The Merlinian Chronicles Book 1

Chapter 9

“Lord Zeus,” Aphrodite stood up, her beautiful face commanding and powerful. “I have been working with Merlin and his sisters to break their curses, and I believe this is a good time to inform you of our progress.” Zeus simply nodded, giving Aphrodite permission to continue.

“I have spoken with Gamma about her curse. The nightmares she experiences can are often very intense for her. When she is sucked into a nightmare, she usually ends up in tears, screaming, trying to fight whatever monsters she may have seen. Now, she is struggling to get the images of the nightmares she sees out of her mind, and she struggles to distinguish between this and reality. Hephaestus and Hecate are currently working on a device that may capture these nightmares, therefore breaking her curse, but we are not sure if it will work as expected.

“Selenity has a very temporary solution to her curse. We have relied on an amulet that we fill with magical energy for her to use for magic, instead of her aura. It has worked for the past 500,000 years because she has not needed to do any difficult magic. But, as she has protected Merlin once, practiced combat magic once, and used magic to fight a cyclops once, we have realized that her amulet does not hold enough energy to be effective. We are searching for another solution. We have no solution for Selene yet, and I have been searching for a Sorceress to break Merlin’s curse.” Aphrodite sat down and Zeus looked at Hephaestus.

“Tell the Council, Hephaestus, about this device you are making for Gamma.”

“Well, I learned of an item made long ago by a group of Mortals known as Native Americans. This item was made of yarn, weaved around a circle of wood, with two beads in the middle. The yarn was meant to resemble a spider’s web, and the two beads symbolized two spiders. The web was supposed to capture nightmares before they could reach the sleeping person’s mind, and the spiders devoured them before morning. This device was known as a ‘Dream Catcher’, and I have created one, but I need the magic of a powerful Dream Master to make it work the way we want. Hecate has been working on that.” Hephaestus sat down and Zeus looked at Amphitrite.

“Amphitrite, is what Merlin told us about these curses true?” Amphitrite nodded, looking at her feet. Zeus scowled. “Stand up, Amphitrite!” He boomed. Amphitrite scrambled to her feet, panicked.

“Amphitrite, you had no right to curse these children, no matter what your reasoning. You have endangered these children, and have endangered the entire realm. Because of you, these children are unable to defend themselves against Karforamor. For your crimes, you are exiled from the Magic Realm, removed from the High Council of the Magic Realm, and your magic shall be extremely restricted from this moment forward. Are there any objections?” Nobody spoke up, and I could see the fear in Amphitrite’s eyes.

“Then it is decided. Amphitrite, from this moment forward, you are no longer a member of the High Council of the Magic Realm. In addition, your magic use will be restricted to emergencies only. Finally, you shall be exiled from the Magic Realm, and you shall be sent to the Ocean Realm, where you will be kept in solitary confinement until further notice.” He slammed the butt of his staff on the ground, and Amphitrite disappeared. Zeus slammed his staff down again, and a bolt of lightning shot out of the top, striking Amphitrite’s throne, and disintegrating it. Everyone looked at Zeus, silent and scared.

“Merlin,” Zeus began. “You understand why you and your siblings are disliked, correct? It is because you were born from the immoral union of two very powerful gods, from different eras and races. When a Greek god and an Egyptian god have children, they tend to be very powerful, and you are the most powerful yet. Your parents are two of the most powerful members of this Council, and you and your siblings are the most powerful wizards in the universe.

“It is because of this that the High Council shunned you. You and your siblings, including Karforamor, are the five most powerful wizards in existence. I can see that we have been rather harsh, though. And I believe that it is because we shunned you that you have suffered through these curses for the last 500,000 years. But it is time for that to change. Merlin, I am offering you a seat on the High Council of the Magic Realm. In addition, the entire Council will help you break your curses, as well as keep you safe from Karforamor. You and your sisters can finally have a voice. What do you say, Merlin?” I looked over at Father, nervous. He was smiling and nodding. I looked around the room, and I saw that all eyes were on me expectantly. I took a deep breath and looked into Zeus’ gray eyes.