Merlin 3x66, Jejune Eyes

Over the next few days there will be posts made as legacy ideas that if need be answer impossible questions for generations, my need to write replaced by commands and letters for vitals renewed and new stories interrupted by newer, my infatuation makes vacation urgent save itinerant plans, this being the M3 public of a trilogy that makes NO sense anymore that it was essentially 'recast', here's M from yesterday, reminding me the sorting from the 2020 that never ends picrel. 

? Merlin 3x66 Jejune Eyes

A beckoning thrall of wandering eyes, the writing on the walls of centuries antiquated chiseling permanentized long lost forgotten by the mists and winters screaming into the darkness of the caverns wintry waters and countless counting dirty hands feeling the warnings to a future perhaps undone without warning in the pale candle expeditions and violent torch inquisitions to more quickly paint red these tunnel walls now uneven and aged as natural stone in such two worlds as Sino. 

His eyes jump and scatter to read the page as if counting the snowflakes of March, his hand waving struggling to control his dagger, his fingers unspoken with pulled sinews like poisoned refuse in his blood to curl and fighting to unfurl counting the candles in the room. With septic flesh a binding fist opens struggling to reveal hold of peace and taking his dagger cuts the bindings of his writhly grasp, the blood falls as his fingers dance, the blood drips onto the side of the page of the book as his breath slows like patient steel in deep focus on the words of a single page, the sway of time pulling him to many ideas also a sway subtle and anchored by his blade deep into the page revealing the secrets of distant memories from worlds in a flickering shadow, now crying tears of blood and soot. 

Sino: Take my oath from me! I have made my last promise!

Merlin: Sino, it’s over. 

Sino’s red tears fall below his thought of planets, joined by a revelation and a smile of joy intense sincerely. 

Sino: New beginnings, old friend. The end tells me the cycle, to teach and learn the true beginning. 

Merlin: The light is dark, I drink from the desert. 

Sino: Yes! You understand! Come, friend! 

Merlin: Well, tell them I’m here. 

Sino: … screaming whispers… silent echoes… wait! …no no no, THEY?? YOU?? YOU ABANDON, BUT I REMEMBER WHAT I WILL DO!

Merlin sees the ghostly and dim shape of Lucy, he takes two steps to the side, then runs for the closest exit, 

Lucy shoots an arrow that scrapes Merlin’s neck as his invisibility ends, throwing a knife at the doorway meant to hit Merlin had he not escaped, and truly hasn’t. Merlin jumps right back out of the doorway and raises a dark magic, the candles glow swallowing the air and lower as quickly consuming their breaths before they can take them. 

Merlin pummels the valkyrie Lucy, jamming a dagger into his shoulder, dancing around a bit and skewering the wing missing the shoulder, a scream of teeth and anger as the wounded creature stomps to the fireplace and grabs a burning club, setting fire to its own wing and moving air to stop the flames from spreading in already thin air of magic and mountain, then burns the arm wound shut without a sound, only to scream at Merlin again with terror and spite, without a step eyes staring at each other thunder sounds a cracking sky unmistakably for rain, scorn and ridicule in valkyrian language as Lucy runs into the closest exit. 

Merlin lets nothing happen preparing to find Sino, he is gone, the book is gone, the blade is gone, whereof Merlin decides to follow the trail of blood; toward the sound of a hundred running feet. 

/br

The book of forgotten souls, like banshees trapped in lands now on maps of its pages, like drunken bards telling stories, speaking their wishes at best in riddles the imaginations of the book itself is worth a warning of wroth, and loth, and ire, for those that read it may also become its guest, as Sino runs with it, the spine broken and mended too many times,  carrying it upside down the pages cut into his better hand with the knife grasped in blood for him to count and cut men down one by one as he gasps for air with each running heel, but it is Merlin who traces what he saw on Sino’s face, a sympathy for the devil without time to spare in hopes in their measure of time that slow and steady wins the race against it...

/br

Merlin finds Sino at a light in the darkness, holding his bloody dagger against his temple, rubbing away a headache that he’s making, convincing himself the ruin of intention can be shared the same as planned. 

<

S: Look at yourself and what do you have? 

M: What do you want?

S: What do you see with your reflection? Symbols for ideas, ideas for symbols? 

M: You're not using the Sorrowbook!

S: I already have!

>

Merlin: I’m here for you now, Sino. 

Sino: /This is getting easier by the second/

Troy stands behind Sino, he walks two steps, a blink before the third and Sino is gone, vanished, disappeared into the confusion of chaos of calamity. Troy is half the distance and drawing his back foot to stand. 

