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  Gods of Merlin

  Priya Ardis

  Gods of Merlin. Copyright © 2019 Priyanka Ardis. Cover illustrations and design by RW, MaeIDesign. Author picture by Mark Jordan Photo.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the author's express written permission. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without permission is prohibited.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real people or real locations are used fictitiously. Any references to historical events are used fictitiously. Characters, names, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual incidents or persons is coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Published by: Vulcan Ink Media, LLC

  http://www.vulcaninkmedia.com/

  Visit the author website: http://www.priyaardis.com/

  ISBN-13: 978-1-952767-01-3

  E-BOOK ISBN-13: 978-1-9517670–06

  First Edition, November 2019

  Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / Arthurian

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank my family and friends for the care and feeding of this writer. As always it takes a village to make a great book!

  Thank you to my wonderful critique group—for taking any cruddy chapter and making it shine! I am very lucky.

  Thank you to my local writing groups. Without all the support and workshops you provide, I would have given up long ago!

  Thank you to my wonder editors and cover designer. You make the hard stuff look easy!

  Finally, thank you, dear loyal readers. This book would not have been written if not for your feedback, reviews, and enthusiasm.

  Keeping head above water.

  Gods of Merlin

  Gods of Merlin, 1

  PRIYA ARDIS

  Vulcan Ink

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Total Tremor

  2. Acton-Concord High School

  3. Golden Eyes

  4. The Letter

  5. Shadow Dragon

  6. Glastonbury, England

  7. Avalon Preparatory Academy

  8. The Trial of the Lake

  9. BATTLE OF AD DECIMUM

  10. Ryan DuLac

  11. Lunch at the Round Table

  12. Dragon’s Eye

  13. Kiss of Merlin

  14. Gwenhwyfar

  15. Attack

  16. Bait

  17. A Wild Ride

  18. Good, Bad, Ugly

  19. She Must Die

  20. A Strong Connection

  21. The Future King

  22. Destiny Awaits

  23. Safe House

  24. The Lady Wore White

  25. Ballroom at the Palace

  26. The Vault

  27. Sword and the Stone

  28. Wizard on a White Horse

  29. Blood Moon

  30. Kings and Gargoyles

  31. The Rightful Heir

  32. My Name Is

  33. Quest

  Author’s Note

  Sneak Peek! Kings Of Merlin, Gods of Merlin, Book 2

  Kings of Merlin

  My Boyfriend Merlin, Book 1

  My Boyfriend Merlin

  My Merlin Awakening, Book 2

  Ever My Merlin, Book 3

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Eowlyn - Three Years Ago

  My eyes snapped open. Cold hit my skin. Everything shook. I shook. I wrapped my hands around myself, but my teeth continued their loud chatter.

  The room looked normal. Except for the bed. Blood splattered white-flower sheets. The boy, young with a smooth face, lay sprawled like a sacrifice to an ancient god. Sharp knife wounds drew jagged bloody lines across his chest. He’d been gutted.

  The knife, heavy in my hand, dropped to the bed.

  I tried to focus on the boy’s face. He looked peaceful, kinder in death than in life.

  An older woman burst into the room. She let out an ear-piercing scream.

  My foster mother. I blinked. Unable to answer her.

  She stomped to the bed. “What have you done to my son?”

  I pulled my torn shirt closed, trying to hide the scratches on my chest.

  She screamed, “Get out. Get out. Get out.”

  Merlin - 521 A.D.

  I twisted and turned the cube toy. Its mismatched square tiles wanted to be aligned. The colors all had to match on each one of the six cube faces. As I worked the puzzle, my tongue went to the side of my mouth.

  The swish and whirl of the Lady’s toga distracted me. Outside stormy skies matched her mood as she paced in front of the hut’s window. Finally, she stopped in front of her son who stood to the side of the window. “Where has he taken the girl?”

  Her son also wore a toga. He’d tied it at the shoulder, and a pin of silver shaped like a bolt of lightning held the white cloth together. The tall man scratched a brown beard. He didn’t seem angry, but he was too big. He towered over the Lady. If he thundered and raged, I didn’t want to be around.

  “My father told my brother to deliver her close to the time of the event,” the son said. “We don’t know where or when exactly.”

  The Lady marched back to the window and put her forehead against the windowpane. “Poseidon will be coming to take Vivane.”

  The son walked to the Lady and put his hand on her back. “You must let him take the older one. My brother cannot know any different. He cannot suspect we know about the girl. It will put our informant at risk.”

  The Lady slammed a fist on the pane. It shattered in a loud explosion. The glass blew everywhere, but the shards arched over the Lady and her son as if they stood inside an invisible bubble, sparing them completely. She whispered loudly, “I will not give your father another child to destroy!”

