Before: I’ve spent 2-4 days rifling thru Merlin files, converting to gdocs, noting and adding, pushing out and padding plotlines toward M4 and after spending half a day prepping the remaining source material, and another half conscious day plugging it into a rough draft of M3-Act_V, and choosing to reread M3, instead deciding to read it all.
After: Okay, two days later and I can’t believe I forgot so much, in some ways sorry it was written, or that you had to read thru typos and metaphors, or even the dark and adult temperature of it all, or where that had gone, but now I can do M2 for a few days. Not for nothing, I abbreviated some action and cleared some questions, and there are major spoilers ahead, but there’s a revisionist telling here for a single sitting, and something to catch us up on the logistics of M1 before the motions of M3-M4 continue. For now...
The quarantine version of:
Merlin: Gateways
M1.1 (~2007) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2008/11/merlin1.html
Merlin loudly wins a challenge, seemingly composed afterwards. I remember being post technical.
M1.2 (Jan 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/01/merlin-2.html
Alright, so this Troy is supposed to be his son, but I hadn’t decided on it yet, because he’s leaving home with Merlin. After jest, Merlin magics a fire, buries a stranger, opens the stars, and rests. He microwaves a chicken, and they’re off in jest. Until meeting a haymaker.
M1.3 Medusa (Jan 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/01/merlin-3-medusa.html
Upgrade: Titles. The haymaker describes the city, and a traveling education in magic. Wow, the guest is Troy...a marble stops robbers, Troy keeps it. The city has fictional animals, Merlin has business with a member of a society, Troy explores intently and learns about vampire mercenaries for the city. Netheros, vampire city, which I’d forgotten about to use again later. Part of a network of cities. The city wall is inside a larger city. Apparently, Troy is Merlin’s son at this point. The locals are suspicious. Queen Medusa looks like her portraits, after a political discussion they enter a map room, and a mapmaker named Marc.
M1.4 The Open Door World (Jan 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/01/merlin-4-open-door-world.html
Troy rests, Merlin looks at maps, vampires don’t have babies this is ridiculous. Medusa attempts to intrigue Troy. Still swapping past/present tense, still angry and capitalizing names, a special map is made. A little confused, if Merlin intends to see Ana, then Troy/Ana already met for a chronological error at least. Leaving a dry coastal castle, more marbles and eventually the map points to a prairie with a giant smashed clock the size of a hamlet. In the antechamber of the nine worlds, the younger trope, quantum leap. A guardian calls Merlin a Phoenician, and I don’t remember why, so don’t ask. A road between mounds, among other foreshadowing, it’s possibly telling that Troy wakes up at noon in broad daylight, and did the marbles change color?
M1.5 Fairgrove (Feb 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/02/merlin-5-fairgrove.html
Title from a paring knife. At mention of the cauldron a vague answer, a star falls from the sky and Troy finds a familiar egg. Missing posessive’s comma, and possibly shoes, he adopts the phoenix who loves pomegranates from a cartoon i watched in youth. Obsidian sphere FTW and a dirty joke later, in the year of the fish, raining on the city and dry white mud, the bird grows faster than I remembered. Skybeam! Stockyards and light against the rain for a city of giants.
M1.6 Empire (July 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/07/merlin-6-empire.html
Deluge withdraws, still using past-tense illusion, in sight of mountains a city glows. Merlin and Troy speak of cities and meet Ana. Was instead of were, yoshi pets, to Ana’s oceanside cafe. She’s introduced as Merlin’s sister, but that could be a lie. Merlin plays magic with a coin and speaks to city soldiers, the coin makes a picture of a palm tree and the wind picks up, consumer of smoke, mean to them for interrupting. The bird still eats coal, in coals, as Ana teaches Troy how to teach a bird. A magic bowstring doesn’t burn, temporarily it’s used to weld sand. They mention Mars the White Shadow as being the local magistrate, Neptune the lagoon creature appears, Ana covers/hides for the bird. Troy asks a patron about the mountain, and it’s implied that he’s related to dragons, which is news to me. The water creature dives at the shore and the patron, only to trade some precious stones with Ana, and eat a bucket of fish leftovers. The arctic tribe is ready for the southern tribe coming up the coast, but the city and the mountain are still making preparations. A southern scout ship opens fire on a flying creature, followed by red fog that shakes the lightning of a dark sky, but the southern raiders are here. Ana whisks Troy to a nearby forest. I don’t remember these being as long or why so much emphasis on Troy being young.