<

Troy with a face tired with dark circles under eyes gray like wet ashes, and from the corner of his left eye crying a long streak of blood, with each breath a step closer. 

>

//*find, insert Troy vs Merlin. 

/br

One, Miscontinues

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.

Merlin 3:60 Jaded

M.3.60:Jaded

Heavy wind blocks light and carries dark rain, a vampire who desires to taste the knowledge of werewolf blood’s scent in air finding fire and the dead enter the room. Sino wraps his arm around the first’s chest and punches its back, the blades on his glove sever spinal neck.

Vampire 2 (Rufus): You shouldn’t have done that.
Sino: Tell me why as I spool your forked tongue.

The dead one rises.

Vampire 1 (Aetius): Because now it’s your turn.

Sino tears a sautoir locket from his neck and glows from his hand, a jade light from the jade stone given to him by Belladonna, the vampires begin to cringe and curl as their dead hearts begin coursing ages of infectious blood thru veins craving only that of mortal sacrifice, tirelessness becomes tithe to warlock.

Sino: Playtime is over, time to die.

A painted vision of punishment and pallid expression on canvas of disparate stare with rage of concept, black veins in eyes and clenching form, fighting to stand against deepest imagined pain in curse and chaos, glom of darkness within the loss of control.

The rain begins terrible sounds as each drop against the earth violently tears against the air without a sound to the hexer. Because of his own rage, Sino cannot notice that his aggression is being watched by Ana from careful distance. At the corner of her eye she sees the consortium of mages and pack of wolves separately decide next tasks, having already helped the aviators with their problem of lingering evil, but also sees Kylesa-Mara relieved to see Sino thru framework flames of burning building survive the attack.

Hereto Sino notices Ana by peripheral vision as the hexed vampires collapse shattered and exhausted, and in this dark awakening he understands he has been seen and leaps disappearing into fire, knowing this, Mara distracts Troy for Sino’s sake.

Mara: What is happening? My heart, it burns, there is a burning in my lungs, I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe!

Troy attends to her and Sino flanks Ana in speed and silence, taking her before she can signal anyone. The disgust and indignation expression, as Ana begins to flame from hair and hands, results with Sino smashing her head into a wall.

Sino: Firefly.

But for the face of fear, he enjoys catching, binding, and lifting her into a wagon hurriedly that he might escape by horse all the sooner.

The interminable ardor of war restricts the perceivable, and unknown is spectacle and context of rain has burning buildings rumbling, splendor and circumstance of people in commotion, the noises of confusion and dour itself. Merlin, seeing Lilith, stares rakish with maudlin.

M359: The Serpent Servant

M359: The Serpent Servant

Kylesa hurries herself into a building and urges the scared languescents to exit while there is vacant opportunity to flee and before the undead swarm them, they languidly leave their confines following to sudden swarm and are overcome. Sino watches Troy use his surroundings in leverage and springs from impossible distance swift and flighty, comparative to fain glory and realization commemorate, he sees Troy’s magic and gives himself into thought.

A powerless rise for any mischievant, doted by the soulless wanderers staring on Lilith in her glory, wandering malaisant extático and like them hoping the next hexed she seeks presents itself to its execution.

The phoenix begins to nest as saturnine in slumber while the bodies continue mounting consumed by walking into scoria and becoming ashes. In arginine ash it cools and continues to tire, the roaming shells of lives fuel an onset regeneration dilemmatic, Merlin shouts to Troy thereto the leaping rider startles phoenix into motion and thereof depart leaving Merlin at a defenseless start against urgent horde.

Several lengths of distance separated, Merlin enters the street facing Sino, as buildings burn do others cinder by the waves, of twilight approaching do walls buckle as embers rumble do crematories crumble, by a tufted billow of black smoke Sino disappears. In a ginnel passage, Sino finds two things, an exit and Ophiuchus drinking blood with a gaze and from a neck that are broken, silently standing drops the body and approaches him.

Oph: Nothing has changed, master Sino.

Sino pushes his hand to his chest and him to the wall.

Sino: Remember that.

Oph shakes him loose and walks onto the chaos. Sino places his hand on a corner beam of a building and closes his eyes, he lifts his hand and departs a glowing handprint, steadily the glow becomes a fire. r

The rain keeps the fire from leaping to and between rooftops, but there is a subtle resonance to the embers of remaining fires. Dour muddied vampires find Mara in the street, watching her walk backwards from the onslaught of infected, ignorant to her guise they pause as she flees.

Werewolves rush toward the vampires only to search thru the bodies and fell the infected, they turn quickly toward the vampires, readily armed to defend themselves but slowly exiting they point to where Mara has run.

