Merlin's Nightmare (The Merlin Spiral) Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE

  MERLIN SPIRAL

  “A sweeping, deeply detailed fantasy that reimagines the adventures of Arthurian legend . . . The author skillfully crafts intense action scenes and vivid settings.”

  — Publishers Weekly

  “Treskillard crafts a new and unique prequel to the King Arthur legend, one that is rich in atmosphere and detail. Fantasy readers will find themselves beguiled by the young Merlin’s story.”

  — School Library Journal

  “Treskillard has achieved one of the most difficult feats to master in high fantasy epics like this — weaving together a handful of storylines into a cohesive, expertly paced narrative.”

  — Crosswalk.com

  “I love the setting of this book! Robert Treskillard has done an excellent job bringing early Britain to life. The adventure is exciting, the characters are interesting, and the suspense, which remains until the end, is very well done.”

  — RedeemedReader.com

  “A fresh approach to an ancient genre . . . an absolute must–read.”

  — Award-winning author Douglas Bond

  “Merlin’s Blade is a masterful story, well told . . . a must–read for fans of the Arthurian legend and for fantasy fans of all stripes . . . The book easily spans the gap between twelve and adult.”

  — Fantasy and sci-fi reviewer Rebecca Luella Miller

  “A fabulous reimagining of the legends.”

  — Fantasy author Scott Appleton

  “Turn the pages, and you can almost feel the fog rolling in off the moors, smell the low heather, and catch a glint off a blade.”

  — Bestselling author Wayne Thomas Batson

  “Treskillard builds a real person in Merlin . . . whose belief in honor and family make him a figure to cheer for.”

  — Christy Award-winning author Jill Williamson

  Other books by Robert Treskillard:

  Merlin’s Blade

  Merlin’s Shadow

  BLINK

  Merlin’s Nightmare

  Copyright © 2014 by Robert Treskillard

  ePub Edition © April 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-73512-0

  Requests for information should be addressed to:

  Blink, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Treskillard, Robert.

  Merlin’s nightmare / Robert Treskillard.

  pages cm. — (Merlin’s spiral series ; book 3)

  Summary: While Morgana sets a horde of werewolves loose to destroy Britain, Merlin and eighteen-year-old Arthur must rally Britain’s warriors against three overwhelming enemies, without unleashing an even greater evil.

  ISBN 978-0-310-73509-0 (softcover)

  1. Merlin (Legendary character)—Juvenile fiction. 2. Arthur, King—Juvenile fiction. [1. Merlin (Legendary character)—Fiction. 2. Arthur, King—Fiction. 3. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.T73175Mdp 2014

  [Fic]—dc23

  2013036903

  All Scripture paraphrased by the author to approximate a fifth-century cultural context.

  The characters and events depicted in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons real or imagined is coincidental.

  Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by the publisher, nor does the publisher vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  BLINK™ is a trademark of The Zondervan Corporation

  Cover design: brandnavigation.com

  Cover photography: Dreamstime/Fotolia/iStockphoto.com

  Interior design: Ben Fetterley and Greg Johnson/Textbook Perfect

  14 15 16 17 18 19 20 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For Samantha Adele, Leighton, and Ness

  Psalm 5:11 – 12

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE: THE PACT

  PART ONE: FEAR’S GLANCE

  CHAPTER 1: WOLF KILL

  CHAPTER 2: A RUMOR OF WAR

  CHAPTER 3: A SHADOW OF DEATH

  CHAPTER 4: THE HUNT

  CHAPTER 5: THE TOMB

  CHAPTER 6: GRANNOS THE MIGHTY

  CHAPTER 7: MYSTERIES UNMASKED

  CHAPTER 8: OATHS TAKEN

  CHAPTER 9: CHILDREN OF THE GIANT

  CHAPTER 10: THE BROKEN TREE

  CHAPTER 11: THE BROKEN PATH

  CHAPTER 12: THE BROKEN HOUSE

  CHAPTER 13: THE BROKEN CITY

  PART TWO: TERROR’S GRASP

  CHAPTER 14: HORSA

  CHAPTER 15: VORTIGERN’S SON

  CHAPTER 16: THE PLACE OF THE DEAD

  CHAPTER 17: THE FEAST OF THE DEAD

  CHAPTER 18: THE PROPHECY OF THE DEAD

  CHAPTER 19: THE PEACE OF THE SAXENOW

  CHAPTER 20: THE EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN

  CHAPTER 21: THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF

  CHAPTER 22: THE EDGE OF THE KNIFE

  CHAPTER 23: A DESPERATE END

  CHAPTER 24: A DESPERATE DECISION

  CHAPTER 25: ASHES OF THE PAST

  CHAPTER 26: ASHES OF THE PRESENT

  PART THREE: NIGHTMARE’S GALLOWS

  CHAPTER 27: THE ABDUCTION

  CHAPTER 28: OATHS FORSAKEN

  CHAPTER 29: A SLEEP OF DEATH

  CHAPTER 30: A SLEEP OF RAVENS

  CHAPTER 31: A SLEEP OF STONES

  CHAPTER 32: A SISTER’S WRATH

  CHAPTER 33: MERLIN’S NIGHTMARE

  CHAPTER 34: MERLIN’S KING

  CHAPTER 35: SWORD AND SHADOW

  CHAPTER 36: REVELATIONS

  CHAPTER 37: BAPTISM OF FIRE

  EPILOGUE: THE TORC OF A KING

  PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

  GLOSSARY

  EXCERPT FROM BOOK ONE OF THE MERLIN SPIRAL, MERLIN’S BLADE

  CHAPTER 1: AN ERRAND GONE ASTRAY

  THE STORY OF BOOK 1: MERLIN’S BLADE . . .

