The Chamber of Merlin

Brandon Alexander Daunno

Description

Rooted deeply in Arthurian lore, The Chamber of Merlin explores the possibility that magic was drained from earth 1500 years ago by the wizard Merlin just moments before he was imprisoned by the evil enchantress spirit Niven. Now desperate to regain her physical form, Niven has cracked the seal of Merlin’s prison, allowing magic to bleed onto earth again. She plans to possess the body of a psychic and continue her search for the long lost city of Avalon where the source of magic is located. This magnificent blend of science fiction and fantasy brings the greatest wizard of them all into modern day society where he will wage the ultimate war between magic and technology.

Sujets

• Science Fiction
• Merlin (Desambiguación)
• Merlin
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 08 juin 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• EAN13: 9781462885398
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Chamber of Merlin
Brandon Alexander Daunno
Copyright © 2011 by Brandon Alexander Daunno.
ISBN:          Ebook                                      978-1-4628-8539-8
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 
This book was created in the United States of America.
 
Cover art courtesy of Andreea Cernestean.
 
 
To order additional copies of this book, contact: Xlibris Corporation 1-888-795-4274 www.Xlibris.com [e-mail]
 
99178
 
 
Contents
Part I
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
Beneath the Eyelids
CHAPTER 2
The Black Book
CHAPTER 3
The Squeak
CHAPTER 4
The Tapoquahe Village
CHAPTER 5
The Dark Night
CHAPTER 6
The Kapok Branch
CHAPTER 7
The Squeal
CHAPTER 8
The Second Vision
CHAPTER 9
The Creek
CHAPTER 10
The Ancient Forest
Part II
CHAPTER 11
The Magician
CHAPTER 12
The Chamber
CHAPTER 13
The Force Majeure
CHAPTER 14
Eptyura
CHAPTER 15
The Enlightening
CHAPTER 16
The Scientist
CHAPTER 17
The Chariot
CHAPTER 18
The Demonstration
CHAPTER 19
The Movement
CHAPTER 20
Stonehenge
CHAPTER 21
The Perfect Villain
CHAPTER 22
Incoming
CHAPTER 23
The Glass Room
Part III
CHAPTER 24
Eager Recruits
CHAPTER 25
The Prodigy
CHAPTER 26
The Butterfly Effect
CHAPTER 27
The Zero-Day WMD
CHAPTER 28
The Thirteen Treasures
CHAPTER 29
Avalon City
CHAPTER 30
Camelot Castle
CHAPTER 31
The Funnel Room
CHAPTER 32
The Prisoner
CHAPTER 33
Across the Universe
CHAPTER 34
The Escapee
CHAPTER 35
The Heir
EPILOGUE
 
 
  Part I
The Leak
  PROLOGUE
 
For he escapes and then will come,
And there arrives the enlightened one.
 