Troy: Werewolves, what do they want?
Kylesa: Let’s not soon learn how so.

They aim arrows at wolves climbing walls, but there are others whom attack before arrows fly. They have leapt and pinned both Troy and Kylesa to the rooftop, learning their scent.

Lupirion: Stay still.
Canaris: This smells of Sino – get tell the huntress!
Troy: Had we, just, a tale of conflict.
Canaris: Simple boy

A short laugh, smells again, she trembles.

Canaris: This is not the stench of conflict. Go!

Berserkers depart. Sincerely she screams.

Multifarious contempt for decency, Sino continues collapsing buildings with rage and fire, over and thru flames of walls and rising ruble, trapping Merlin into an arena enclosed with the serpent servant.

Ophiuchus, flippant by hunger of vengeance only looks forward, Merlin steps behind him, his raised hand near the villain’s shoulder begins to glow, by the time Oph turns, noticing the light, Merlin triggers a large explosion of blue fire, harmless to himself, yet throwing Oph many measures.

Oph stands with esoteric time enough to be without words. The hole in his leather almost as wide as his back he discards his vestments of robe and jacket, his skin sheds slightly over the burn, the body long possessed slumped and lethargic is now mightily robust, muscles of rage and carrying the tempo of a steady heartbeat in his veins occasionally, a snake swims under his skin, as the snake passes under the back the skin heals. His eyes roll into his head.

Oph: This doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of my power.
M: Not your usual self?
Oph: Yes, waste your time –

Sino spying the battle decides to leave at first sight of conflict, one of the wolfmen running pushes him over a walkway thru a ceiling into a burning building.

Angered into alertness, Sino cracks his knuckles with fists and begins punching one as more crawl for entry. Three against one in close burning quarters, he hits each opponent with swift force, missing a swing he is hit twice before regaining defense before renewed attack, each strike missed he is struck twice over the same. His attack skill is double two of theirs, but his defense is the same as each by scale of one. His dexterity is less than theirs as they ascertain his stamina and begin to gnarl him, as they must face a black flame magic from his blood there is an evolving rage of fire and beast.

M: What hast Sino durst to thee to make my opponent?
Oph: Much that I must, little that I dare.
M: I’m sorry, but people change.
Oph: You don’t recognize me?
M: Should I?
Oph: You know me. I first took a boy to such not only did you steal my lunch, but you twisted me in the wind and left me in a road wrought of my essence.

Merlin’s face loosens to ponder, his head tilts to memory, of trees and winds of distant clouds.

Oph: Shedding skin having hunted you in a city with a disturbing amount of twins, I sought revenge, not supper, you then chopped me with a scabbard blade, almost killing me. Do you remember it?

A memory of soldiers and gallows of dusty roads.

M: You!? Perhaps I should burn you out!
Oph: You dare!

Sino fights the last of aggrieved three, despite bleeding arms and neck. But for battered across midsection, screaming with every shock by the time, he overcomes the final werewolf. The wolves’ hearts outward tears he while almost laughing. Squeezing the blood from a werewolf heart over his head and face he hears shouting from beyond the burning room.

Oph: Fallen, devoted, devour the burning world!

The dead that have risen focus on Merlin, in a gust of wind the proxy of foes tumble and theretofore the ghouls upon him, his hands glow and electricity leaps between his fingers and with their skulls in his hands.

Ophiuchus gradually steps rarely blinking. His host’s eyes are dullening and dry, sullen and red around edges, his tongue flickers mindless with each thought. The dead risen rise yet again, from floors they are bloody, from rubble they are dusty, from fire they are burning, walking toward Merlin who strikes them with his magic. They amass as he swings chairs, commotion brings him to hold a table top as shield only to kick it against a grouping of swarthy several and a bygone burner bashing a bottle of booze to burn them all and raise the acrid flames toward the gods. Forcedly, he jumps thru flames landing to surprise of a knife wound to arm from foe. He sends Ophiuchus to the wall with wind and rescinds the penetration.

The mist becomes light rain pouring enough cloud-cover to allow unnerving twilight.

Oph: I grow tired. Do you feel like dying quickly, Merlin, or should I torture you first?
M: I do appreciate such good timing. It’s good to have choices.
Oph: I think we all do.

Agnar, who some would say is twice the size of Ophiuchus’ host, picks him upward and throws him outward, but he will not be thrown easily, grasping at the sleeves he falls into the base of a wall that buckles, the fire has taken its roof and the rain taken the flames, but the center is a furnace. Ophiuchus digs feet running into the wall’s main beam making it topple onto Agnar. As he avoids fire flourishing and more of the insatiable dead, Agnar pulls himself from the rubble.