M1.7 The Mountain (November 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/11/merlin-7-mountain.html
Merlin walks slow, thinking, more than one sun, a thief takes the purse of ashes and it becomes an anvil on his hand, Merlin speaks with the boy’s kinsman about the Long Summer, pays the kid for amazement, dumping the sandbag they stand in the street, they talk. Merlin enters the castle main, a king and kids on pillows in the middle of the castle maze. Picture of four people and a swan, and a partially hidden aged stone painting. The skybeam is a magic circle around the king, a temple acting as a throne. Merlin and king Horus the Aramaic, one more friendly than the other, Merlin demystifies and a jester mistakes him for an intruder, but only runs into Merlin flatly, a conflict disapproved by the king, but applauded by the children. Merlin was weak enuf that magic came with physical cost. Merlin drinks a lot, hears about Pantograph, the northernmost city in the world, the border state of Vanir, and ancient fires on the mountain relit with the recurrence of wartime, and the ‘other shore’ even messaging the southern forces. They use a magic cauldron, something about feathers perhaps from the egg’s progenitor, and it gives them a vision - a dark cloud, a flying beast, and a skyship, grounding the creature near the City of Light. The cauldron mages zoom in on the crash, Horus wants its blood and talks about two fliers from the Malek clan who wanted open cattle trade b/c of overhunting, and naming the water the Amarna Sea. Horus intends on opening a Cipher’s Gate, and Merlin’s the only one who can get there in time. The same jester Thomas will go with him, Horus wants the jester Thomas to go to the Chimera Estate, but Thomas corrects him calling it the Dragon Castle. They suit up and hit the alchemist, a stranger passes them, the tent prepares to relocate as Merlin knocks Thomas out.
M1.8 Rise (November 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/11/merlin-8-rise.html
Cloudy, with an 8-sided die Merlin rolls 8 on a bear, then finds the crash site. Misty, finding a lot of unfortunate armor and weapons at the entrance, cliffside and peak. Merlin makes sangromancy from the dead hunter, in the path of fire or electricity he’s much higher up the mountain, and there stands Nick, wow thought this was later. So, he knows of Merlin? When it rains it pours in the high city of stone, Nick is interviewing Merlin as they walk thru the Ice Kingdom of the Light Bringers. Thru the mountain city to a sky temple. Merlin pins Nick and demands a backstory, overlooking the clouds, which he kinda gets in reference to Court of the Angelicas, of an ancient past flashback sold separately, but detailing the state of Roseroth, and Castle of Siena. Static in the air, Merlin chooses to have the guards leave Nick outside. Ethereal magic makes Merlin’s hidden tattoos begin to warm, whoops I accidentally called Nick-Thomas. Children ask Merlin if he’s here to help Aedan, Merlin is met by the Dragon King of the Chimera, taken to Aeden as his spouse Alexis watches and a doctor named Deacon. They heal the wounded flier, ready to take the blood Merlin has to implore King Draco, after discussing the poachers approach from the south Merlin wins consent. So weird, the vampires are born, but dragons are converted...and Alexis (Tocqueville?) seems to also be the first officer. Merlin asks questions about having children, but while implying Nick is his son, to buffer possible conflicts of interest. Nick talks to dragon children, then looks for Merlin. Why are these halls always dark? Eventually sitting in the king’s private quarters, eating his food. Still ignoring time constraints they talk instead of heading back down the mountain, the bread should be toast by now. Nick admits to being from our earth, they’re looking at the tops of clouds. Mureil is probably the dragon queen, and I called Nick-Thom again, or Thomas made it to mountaintop, okay it was to watch sunrise over heaven. Blatant confirmation, Merlin likes to drink, Nick likes to eat, perhaps making them human compared to vampiric and draconic traits. Uh-oh, the city of light is blinking, and the southern armada arriving, before surprising armada scouts, Nick rolls a 1 and the bear smoshes him, Merlin dropkicks and ends the bear, but wouldn’t it be nice if the bear gets up and thinks it was the scouts?
M1.9 The Blood Curtain (December 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/12/merlin-9-blood-curtain.html
Nick comes back to life and some of the blood they need is lost, and the scouts of the Red Army are near, he fights them covered in his own blood, they throw gunpowder into Nick’s eyes, and Merlin magically explodes it, putting one over the bluff. Merlin stops Nick from murder and scares-off the rest with a Darkstone, only to regret not stopping them. The city under attack, an ice-ship approaches, and Merlin sees Ana and Troy escaping. The lights fall and the fires rise, water-light mists and floats from the city center, a red guard approaches, but it’s Horus disguised. He orders Merlin to make the magic gate, he asks about Ana. There’s something special to Merlin about Horus’ dagger, but after a warning of Totem mercenaries and bugs, green fires fill the shadows of the city and the bug-men defeat the tower defenses of the inner castle. They have to get thru a Totem warrior, animal traits, this one insectoid to fill the menagerie, perhaps an avoidable timeline. As witches arrive, they fight into the city, action sequence, still calling Nick-Thomas or the jester is contributing. Nick is quick and pounces from a doorway, I would’ve liked to have him say ‘they always use the doorway’ or something...it takes a picture to open Cipher’s Gate, and they pick the oldest one. Two Totems try to stop them, they don’t, and Merlin realizes what the painting depicts, but we don’t. The king jumps in, but his dudes should probably go with, as the portal closes. One more baddie then the city rumbles, and the ice ships are being boarded, off the coast of a classical Greek city apparently. Shocker, the ice ships melt, as pirates board the wooden ships, and ice dragons emerge from the icy water and cause more damage, and the suns set. Merlin’s focus turns on the forest.
