Merlin's Heir | Wyrdwolf book 2

Book 2 in the Wyrdwolf series

Werehyenas are always trouble. That much is obvious. But trying to protect a young werewolf from being bullied by them leads to all sorts of problems for Wyrdwolf Isolde as she finds herself facing a toxic mix of the blackest magic and the hyena clan.

And it's all coming at the wrong time. Declan is furious with her and threatening to leave the team. When she finds out who he is, it leaves Izzy with a choice about she doesn't want to make. Not that she has time to concentrate on that - not with both herself and her colleague Marnie under attack by unknown magicians.

Trying to help a Special Operations officer with a problem about one of his men leads to a trail of destruction and death. And then Michael is threatened with a magic that strikes horror into Izzy. The race is on to find him before he's killed. But, to do that, Izzy and her sidekick Sam have to fight their way through a rogue magician and a whole clan of murderous Werehyenas.

But worse is the choice she must make about Michael.

The second book in the Wyrdwolf series takes place in 1999 in England, a few weeks after the close of The Axe, the Elf and the Werewolf. It mixes a dose of South African magic with the real history of District 6, a touch of the Elizabethan occultist, Dr Dee and a pinch of Celtic mythology.

Merlin's Heir - 286 pages. On sale in Kindle or print editions, via Amazon.

series number: Book #2
Where to buy: Amazon US
Where to buy: Amazon UK
For other countries, click on the UK link and substitute your country's domain for the .co.uk in the url
True BitsIf you want to know which of the folklore and history in the book is true

True Bits in the book (folklore and history)

Chapter 1
A wolf has large feet to travel over snow.

Chapter 2
'Lawspeaker' was the title of the top legal office in Scandinavian countries, from around the 10th century until 13th to 14th centuries. In Iceland, the Lawspeaker was also an arbiter.

The hyena physique and social behaviour described applies to the spotted hyena.

Chapter 3
The Forest of Dean history is true.

Orlog is a Heathen concept, related to wyrd. It can be expressed as the sum total of everything that has made someone the person they are.

Wyrd is a Heathen concept related to fate.

'Saywife' is my play on the pre-Christian Heathen role of seiðkona.

Chapter 4
The description of hyena physiology is true.

Chapter 6
Officers in the SAS are dubbed 'Ruperts' by the NCOs.

The SAS camp is in Credenhill, on the outskirts of Hereford.

Chapter 11
The Morrigan is a goddess in Irish mythology strongly connected with war.

Chapter 14
The Daghda is one of the leading gods of the Tuatha De Danann. His appetites and dress sense are from Irish mythology.

I’ve made the Morrigan the Daghda’s wife. In the Cath Maige Tuired he beds her to gain an advantage in war.

Loki acquires the magical gifts of the gods, which I’ve twisted into the connection with technology. His sexual appetite is attested in the Poetic Edda Lokasenna.

The story about him winning a bet and having his mouth stitched in reprisal occurs in the Prose Edda Skaldskaparmal 5. Contrary to popular opinion, the association between Loki and fire isn’t in the ancient texts of the Heathen religion.

The bit about a wolf’s bark is true.

The tale of Loki becoming a mare and the consequential birth of Sleipnir can be found in the Prose Edda Gylfaginning 42.

The name Loki Laufeyjarson occurs in the Eddas, which defies normal naming conventions by calling him after his mother, rather than his father.

Chapter 16
According to the Cath Maige Tuired (Irish mythology), the Tuatha De Danann invaded Ireland.

Loki's strange offspring are mentioned in Heathen mythology. There’s a passing reference to some we don’t know (Poetic Edda, Lokasenna 23). I made up Isolde and the mara.

Chapter 18
Credenhill is where the SAS is stationed. They train in the Brecon Beacons. The information given about the organisation, culture and terminology of the SAS (such as 'head shed' or Rupert for the officers) is true.

The existence of crossover specialists between the SAS and other units exists. That includes the sort of work carried out by the burglar.

Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons is infamous as the location of the 'fan dance' - the SAS final selection test.

Chapter 20
Bundle is the name given to written evidence in an Employment Tribunal.

In Heathen mythology, 'luck' could be lent, given and earned. It was generally earned through religious observance.

Chapter 22
'A gift for a gift' is a modern Heathen tenet.
Oath rings were part of ancient Heathen culture. They are mentioned in the Icelandic Landnamabok, relating the settlement of Iceland in the 9th century.

Chapter 24
The story of Gleipnir and how Fenris came to be bound is in the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 34.

Chapter 26
The Aesir and Vanir are the two families of Heathen gods.

Chapter 27
Ginnungagap is the name of the primordial void in Heathen mythology. It appears in the Prose Edda Gylfaginning.

Chapter 31
The singers on Declan's recordings are real. They are generally satiricists.

District Six exists, and its history is as described. The museum also exists.

Sangomas exist.

Chapter 32
The Swan Inn in Richmond exists, as do the markers of river levels.

In the Heathen religion, Odhin has many names. Grimnir is one of the better known.

Chapter 35
In late 2004, John Dee's crystal was stolen from the Science Museum and later recovered by the police. However, it is neither a crystal ball nor Dee's showstone. Those objects are in the British Museum, together with the 'Seal of God'. The real showstone is a flat obsidian disc.

Dee was an alchemist and court magician to Elizabeth the first.

Hel is one of Loki's children. She rules over the kingdom that bears her name. There is dispute whether the description of Hel in the Prose Edda was influenced by Christianity.

Sam's information about sangomas and muti magic is true.

Chapter 39
A taurobolium was as described.

The deconsecrated church exists.

Chapter 43
The properties of Thornapple are true.

Chapter 44
Dian Cecht is the physician god in Irish mythology. Airmed is his daughter.

Brownies are a type of household spirit that is common throughout Northern European mythology and folklore. 'Brownie' is the Scottish name for them. They aided in tasks around the house if treated kindly. They had a reputation for being able to do this work more perfectly than humans.

The Prose Edda, Skaldskaparmal 35, refers to Loki possessing shoes that could run across sea and sky, although the name 'Skywalker' isn’t actually applied to him in the Heathen texts.