Agnar: Clip his wings!

Merlin attacks before the dead find him, thirteen exchanged punches and Merlin breaks Ophiuchus’ hand, he sets the bones and continues fighting.

M: Let’s break something else.

A hammering swing of anger starts eleven more and breaks the same arm, the limb straightens with his sign of pain.

Oph: Why are you so difficult!?

Seven more and he breaks the other arm, but Ophiuchus continues fighting, lame swings and shoving, a head-butt to weak effect.

M: Now I see your final moments.
Oph: I’m slowing you down, right where I want you, give up while you can.

Five absurd swings and he wrenches his foe’s shoulder.

M: What good would come in efforts just.

Three terrible struggles and Merlin kicks the knee to buckle bringing Oph to the ground.

Oph: This isn’t over.
M: Yes, it is… …into the moonlight.

Merlin snaps Ophiuchus’ neck, his body falls surfeit.

Agnar unburies himself by throwing the stones of the wall at the undead, Jonak arrives and cuts his own hand with a knife and speaks a terrible sound.

Jo: Give your hearts to me.

The undead begin tearing out their hearts and offering them to Jonak as they fall around them with black and blood hearts rolling. As Merlin attends to Agnar, Belladonna walks with pestilential fog beside her, she sees the snake master slither from the mouth of the body, to stop it she creates walls of fog to confine its direction. The smoke pains the snake and it moves faster until at the feet of Lilith who takes it between her claws.

Lilith: All this from a familiar…

She examines it squirming, biting her to no affect.

Lilith: I hope it was worth it.

She tilts her head and eats the snake, her eyes begin to close and she moans with a hundred voices, her eyes roll white as the ground and nearby buildings shake.

Lilith: Bittersweet.

Merlin 3:16 “Porcelain Heart”

Merlin 3:16 “Porcelain Heart”

A ragged violently drawn surface, never carved by iced peak the rough terrain is a summiting area named Aordngtoumh on the oldest of maps, a mountain where the scarcity of rock goblins dare not hide. The sky is blue as the height reaches, near the top a small plateau resides the size of a yard, a smooth and grey clearing abraded somewhat like a bowl and in it bathing is a giant egret the weight of three horses, the collected water filled with the day’s rain so oft of heights. Preening with sense of stamina it flings water when it can, trying to bury its head in shallow water a task encumbered by the length of its beak, its wrists occasionally rubbing over eyes in the ways some have seen cats do. Nearby considerably accessible in terms a giant radiant white heronshaw understands a nest made of dead trees, adjacent the water is a cave entrance.

A red lady exits the caverns, suited for work, her gloved hands have exposed arms to the hooded shawl over her shoulders by her skin the color of a dark tree, the goods she carries are bound in a muslin sheet wrapped and at end with the limbs of bows uncovered. She stands before the heron, raises her left hand, the bird stands primly, and walks to her and bows for her to lift her belongings onto it. All to secure them with a belt of her possessions and foists herself upon it. Her hood she throws back to further reveal her face young with eyes of contrast hazel and hair of auburn fire brightened by many hours of sky and sunlight and station. They lift with grace swift and silently from hearthstone unto the heavens, trailing water from laggard avian legs, soon hiding in the baby-blue sky.

Troy meanwhilst rests on the phoenix, hiding from the ground his waking time to practice vaunted maneuvers and in even sleeps with phoenix Alerion in a field of healthy roses, burned in a small circle to nest until morning for a breakfast of rosehips and ash. On the second day, Troy sleeps in flight and in spotting a deer, the phoenix majestically lands without waking him, only to buck him abruptly to the side and ground to wake him. After arguing with the bird for a matter of minutes, he notices the stag in the distance and practices his longshot, as much as his manna, hitting the deer with one distant arrow let. On the third day, he trains with Alerion for combat, in how to defend against each other by sword, man, or arrow. In boredom, they take to flight and this day fourth find another in the sky.

Troy turns in flight away, due to without Merlin and others, his desired precaution-unattempting slight by unknown fate of peril allure.  The sky is patient as winds are calm so soon with day irradiant and horizon at bay of endless blue sky the warmth of sunlight in his palm. Nowhere in plight his morn the night reverse his sight recurs seeing tother in flight at his extreme peripheral to his right. Toward him, she flies and a smile in her eyes as she comes to pace and shows her face to he who spoils to speed and impress from this trivial of conventions. Toying with him she and her aigrette hesitate, letting him to think he can of her outfly, outré she turns white bird with speed absurd to him, with some helical display thru the airs across the meadowland, keenness and chase of flirtation, landing to speak with ease amongst the breezeless trees.