M1.10 Valley of Thorns (December 2009) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2009/12/merlin-10-valley-of-thorns.html
Nick sees Merlin is thinking, moonlight, silently walking, they find some cultists performing a sacrifice, and Merlin and Nick pretend to be summoned and after some magic, Nick rises from the dead and announces he’s going to eat them, Merlin glows except for tattoos, and they bolt, leaving the supper. A chilly morning, they walk casually with wolves on their own nearby trail circling a den of rodents, a dry forest floor, and a rocky valley opening from the forest. A new scene with signs of sacrifice, but nobody around in the small valley of roses. I remember this being rewritten for less horror. A cabin, a tunnel of roses and a pathway of rose petals, and a butcher. The butcher is painting the roses red, and calls them out. Merlin stops Nick, the butcher grabs a rosethorn whip and black magic. The butcher uses magic, but Merlin uses magic and Horus’ dagger, the thorny vine part of the butcher also used against him. Checking wounds Merlin finds the thorns are also seeds. Nick takes a jacket. Merlin’s wounds heal in the moonrise. They go to search the cabin, wow these chapters are long. I was on the wrong side, and I knew what we were doing was wrong, he seemed to say as they don’t let it go to waste. A wolf stares then leaves, I’m unsure if the wolf is the stranger in the alchemy tent. Wolves are happy the devil is dead, impatiently waiting for Merlin to leave them the body. Roses face and follow them thru the garden, the ferngully ends with rocky terrain, a trickling stream and small footpath, with Ana and Troy waving from the bottom, waiting for the phoenix to stop playing. A road into the distance splits at a city.
M1.11 The Shadow’s Edge (January 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/01/merlin-11-shadows-edge.html
Ana in water, exits and makes a toga from Vin’s cape, even tho we don’t know what happened to him and his pregnant wife. The phoenix can’t keep eating the fire’s coals, jumps into a pond with wildlife and something bubbles. Troy falls asleep. By morning the phoenix sleeps just above bogwater, and Vince and his wife are here, good for them. Vin is a dick and chucks something at the bird waking everyone up, Ana’s magic presents while she assumes the worst. False alarm, and the phoenix crawls across the swampwater to Troy. Sunrise glare makes the phoenix look white. It latches into the dirt and makes heat, Troy reaches for it, but everyone stops him. A fiery cleaning process, and Ana apparently isn’t hiding the phoenix from Terra and Vin like in the previous chapter. Ana trains the bird, coaxes it into making fire, and Vin drops firewood on the bird. He and the bird begin to argue and get more wood. They wonder where Merlin is, Troy chats up Ana, he asks about Merlin, and Terra doesn’t trust Troy, but the bird amuses her. Everyone passing the time in wait, they go thru Nick’s book, Ana’s pleased to learn it’s encoded. A wyvern pops out of the water, smaller than a pony, larger than a pure dragon, leaping at Troy, but the water droplets anger the phoenix, attacking and unable to glide it flies with it into the ground, half-sized fire opens the bite, twice-sized fire stuns it, and combat finishes it. Ah, because Merlin and Nick are that far up the difficult mountain. Nick’s feet roll in the gravel at sight of Ana.
M1.12 The Orphan Wraith (February 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/02/merlin-12-orphan-wraith.html
Nick stands, Merlin introduces him, she stands without the cape, and they introduce themselves, give Troy a bow from the butcher’s cabin, and Nick asks what happened with diverted focus. Merlin plans to part ways and has to tell Ana twice because of Nick. Merlin says Troy is also of Midgard. They went to Ilion, and Merlin with Nick to the Hall of the Mountain King, after parting with Troy, while Nick was distracted. Now, Merlin and Nick go north, the mountain ahead of them has one flat side, traveling thru the wolf moon. They find a young body, beneath a hawk and in a hoof crater, and with magic...and Nick’s exposition statement...a ghost stands wearing his former body. When he notices Merlin and Nick he asks about his assailants as if recent relevance, walking from the spot makes the wraith evil with distance, they ask it for direction, after staring at the mountains and closing its eyes tells them about the peak. The wraith’s movements reveal hallucination before feeling Merlin’s thirst to drink, the wraith apologizes for being thirsty, offers to join them, as Merlin and Nick decline, but then it begins raining and washes the magic away.The mountain defies size as they reach the mentioned base camp against the slant.
