Merlin's Supernatural Academy: Complete series (Books 1-4) : A Young Adult Supernatural Academy Series

by K L Rymer

  Those arresting green eyes puncture a hole in your soul.

  At that thought, The Devil’s eyes move to mine, and that deep, forest green burns red once again. “I guess I’ll see you again, Bryn.”

  My chin pops open. What’s that supposed to mean? I’m one of the good guys. I’ll be going to the other place...

  Damien winds the window up at last, which is a shame. His father was just telling him how much he loves him.

  “Yeah, you too, Dad...” he says.

  “And don’t forget that evil smirk!”

  The demon answers him back by breathing against the window, and his steamy breath drips down the glass. Rather childish, but oh well.

  Felicity whacks his shoulder. “Damien... that’s not very nice. He’s your father... he loves you...”

  He offers her a jaded look just as the car pulls away from the curb, and finally, we ride through the shitty streets of Hell.

  The butterflies flap in my stomach.

  Off to war we go.

  ...

  Brynmawr gave us the coordinates, and soon we end up in a narrow, cobblestone street.

  We’re back on earth, but I have no idea where. I do hear a distant bagpipe, having a good idea.

  The humans pay us no heed as we materialize out of nowhere on the street, just carrying on with their business as usual.

  There are quaint little shops everywhere, and the architecture is so old-world and divine. It’s a beautiful city. Nothing like the grayness of London or Liverpool.

  We are in a UK-based city after all. Brynmawr wouldn’t stray too far from Wales.

  I just don’t know which city Brynmawr has led us to.

  Nora suddenly gasps. “We’re... we’re in Edinburgh, Scotland!”

  We all peer around at her.

  “What? Scotland?” I say.

  I thought I heard bagpipes...

  The gorgon beams. “I’m home!”

  That’s right. She was raised in Scotland. She doesn’t have the accent though, being sheltered her whole life. A shame.

  Zahara shrugs. “It’s not Ireland, but it will do.”

  I shake my head as she’s just looking for any excuse to get drunk, and now Nora leads the way as best as she can. Apparently, she’s only been to Edinburgh once but it was a hundred years ago. Things have changed since then.

  The only things she can remember is the castle and Arthur’s Seat (the latter being a large hill that overlooks the city).

  I spot Harry Potter memorabilia in shop windows, and my heart thumps.

  Of course... It’s where she wrote the book.

  It almost seems like fate.

  I can imagine there were no trams back when Nora last visited as we find ourselves on a busy High Street. There are modern shops everywhere and a MacDonald’s, and my stomach growls.

  I could do with a Big Mac right now.

  But no. We have to find my dragon first.

  Figures he’d go to Scotland. He’s a Welsh Dragon after all, and wouldn’t be found dead in an English city.

  The Celts have to stick together after all.

  We soon find the address on a quiet street corner, and now we all stand before a cute café.

  I wonder how on earth my dragon is going to fit inside here, but I make my way inside and take a seat at the back. Even Jack can barely fit through the door, so lord knows how Brynmawr will.

  There are no other customers in the café. Apart from an odd-looking couple who keep stealing glances our way.

  They really are peculiar. For one, they look as if they’ve just escaped from some ren-fair.

  The man has long, bright red hair down to his waist and chiseled features. The woman is beautiful with snow-white hair and piercing blue eyes. She wears a long, blue dress. The man dresses in shabby peasant clothes.

  I open up a menu, offering the red-headed man a furious look. He gives me a lopsided smile, his amber eyes glinting in the light of the café, and it’s only then when I notice the shape of his pupils.

  My jaw hangs open.

  No, it couldn’t be...

  I peer at his partner, the beautiful woman with the white-hair and she, too, has the vertical pupils. Unlike the red-headed man, her expression is cold and unsympathetic, and my blood freezes.

  “I... I don’t—”

  The man chuckles. “I’m glad you finally recognise us, Bryn...”

  The rest of my housemates peer around at the strange couple, pulling the same facial expression as I do. Even Angelina’s jaw pops loose.

  “B-Brynmawr?” Felicity gasps, fixing her big, blue eyes on the white-haired woman. “Gwyneira?”

  My dragon smiles. “In the flesh, sweet little pixie...”

  The pixie squeaks when she hears that handsome voice, and now she ducks beneath the table, trying to hide her pink cheeks.

  Now an awkward silence follows as we all try to process what we’re seeing.

  What gives?

  The tension is finally broken next by the sound of Damien clapping his hands, rising to his feet as he flounces toward the red-headed man.

  “Bryndog!”

  “D-boy!”

  Both men clasp hands, patting each other’s backs as if they’re old friends, and I have so many questions swirling through my mind.

  ...

  We all have a catch-up over cake and coffee as those dragons tell us what happened with Mattie.

