The Iron Gate, page 35
part #2 of The Iron Soul Series
“Speaking of which,” Merlin interjected. “I didn’t ask the other night due to Arthur’s presence, but what did you see.”
Alex’s eyes widened at the news that Bran had a vision after fighting the Sídhe. He looked exhausted, she noted as she turned to look at him. Alex felt guilty for not noticing it sooner. Bran glanced at her and gave Alex a tiny smile before he turned his attention back to Merlin. It was chilling to hear about his vision: Alex wasn’t sure which sounded worse, the great monster in the darkness or someone stabbing him with a sword. In the corner of her eye, she saw Arthur frown deeply at the description of the stabbing.
“Thank you,” Merlin said when Bran had finished. “I’m afraid that I am not sure what the stabbing might mean, but I believe that we can shed some light on the dark monster.”
“We’ve told all of you in the past that some beings that enter our world manage to stay and that some of them over time become known as deities in human mythology. We call these the Old Ones,” Morgana explained. She paused to take another breath and considered her next words for a moment. “These beings in many cases sleep for hundreds and even thousands of years when magic is not as strong. However, the invasion of the Sídhe has greatly increased the levels of magic in the world and begun waking some of the Old Ones.”
“Are they friend or foe?” Aiden asked seriously, a look of intense concentration on his face.
“It varies greatly,” Merlin informed him. “Living in our world too long causes many of these beings to go insane and turn very violent. Over the past three thousand years, we have helped fight several such Old Ones. Others like my mentor Cyrridven spend a great deal of time in water to hold off the negative effects of our world.”
Aiden and Nicki exchanged a look, both of them fighting back what looked like guilty smiles. Alex figured that they were mentally referencing something, but didn’t have the energy for that today.
“Some Old Ones are our allies, but others, as they wake, will travel to Ravenslake to search out the epicenter of magic, usually to consume that power,” Morgana added darkly.
Alex’s mouth dropped open, and she shuddered, suddenly feeling chilled. Bran reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder from her left and from her right Arthur’s hand was suddenly squeezing her hand. Turning her hand slightly, Alex returned the gestured and forced herself to take a deep breath and focus on the conversation.
“Old Ones take time to wake,” Morgana was explaining to Nicki. “We probably have a few more months before any will have achieved full consciousness.”
“We already knew that many of the Old Ones, both our allies and old enemies, were beginning to wake up,” Merlin said sternly, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Bran’s vision confirms that we will no doubt be facing them soon, which means that we must address the Sídhe.”
“How can we fight both at once?” Arthur asked weakly. “I mean I’ve seen Alex fight, but I don’t know how and those aren’t good odds.”
“We were hoping that you could make arrangements to remain in Ravenslake over the summer,” Morgana admitted to Arthur. “The powers of the Iron Soul while always holding a talent over iron vary greatly, and you will need time to learn.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me before?” Arthur questioned. “I could have practiced with the others.”
“The Sídhe might have found you: we could not protect all of you at once. Better to train the others so they could help to protect you before drawing attention to you,” Merlin answered gently.
Arthur bit his lip as his jaw tightened and he raised a hand to mess his blond hair. He was tense and irritated, but a moment later he breathed out and nodded. “Okay,” Arthur sighed. “So the Sídhe are still a danger, I need training, and the Old Ones are coming. What do we do?”
“We need to create a new Iron Gate, sadly we do not have Cathanáil, uh Arthur you know it as Excalibur,” Merlin explained quickly with a reassuring smile for Arthur. “But between all of us and the Iron Soul, we should be able to make things more difficult for the Sídhe.”
“Now we don’t have much time, the next alignment day when the defense of the Iron Realm and our magic are at the peak is June 21st,” Morgana informed them with a nod to Merlin. “We need to gather together with a suitable supply of iron and create a new iron gate.”
“June 21st… alignment day,” Arthur repeated before he shook his head. “That doesn’t leave me much time to learn.”
“I am confident that you are up to the task,” Merlin replied kindly. “But will you be able to make arrangements to stay at least through the end of June?”
“Yeah, sure I think so,” Arthur shrugged. “My mother won’t be thrilled, but if I say it’s for football, she’ll calm down about it. After the 21st I could go home for a bit right?”
“Of course,” Morgana said quickly with a sharp look at Merlin. “We don’t mean to keep you from your family, but the iron gates have only been created once, and the first Iron Soul did that.”
“Indeed, we are at a bit of a loss of how to proceed without your help,” Merlin added with a sharp nod. “But don’t worry, everyone here will help you, and we will add our magic to yours.”
“From that standpoint, we have more magic than we did the first time,” Morgana said with a rather forced smile.
“But not Excalibur,” Arthur reminded them. “How can we get the sword? Where is it?”
“Cathanáil was entrusted to Cyrridven, similar to how the legend suggests. She keeps the sword beyond the hands of the Sídhe and other Old Ones underwater.”
“And is she waking up with the other Old Ones?” Arthur’s blue eyes glinted with determination and excitement. “Any chance she can get us the sword?”