M1.13 Mont Blanc (March 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/03/merlin-13-mont-blanc.html
Weak title. Altitude and mining town, further up ice grass, stairs, binary moons, town fires below, electric lights above, halfway point, upright centrifugal windmills, where dark tunnels would be warmer, steps of ice, plenty of surveillance scouts, Merlin shows his wrist and a tattoo emerges matching the mountain peoples’, the air is too thin for Nick. He’s carried to the top as a long evening becomes clear night, indoors is a well lit Citadel of the Frozen Throne, a market or workshop, frosty as the locals pack meat of unknown origin, and as Nick freezes they don’t. Nick gets a winter coat by their standards, after entering palace doors they see writers, the king and queen look like they’re made of snow while wearing minimalist furs. Amused by his shivering, interrupted by a sentencing of a criminal, punished by the king’s staff electrocuting him into kneeling, then ordering 20 days lockup. Merlin calls the king’s heirs ‘the winter warmth’ as they reminisce, the lower gate of the south is closed for an isolated culture from cities drawing population, while the queen eyes Nick. Merlin warns of Horus’ having used Cipher Gate, the king intuits the painting as its substrate, and Nick entertains Sapphire Ice Wine and the queen on a tour for Merlin to talk to the king. She takes Nick to her bedroom, adds a potion to melt water, it dilutes and keeps her warm as she mentions the Dark Equinox, the drink makes him much warmer. They watch people with fires on ice, as giant spiders rise from it are met by soldiers as it begins snowing. She gives Nick an iron mug from a closet so he won’t break another mug of ice. Torchbearers rush the spiders, and fight them. Spiders are brought-in by hockey players, and a complacency spell, torches of raw electricity, lashes out as the queen oversees. Fires remain on the ice during sunset, locking in the spider for diamonds when Nick reaches for one he’s knocked-out. Meanwhile, the king drinks, takes Merlin to a seer who calls Merlin a praetorian, this might be adding the author to the story, sees Merlin’s hands, says something weird, falls asleep looking into a crystal ball, and when awoken mentions the Man of Black Smoke. Nick wakes among men asleep with welding goggles, and has to explain his accent and why he’s not dead for the first time. Merlin joins, the king kills a spider just in time, and they give Merlin the spider’s Eye Diamond, and presumably Nick and Merlin travel the longer side of the mountain toward the others.
M1.14 Vainglory (April 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/04/merlin-14-vainglory.html
Nope, still haven’t left, Merlin has some wine and Nick gets up while the king tries to not smile, Nick drops a bloody double axe and the spider is more dead, they drink/partake pieces of the other broken spider eye. The king carves a section of diamond-like armor from it, and drinks spider blood toasting to man. Nick checks his pockets and Merlin announces departure. The slope has a road like a snake leading down from the frozen lake in a dormant volcano. Merlin enchants a seer’s necklace and gives it to Nick, and a raven gets sick of following them. A wraith emerges with the mountain behind them,but is lost to the wind as they walk. Sunlight adds to the stream and evening freezes it over and they snowboard down the mountain or something. At the bottom they hear high Windsong, and enter the fields. A black animal stalks at night, causes an explosion, and in the distraction a vampire ends many and holds a religious person hostage, then dumps the gunpowders. This vampire is named John, he plants explosives around them, and walks from the explosion thru the cemetery. John in the city gets more explosives until it stops raining, and meets the Chimera Demon in public. Physical traits of many predators, a werewolf minion/enforcer with him by the name of Fenris, as the public gather for a pontiff's speech. He bans explosives, John slips into the clergymen once over and whispers something to the pontiff, as the Chimera drinks something green the pontiff turns green, and falls behind them leaving. Chimera questions John if the pontiff has a double, some rando gets scared-off, and now John is in trouble with the demon master. Chimera cuts John’s throat and eats an eye, damn, before hexing John to hell, damn. A tear in the wall becomes a hole to a venomous landscape, Fenris appears wolf-like as the border burns and Chimera orders Fenris to finish the assassination. Ok, back to Ana with the others staring at an intersection of town, at a shop counter/window with Merlin and Nick approaching in the distance, a thief steals from Ana and in a twist he’s got her at knifepoint, the shopkeep begs as Ana threatens, suddenly Ana gets hot and Nick saves the thief’s life by taking part of the electrical shock. Merlin orders funds surrendered for release and surrounded by them the thief does. The shopkeep happy and Nick in new armor, they enter pub The Fetter’s Ampoule disturbing a raven on the door, until evening. They debate the acceptance of magic, fat dudes enter, Merlin describes magic being from the gods and their war, then talks to the fat men. Outside, a thief threatens the Chimera and gets grasped, and Fenris updates his master of the midnight plan, and then fucks off into public. Chimera enters the bar, bankers can’t hit Merlin, Chimera (chameleon) magics a local out-of money and Merlin lets it happen. The next to try hitting Merlin brags and misses, it’s about to end Nick and they drag him to the alley as the Chimera laughs at the thrower’s tears and apologies. Nick reenters, Chimera wants Nick and waits, avoiding Merlin’s potential. Nick barely notices everyone getting drunk, goes to relieve himself, Chimera brushes Merlin then kidnaps Nick.
