The Iron Fellowship
To-morrow, Scorn will blight my name,
And Hate will trample me,
Will load me with a coward's shame?
A traitor's perjury.
False friends will launch their covert sneers;
True friends will wish me dead;
And I shall cause the bitterest tears
That you have ever shed.
The dark deeds of my outlawed race
Will then like virtues shine;
And men will pardon their disgrace,
Beside the guilt of mine.
For, who forgives the accursed crime
Of dastard treachery?
Rebellion, in its chosen time,
May Freedom's champion be;
Revenge may stain a righteous sword,
It may be just to slay;
But, traitor, traitor, from that word
All true breasts shrink away!
Oh, I would give my heart to death,
To keep my honour fair;
Yet, I'll not give my inward faith
My honour's name to spare!
Not even to keep your priceless love,
Dare I, Beloved, deceive;
This treason should the future prove,
Then, only then, believe!
-From Honor's Martyr by Emily Bronte
Chapter One: Sisters
No one could deny her skill. One only needed to watch Miranda Irongate as she flew across the battlefield to truly appreciate it. She moved with a terrible power and grace, every ounce of her screaming, proclaiming her identity. She was of the Iron Fellowship…a Changeling.
She ran through the narrow New Orleans alleyway, wielding an iron chain. Before her, three Goblins scurried for their lives on their spindly, crooked arms. Miranda twirled her chain. It sang with a high pitched wail, as though it had its own battle cry. In one snap of her wrist, she flung the chain at one of the creatures. The iron burned through its disgusting, leathery hide, slicing it in half.
"Dead center," Miranda's companion chuckled proudly, quickly gaining on her partner, closing the gap between them. "Your aim's getting better."
"It was never bad to begin with." Miranda's lips curved into a sideways smirk. Her dark eyes twinkled in the neon colored lights pouring off of the various clubs and bars around them. The remaining two Goblins dodged her chain as Miranda slung it in a figure eight pattern. One of the creatures sprung up and latched itself onto the side of a brick building with its long, nimble fingers. The other remained in front of them, hissing menacingly and bouncing around on its skinny legs to quickly dodge her attack. "Hmm," she mused happily. "It seems they've grown some brains in their ugly little heads." She grinned when the one in front of them sprung at them with slashing claws and bared teeth. Miranda side stepped the attack. Her partner did the same, moving in sync with her own motions. As always…perfect unison.
"Which would you prefer?" Asked the tall and lithely muscular blond that stood unarmed a step behind her. Miranda snuck a sideways glance at her friend, noting the tension in her body. The muscles in her arms were tight as fully coiled springs. Her fists and teeth were clenched as she glared at the hissing Goblin that clung to the wall close above them.
Miranda began to spin her chain in a slow circle. With each rotation, the speed increased. The air range with its angry note. "Dealer's choice," she said, taking a step forward.
"You handle the wall crawler!" The blond answered enthusiastically as she thundered past her partner.
Miranda let out a playful groan. "You always call dibs on the bigger ones, Erin." She turned to her assigned creature, her ever present smirk still firmly in place. "It's hardly fair." She slung her chain in a rhythmic pattern, faster and faster until it looked like a single beam of iron red light. She sent a little pulse of magic through the iron. The weapon's screech became a beautiful song, like the enchanting call of a siren. The Goblin that clung to the wall stopped its hissing. The song of the deadly chain called to it. It glowed a pretty blood red, enticing the creature further. It leapt from the wall and into the awaiting guillotine of Miranda's weapon. Driven mad by the siren's call, the Goblin unknowingly hurled itself to its own death. As its body hit the swirling chain, it was at once torn to shreds. Miranda killed the Goblin and reduced it to common soil without ever getting a drop of blood on her dark green tunic.
Further up the alley Erin danced around her own assigned Goblin as it slashed at her and tried to dig its thousand sharp, needle-like teeth into her ankles. As the Goblin grew more and more frustrated at not being able to bite her, it also grew stupider. Instead of staying back, it began to leap at her, blindly slinging its claws.
Erin grabbed one of its legs, ignoring the pain of its claws biting at her skin where her chainmail did not cover her skin. She spun, slinging the Goblin several feet. Its head smacked into the brick wall of the building next to them. Its putrid, black blood wet the alleyway like a new rain. Erin's blood trickled down her arms and dripped to the ground, mixing with the blood of the monster before her. Still she grinned with joyous delight, oblivious to any sort of pain. Erin hurled herself at it, once more dodging its attempts to defend itself. She drove her fist as hard as she could into the Goblin's face, sending bits of broken teeth and more black blood flying through the air. She kicked it, burying her iron boots deeply into its head. Still the thing lived. She could hear it screeching as it tried in vain to slice through the leather of Erin's pants to get at the soft flesh beneath. Erin kicked it again, sending it skidding into a couple of overflowing trashcans. Erin stalked towards its crumbled form, whistling a little tune. She could hear its teeth, still chattering even with death drawing nearer. With a smile mirroring her partner's, she brandished her fist, which bore a glove with iron plating across the knuckles. At the sight of the metal, the creature began to squirm in a sad attempt to get away. "Where are you going little guy? If you didn't want to die, then you shouldn't have screwed with the Iron Fellowship." Erin held it down with one hand around its neck. With three strong blows, she plowed her fist into its face, releasing all the frantic energy that had been building up inside of her all week since their last mission. Erin's magic blood buzzed to life, sending energy coursing through her veins and into the iron knuckled glove. As the iron met the flesh of the Goblin, arcs of red lightning sliced through its body, frying it from the inside.