She, pulling her hair behind her ears, begins to speak in the warmly cold language of Niflhel, which he does not speak or understand. He rashly deduces she is giving greetings of her name or humble salutations to the phoenix, as her beauty keenly smites him. He confidently walks and impetuously kisses her, a humble moan of desire passes from her lips onto his. They inhabit emptiness with complete surrender, the miraculous something emerging from ethers of apparent kismet, the phoenix and egret walk away, the firebird twisting neck to look at the heron’s long legs and strange gait, into the air they fly, first the light then the dark as new lovers tryst.

It is by the afterthought of later he begins to attempt conversion of his name and ideas with a patting of his chest and gesture to her.

Troy: “I am Troy, you?”
Kylesa: “Kylesa Mara, bowyer, stringer …fletcher –“
Troy: “You speak the language.”
Kylesa: “It expected, I huntress the rooks off Niflheim, it helps me catch your soul.”

She crawls on his body, kissing and other intricacies, bareheaded into a furlough of worlds separated by waves of light and fields of erstwhile sight, and closer night.

Troy: “What would you know of bows?”
Kylesa: “Is first to a strong wood.”

She situates herself in his embrace, kissing him again, then sits upright and holds her hand into the air in hopes her egret returns, it still flies toying with the phoenix in speed but less agile in maneuvers, Troy slightly sits upright with his elbows locked and hands on the ground. Looking for the fliers, he lifts one hand into the air and snaps his finger, Alerion cuts away to return to him, a turn the air to burn.

Troy: “We must draw its attention with passion and fire.”

They renew sophisticated coitus until the phoenix lands with first its talons and its cubit-reversed elbows, secondly followed by the graceful landing of the majestic white egret. She whistles for her avian just as he has many times to his. Wrapping a blanket on her skin, she speaks.

Kylesa: “Seller longbow and standard armaments, forests bower so may bowyer and string-maker hemp.”

She rises to walk robed solely around her torso under arms to just around her hips and walks to her creature, persuasive to catch his thoughts from any elsewhere.

Kylesa: “And fletcher added importance, will give you one mine…there are none more it like.”

She drinks secretly a tiny bottle of something warm and red, Troy under coverture takes the bow in the light of dusk, he as at loss of words and again stricken by the beauty of its constructing, the moonlight to its grain, figure, and curves as much as hers as she disrobes and poses to enthrall him. The moonrise bathes the expansive meadow in rays of light behind her that match her wind-swept hair and fade into the colors of her complexion.

She kisses him again and a state of intense unnatural passion consumes his thoughts more than swiftly at a momentum alas too quick for him to notice his collapse into sleep. His body rolls back and head collapses into the meadow grass, in her periphery she notices Alerion enquire suspect so she pretends to ask why he sleeps and feigns minute pomp insult, ever cautious of the phoenix, petting its beak then leaves in the dark post haste.

Proceedings ostensibly lead her back to the cave that she had departed days four ago, it has rained and the water pool recollected slakes avian and aviator, into the cave she enters without light or torch. Thru the darkness she wanders with her hand on the wall for the silence that follows is for none and to all, that this darkest place has no shallows for the walls to let in moonlight her pace constant and an unseen calm on her face. Nearing the light of fires lit by hexed diamonds in clear oil and smokeless heat to fill a cavern by the climes of clandestine opulence the likes of witches, demonic grimoires, and Sino, full to intimidating armored untrustworthy armistice.

Sino: “A soon returns you have not safely.”
Kylesa: “It is done to know. Soon his hunger for my affection will match our own.”

They kiss with passionate affection with prowess of lovers, while holding her she pulls her face from his, and in his arms waiting for him to speak in adoration redolent he stares in memory.

Kylesa: “You don’t know when to silence yourself, do you?”
Sino: “Lesa, spirit, nay soul, of my song, I pride your gift, do tell me how it went with you in the arms of another.”
Kylesa: “I spoke Niflhel and as your magisterial plan, he bought more than he can handle, and even took the bow as you had hoped.”
Sino: “As I knew would be.”

He carries her step and tosses she onto a bedding of silken quilts and down beneath pillows, and smiles of pride and certainty, removing armor as he speaks revealing scars so much a many, the likes of surviving the death of a thousand cuts abruptly.

Kylesa: “What you need now? A Niflhel doll perhaps?”
Sino: “Poison, so strong the naïve fear the fang from whence it was drawn, verily its toxin and blight to air that it should dismantle even evil men.”
Kylesa: “I am what you need.”
Sino: “You are the best of both worlds.”