M1.15 Pandora’s Box (May 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/05/merlin-15-pandoras-box.html
Flashback...a princess named Pandora, Loki gives her the unopened Chest of All Souls, she opens it and goes mad, the king has the box magically resealed and buried under a new city. Presently...around a real-time map with Merlin looking for Nick’s necklace, to where it stops. Troy is told to wait it out. An abandoned stone fort in the swamp, Merlin and Ana get close while some servants help the Chimera into true form. Nick waits on stone as Merlin signals Ana, Fenris checks outside, clearing scrolls for a prophecy Chimera prepares to sacrifice Nick in circles resembling the real estate as four man-beasts attend. Nick might know what Chimera is attempting. Chimera and his symbols charge and the ceremony begins, as Troy peaks at the four and Chimera orchestrator. Fenris returns without trouble, is sacrificed for the ritual to unlock Pandora’s box, the pale king opens a second lock, the red bishop opens a third lock, the black knight opens a fourth lock, the golden rook opens a fifth lock, as smoke screams from the walls as the red warlock opens a sixth lock, the box summons a changing world as Nick threatens, they chant as Nick fears, and the box opens pouring aracana into the summoners, and Ana enters with fire. While they attack her Merlin drifts onto the scene, she uses Sun Flare and the Shield of Dawn to distract them as Merlin blasts and rescues Nick. Nick counts one foe missing. Merlin’s blast is turning the Chimera into a statue as they escape, a fiery circle and stones pummel the evil sanctuary, a spell turning all to stone and closing the box forces the Chimera to molt and painfully tear free from it.
M1.16 Eye of the Storm (May 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/05/merlin-16-eye-of-storm.html
A cloudy dawn, an empty cottage for a tired Nick and a phoenix too big to be inside of it, Merlin looks thru what he could grab and takes special notes. Troy is eager to learn magic. Ana lights a candle and encourages him. Troy strives to use magic as Merlin and Ana discuss him. The cottage books in the empty cottage comfort Merlin, as he advises the others to rest. An old Spellbook of Light on the shelf gives Merlin hope. At night the wind starts, it begs their attention. Merlin looks out, a tornado begins, Merlin dares Nick to fight a tornado with him, they run into the storm, and kick it’s ass.
M1.17 Smoke & Mirrors (May 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/05/merlin-17-smoke-and-mirrors.html
The ground is torn and Nick was tossed and Merlin was slightly blown, in the clearing a male and female both (and part of me wants them to be Vin and Terra turned into) vampires (from a missing chapter), seeing Merlin alive and assuming Nick is bloody dead, the two of them approach without noticing Merlin behind them, until unusual introduction. Nick gets up and stretches, they confess their storm-tested survivalist thirst assuming Merlin is a deity, but something spooks them and they literally disappear. Merlin and Nick brag one-upmanship, once returning the phoenix balks then rests with Nick before bending the roof and Troy scolds it. With a stone it leaves and glides our first noticing, with Merlin advising Troy to hide it when possible. He asks Troy to bring the phoenix close, Ana and Nick partner-up in watching, then Ana rests with Nick while Troy reads the Light manual. Merlin plans, as Nick pries him for their next move. Merlin tells Ana that the Light book unsettles him. Taking the book from Troy he shows her the cover, she knows what comes next and asks for Merlin’s words. The phoenix sleeps against a bushel of branches they take for fire thru the night, as he sleeps Troy’s skin smokes and wakes him in alarm, they struggle to find the source of smoke, Ana knows what Merlin isn’t eager to say. Merlin speaks, Ana gets the window as Merlin dismisses the incident. The Phoenix peaks into the room as they sleep, a sparrowhawk gets trounced by a murder of crows, and Merlin compares his plan to the bird’s. Nick prepares Troy’s first lesson with a choice of weapons, a few mistakes, in the distance Ana and Merlin discuss Troy’s magic. Nick tags Troy as Ana gives Nick a look, Troy asks Merlin what he’d whispered a hundred yards away to Merlin’s surprise, so he explains Troy’s magic. Nick stops the bleeding, Ana sees Nick with the scar, and Merlin challenges either Troy or Nick to spar and share words. Ana nudges Troy to challenge as Nick finishes the fight that Merlin wins without anger. Merlin has a torch and turns water and ash into a deceptive fog, where Ana praises the fire and Merlin praises water. It makes fog douse the torch, but they urge silence when they see a hunter, part of an eventual nomadic skavengers after the storm.
