The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin

Vortigern is dead.

No doubt aurelius will claim the throne for himself.

Aurelius's life is in danger until the kings of britain recognize his claim.

We're not exactly neck-deep in volunteers.

You will not be able to repeal the barbarian on your own.

700 men is not a man too many to face hengist.

Before the summer is through he means to take the throne and he will have it.

If we are too busy squabbling amongst ourselves to take up

arms against him you could be a most valuable ally to hengist.

The Saxon.

They say Merlin slew 70 men with his own hands within these very gates.

At cathay he slew 500.

At the world burned and the ground trembled at his wrath.

No man is capable of such a thing.

No mortal man.

He is nearly an otherworldly being.

Morcad!

There will be no victory without the kings of britain by our side.

Without Merlin by our side.

Pius and I ride north to gothay.

Does castanen still rule kill at hon?

His atlantean blood is strong but we... we would not be welcome here.

If you return north, castanen will kill you.

There is no other way.

Look upon them, shining proud.

They say you are most powerful.

Why did you order one of their sacred stones to fall?

Will you be the man to raise it?

Hawke.

My brothers, I greet you in the name of the great light,

whose coming was foretold within this sacred ring.

You resent my greeting.

Why?

If my brothers are silent, perhaps it is because they are no longer certain who it

is that addresses them as ark, druid of the sacred grove.

Who says these things?

We have heard it said that you have left the old ways to follow a new god,

a foreign god.

From ancient days, we have sought knowledge so

that we might learn the truth of all things.

Is this not so?

It is?

Then how should we be slow to grasp the truth when it is proclaimed before us?

We know many truths, master.

Which truth is proclaimed this day?

The final truth!

Then you have become a follower of this yezu.

He is the great light of whom our forebears spoke.

He is the one we have always sought to find and worshipped unknowingly.

And it is his priests who cut down our groves, toppled our ancient places.

Men act in ignorance, yet the truth remains.

We all know from whence these ideas came.

We all know who it was who led the great half-gan astray.

Taliesin was the greatest bard who ever lived.

He betrayed our brotherhood.

He gave our brotherhood its greatest vision.

Lies!

You do not deserve truth!

Sacrilege!

How is this?

Betrayal!

No one may set their foot on the sacred seat.

Not even the archdruid himself.

Servants of the truth, hear me!

Why do you wonder that the wisest among you should greet you in the name of yezu?

The one who called himself the way and the truth.

How is it that you, who seek the truth in all ways, should be blind to it now?

You believe this grove is sacred?

These stones?

The new ways?

The old?

I say, he who created the stones and the trees is greater, as are his ways.

Enough, miltan!

Miltan!

Enough!

Merlin!

King taldrig's steward gave me a pick of the kitchen before we left.

We have some raw onions, raw parsnips, raw leeks.

Cheese.

Carrots.

Also raw.

Barley bread.

And plenty of plums to help digest it all.

You've been here before.

Once.

Long ago.

We must be alerted we're near kustanin's border.

You know as well as anyone alive what grief can do to a man.

Yes, I suppose I do.

God's taking you really is what killed you.

Counting like that I think the whole Saxon army could have crept up on you.

Shouldn't knock you on your kingly arse.

See?

The fair foot returned me.

Pale and whole and free from enchantment.

Aye.

How many?

More than ten thousand.

But your meddler came through.

Men of the west are with us.

I saw them in camp this morning.

Brave hearts everyone.

I was hoping for more.

They fight mountains.

One of the warriors is worth at least three Saxon on foot.

Where does that leave us?

I was hoping for more.

We have come from king loth of orkney, allied to the great hingist.

The gods are willed that they will fight for us.

It is fortunate for you that you have too.

My lord hingist.

He's not a lord.

He's brettwalder.

Lord of all lords.

Brettwalder.

I've come bearing gifts.

From my father, king loth.

And his wife.

My thanks to your father, mother.

The lady morgian is no mother of mine.

Not the witch's flesh and blood.

Be careful, boy.

You do not want to outlive your usefulness to her.

Or me.

By Zeus and new blood, you're back, bro.

There's no titan's task, trying to keep these bastards from killing each other.

We've got these demeteri pagans.

Mithras worshipers.

Christians.

There'll be plenty of killing soon enough.

Just imagine the glory we'll earn.

Whatever glory there is in slaughter.

I've had my fill.

Whose words are these?

I learned much while I was at anis-avalak.

Of course you did.

I spoke with the Fisher king.

He told me of the western land from when the fair folk came.

He told me of his realm and the thousand years of peace and

how war amongst their kings nearly destroyed their people.

They spin tales like old women spin flax thread, brother.

King-making requires blood and sweat.

You know this, brother.

I learned more there.

I learned to pursue the Christ.

And I have become his follower.

What does it matter?

Take a new god.

Take a dozen for all I care.

Better our chances.

It is more than that, uther.

I've seen what the Fisher king and his people

have done for the week in the suffering.

I've seen their mercy, and it is stronger than the strength of armies.

It is the future of britain, and it must be our future, too.

Are you out of your mind?

Uther, I brought brother Aaron from inis evelach.

He's come to instruct you in a catechism of the

church and baptize you in the name of lord yasu.

Baptize me?

I will do anything for you.

I will lead your war host.

I will kill your enemies.

I will bend the knee and call you king.

But please, do not ask me to do this.

Look at them.

Boys playing the game of kings.

They've played it well, as vortigern can attest.

They may have rooted out that usurper and settled their

blood debt, but that does not make aurelius my high king.

Careful now, my friend.

There are some who would misunderstand and consider those words as treasonous,

especially now the Saxon host draws nigh.

I know you two are, morcambe, to believe

you're willing to bend your knee for any man.

Orwebs, are you weaving in that spider's mind?

The brothers defeated vortigern with the help of their kinsman's army.

An army that even now sails for amorica.

How many men are left for them to call upon?

200.

And you will openly move against them?

With the saxons marching against us, do you take me for a fool?

But who's to say on the day of battle whether they're

the ones to lead us to victory and gain the glory?

They say they have the Emirates with them.

I and Magnus Maximus, taliesin, blessed bran himself.

I've met this so-called Emirates of theirs.

And the Merlin died long before you and I were born do not, if he ever lived.

Now, those boys are on their own.

I'm fine.

Truly mother, you should eat something for your strength.

He's been divided in his heart for a long time.

I think, now that it is over, he finally feels free.

Divided?

Between yesu and the old gods.

But how can he be happy?

The brotherhood still refused to believe, even after.

Not every man will choose to believe and follow the light, my little hawk.

Dead men rise and stones dance in the air.

And nothing you or anyone else can do will change that.