  They only just managed to escape. Bryndog—I mean, Brynmawr—almost died protecting Gwyneira and my grandparents from Matthew Senior and the Black Dragon.

  To my relief, my grandparents are okay, and now they stay at a cozy B&B in the Scottish capital with Tilly the cat.

  We told them how we narrowly escaped ourselves and went to Hell for a few days, and both Dragons turned as white as ghosts.

  It was the only way we could escape the Humphreys. I bet Mattie is still out there right now looking for me.

  Brynmawr has no idea where Myrddin is, and my heart deflates. Somehow, I was hoping he’d be with the dragons.

  Another uncomfortable silence drifts through the coffee house. Brynmawr swallows his fifth latte, and now he starts to get the shakes as he gazes down into his empty cup.

  “This human beverage is strange...”

  I meet his yellow dragon eyes, shrugging my shoulders. “How...?”

  The dragon purses his lips, wondering how to best break it down. I can’t believe it... They were shifters all along...

  Gwyneira answers in his place. “They’re only temporary disguises, Bryn. Don’t worry... you’ll have your dragon back soon enough.”

  “Thank goodness,” Brynmawr replies. “This human body is tiny.”

  I raise a brow. I wouldn’t say Brynmawr’s human form was tiny exactly. He looks as if he just walked off the set of Vikings, yet still... he’s a mountain of a man. Nowhere as big as Jack, but still pretty huge.

  I sigh, peering into Gwyneira’s frosty blue eyes. “So, you really didn’t know? About Matthew?”

  She glances down into her coffee, stirring it ever so ladylike with her spoon. Unlike Brynmawr, she actually knows how to act civil. “I really didn’t. I’m sorry, Bryn... I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop him.”

  I hear the sincerity in her silky, feminine voice. Brynmawr’s eyes soften as he leans across, taking her hand in his. He says in his deep baritone. “It’s not your fault, Gwyn...”

  The White Dragon dips her head, a stray tear falling from her eye. I know she’s telling the truth. I can see it across her heartbroken face.

  Unfortunately, not all of us seem to agree. Angelina scoffs as if she’s got a hairball stuck in her throat. Both dragons lift their heads, their eyes glowing as they glare at her.

  The vampire matches their glowers.

  “Got something to say?” Brynmawr challenges.

  Angelina leans back, folding her arms. “I bet she’s lying. After all, she can connect her thoughts to Matthew’s. Who’s to say she isn’t communicating with him now.�
��

  Gwyneira’s icy blues find Angelina’s, and it’s one frosty bitch to another now. “You’re wrong. He isn’t communicating with me. I’m unable to get through to him... I... I don’t understand why...”

  The vampire sharpens her eyes. “Prove it. Liar...”

  The White Dragon snaps her head back up, cutting the vampire with her cold, glass-like orbs. “You watch your tongue, parasite.”

  Angelina rises in her seat as Gwyneira does the same, and I jump, stopping them both. “Enough, ladies. Just agree to disagree. Now is not the time to fight.”

  Both ladies sit. As I look back and forth between them, the resemblance is so uncanny. They could be sisters right now. Gwyneira’s human form looks an awful lot like Angelina. Similar ice-blue eyes, full set of lips, and fabulous hair. Only the dragon’s hair is pure white.

  Brynmawr stands, stretching his limbs. His shirt lifts as he raises his arms, and I quickly glance away when I spot that muscled torso.

  I do not need to see that much of my dragon.

  “So,” the red-headed man says. “Should we all go for a drink in the nearest tavern to discuss war plans?”

  Zahara is the first to respond. “It’s like you read my mind, Brynmawr.”

  I scowl at the Unseelie. She only just had drinks in Hell. To my surprise, she’s not the only one as the others soon join her, and now we’re all out the door looking for a cold pint of Guinness.

  Chapter 4 - Matthew

  I glower at that dark shadow in disgust.

  Of course, I couldn’t get through. The passage had already been closed off by the time I arrived in Mendacious tower.

  Hellborne... I should have known. Should have seen this coming...

  Father’s going to be furious, and he will only make Mother suffer even more as a result.

  I growl, bringing my hands up to my face. Lightning sparks between my fingers as I’m about ready to fry something.

  Getting my powers back from Myrddin was easier than I thought. The old man had willingly given them over to me when I threatened him with my fists a second time. His only wish: “Let me escape...”

  It seemed a fair enough deal. So long as Father doesn’t find out that I let the most famous wizard of all time escape my clutches. Anyway, I can find a loophole in the plan and defeat him. I will not be Father’s puppet forever...

  Somehow, I can destroy him and still save Mother.

