Merlin Ragnarr (eBook)
350 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-7883-4 (ISBN)
I was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and right out of high school joined the Canadian Armed Forces. Holding dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, I proudly display two sets of dogtags. Former member of American Mensa. My adventurous spirit is evident in my long-time passion for motorcycling, having ridden my 1979 Harley Shovelhead since 1986. My professional background is diverse and includes experience as a Private Military Contractor, including a stint with the former Blackwater security company. I have also contributed to training U.S. Army soldiers in Heavy Tactical Vehicles, with notable service in Iraq and Afghanistan during 2008-2009. In addition to my military and security work, I am the inventor of the CRV Child's Riding Belt, created in 1986. This invention, aimed at aiding the rehabilitation of paraplegic children, earned me a nomination for an Honorary Ph.D. from the University of Alberta. Beyond my professional endeavors, I have a deep passion for fantasy and science fiction. This includes a love for the Harry Potter series, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, playing Dungeons & Dragons, participating in cosplay, and attending Comicon events.
Merlin Ragnarr, the half-god son of Thrud Thordottir, has already faced deception and danger, but nothing could prepare him for what's next. At seventeen, he hides his divine heritage while studying at the Sei rune School of Viking Sorcery. When his girlfriend and her twin fall victim to a vampire curse, orchestrated by the sinister vampire mage Deviljn the Darkmind, Merlin is driven by guilt into a perilous quest for a cure. His journey takes him from the lair of the dragon Valsorra the Vile to a deadly crossroads in Mississippi, where he faces Lucifer himself. As Merlin ventures through the Mirror Realm, he uncovers ancient secrets, fights a cursed necromancer, and lands in the middle of the 15th-century Scotland witch hunts. With a magical compass, the loyalty of unexpected allies, and his ever-faithful cockatoo Sidney, Merlin navigates a world where trust is fragile and betrayal can strike at any moment. But every victory comes with a cost, and Merlin soon learns that even ancient gods can't save everyone. A gripping continuation of the Merlin Ragnarr saga, Book Two delves deeper into a world of Viking magick, betrayal, and ancient power, where Merlin must confront his darkest fears to save those he loves before it's too late.
CHAPTER 1
Staring at a crack in one of the granite rocks that made up the infirmary’s north wall, Merlin Ragnarr sat on the edge of a hospital bed. Detecting the smell of alcohol, he tightened his jaw as the school healer swabbed the wound on his right shoulder. “I still can’t believe it,” Volva Hudson’s voice was shaky as she plucked a long shard of glass from the wound, raising her tweezers to the light. “The girls were like wild beasts.”
The vivid memory of the catfight made Merlin uneasy as the healer continued to speak. “That sweet girl pitched her sister across the room like a rag doll,” Volva Hudson’s trembling hand removed a second shard of glass, “may Freyja have mercy on their souls.”
The vision of Raven taking out tw0o medicine cabinets and a hospital bed, before abruptly colliding with the north wall, flooded Merlin’s mind with an image that left him momentarily stunned.
“What is it with you and vampires?” the healer inquired, breaking Merlin’s trance.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“If my memory serves me right,” Volva Hudson recalled, “you were in here on New Year’s Day with scars from a vampire scuffle.”
“Frost is... I mean was, my girlfriend, but she doesn’t remember us together now.”
Merlin gritted his teeth as the healer extracted the last deep-rooted sliver.
“Consider yourself fortunate,” the healer stated, applying a bandage over Merlin’s wound, “perhaps you should seek a girlfriend who doesn’t harbor a desire to drink your blood or beat you up.”
“I’ll certainly keep that in mind,” Merlin smiled, tugging on his tunic.
“Oh, and before I forget,” the healer placed her pincers and bloodied gauze on a severely bent medical table, “Magus Dragonborne requests your presence in his office.”
With a nod, Merlin rose to his feet, retrieving his cloak.
“Thank you, Volva,” he replied with a smile.
“You’re welcome, my boy.” The healer returned the smile as Merlin slipped on his cloak and left the infirmary.
Standing motionless in the main courtyard, Merlin took in a deep breath of the frigid polar air, gazing up at the massive rock face the forefathers used to chisel out Dragonborne Tower. Unexpectedly, a drove of students spilled out from the Spells and Potions classroom. Merlin forced a smile as he received a friendly shot in the shoulder from one of his rambunctious Thorhús teammates. Shaking out his stiff shoulder, Merlin arrived at the chieftain’s office, and with a brisk knock, received an invitation to enter.
“Furthermore,” Magus Grendel canted, “the Blackwell twins are far from undead, and very much alive.”
“Living vampires?” Lin Po assessed.
“Precisely,” Grendel answered, tapping his staff on the stone floor. “Their life force is strong, with Seiðr blood still pumping through their veins.”
Closing the door, Merlin interjected, “I thought Jörmungandr’s poison killed Raven.” “That is partly true,” Grendel admitted. “She had no heartbeat, but her sister Frost did— enough of a heartbeat to sustain them both.” Warily reaching for his mug, the blind mage continued, “As for the venom,” Grendel took a sip to clear his throat, “I am of the opinion that the wound was an incision, not a puncture. I don’t believe Jörmungandr got a full-on strike.” Raising the stem of his pipe to interject, Magus Dragonborne thought for a moment, then resolved to let the conversation continue.
