Merlin's Heir

Book 2 in the Wyrdwolf series

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 a few weeks after the close of The Axe, the Elf and the Werewolf. It draws on South African magic and recent history and irish mythology. Set in the borderlands of England and South Wales.

Merlin's Heir - 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 2
In Heathen mythology, Hel is the name of a goddess and the kingdom she rules. She is one of Loki’s children.

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

The physiology and social behaviour of the spotted hyena are true.

Mémé (French) = Granny.

Chapter 3
The Forest of Dean was a royal hunting ground and building there was strictly constrained.

There are wild boar in the Forest of Dean.

In Heathen mythology, there are nine worlds.

Orlog is a Heathen concept, related to wyrd. Wyrd is a Heathen concept related to fate. What Izzy says about them is a modern interpretation.

Saywife is my play on the pre-Christian Heathen role of seiðkona. I turned the role into a healer rather than an enchanter/seer.

Chapter 4
In Heathen mythology, Loki sired a child on Tyr’s (Old Norse. Anglo Saxon equivalent = Tiw) wife. However, it was a son and the texts don’t give us the name of mother or child. See the Poetic Edda Lokasenna 40.

ASBO (British legal acronym) = Anti-social Behaviour order. They existed between 1998 and 2014 and were obtained by local authorities to restrict certain forms of anti-social behaviour.

Firehome is my rendition of Old Norse Muspelheim. It is one of the nine worlds in Heathen mythology.

The description of hyena physiology is true.

Chapter 5
Daoine sidhe are the Irish elves.

The Tuatha De Danann are the ancient Irish gods.

A gift for a gift is a modern Heathen maxim.

Chapter 6
The SAS camp is in Credenhill, on the outskirts of Hereford. Officers in the SAS are dubbed Ruperts by the NCOs.

Gardening leave (British) = suspension from work on full pay.

Chapter 9
A Get Out of Jail Free card (slang) = something that will get one out of an undesired situation. It comes from the board game Monopoly.  

Chapter 10
The Morrigan is a goddess in Irish mythology strongly connected with war.

Chapter 13
The Daghda is one of the leading gods of the Tuatha De Danann. His description and dress are taken from Irish mythology. His weapon was a club.

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

The story about Loki having his mouth stitched in reprisal for winning a bet is in the Prose Edda Skaldskaparmal 5. There is no association between Loki and fire in the ancient texts of the Heathen religion.

A wolf’s bark signals an attack.

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. It defies normal naming conventions by calling him after his mother rather than his father.

Chapter 14
The Once and Future King by T. H. White is a retelling of the stories about Arthur and Merlin. It’s based upon Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.

Among the Tuatha De Danann, Brigid is a goddess who specialises in poetry. Aengus is represented as a god of love.

TDD = Tuatha De Danaan.

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

Chapter 15
In Heathen mythology, Loki’s children included the Midgard serpent, Fenris wolf, Hel and Odhin’s horse, Sleipnir. I made up Isolde and the mara.

Chapter 17
Ulfhednar/ulfhedinn (Old Norse: plural/singular) are from Heathen mythology. They were berserkers who changed into wolves rather than bears.

The SAS (Special Air Service) is a special operations regiment in the British forces. They are stationed at Credenhill in Herefordshire. The information given about the organisation, culture and terminology of the SAS (such as Rupert or boss for the officers) was true when the book was written.

SIS (British) = the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. It is the foreign intelligence service of the government of the United Kingdom

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 18
Old Norse poetry often employs figurative language in place of a noun.

In Heathen mythology, the Norns tended wyrd.

Chapter 22
At the time the book was written, there were cases of babies being raped in parts of Africa due to the myth about virgins and HIV.

Chapter 23
Rob’s method of breaking a lock is normal among locksmiths.

Grand (British slang) = a thousand.

Chapter 25
Oath rings were part of ancient Heathen culture. They are mentioned in the Icelandic Landnamabok, relating the settlement of Iceland in the 9th century.

A domestic (British slang) = a family argument.

ETA (acronym) = estimated time of arrival.

RV (military jargon) = rendezvous.

Chapter 26
Slash (British slang) = urination.

In Heathen mythology, a human being comprises many parts. The fetch (ON fylgja, Anglo Saxon fæcce) is one. It forms part of the person and is present from birth.

Herbert (name) = army fame.

In Heathen mythology, the gods bound Fenris to prevent the end of the worlds (Ragnarok). The story is in the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 34. 

Chapter 28
Deus ex machina (Latin) refers to a god wheeled onto the stage in a Classical play to resolve a difficulty in the plot.

The mud creature appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation “Skin of Evil”.

Chapter 29
Ginnungagap is the name of the primordial void in Heathen mythology. It appears in the Prose Edda Gylfaginning.

Chapter 30
Landwight is a modern Heathen term for nature spirits tied to the land. Wight is derived from an Anglo Saxon word for creature.

Nosy Parker (British slang) = someone too interested in the affairs of others.

Looting of Iraqi archaeological artefacts was rampant during the 1990s.

CPS = Crown Prosecution Service, which decides which cases to prosecute in England and Wales.

Chapter 31
Tom (British police slang) = prostitute.

Chapter 32
The information about District Six is true.

Sangomas exist.

Chapter 33
The Swan Inn in Richmond exists, as does the marks of river levels.

Chapter 34
In Heathen mythology, Odhin has many names. Grimnir is one of the better known.

Chapter 35
In Heathen mythology, luck could be lent, given and earned. It was generally earned through religious observance.

Chapter 37
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. The real showstone is a flat obsidian disc.

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

In Heathen mythology, Hel is one of Loki’s children. She rules over the kingdom that bears her name. See the Prose Edda Gylfaginning 34.

Sam’s information about muti magic is true.

Chapter 40
Mithraism was popular among Roman soldiers.

A taurobolium was as described.

Izzy’s mac reference is to Neo’s appearance in the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix.

The deconsecrated church exists. 

Chapter 41
Hammer Film Productions is a British film company best known for a series of gothic horror films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s.

I'll be the judge, I'll be the jury comes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Chapter 44
The properties of Thornapple are true.

Chapter 45
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.

Dian Cecht is a physician god in Irish mythology. Airmed is his daughter.

The SAS describes its attitude to the use of lethal force as 'Big boys' games, big boys' rules'.

In Heathen mythology, Loki possesses shoes that could run across sea and sky, although the name Skywalker isn’t used. See the Prose Edda, Skaldskaparmal 35.

Chapter 46
Kidney failure is an extremely rare side effect of taking statins. It only occurs with high doses and/or a combination of other drugs.