The shadow creature erupted from the forest, a writhing mass of darkness trailing wisps of smoke like a living nightmare. Its red eyes pierced through the gloom, locking onto Merlin with a predatory focus that turned my blood to ice.

This thing wanted my son.

I thrust out my staff, emerald light flaring to life as I planted myself between Merlin and the monster. Emilie yanked Merlin behind her, shielding him with her body while her fingers drifted toward the knife on her hip.

The creature stalked closer, bones jutting from its amorphous body like jagged shards. It moved with an unnatural gait, flickering between shadow and solidity. A low rumble emanated from its maw, a purr of anticipation.

My fingers clenched around my staff. “Shouldn’t you be haunting closets or something?”

The creature pounced with a shriek, claws swiping for my face. I ducked and spun my staff, a gust of wind slamming into the creature’s side. It absorbed the blow like smoke, then lashed out again.

I barely dodged the next strike. “Who sent you?” I demanded. “Was it Morgana?”

The creature ignored me, fixated on Merlin cowering behind Emilie. She drew her dagger, the blade glinting in the low light.

“Over my dead body,” she growled.

The creature screeched, an ear-piercing wail that sent pain ricocheting through my skull. In that split second it darted past me, shadowy claws outstretched toward my son.

Rage boiled through me, hot and visceral.

This thing wanted to hurt my family? Like hell.

With a guttural yell, I summoned a vortex of wind and light. It slammed into the creature’s side, sending it careening into a tree with a resounding crack.

“We’ve got to get Merlin out of here!” Emilie yelled over the howling gale.

I nodded, never taking my eyes off the creature as it peeled itself off the splintered tree trunk. Dark ichor dripped from its fractured limbs, but it showed no sign of pain or fatigue. If anything, my attack had only angered it more.

Its head swiveled unnaturally to fixate on me, eyes burning with hellish light. A rasping snarl emanated from deep within its chest.

I tightened my grip on my staff. No more holding back—it was time to end this.

The surrounding air crackled with power as I summoned the full force of the elements. “Em, take Merlin and go!”

Emilie scooped Merlin into her arms, holding him close as she backed away. His small body trembled against her, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” she murmured.
The creature lunged with a guttural shriek, shadowy claws slicing through the space where they had just stood. I thrust my staff forward, a bolt of lightning arcing from the tip to strike the creature directly in its twisted chest. It let out an unearthly wail, convulsing as electricity coursed through its dark form.

I pressed my attack, battering it with gale force winds and blasts of fire. The creature writhed under the onslaught, screeching its fury. But I could see its form growing fainter, dissolving at the edges as my magic took its toll.

With a final, desperate cry, the creature launched itself at me, claws outstretched in a last ditch effort to fulfill its task. I held my ground, calling on the roots beneath the soil to erupt. They burst forth, thick woody tendrils that wrapped around the creature, dragging it down even as it thrashed and struggled.

“This ends now,” I growled through gritted teeth. The air crackled as I summoned every last bit of magic left in me, focusing it into one final strike. The elements alone weren’t enough. This thing looked like death in the flesh. The answer to something like that?

Pure Awen, the magic of the Tree of Life, the power of creation. The green energy coursed from my staff as I drew it from the moisture in the ground. I couldn’t draw on Awen in such an unrefined form anywhere else—but the otherworld nourished these lands. An explosion of emerald energy engulfed the creature, burning away the last of its shadowy essence until nothing remained but silence.

Panting, I turned to see Emilie regarding me with relief and pride, our son held safely in her arms. We had protected him, for now. But as I met my wife’s gaze, I knew our trials were far from over. Merlin’s destiny still loomed, its call as inexorable as the tide.

This wasn’t the first time someone had come through the gateways, passing through the fabric of time to end my son’s legacy before it began. But there was something different, more unusual about this encounter.

I’d never seen anything like it.

Was it a spirit, or a flesh-and-blood-monster? A bit of both, it seemed. And why had it ventured so close to the shire? The magic here, the wellsprings of Annwn flowing through the land, usually prevented creatures like this from encroaching on our little Eden in the Ozarks.

Breathing heavily, I leaned against my staff for support as the adrenaline faded. The woods were still once more, with no sign remaining of the creature that had attacked us. Emilie stepped forward, one arm wrapped protectively around Merlin while the other reached out to me.

“Are you alright?” she asked, concern in her eyes as she looked me over for any injuries.

I managed a weary nod. “Nothing a hot meal and some rest won’t fix,” I said with a tired smile.

She knew it was a lie. She could see it on my face, and I saw the same worry reflected back at me in hers. But we couldn’t show our fear. We couldn’t let Merlin know we were afraid.

Because when things like this started happening, especially when it involved our legendary heritage, it didn’t end. What we’d encountered in the woods was just the tip of the iceberg.