“I doubt she will wake completely in time to deliver the sword before the 21st,” Morgana informed Arthur with a hint of regret. “But keep in mind that once she does wake, she will be able to find and come to us quickly. Her greatest ability is water travel; she can move from one body of water to another. If you regain your sword in the future, then there is nothing that would prevent us from making a new Iron Gate.”
“Why is the sword so important to the Iron Gates?” Alex asked with a frown. “I mean it was made by the Iron Soul right?”
“Yes: Cathanáil was the creation of the Iron Soul, with some help of course,” Merlin said with a grin and a glance towards Morgana who gave him a look. “When Arto made the Iron Gates, he directed his power through the sword. As a result, we observed a strong connection with Cathanáil and the Iron Gates. It acts as a Key to the Iron Gates if you will; using the sword could potentially open them or lock them. We will be building a gate, but without the key, we lack a way to lock it.”
“So until we get the sword nothing is permanent,” Arthur sighed, messing his hair again and clenching his jaw.
“The gate will be vulnerable to attack,” Morgana conceded, “But that doesn’t mean that it won’t still protect the Iron Realm. It won’t last for three thousand years, but it will help.”
“Merlin told me a bit about the Iron Gates in the British Isles,” Arthur remarked after taking a deep breath. “He said that those are breaking apart; what will happen when those gates fall? How will it impact us?”
“I believe that we need to explain the gates in more detail,” Merlin decided, lifting his palm.
Arthur straightened up with wide eyes, and Alex smiled as green sparks twisted around Merlin’s hand. Smiling, the old mage opened his palm, and the sparks flew up into the air around them. Next to him, Morgana chuckled softly and waved her hand, sending a swirl of glittering silver magic up into the air. The two colors split with white sparks forming one glowing sphere above the heads and Merlin’s green sparks forming second.
“Whoa,” Arthur whispered, “That’s something else.”
“They like visuals,” Nicki remarked with a grin.
“Imagine these are two worlds, very different from another,” Merlin lectured calmly. “In order to travel from one to the other the beings of a world have to focus their magic on building a bridge or in the case of the Sídhe a tunnel.”
Morgana pointed her finger at the white sphere, and a stream of white sparks flowed into the air between the two spheres, creating a pathway between them. The magic collided with the green sphere sending off several little sparks.
“And of course when the different magic enters our world and brings with it the impressions of that very different world, ours reacts by creating its magic to defend it. Mages act as the Iron Realm’s white blood cells and fight back the infection,” Merlin told them, and Alex nodded her understanding.
“Now, over time the Sídhe invest more and more energy and power to create additional pathways,” Morgana said, releasing more magic from the white sphere causing several more lines of white magic to appear and connect the two spheres.
“These multiple tunnels are pushing more and more foreign energy and power into our world,” Merlin explained. “In fact, these pathways reinforce each other; they bleed energy into nearby tunnels. The more of them that are stable than, the less power the Sídhe have to put into creating a tunnel. It is one of the reasons why in my youth there were tunnels everywhere throughout the British Islands.”
“But why the British Islands?” Nicki suddenly asked. “Why didn’t they go beyond there?”
“They tried on several occasions,” Merlin replied calmly. “But the pathways form at weak points: we don’t know why certain places are vulnerable at certain times, but they are. Three thousand years ago the British Isles were vulnerable; the defenses of the Iron Realm faltered, and the Sídhe gained a foothold. Today Oregon seems to be the weak point.”
“Due to the power of the tunnels, the Sídhe could have expanded beyond the British Isles given enough time if a way to destroy the tunnels had not been found,” Morgana added quickly. “But it takes a great deal of power to create a pathway. Once a pathway has been cut it is far easier to follow it than cut a new one which is why the tunnels keep reappearing for now in the same hillside. Eventually, the Sídhe will stop being lazy about it and will try to create a tunnel further away, but it must still be formed in the vulnerable area.”
“So what do the gates do?” Merlin asked with a wide smile. “Well….” He waved his hand and created a small burst of green magic which formed a line over one of the pathways, blocking the stream of white magic. “Simply put the Iron Gates when infused with the magic of the Iron Soul block the flow of magic into our world. They are far more than a physical barrier over the tunnel. Over time the magic seeping from them destroys the tunnels and similar to how the tunnels reinforce each other, an Iron Gate reinforces the magical defenses of Earth.”
“So an Iron Gate closes the weakness of Earth’s defenses?” Aiden asked with a grin. “How quickly?”
“Well, that is where having multiple gates comes in handy like we did three thousand years ago,” Merlin remarked gesturing towards the small green swirl that was holding back one of the white streams of magic.
Another green swirl appeared over another gate, and Alex blinked in surprise as the magical glow from the two swirls began to fade together. Another swirl appeared followed by another, and sure enough, the magical glow surrounding them soon created a small field of green light just beyond the surface of the green sphere and blocking the flow of the white light.
