Myrddin's Magic - Book One of the Magic Trilogy

Prologue

Merlin picked out Orion from the rest of the stars as he walked through the cold dark night, his feet crunching in the snow. Snow was unusual in Wales, and he enjoyed the crisp sound of his footfalls. He pushed open the wooden door and entered the hut of the seer. "You asked for me?" he said as he kneeled on a pillow in front of the fire and warmed his hands.

The old woman swayed in her seat and coughed slightly from the thick smoke. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful. She always looked peaceful when she was talking about one of her premonitions, perhaps even more so if the vision was dire. Merlin braced himself for what was to come. "You're one of the chosen ones", she said. "I've seen your future. You'll live many, many years as one of the undead."

"I'm glad to hear that I'll have a long life", said Merlin as he smiled. The prophecy didn't sound like it would be too troubling, he thought, as he breathed a mental sigh of relief. "I've lived over two centuries already and don't want to die yet."

She opened her eyes to glare at him, then spread some more herbs on the fire. Merlin waved the fragrant smoke away from his face.

She closed her eyes again, and Merlin wondered if she needed to close her eyes to see the vision or whether it was all for effect. He didn't need to close his eyes to receive a premonition. Of course, his premonitions didn't always come true. Not like hers. Maybe if he closed his eyes, they would be more accurate. "In fifteen hundred years from now, the world will be a different place. Humans will be able to fly and walk on the moon. Carriages will be able to travel without the use of horses and vast manuscripts of information will be stored on devices that are smaller than your thumb. However, not all advances will be good. Those from the Otherworld will be feared and forced to hide their true natures. There will be a faction of the Otherworld who won't be happy that they need to keep their existence secret. They are truly evil and, if they succeed, the world will be a place filled with fear and hatred." Merlin listened respectfully. The old woman was the best seer in the land and, when she talked, you paid attention. Merlin had relied on her wisdom for over two centuries. "There will be a war of sorts, won in a series of escalating skirmishes. It will be a war against evil. There will be a very powerful woman, part fay and part shifter. Those fighting on behalf of the evil will only succeed if she is controlled by them. You need to protect this woman both from herself as well as from outside forces. But if you conquer them, you'll be successful in ensuring that evil doesn't win."

"How will I know her when I see her? There are a lot of people in this world, and the world is a huge place. It's even bigger than I imagined. I've seen it in my own premonitions."

"She'll be marked with this sign", said the woman as she took a stick and, with her eyes still closed, she drew in the dirt an intricate design, a beautiful Celtic knot. Merlin wondered how she could do that. "You'll find her and protect her. That's your purpose in life. She's your other half. She's important. So I have seen and so it shall be." The seer's head slumped down as she fell asleep, her vision over. Merlin placed a gold coin in her open palm and folded her fingers over it, left the hut and went out, back into the dark, dark night.