"What was that?" Miranda sighed exasperatingly." Some sort of badass monologue?" The dark haired girl asked as she looped her chain loosely around her hips.
"Leave me alone. I get bored killing silently." Trinity shrugged, watching as the Goblin disintegrated into a pile of dirt.
"A ninja, you are not." Miranda laughed, dramatically rolling her eyes.
"Speaking of ninjas, there is that new movie that I've been wanting to see. It's almost out of theaters, so…"
"No. You know I hate action flicks. All of those explosions that you love so much are there just to distract you from the massive plot holes."
"They're better than those god awful romantic comedies you're always watching." Erin retorted. "Haven't you ever noticed the patterns in all of those movies? Guy meets girl, guy and girl fall in love, one of them does something stupid and they break up. Then somehow it always ends with one of them chasing the other down in an airport."
"I…I have nothing to say to that." Miranda laughed lightly and led the way back out onto the main street. The lights from the surrounding buildings lit up her pretty face and large, expressive golden brown eyes.
"Did I actually win that argument?" asked Erin. Miranda was too proud to reply. "Well… I never thought this day would come." Erin walked out of the alleyway, squinting in the light of the busy street. Her eyes were much more used to poorly lit alleyways. Locals and tourists alike filtered in and out of the bars, shops and restaurants that lined the street. Loud jazz music rang thorough the air, as if the city had its own theme music. Everywhere, people were laughing and chattering amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the two girls who just tore apart a trio of fantasy creatures. Erin frowned as she made sure that their hiding spells were still firmly in place. Two young girls, dressed like modern day robin hood and splattered with blank gunk would acquire more attention than they would like. Erin sometimes grew really annoyed by the humans' blindness. The spells worked too well, she thought. She hated being ignored, even if it was entirely essential.
Erin watched as a human man staggered out of one of the bars. He bumped into a woman wearing an unseasonable leather jacket. The woman shoved him to the ground with pasty white hands and went on her way, quickly disappearing into a fortune teller's shop. The human climbed shakily back to his feet. He looked around himself with a look of bewilderment, swaying on his feet even as he stood still. Then he staggered down the street, intent on another bar, obviously chalking up his fall to his drunkenness. "Want to crash a Fairy party?" asked Erin, stretching her arms up over her head to help relax her muscles. "I'm sure Astrid will let us in if we promise her a shirtless pic of Dante."
"I think Astrid would her soul for that." She picked up her pace, sending her chains into a melodic chime as they clanged together at her waist. "But, no, I'm afraid, we need to get back and I'm not really in the mood to hear another of Astrid's fan girl tirades."
"Never mind, you've officially killed the mood." Erin replied, unpleasant memories from their last meeting with Astrid flashing before her eyes. She could still remember the several long hours of staring off into space while Astrid screeched on and on about how Dante's tunic clings to his body when he's drenched in the blood of his enemies. Dante Arkwright was an exceptional warrior, but Erin couldn't really see what fascinated Astrid so much about him. He'd always looked rather plain, when compared to other Changelings.
As Erin followed Miranda up the city street, a familiar figure caught their attention. It was a very tall man. He was thin and wiry. The tight fit of his dark green gear seemed to only amplify his angular features and around his shoulders hung his signature smoke gray cloak. He had the hood pulled up, hiding his face, but he brushed it back when noticed their approach. He stepped away from the brick building he'd been leaning against and walked into the light of a street lamp. His black hair hung limply over his forehead, almost into his eyes. His thin lips were stretched into a straight line, giving away no emotion. Dante was a man who kept his thoughts and emotions well hidden. "Erin," He nodded towards her in recognition. His eyes, which were the same dark silver as the cloak he wore, shifted to Erin's friend. "Miranda," he nodded to her likewise, but let a brief moment of silence linger between them before he continued to speak. "I trust that you've dealt with the issues here."
"We have, sir." Miranda answered her body stiffening under Dante's studious gaze. "May I ask why you've come here? You really didn't need to go through the trouble. We were just on our way home."
Dante cringed inwardly every time Miranda called him sir." They were so formal with each other now, you could hardly believe that they had grown up alongside each other in the same household, let alone that he had once filled Erin's roll as her hunting partner. "And taking your dear sweet time as usual," he said, firmly, trying his best to sound like a Commanding officer. "I've noticed that your missions tend to drag on more they should, Miss Irongate." Miranda's head drooped slightly at the comment. If there was one thing that her pride and confidence could not withstand, it was criticism from the one warrior she admired the most. "I've come to insure that you return to the house immediately. You never know when another mission may arise and should be ready for them when they come." Dante said. His voice was a low base, despite the narrowness of his chest.