“That was how we won the war the first time,” Morgana said with a smile as she waved her hand and the white magical sparks dissolved into the air. “Over time by blocking the tunnels with Iron Gates, we gradually shielded the weak point in Earth’s magic. That magic spread and created a protective field for the entire Iron Realm. Even when the Sídhe attempted to enter our world at a different point, they paid a heavy price for the attempt.”
“At the time we didn’t even fully realize that was what we were doing,” Merlin chimed in with a laugh. “Most of the Old Ones came through a weak point that existed several thousand years ago. Thankfully the Sídhe hadn’t noticed our world yet. These weak points do seem to close up over time as well as open naturally, hence the need for mages. Currently, the shield that was created with the Iron Gates three thousand years ago is fading, but it offers us some protection and is probably what is keeping the Sídhe from expanding all over Oregon.”
“So if we make this Iron Gate that will stop the Sídhe?” Arthur asked carefully. “It sounds like it will need more than one gate.”
“Yes it will,” Merlin answered with a large smile. “But if we can get a gate in place, even if created without Cathanáil then our magic will weaken the Sídhe attempts to build stable tunnels and every time they do manage to build one we can take it over and build a new Iron Gate.”
“Make no mistake this is going to take some time,” Morgana announced sternly. “Potentially several years, but it is doable with the group of mages that we have now.”
Arthur nodded, taking a deep breath and straightening up in his chair. “Okay, where do we start?”
Merlin grinned almost jumping from his seat. “That’s the spirit, Arthur. You’re going to be training with Morgana and I. The rest of you,” he said turning his attention to them. “We’re going to need magically touched iron and a lot of it.”
“Great,” Aiden sighed dramatically as he stood up from his chair. “Out of the fire and into the forge.” He smiled and winked at Merlin before clapping his hands together. “Come on gang; we’ve got blacksmithing to do.”
“You are way too excited about this,” Nicki muttered as she stood up.
“We’ve got a Sídhe invasion to deal with, a magical force field to create and Old Ones who will be hunting us down soon,” Aiden snarked back with a roll of his eyes. “Forgive me if I’d prefer to stay positive.”
Alex stood up slowly and heard Arthur chuckle next to her at the conversation between Nicki and Aiden. Turning to look at him, Alex’s chest tightened when she met his bright blue eyes.
“Nice people,” he said quietly. “I think…” he paused and chuckled again. “I think this is going to work out.”
“Yeah?” Alex asked, smiling hopefully.
“Yeah,” Arthur said with a nod. “I do.”
“Come along Arthur,” Merlin called, eyeing the two of them with a big smile. “Lots to learn and the sooner, the better.”
Arthur nodded, giving Alex an apologetic look before he moved across the yard to join Merlin. Alex watched them start talking for a moment, inhaled deeply and then turned towards the workshop. Morgana caught her eye as she moved to join Merlin and Arthur, offering her a soft smile which Alex returned. Maybe things really were going to be okay: sure as Aiden pointed out they had a long way to go, but maybe things would turn out alright in the end.
33
The First Gate
807 B.C.E. Northern Cornwall
There was no hesitation around Arto as the sound of the horn faded. Suddenly swords were drawn, spears were ready, and axes were raised as the assembled warriors began to spread out. Another flash of lightning illuminated the far hill, and golden armor reflected the light. Three Riders stood waiting on the far hill and chuckles from behind Arto told him that the warriors expected no true battle. Then the Rider in the middle raised his hand, and an orb of light appeared. A howl ripped across the landscape followed by the high pitched sound of a Sídhe horn. More Riders appeared on the crest of the hill. Doing a quick count of the enemies, Arto felt his stomach drop, and his limbs started to shake. Thirteen Riders were watching them, and then the Hounds appeared one by each Rider. Howls and snarls echoed through the small shallow valley.
“Arto,” Morgana breathed. “Stay with us.”
Neither side moved, the Sídhe’s strange mounts remaining perfectly still and the Hounds panting and snarling at their sides. Cathanáil hissed against its sheath as Arto drew it slowly and pushed a tiny bit of his magic into the blade. Next to him, Arto could see Morgana’s silver magic spinning around her hands. Merlin raised his staff, the small carvings on it began to glow the soft green color of Merlin’s magic, casting a pale glow over Arto, Morgana, and the assembled warriors. Then the Sídhe moved as one, charging forward. Gleaming golden sparks gathered around them as all the Riders called forth their magic and the Hounds rushed ahead of their masters.
“They’re giving up the high ground!” Came a shout of surprise behind him.
“Don’t forget their magic!” Another voice countered sharply. “Hold your ground and watch them!”
Merlin said nothing through all of this. Arto turned and saw his mentor watching the Sídhe with sharp eyes that were tracing the terrain quickly. Above his head, the soft green glow from his staff was intensifying, and sparks of magic were escaping and swirling around him. Morgana was focused on the Sídhe, her lips moving in silent words that Arto did not recognize. The scent and feel of energy in the air were furthered sharpened by another flash of lightning.