“We know Dark Magick conceived the twins, and that the Curse of the Nosferatu is Black Magick,” the blind mage professed. “I believe the convergence of black and dark magic created a deadlock, so to speak. The laws of Dark Magick dictate that if Raven dies, so does her sister. The laws of Black Magick regarding vampirism dictate that once the host dies, the dead become undead,” Grendel raised his milky eyes to the ceiling. “It seems the mighty Cosmos severed the Gordian knot to satisfy both realms of Magick, giving the twins both life and vampirism.”
“Just like ‘The Fly’!” Merlin blurted out, as the room gave him a curious look.
“What does a fly have to do with vampires?” Magus Lin Po asked.
“It was an old, mundane movie,” Merlin explained, “about a scientist who transforms into a monster when a house fly joins him in his molecular transporter pod. During the test, the computer gets confused because it detects two species in the pod and combines the scientist’s atoms with those of the insect.”
“The mind of the mundane, fickle as it is fanatical,” Lin Po chuckled.
Merlin watched a small flame from a wooden match relight the chieftain’s pipe.
“Why don’t you use magick to light your pipe?”
“In all truth...” Magus Dragonborne pitched the extinguished match into the fireplace, “I find the mundane tradition to be quite fascinating.”
Magus Lin Po stepped forward and addressed the room. “I believe Merlin’s right, with the exception that the girls’ condition was created magically as opposed to scientifically. I believe the distance between the two girls was closed so fast by the rapid return of the Dragon ship that it forced the Cosmos to make a hasty decision.”
Magus Dragonborne exhaled a fragrant trail of cherry Cavendish and spoke. “The facts seem to follow the beliefs of many who study vampirism and the Clan of Dracul,” the chieftain stated. “However, in the writings of a few notable mundane researchers, they deem the existence of this vampire Vlad Dracula to be no more than a Romanian urban legend.”
“Religious rubbish!” Grendel pulled a small paper bag from the confines of his cloak. “The mundane are renowned for covering up any supernatural undertaking that does not coincide with their established doctrine.” The sightless soothsayer popped a cherry gummy bear into his toothless mouth with a gratifying grin. “Allow me to enlighten you all with regard to the socalled ‘Clan of Dracula’—and the mundane fools that denounce his existence.”
“Where mundane mythology shrouds the undeniable truth in a veil of deception and denial, the Runes of Freyja read true. Vlad Tepes III, also known as Vlad the Dracul, was in fact the first Nosferatu here on Miðgarð. It is believed he sold his soul to the fallen angel Satan to attain his vampire powers,” he concluded with a slurp.
Magus Dragonborne, with a heartfelt smile, commended his friend. “Your vast knowledge never fails to amaze me, Thomas.”
A cherished smile painted the blind mage’s face, as he relished the sound of his old friend addressing him by his long-forgotten first name. It had been an eternity since he had last heard those familiar syllables roll off anyone’s tongue.
“So, how do we cure the twins?” Merlin asked.
Grendel’s reply was sullenly straight to the point, “I’m afraid there—”
Magus Lin Po cut off his sightless colleague, “—are scrolls and tomes that need to be consulted! In the meantime, it is imperative we move forward in haste. We cannot leave the girls sedated in an endless sleep.”
The chieftain pulled the pipe from his lips, tapping the bowl against the palm of his hand. “As of right now, the Blackwell parents are oblivious to what has happened to their girls, but we will need to notify them.”
Merlin’s eyes dropped to the chieftain’s desk. “Crap.”
“My sentiments exactly,” the chieftain concurred.
Magus Lin Po approached the chieftain’s desk. “I believe it best to keep this among ourselves until we decide on a course of action.”
“Agreed,” Magus Dragonborne said, scratching his bearded chin with the pipe stem. “We will convene here first thing in the morning. As for you, Merlin, attend your regular classes, and speak of this to no one until we have more information.”
With salutations, Merlin and the Solons exited the office.
Departing Dragonborne Tower by way of the upper stairwell, Merlin stealthily crossed the rampart walkway to Völur Tower, avoiding the Solons and students heading for second class. Pulling Splinter from his wand pocket, Merlin hopped up on the south wall, challenging the brisk southwest wind that whipped his hair like a tattered flag.
The guilt of Frost and Raven imprisoned in a sleep deeper than death hung like a guillotine over Merlin’s thoughts. I just can’t sit around and do nothing! he avowed. There is only one person I know that possesses the knowledge of the ancients and the wisdom of the ages. Biting down on Splinter, Merlin tied back his unruly blonde mane, retrieved his wand, and dove off. From a thick blanket of fog that shrouded the lower berm, a crimson dragon emerged, heading due west. As if gravity didn’t exist, Merlin did a barrel roll between two cumulus clouds, opening his immense wingspan to catch a polar updraft that catapulted him above the cotton-white mantle.
A quick shiver down his spine turned his scarlet scales translucent as the invisible dragon blew past the mundane research station of Ross Sound. A short time later, Merlin circled the peak of Mount Terra Nova, his Draconic vision detecting a magically concealed entrance. Like a wellthrown football, Merlin tucked his wings and spiraled into the mouth of the cave, transmuting to a sliding stop on the lava rock floor. Shaking the permafrost from his cloak, Merlin pocketed his wand and proceeded into the grotto. The dragon vision lingered long...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 18.10.2024 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Kinder- / Jugendbuch |
| ISBN-13 | 979-8-3509-7883-4 / 9798350978834 |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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