A SMALL FALCON grazed over the canopy of the Amazon rainforest, basking in the luminous moonlight of the night. Wind whipped across the creature’s face and rustled its blue-gray back and orange-tinted under feathers. The bird tucked its clawed feet up against its belly, establishing the control of a stealth fighter jet in the star-soaked skies. It scoured the jungle for its next meal, preferably a lesser bird or reptile. But despite the radiant glow from the moon, the falcon’s diurnal lenses could not cope with the ubiquitous darkness encompassing it.
Where am I?
A sudden epiphany struck the bird. It was not familiar with the environment and surmised that it did not belong here in the Amazon, especially at night. These were unknown territories. Even the trees became unrecognizable, and the creature could not fathom what predators may lurk among them, let alone those who had already marked it for a meal. How did it get here? The falcon prodded its weak memory for answers but could find only fuzz and clouds.
There was one recollection—a message. The bird recalled having a purpose. Like a carrier pigeon, there was something for it to deliver. But on second thought, the falcon detected satisfaction in that the task was complete. The handoff had already taken place. If there was a message, it was no longer the falcon’s to convey.
The bird looked down upon the sea of tree branches swaying gently in the night breeze. It glanced up at the clouds lightly sprinkled about the moon. Unexpectedly and maybe out of fear, it let out a loud hoot , testing its present environment. The bird waited a moment, but no reply came, not even an echo. Finally, it dropped beneath the shelter of the leaves and vanished.
To an outside observer, the rainforest would have seemed perfectly ordinary that night. The bushes and tree branches rested in darkness, shrouded from moonlight by the canopy overhead. The sounds of nearby waters and the familiar drone of insects pierced the ever-threatening silence. Even the sweltering air blanketed the landscape with its usual humid veracity.
But there was something peculiar about the rainforest—the animals could feel it. From the smallest rodent to the largest jaguar, the hairs of their backs stood on end. The creatures tiptoed around every corner and their eyes darted left to right. It took nothing more than the crackle of a twig breaking to incite a jump of caution. Was there an enemy nearby? Was the danger real? A sense of wariness stretched throughout the Amazon.
And it came as no surprise when they were alerted to the other irregularity of that night—oncoming footsteps. They were rapid and pounding along the jungle’s dirt base. Bump. Bump. Bump. The footsteps hit like a drumbeat and disturbed the tiny droplets of dew forming across the ocean of rainforest flower petals. And yet it seemed ironic that someone would be running blindly through the merciless, predator-infested darkness of the forest.
Crrrunch! The brushwood and the undergrowth of a bush exploded as a man forced his way through it, fighting endlessly to free himself. Thorns dug deep into his arms and tore at his clothes. His skin bled heavily, but he seemed not to notice. With one final push, he escaped from the shrub. His forward momentum sent him crashing to the ground with a thud . Mud splattered up, spraying tiny brown droplets across his face. He panted heavily and sweat oozed from his pores, but he would not allow exhaustion to stop him.
The man was an out-of-shape Caucasian, an oddball in the rainforest. Now in his mid-thirties, he had puffed up to some twenty pounds overweight. Baldness had seized the purity of his scalp, and a combination of fear and malnutrition emanated from his pale skin. From whatever this man was running, the odds were against him.
He took a moment to inspect his wrists. They were tender and rimmed with red bruises. In some places, the cuts had begun scarring, while in others, they were fresh and bleeding. The marks were telltale signs of rug burn. He took the time to cup each wrist gently, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. His wrists stung so badly he could feel heat seeping out from beneath his skin.
After a moment, he lifted a sturdy wooden branch from the ground that he had been gripping firmly, scrambled to his feet, and continued on his journey. The man bumbled down the path like an oil-deprived tin man, trampling over plants and flowers oblivious to their existence. Branches and twigs reached out and jabbed at him like a line of bullies in grade school. His eyes, which were clothed in broken glasses and futile in the night regardless, gave away his primary emotion. The man was running for his life.
And it was not without merit. Less than a quarter-mile in his trail stood another man. This one however held a very different composure. This man held a gun.
The gunner was taller and fit, and his poise screamed of confidence. He wore a blank and emotionless face as if he were numb to feeling. His leg and arm muscles pulsed with power that could be attributed to his life in the jungle. He wore a green button-down shirt and green khaki pants, surely an outfit of camouflage. On top of his head sat a desert-colored boonie hat.
He moved haphazardly, seeming nonchalant about the widening gap between the two. His wood bolt-action rifle hung from a strap around his neck and bounced as he moved. Despite the heat, only a single drop of sweat glistened down his face, which he rubbed off on the sleeve of his shoulder. He glided gracefully through the forest, dodging branches and vines as if the darkness had no effect on him—as if he was being guided.
Finally he jumped upon a fallen log and swung the rifle in front of him. He stood now upon a pedestal that gave him a brazen view of the jungle. It appeared as though he needn’t an ounce of reassurance. With one fluid motion, he pressed the butt against his shoulder and peered into the sight. It should’ve shown nothing but darkness.
Bang! An explosion ripped through the forest as he pulled the trigger. Nearby birds and animals scattered from the area, shaken by the sudden blast. The shooter was exhilarated by the recoil thrown into his shoulder, and he savored its awesome power. A vine dangled and swayed before him. Suddenly, there was complete silence. The shooter embraced the moment, listening to the barren emptiness around him.
Damn, he thought. He knew he had missed. The shooter swung the rifle back around his neck and jumped from the log, landing on a dry patch of clay. His legs fell seamlessly back into step and he continued his pursuit. He was surprised he missed, but he was not discouraged. The miss merely prolonged the inevitable.
The root of a tree had saved the runaway. He was sprinting full speed through an orchard, when he felt his right ankle get tangled. A slight crunch and a lightning bolt of pain jolted through his body. He shrieked as his hip became momentarily dislocated, and his body was jerked to the muddy jungle floor.
But he quieted after realizing his voice had been overshadowed by the rifle’s massive explosion. He was positive he felt a bullet whiz past his shoulder. An unfathomable, gut-wrenching silence fell upon the surrounding woods. It became so quiet he feared his pulse alone would give him away