M1.18 Children of the Harvest Moon (June 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/06/merlin-18-children-of-harvest-moon.html
They go north to a sleepy town and sleep outside and see only old and young playing with dogs, the rocky countryside connects with rope bridges and caves with a disc over a bridge, the ropes make tones as the medium aged leap to the platform, they’re throwing fish ashore, while Merlin notices the rocky mountain community, a child fleeing something knocks Nick into the rapid water, as Merlin laffs the fishermen fail to catch Nick, the locals worry despite Merlin still laffing. They discuss the weather and wait for Nick, as Merlin reassures Ana he’ll return. Returning in a half-day Nick returns to the Nyssa peoples and astonished children. Nick offers a child blueberries and the kid possibly reads Nick’s mind, you be the judge, Nick asks for shoes and rests from the climb. Grey apple soup as a local royal asks Merlin for a favor, to slay the slaver in the mountain and Merlin agrees. The woman thanks him and holds her daughter, they eat a colorful fish with grey peoples.
M1.19 Suffer the Sky (June 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/06/merlin-19-suffer-sky.html
Ana convinces fighters to let Merlin enter the door with the words Door of the Dead on it alone, in the first tunnels bones and bodies and unattributed quotes, crude burial catacombs of mole people working in poor conditions, and promises them it’s almost over. The slaves fear light and the guards are blind but somehow mirror and mimic Merlin’s every move as he confronts them they approach and he ends one with a Firestone and demands to see their leader. They escort him lower, the slaver has veins of fire, and asks to be called Valence. Valence is gaunt except for giant arms as slaves worship him, and Merlin questions his sanity. His weapon is a mallet with a long handle, and defiant statement. Merlin flies to fight, but Valence burns and climbs the walls and laffs as Merlin gathers himself in a corridor, as Valence challenges and taunts him. Merlin swings around a corner with a sword and torch for only noise and embers, another challenge is met with profanity. Merlin throws an incendiary and looks for a better weapon, Valence approves of Merlin's tactics. Merlin uses tunnel-vision around a long curve, as Valence grows impatient. As he passes Merlin stabs him in the back and turns back, wasting a strike to the chest, Valence throws him over himself, and then pulls the blade out of his own back and turns to Merlin. Burning ashes into his eyes make them glow so Merlin runs over stone chips as Valence follows, calling Merlin a firefly. Chasing heavy stomps lead them outside to a plateau in a storm and Merlin turns to face, Valence exits the mountain, Valence in armor under storm rain and moonlight kneels and begs before rushing Merlin, Valence screaming strikes the ground he hits, letting Merlin exit with new friends. The queen's daughter hugs Merlin then tends to others.
M1.20 The Art of Dying (June 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/06/merlin-20-art-of-dying.html
Ooh a short one. An abandoned stone city cleaned by rain and nature, The Phoenician enters the quiet structures with red eyes, nature is the only sound here, wandering the forgotten city in the moonlight, a spirit animal of light presents itself, the situation presents itself that the Phoenician subsumes its power, with the daylight his powers change his perception of time in the ancient ruins, the dark electricity reveals a sphere of lightning he breaks to summon, someone from his past now happy to see him. A dream?
M1.21 Pyromania (June 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/06/merlin-21-pyromania.html
Swamp stones and silence brush against the Phoenix, Nick finds a phoenix feather that crumbles and Ana makes fire with it, they eat grapes and by morning Troy watches the bird fly until it quickly but quietly lands before him, another afternoon together mesmerised by nature as a spider crawls from the fire that only Phoenix notices too small for others as they sleep, Phoenix stares and when spider runs it steps and fans tail then pecks it dead, eating it changes color and rouses them. They return to sleep and the coals crawl from the earth a warrior of fire facing Phoenix, glow meets Nick’s dagger melting it as Merlin swings down at arm and Ana burns it only healing as the phoenix uses talons at its heart, the Fire Golem drags a protesting Nick. Nick being dragged stabs the demon and gets finished pausing to see Nick return and ends him again as Merlin slashes, one-on-one Merlin drifts from attacks and hides in shadow then takes a burn as the demon follows leaving burning handprint in a tree, as the demon makes a trail of fire Ana throws a wind of her wound as Bloodfire melting the demon’s ribs, Merlin cyclones the demon with its heat and Ana fills the cyclone air with fire melting into lava they interrogate it. Perhaps the demon is Anzu. Speaking in a dying language, they mourn its wasted waist-high throes. It might’ve reached for Merlin, but Troy strikes it down. Ana grants it fire, and Merlin grants it rain.