  “Father has decreed the older boy must learn control. So it shall be.” The son’s hand fell away. “You will have to trust Poseidon. He does not want to pick sides. You will have to hope that stays true.”

  The Lady thrust out her hands in an agitated gesture. “If he doesn’t want to pick sides, then why agree to take this girl?”

  Not liking the anger in her voice, I stood and began walking toward her. She needed me.

  The son hooked his thumb and pointed outside. “You interfered first when you meddled with their births.”

  The window showed my brother at a distance playing on a rolling green hill. Vivane held a wooden sword and pretend-attacked our horse. The horse snorted and laughed. Our horse was the strongest in the village. The horse had come to Vivane as a foal, and my brother adored him like no other. Probably more than me. He had a way with animals. But he got angry very quickly. Usually at me. I ran toward the Lady.

  The Lady turned sharply. Her hand shot out. “Merlin. Stop.”

  Immediately, I halted in place. My body floated up and my feet dangled in the air. Glass crunched under her bare feet as she strode over the shards. Reaching me, she scooped me up in her arms. “You will get cut, dear.”

  The son waved his hand and glass shards flew up into the air. As if going back in time, the shards reset into their original place to reform the window. The son closed his fist and the shards fused together once more. The windo
wpane fixed itself completely. The son gazed down at me. His eyes glowed with golden fire. “They are so fragile. Why did you have them in the first place?”

  “I’m a mother. It’s what I do.” The Lady smoothed her hand over my hair. “You underestimate him. He is the key.”

  “Part of the key. It will take three.”

  “Yet your father has added a fourth element.” The Lady walked to window. Outside, day turned to night and a few stars shined faintly in the fading light. “It means something happened in the future we don’t know about.”

  The son snorted. “There’s only one thing that would upset him—he lost.”

  “Yes, you are right. He must have suffered a defeat.” The Lady smiled down at me. “My boy did his work.”

  “He hates losing,” the son said. “Still I would not have thought him capable of breaking his own rules.”

  The Lady tucked my head under her chin. “Your father can be stubborn. Managing time is what he does.”

  “Manipulating time, more like it,” the son murmured. “The cosmos will not change for him. What can he hope to alter?”

  “He took the girl to rebalance the scales. Even if my little ones managed to save the world once, I’m afraid it will not matter. If his arrogance lost him a fight, this time he’ll be all the more ruthless.”

  The son bowed his head. “You are my general. What do you command?”

  “Watch the girl. We cannot interfere—that would trigger outright war—but your father cannot be allowed to have his way.”

  “He will have a plan.” The son nodded. “Are you ready?”

  “I am working on it.” The Lady patted my head. “Meanwhile I will visit my other children and remind them of their hearts.”

  “They are afraid. Our father is too powerful. Why do you think Hades goes to the old man’s side every time he says jump?”

  The Lady put a hand on her son’s bare shoulder. “They believe in the cause. They know your father is wrong. They just need our strength to lead.”

  “We will lead. By force if necessary,” the son replied darkly. He put his head against hers briefly. “Be careful. Do not confront him without us.” Whirling around, he marched out of the hut.

  When the door closed, the Lady’s shoulders drooped. “I miss him already. I suppose that is the fate of all mothers. We are the protectors of our creations.”

  Wanting to see her smile, I held up the cube.

  She laughed and set me down. She kneeled next to me, touching her head to mine even though I was standing. The Lady took the cube and turned it around in her hand. “This was to amuse you for days. I should have known you’d solve it in a few minutes.” She tickled my belly. “The great and powerful Rubik’s Cube cannot defeat my dear little Merlin.”

  I giggled.

  She looked at me with fierce determination. “We won’t let him defeat us either.”

  1

  Total Tremor

  They say everyone remembers the day when…the colossal something or other happens. The world seems to stop, and in that moment, we become one. On just such a day, beyond the city limits of Boston, in the small town of Concord, next to Minuteman Park and the first battle of the American Revolution, I got caught by the security guard at the local mall.

  “Owwwl-lynne,” the guard slowly pronounced. “That’s your name?”

  I folded my arms in front of myself and puffed out my chest. “Eowlyn. A-O-Lin.”

  The guard couldn’t see me tremble inside. If I got in trouble one more time, I’d go back to the halfway house and I didn’t want to go there. Sleeping with one hand on a butter knife was not as glamorous as it sounded. I smiled prettily at him. “I didn’t take anything.”

  The guard snorted. He opened a paper shopping bag and pulled out a blue ballgown. He smiled with yellow teeth and shook the cascading fabric in my face. “You didn’t take anything because I caught you. You had a dress stuffed down your pants.”