"Yes, sir," Miranda replied like the good soldier that she was. However, Erin noticed the subtle tightening of her throat as she swallowed hard in her anxiousness.
"It wasn't her fault, Dante," growled Erin, stepping between Miranda and the imposing form of their superior. "I'm the one who's always talking her into things. I take full responsibility for us being late all the time."
"Erin, mind your place!" Miranda hissed from behind her, panic ringing in her voice.
Erin turned her head to look over her shoulder at Miranda. "What makes me less than him? He may be our commander now, but up until last year, he was one of us. He was our friend. He still is, Miranda, no matter how much his status has changed." Erin's eyes narrowed as she tilted her head back slightly to glare directly into the man's eyes. "To me, you'll always just be Dante, the same boy who still can't beat me in a sparring match." Her lips stretched into a teasing smile.
"That is only because I allow it, Erin." He looked down at her like she was an annoying puddle in his path. "You would do well to listen to Miranda. I know you two are partners and are naturally protective of each other, but you still shouldn't talk back to your boss."
"She's not just my partner. She's my sister and I won't let you talk to her in that way." Erin growled fiercely. She and Miranda were not truly related by blood, but they were raised and taught by the same man, which in their world meant that they were bound together even more tightly. Not sisters of the blood but by soul. Erin respected her more than anyone else and she'd be damned if she let Dante scold her for things that were entirely her own fault.
Dante glared at her coldly then turned his back on her and strode away. "I suggest you follow if you want to eat tonight, ladies."
"Son of a…" Miranda stopped Erin's tantrum with a firm jerk of her shoulder.
"Stop it." Miranda hissed beneath her breath. She went ahead of her sister, obediently following Dante's gray cloak.
"Why? I can't let him fuss at you when it's my fault." Erin ran to catch up to her.
Erin felt her chest tighten when she looked at Miranda's face. Her expression was one of heartache and longing, a quiet sadness. "No, he is right to scold me. He is my Commander and I am yours. I have to make sure that you do as you are told. I shouldn't let you talk me into blowing off curfew."
Miranda slowly met her sister's eyes. "Erin, don't ever talk back to him again. Do you hear me?"
"He's still Dante, even if he is a full-fledged member of the Iron Fellowship now."
"No, he's not." Miranda whispered with a soft sigh. "When he got promoted, the Dante we knew died. He isn't our friend anymore. He can't allow himself to show such weakness. If he does, the other Commanders might strip him of his position. He may still care about us, but he'll never be able to show it towards us, not anymore."
"Falcon's not like that." Erin whispered back. Falcon, their teacher had always been very caring towards them, treating them as he would his own daughters.
"Falcon isn't a member of the Inner Ring." Miranda reminded her. "Dante's on a whole other level, now, even above Falcon. He's the youngest member of the Inner Ring ever, so the others will be picking his performance apart, looking for any reason to demote him. This is Dante's dream. He can't risk anything that might make him loose it, not even for us."
"How great can serving on a council with a whole bunch of old fogies be?" Erin huffed.
"To be a part of the Inner Ring means that you have reached the pinnacle of your abilities, you are the best our race has to offer. It is an honor that should not be underestimated. It's something that we all must strive for." Miranda's lips curved into a ghost of a smile. "I'm proud of him and you should be as well."
"I am proud of him." Erin groaned. "I just don't understand why he had to change so much. He's like an entirely different person."
"I know. I miss the old Dante too." Miranda sighed, her dark eyes became slightly duller and she pulled the hood of her cloak up over her hair. "For as long as I can remember, Dante has striven to be the best. He has studied the qualities of the members of the Inner Ring and has molded himself into what he believes is the ideal. I cannot blame him for changing. It helped him to achieve his goal, after all. Who are we to want to take that away from him?"
The pair was silent for the rest of their journey. As they entered the Ninth Ward, they entered a dilapidated house. The outside was run down. Garbage littered the front yard, the windows were busted and graffiti decorated every side of the house. The inside was in much the same condition. The floors were destroyed by water damage and there was evidence that perhaps some homeless people had camped out there recently. However, the three went through the house as if they hadn't seen anything amiss. In the back bedroom, the girls stood around Dante while he drew a dagger from his boot. Each in turn, he cut a shallow wound into their palms, first Miranda then Erin and himself. They let their dark blood drip onto the floorboards at their feet. As soon as it hit them, the floor began to tremble. Golden light poured through the many cracks in the floor. The light encircled them, forming a ring that glowed so brightly that they all shielded their eyes against its light. Each of them felt their backs burning, red hot, as if a torch were being set against their bare flesh. Yet, none of them cried out at the terrible pain. They had endured this torture time and time again.
With fire burning their skin, their eyes blinded and wings unfurled, they were released from the physical world and they entered a realm that most will never see, a world of shadows and light, of evil and good, their home, the Sanctuary of the Iron Fellowship, Brother's Hall.