M1.22 The Vampire Queen (June 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/06/merlin-22-vampire-queen.html
A vampire queen rules the Council of Solace, a room of paintings and dark guards interrupted by a weakling messenger, she turns the hourglass and faces her throne as her apprentice speaks, but a second messenger enters named Hansel. The queen drifts to him and looms, and learns of a dispute between Atlantis and Caledonia. She lords over him as he grips his hat, she gives him wine to his relief and a stranger watches the interaction, perhaps a Knight of the Obsidian Order, who assumes the worst and she isn’t impressed. The stoic queen mixes black and red, and decrees one empty chest of each tribe given gold or she’ll reign them. The messenger serves her message to wait until she requests them. The scout leaves, she orders total death, and the knight concurs. She looks thru window at her henchmen. The vampire princess without reflection brushes hair beside her shadow with the queen spying, doting on her daughter, who debates what being human was, as she assures the princess there is no threat. The princess moves a chess piece forward, the queen moves the king piece then leaves the room. Before it rains, the queen’s family is now joined by her brother-prince and rulers of house Lemniscates, the queen exits and the princess with fewer guards is the center of attention, under the symbol of the Obsidian empire a lieutenant consoles the prince. One side of the room laffs, the other toasts. The prince raises a drink, and makes a toast that the king interrupts with a broader truth returning from wherever. The king walks on bootheels, bringing human slaves, the queen formally acknowledges. These slaves are possible recruits and one in a cage, which the queen approves-of. He honors the queen and she him while others sit still as he leaves, the pale-eyed princess entertaining as the prince adores her until the queen interviews the lieutenant. She asks him about the conquest. She tests his commitment to the cause. She drinks blood and instils fear to human hearts, and interrogates the prince. The prince shifts attention to his own ranks, as the queen rattles the groom. The bride and groom are happy, as is the queen. The lieutenant’s fighters are armored, he toasts to the occasion. It’s a coup as they steal the groom, the princess demands answers. The queen admits selling the princess daughter to the Obsidian king (of all vampires) and she protests. The groom fights unsuccessfully, as the queen mocks him. They maul him as he warns the princess to save herself. Avoiding a chosen unknown future the princess leaps thru the window, the queen disowns her there. The prince effortlessly only cares for entertainment.
M1.23 The Moonlit Mistress (July 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/merlin-23-moonlit-mistress.html
It’s dark as an open grave, beneath the night the vampire princes starts a new chapter of afterlife, picking a midnight flower another vampire suitor approaches, only to learn they are both undead, and with some hesitation they hit it off and share a makeshift resting place. Blond & Brunette, they sleep as only two vampires can.
M1.24 Apostasy (July 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/merlin-24-apostasy.html
In grain farmland where tiny flowers grow two suns cradle the horizon until dusk, a world where the Chimera has long attacked peace, the three monks from an earlier chapter do their ritualistic chores,the Chimera knocks them out one by one, dragging the three to worse fate as one opens eyes, he begs his brothers to wake and witness. He hears them and stares them down, to warn them to relax. When two wake he offers dinner to two of them. He reads their holy book giving them time to long for freedom and listen to his lies, he quotes their book with scary words. One screams to forest eyes and Chimera intimidates him, they deconstruct what the other disbelieves. He starts fire and sharpens an old blade on new coals as the forest vampires Blond & Brunette watch, captor and captive negotiate for the benefit of doubt. Unable to escape Chimera and his recent wounds sees one of the vampires and questions two ill fates, having heard the cries the vampires spy at the heavy demon. They watch concerning his size and speed, the survivors bargain with promises. They challenge Chimera, he declines with an insult. He points to their friend, the vampires distract and hold Chimera at knifepoint, ordering him to take a hike and leave the humans. He needs their marrow and sweeps taking a knife to the vampire girl who poorly fights, he realizes they are vampires. Her suitor reattacks, and he taunts him for it. Chimera stares into the forest and offers the humans for their vampiric blood. Waiting for an answer, he offers them his wine. As Chimera pours the vampire cuts himself, Chimera grabs him by the arm to force out the thick vampire blood, the demon cuts his arm and feeds her then him and tells them to hurry. They enjoy it as the monks whisper, Chimera intimidates them. Drinking vampires glow and then float intoxicated, Chimera takes what he needs and excuses his own actions. Chimera leaves on black horse, the vampires are content. The vampires realize the humans are there, but release them without hunger. One is freed and freed the other, the other one attacks the vampires. He swings the torch his final time, the vampire princess releases his honest friend.
M1.25 Shadows Fall (July 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/merlin-25-shadows-fall.html
Autumn moonlight owls give way to morning ravens, glass spheres and burning horizons as constant vision, the surviving monk isn’t sleeping well seeing demons in the darknesses.