  My head hung in what I hoped looked like contrition. “I was just going to try it on. I wanted to keep my hands free.”

  “Right.” He grabbed my cuffed hands and pulled me off the wall I’d backed up against. A little shove pushed me down the long hallway at the back of the mall. “You can call your parents from the security office while I call the cops.”

  “I don’t have parents,” I blurted out. My shoulders drooping, I cursed myself for the mistake. Rule number one of a foster kid was to never reveal anything more than absolutely necessary. Stopping in the middle of the wide white corridor, I faced him. “I haven’t done anything.”

  His gaze raked up skinny jeans, a loose T-shirt and jagged black hair with three ear piercings. Shaking his head, he said, “You even look like trouble. Let’s go.”

  I gnashed my teeth and shook my bound hands in front of myself. “Take these cuffs off me.”

  “So you can run? Don’t think so.” His hand came up to shove me again.

  I moved to avoid it, but this time my front brushed against his arm.

  The guard pulled back. He panted to catch his breath and eyed my shirt. “Not so skinny under there, are you?”

  I couldn’t avoid a grimace. “None of your business.”

  His small eyes narrowed. “Think you’re too good?”

  I stilled, suddenly very aware I was alone in the long corridor with a stranger. We were behind the shops in a back tunnel used by employees. No one was in sight. An open door a little farther down opened to the inside of the mall. I could hear people talking, but I couldn’t see them.

  The guard tilted what must have been a once handsome face, before too many years with too many beers, at a door in the hallway with the word “Supplies” stenciled on it. His lips curved into a leer. “You want out of those cuffs? We’ll go in there and you can persuade me a little.”

  Breath harsh with garlic and cheese blew in my face. Ugh. I should have called for help. Instead, I squared my shoulders. “No.”

  “Just a little peek-a-boo. No one got in trouble for that.” With a leer, he dropped the bag with the dress and reached out to tug at the sleeve of my shirt. A finger rubbed the skin underneath.

  My skin crawled, but shock and anger left me in a frozen state. I backed up only to hit the wall again.

  Stepping closer, he leaned forward. His chest brushed mine. “Well, girl, what will it be?”

  Against the wall, my cuffed hands curled into fists. Never—

  The entire hallway shook. Lights flickered in and out, like the apocalypse. The wall threw me off and I narrowly avoided landing anywhere close to the security guard. I took a few steps and stumbled as the building shook again.

  The guard grabbed my arm. His smile reeking as much as his breath, he said, “Earthquake. Best get into the closet.”

  Run. I glanced at the open door. Or call for help. But with my hands tied together, I still wore the guilty badge. No one will believe you. The building shook again but with a smaller tremor. I spotted the handcuff keys swinging from the guard’s belt. The strong ate the weak, but sometimes the weak had poison. Instead of making a break for it, I leaned into the guard.

  He gasped in surprise when my chest pressed into his.

  I said throatily, “I don’t like earthquakes. They give me the shakes inside.”

  The guard stuttered. “I-I can protect you.”

  “Would you?” My fingers found the keys and the hook to detach them from his belt. I pressed closer. As he gasped again, a quick flip on the metal hook and the keys came out.

  I stepped backwards.

  The guard caught my arms. The keys shook in my fingers. He said angrily, “Think you’re clever, do you?”

  Boom. The walls shook. Electricity blinked out again.

  The guard gripped me tightly. “You’re not getting away.”

  The lights flickered.

  “You’re not getting anything.” I brought my hands up and slammed it hard into his face. He staggered back. My knee jerked up and slammed his head down against bone
. As he doubled over, I stepped back and grabbed his head. I slammed him against against the wall. His bulbous nose splatted against concrete. I caught him by the neck. Hungry to strike again.

  The guard made a scared mewling sound.

  My hold slackened, but my hands hovered on the brink of delivering another painful blow.

  The guard fell to his knees. Blood streaming from his nose, he begged, “Please, stop.”

  His words penetrating my haze, I let go of him.

  He gasped, “What are you?”

  My core shook but along with fear ran a coldness. There was only one thing to do—I bent down to the guard and grabbed the bag with the dress. I told him, “I don’t know.”

  Lights blinked in and out again in a zombie-horror-movie manner, but I didn’t care. I got up and walked off. A few steps down the hall, I began running. I sprinted out of the back tunnel. Handcuff keys in hand.

  Along safe anonymous walkways at the heart of the mall, only a few people roamed. It was a weekday. I shouldn’t even have been at the mall but at the last minute my older foster sister declared she needed a dress for a college gala. Dresses weren’t exactly in the budget at the Gladwell household, so I’d decided to procure one for her.