  The Stone — In 407 A.D., a meteorite crashes to Britain, depositing a black stone in a crater, which fills with water to become a mysterious lake. In 463, Merlin’s mother supposedly drowns in the lake, and her body is never found.

  Mórganthu — The arch druid finds the Stone in 477. With it he can enchant the Britons, and intends to restore the power of the druids — starting in Merlin’s village.

  Merlin — The swordsmith’s son. Half-blinded by wolves seven years ago, he is protected from the Stone’s enchantment because he can’t see it. Despite his weakness, he begins to fight against Mórganthu and the Stone.

  Natalenya — The seventeen-year-old daughter of the Magister, and Merlin’s love interest. She must see beyond Merlin’s scars to his courageous leadership and join with him to fight the Stone.

  Ganieda — Merlin’s nine-year-old half sister; she seems to have an affinaty for wolves.

  Garth — A friend of Merlin who is an orphan and a rascal. He lives at the abbey and despises the abbot’s discipline. He is the first to be enchanted, motivating Merlin to fight against the Stone.

  Owain — Merlin’s father, and a swordsmith, who deserted the High King’s warband many years ago. He also becomes enchanted by the Stone.

  The Blade — Made by Merlin’s father, who gives it to the newly arrived High King Uther to appease his wrath. When the king is not satisfied, Owain gives M
erlin to him as a servant.

  Uther — The proud High King and father to Arthur. When the druids prevent the villagers from swearing fealty, he cuts off the head of Mórganthu’s son. Mórganthu swears revenge.

  Colvarth — The king’s bard, a former druid and now a Christian, who agrees to mentor Merlin. In this new role, Merlin advises the king to destroy the Stone.

  Vortigern — A battle chief. He is enchanted and betrays Uther and Arthur to the druids.

  Arthur — the young son of King Uther. Garth sees Mórganthu’s cruelty, and his plan to murder the royal family, and saves Arthur’s life.

  Dybris — A monk who works with Merlin and Owain to take the Stone and destroy it. He discovers the other monks were caught by Mórganthu and will be burned to death during the ritual. While trying to free his fellow monks and remove the Stone, Dybris and Owain are captured, leaving Merlin to try and save everyone on his own. In the end, Merlin conspires with a sympathetic druid named Caygek.

  Connek — A thief hired by Mórganthu to kill Merlin, and by Vortigern to kill Natalenya after she overhears his treachery. When Natalenya visits the mill to borrow a mule to haul the Stone away, Connek hides there and tries to kill Natalenya, but he dies when the millstone falls on him.

  The Murder — During the druid ritual, Uther and Owain are to be sacrificed to the Stone, and the monks to be burned. Vortigern hides his men and arrives to make sure Uther is dead. When he finds the High King alive, he tries to kill him, and after a brief skirmish with Merlin, he succeeds. The druids, cheated of their sacrifice, attack. Vortigern calls his men to fight.

  The Escape — The monks are freed by Caygek’s friends, and Owain is freed by Caygek himself. Merlin, Owain, and Dybris escape with the Stone, but are chased by both the druids and Vortigern’s warriors. Natalenya rescues them, and they haul the Stone to the smithy, barricading the doors.

  The Fight — Owain can’t destroy the Stone. While trying, Vortigern’s men try to break in, and Garth sets fire to the fortress where their horses are kept. The warriors run off, and the druids break into the smithy alone. Mórganthu enters with the dead king’s new blade. Dybris and Owain are injured, but Merlin cuts off Mórganthu’s hand and reclaims the blade.

  The Hammering — Natalenya is trapped by flames erupting from the Stone, and Merlin must save her. He tries to hammer the blade into the Stone, and burns his hands in the process. Natalenya steadies him, and they are both given a vision.

  The Vision — is of Natalenya being taken to a red dragon and a white dragon so they can eat her. Merlin fights the dragons, chops off a fang from one, and stabs the other in the eye.

  The Victory — The vision ends. Merlin and Natalenya hammer the blade into the Stone, which causes an explosion, knocking out the druids.

  The Aftermath — An angel heals Merlin of his blindness, and he, along with Natalenya, Colvarth, and Garth, take Arthur away to save him from Vortigern. Before leaving, Merlin visits the lake where his mother supposedly drowned and finds her alive — a water creature freed from serving the Stone, but forever confined to the lake. Vortigern rallies his men in pursuit, setting the stage for book two, Merlin’s Shadow.

  THE STORY OF BOOK 2: MERLIN’S SHADOW . . .