M1.26 Disconnected (July 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/merlin-26-disconnected.html
A vicar’s barn-house office of dust and footsteps an author ages, an aging home and older books where something is missing, his box of distractions taken to a desk of empty vials except for one he mixes for himself and the full moon, the Chimera dismounts outside the home, a quiet march up weak steps toward hints of blood where the demon tastes the glass only to spit it out, and gives the vicar an alternate ending. The vicar’s ancient language and Oroborus symbols fade at midnight beneath the demon’s blade, and cuts his voice to prevent incantation, and mixing all available bloods the chimera makes a new potion to painfully heal his wounds.
M1.27 A Light in a Darkened World (July 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/merlin-27-light-in-darkened-world.html
The air has cooled and Merlin travels again with his family, Troy is tanner, the phoenix is almost big enuf to ride, and Nick and Anna hold hands and discuss having pets, she smiles at him and this pleases him, ready to rest they need evening shelter and follow the road to an old barn-house, something watches them as the stovepipe smokes and the windows flash bright enuf to blind, Merlin leads them into the house to inspect, it smells of the vicar and the forest, Merlin calls Nick. Nick checks it out and Merlin pushes ahead over creaky floors thru shadows while Ana and Troy check the first area, of which Merlin and Nick assume the worst. Merlin and Nick check upstairs as Nick looks over papers Merlin finds the quitter, Ana checks the perimeter and calls it safe. Ana enters the building with Troy and phoenix outside, a book with the Ouroboros symbol intrigues Ana, the smell of blood attracts the vampire lovers, and Merlin recognizes the book in Ana’s hands and chooses to stay for the night. Merlin analyzes the vicar’s things and doesn’t notice the vampire princes in the windowsill, and when he notices her standing where the blood should’ve sprayed she’s staring and the blood on the floor, she mentions it was the vicar’s tarot fate. Merlin reexamines the tarots on the desk, and asks her why she killed the vicar, only to be unsure of her answer. The two vampires stare in wait, his disgust meets their shared inquiry for the earlier flash. They let Merlin search the desk until disgust, one last question checking their awareness and excuses himself. Merlin leaves with the artifacts of the vicar, the vampire princess announces her delay to join. The male vampire is wearing vicars’ clothes and closes the door with her over the pool as Merlin leaves, Anna reads the Ouroborus book, explaining the book describing a haunted unlocked house. Troy forces the phoenix to stay outside, but then the phoenix prevents him from going inside until he sneaks into a window, Ana understands the vicar’s book, but not it’s meaning and shows it to Merlin. She breaks focus to give him the book, Merlin explains the spellcraft involved and his encounter with the vampires upstairs. They share drinks and light candles, eventually asking if him mentioning vampires was a sly joke. The vampire princess stands atop the stairs, explaining her need to walk with Merlin and the others instead of the cold swamp. Her boyfriend sits against the window, Merlin agrees to temporary allies. They start a fire and describe their royal pasts as Ana teaches Nick the old language and learning the stories, despite Merlin examining a diamond and distrusting the vampires. Outside Chimera waits for them to leave, careful black magic to hide from the phoenix, he sees Merlin and gets furious, the wind brings the night closer and they show their vampire abilities like magic tricks. They show how they can glide, but begin to stagger, the vicar’s drink pollutes them, the Chimera hexes their toxins worse thru tears of blood, as runes begin magic Merlin’s diamond spins, and helps the vampires going thru fever and visions of sunfire, the diamond spins until it breaks.
M1.28 The Subtle Arts of Murder and Persuasion (July 2010) https://mjbanks.blogspot.com/2010/07/merlin-28-subtle-arts-of-murder-and.html
Bright light from the explosion as Merlin takes a knee and shields, unable to dream heal vampires and forced to fight, Ana’s fire magic turns threat to smoke, the phoenix protects Troy, Nick revives from suffocation. Chimera stands in the yard and Merlin rushes him, Nick throws a dagger into its chest and Ana sets it on fire, Chimera tosses her and pulls it out, Chimera crushes a rune in hand and heals from moonlight. The demon kicks and sends Ana flying from ground to distance, Troy shoots and misses and Merlin shouts, a second arrow draws Chimera’s attention, which causes the phoenix to take Troy far away, giving Nick time to attack expertly. Merlin and Ana team-up, Nick regenerates and three attack together, between Nick and Merlin, Ana stabs Chimera in the back. The healing effort supports winning, Nick attacks and is thrown at her, Ana puts a fiery dagger in Chimera’s back, it screams. Ana turns air into fiery rain with burning eyes, the backdraft tosses the weighty demon screaming thru debris. Reaching for runes Merlin severs the demon’s hand, it pleads with time. Nick moves to cut the other, but an arrow from on high strikes palm releasing tar, it is dusk now and Merlin calls for pause. Nick prepares a deathblow, but is halted by the cries of crawling sickly vampires.
