Heirs of Merlin: The Hidden Princess and the Tree of Life

Chapter 4

Valeria returned home to find three children and one sky wolf sitting very still on the couch in the living room, with a black monster-dog slowly pacing back and forth in front of them. Her home gnome sat on the couch handrest with a very stern expression on his little face.

"I suppose this means the cat is out of the bag," she only stated. "Come help me with unpacking the groceries first. I'll explain after."

The children didn't move.

Valeria smiled a little and laid one hand on top of the monster-dog's head. "Come, Barry. Leave them alone. They haven't done anything wrong."

"You're not angry?" Lana asked hopefully.

"Not at all, angel. I knew that Luis couldn't hide the truth from you forever." When Lana still didn't move, she continued, "Don't be afraid. He may look scary, but Barry is a very gentle creature."

Samantha was the first to stand up and carefully approach them. "What is he?"

"In English folklore, they're known as barghest, but they probably exist in mythology all over the world. I met this one in Mexico. People usually don't see them but may catch a glimpse in the shadows during evening hours." She smiled, this time genuinely. "You can pet him. He's quite affectionate when you get to know him."

The dog eyed Samantha warily.

"Uh...I'll help with those groceries first." At this time, petting him might get her bitten.

However, Lana was completely encouraged by Valeria's words and moved in to pet the creature. His head, his sides and the strange ridge that was his spine. His skin was dry, coarse and cool to touch, completely different from regular dogs. Barry studied her for a long moment before flopping down to lie on the floor, a content sigh escaping his maw.

Veka waited until Alex, Samantha and Valeria left the room to unpack the groceries from the car before hurrying to Lana's side, his tail wagging wildly. "Pet me too, Princess!"

~*~*~

As the children had been stuck on the couch and not able to eat the lunch Valeria had left for them in the fridge due to their trespassing, they all ate dinner before gathering in the living room. Then their aunt started her explanation – in a tone not that different from parents explaining where babies come from to their children. "I'll have you know that I was against Luis's decision to keep your heritage a secret from you. I was hoping that if I kept telling you about magic and the unseen world, you'd eventually see it yourselves."

She expected someone to ask something, anything, but there was only silence. So she continued, "How much do you know about the great wizard Merlin?"

"He was a silly old wizard in the Disney movie. The Sword in the Stone," Alex finally offered. "But that's not the truth, is it?"

Valeria smiled. "It definitely isn't. He was a great wizard in ancient Britain, that much was true." Her tone changed to one of a storyteller, and she waved her hands for additional dramatic effect. "He was born of a faerie mother and a human father, back when our world and theirs weren't separated yet. To protect all the magical creatures and magic itself from the ravages of human wars, he single-handedly cast a powerful spell to create two different realms. Theirs was to be known by many names throughout the ages. What Merlin himself called it was...Ildathach. And the greatest city there was named Avalon."

"Was King Arthur a real king too?" Alex asked eagerly.

"Alas, we don't know that for certain, one way or another. The people of Ildathach and the books passed down among wizards – those who carry magic in their blood and soul – only speak of Merlin."