  Ganieda — Merlin’s half sister, who is nine years old. She falsely blames Merlin for her parents’ death. In grief she visits her father’s smithy, and finds the Stone impaled by the sword. Beside it, she finds a mysterious orb and fang.

  Mórganthu — Ganieda’s grandfather, the arch druid, and Merlin’s enemy. He takes Ganieda back to his tent. There they discover that the orb allows them to spy on Merlin.

  Merlin — After the death of Uther, he flees to save Arthur from being killed by Vortigern. Colvarth the bard, Garth the bagpipe-playing orphan, and Natalenya his betrothed go with. Chased by Vortigern, Merlin decides they should find refuge on the island of Dintaga, against Colvarth’s advice.

  Gorlas — The King of Kernow, who resides on the island fortress of Dintaga. When he learns of the death of Uther and Igerna, Arthur’s parents, he refuses to believe Igerna is dead. He loved her and hated Uther for marrying her, and so kicks Merlin and his companions out of his fortress and invites Vortigern to come and kill them.

  The Mirror — Merlin sulks at his folly of choosing to go to Dintaga and, in a pool of water, looks at himself for the first time since his sight was restored. Seeing the ugly scars on his face, he doubts that Natalenya could love him and intends to free her from her vow to marry him.

  The Fang — Natalenya comes and Ganieda spies on them with the orb while they wait for Vortigern. She tries to hurt Merlin with the fang, but misses and injures Natalenya, sickening her.

  Vortigern — The traitor who killed Uther. He arrives at Dintaga, but Garth calls a ship using his bagpipe, and they all escape. Before landing in Kembry, Colvarth opens the old box Uther had found, and he and Merlin discover an ancient wooden bowl. Meanwhile, Natalenya gets sicker.

  Taken Captive — Ganieda tells Vortigern where they are going, and he catches them in the middle of a steep-sided valley. But a band of raiding Pictish warriors fight off Vortigern, and take Merlin and his friends as slaves. Vortigern wanted to kill Arthur, but he is happy Arthur is now a slave.

  Necton — A Pictish warrior, who takes them as slaves to the far north. Along the way, Merlin has a vision that the bowl is the Sangraal, the cup of Christ that caught his blood. He tries to heal Natalenya, but it doesn’t work, and Merlin begins to question his faith even more.

  Scafta — The witch doctor of the Picts, he buys Garth’s bagpipe from Necton, making the orphan mad. Scafta has a huge mound of tangled hair that he won’t let anyone touch.

  The Escape — Merlin’s faith sours during their slavery. When they escape, they’re caught and taken back to the Pictish village, where Merlin must fight Scafta to the death. Merlin pins Scafta, Garth cuts off the the man’s hair, and Scafta runs away. The people cheer because they hated the witch doctor, and give Garth his bagpipe back.

  King Atle — Respected now, Garth convinces Necton to sell them to Atle, who is Merlin’s great-grandfather. But there is something strange about the king, for Colvarth thinks he shouldn’t be alive after so many years.

  The Feast — A great feast is held, and Merlin and the others’ food is drugged. Merlin wakes up and finds Arthur has been stolen by Atle and that they are trapped by guards in his fortress.

  Kensa — An old woman who was locked up by Atle. Merlin frees her, and she explains that Atle has sailed to the land of the dead and will sacrifice Arthur to renew his own youth.

  The Parting — Merlin says good-bye to Natalenya, as well as Colvarth, who will care for her. Colvarth offers the Sangraal to Merlin, and he takes it, only to later lose during a fight by dropping it accdientally into deep water.

  Sailing North — They escape, buy a leather-hulled boat, and set sail. On the way, Merlin finds the Sangraal miraculously in his bag. Angry still, he throws it into the water. A light appears and guides them.

  Atle’s Temple — When they arrive, they’re captured by Atle’s son, Loth. Atle offers Merlin eternal youth and to heal his scars if he will join them. Merlin is tempted, but refuses, choosing what is right.

  Arthur — The boy is slain by Atle, and everyone is made younger. Merlin pulls his knife to kill Atle, but finds the Sangraal in his hand. He grabs his knife instead, but has the Sangraal again. Choosing to trust, not the Sangraal but the God of the Sangraal, he pours a drop of Christ’s blood upon Atle’s foul altar.

  The Victory — The altar is destroyed, along with Atle and his household. Arthur is brought back to life, and they leave the island for home, where Merlin uses the Sangraal, trusting in God now, to finally heal Natalenya. The two are reconciled and plan to marry.

  Mórgana — Ganieda has saved Loth’s life using the orb and transported him back to Kernow. With the power of the fang, Ganieda grows taller and becomes Mórgana. Together with Mórganthu and Loth, she plans an elaborate trap for whe
n Arthur is older, setting up book three, Merlin’s Nightmare.

  THE WILDS OF BOSVENNA MOOR KERNOW, IN SOUTHWESTERN BRITAIN SPRING, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 493

  Mórgana scowled at King Gorlas’s back as he dug into the grave.

  “Accursed shovel!” he yelled to the darkness, slamming the iron edge once more into the ground and flinging the dirt up. Five more times he jabbed at the loamy clay before twisting his wiry neck around and gazing at her savagely. “Are you sure she’s here?”