”
“I am aware that time grows short.”
“If they are approaching the moment of betrayal then we must prevent it,” Morgana said. “Even through extreme measures. Otherwise, the consequences will be far worse than the actions we take.” There was silence for a long moment, and Alex couldn’t breathe. “I know that forcing the Iron Soul to reincarnate could be an option… one I even suggested, but things are moving so quickly. The political turmoil amongst the Sídhe makes things too unstable.”
“I know,” Merlin answered quietly. “The only thing more dangerous than a Sídhe is an unpredictable Sídhe.”
“Arthur’s rebirth isn’t an option,” Morgana said firmly, but with a hint of sadness. “And we cannot allow him to be broken by their betrayal.” Morgana paused, and her sigh was audible even through the door. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing that we’ve done.”
“No,” Merlin agreed after a moment. “It wouldn’t be.” There was the sound of a chair moving, and on instinct, Alex drew back slowly from the door. “Yet I mourn for Gwenyvar and Luegáed almost as much as I mourn for Arto. He would not have wanted it this way.”
“No,” Morgana replied, her voice tight and pained. “I’ll not debate you on that, Ambrose, but what else can we do?”
“Killing them will still cause Arthur great pain,” Merlin reminded Morgana. “It will not be their betrayal, but ours. It would have been kinder to kill him and force his reincarnation as you suggested.”
“There is no time for him to be reborn and grow up once more,” Morgana insisted, anger creeping into her voice.
“I know, three thousand years old and yet time is still our enemy. Please, Morgana,” Merlin implored. “You promised me a year before you exercise your pragmatism.”
“I did,” Morgana agreed, her voice stronger, but resigned. “You said that you wouldn’t agree to that.”
“And you said that you didn’t require my agreement,” Merlin reminded her.
Alex was back near the main reception desk, but the words seemed to be ringing down the hallway to her. Only her beating heart and struggle to breathe interfered with her ability to hear their conversation. But she doubted that anything could have prevented her from hearing Merlin’s final words on the subject.
“You also said that you knew that I wouldn’t stop you,” Merlin said, his voice sad and defeated. “You are right, Morgana, I won’t stop you.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, Alex stumbled back and hit her hip on the edge of the desk. The shock of pain spurred her into action, and she dashed for the doorway. Racing out into the hallway, Alex was grateful that the building was closing down for the night. She barely it made it down the stairs without tripping and staggered out into the setting sun.