  God knows where all those freaks of Mendacious House are now. Most likely Hell if Hellborne has anything to do with it. I just wonder how the little pixie’s getting on. Hell will destroy her for sure. It almost makes me feel bad. She was always the nicest to me out of all of Bryn’s friends. Even if it was fake.

  Still, I’m not alone... I feel a presence in the common room as I stare daggers at that shadowy passage.

  It seems Bryn left someone behind... A certain, mangy mutt from the other side.

  At first, I thought the girl was crazy, talking to herself in the academy hallways when she thought she was alone, but at times I’d see it too... the ghost of a dog.

  It’s the one from that gut-wrenching tale about the prince. The one the old man told her about during her sorting ceremony.

  I may be a bastard, but even that story made me feel a little bit of something. In fact, it was how I started falling for Bryn, seeing the way that tear fell from her eye and into the font revealed her true self. A love of animals is a pure thing after all.

  Her face fills my mind then, and I clench a hand over my chest as I try to stir my thoughts in another direction. But then I see her wide, forest green eyes and porcelain skin, and it’s like she’s standing in front of me again. I’m almost tempted to run my thumb along her full bottom lip or move that loose strand of blonde hair from her heart-shaped face.

  Bryn’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever been with. I don’t care what anyone says, Angelina’s not all that hot in the end. Who wants cold and manipulative when you could have snarky and eccentric.

  She’s definitely one of the weirdest girls that I’ve met. Her obsession with Japanese cartoons is only proof of that, and I smile as I can almost picture her correcting me, her nose wrinkled up in disgust.

  “It’s called anime, dumbass...”

  Her face is so expressive, and I can see where she gets if from now. Watching too much anime, of course.

  She’s like a cartoon character

  There comes a whine from the corner of the room, and I whirl around. There’s nothing there, but I don’t miss that faint outline of a dog. He’s not sure whether to make his presence known or not.

  He gives me an idea. If I can earn his trust, I can get him to lead me to Bryn...

  At that thought, the dog vanishes into the wall and I bound forward. “No! Come back!”

  Shit. I should have known... Dogs are good at picking up on negative energy, even when they’re alive. That power would only be increased as a ghost.

  I just need to convince this dog that I’m not the bad guy. That I mean Bryn no harm.

  I will not hurt her. I know it deep in my heart. I’ll destroy myself before I let that happen.

  It’s just my mother... she’s the only thing holding me back, keeping me from doing the right thing. But I make a vow to myself.

  I will stop Father.

  I call to the dog again. “Please... c-come back! I... I mean no harm!”

  Only silence answers me, but I go on, clawing onto my only hope. I lean my head against the wall, wracking my brains for how best I can get through to this deceased animal. I was never good with dogs anyway.

  “Please... Gelert. That’s your name, right? You’re the dog that saved his master’s baby from the wolf. You really are something... A true hero. Not like me, a stinking coward. I don’t blame you for wanting to keep away from me. I’m rotten, I know it... and I broke her heart... for the second time...”

  Still nothing from the dog, but I continue.

  “Look... I know you don’t trust me, but I promise I mean her no harm. I won’t hurt Bryn or any of the others. I... I just want to save my mother from my father. That’s all. I’m... starting to forget the sound of her voice... it’s nearly been two-hundred years. I... I just need her back. I need Bryn back...”

  The only thing I hear is my raging heart, and now I collapse to the floor, burying my face in my hands.

  I deserve his silence. In fact, I deserve everything I’m about to get. I truly am alone. No longer do I have the woman of my dreams, but I no longer have my oldest friend Gwyneira.

  It’s like the Black Dragon is blocking her thoughts from mine, and I don’t understand, yet I can still feel her through the fog.

  She’s sad, for me... I just wish I could tell her I’m sorry, but there was no other way. I couldn’t risk the others finding out about my plans. She was falling in love with Brynmawr all over again. It was obvious she would have been torn.

  I startle at the feel of a wet nose against my ear, and now I shuffle back, staring into the long face of the biggest dog that I’ve seen for a while.

  Gelert pokes his head halfway through the wall, and the sight is ghoulish. But he looks just as alive as any other dog as he watches me warily. The whites of his eyes are showing.

  I rub my face. How do I get him to trust me? Do I offer him a treat?

  I meet his brown eyes. “So, what do you say, Gelert? Fancy teaming up? Want to help me defeat my father?”

  He bows his head, whining once again, and I sigh. “What did I expect? A good boy like you would never want to partner with me. I’m a bad dog. I know it...”

  His ears perk up at the phrase “Good boy”, and now he opens his mouth, slipping out that massive, pink tongue as he slants his eyes.

  A smile forms over my lips as I think I’ve finally discovered how to make him trust me. “Gelert... You’re a good boy.”

  He crawls out of the wall and presents his whole body to me at last, and now he barks, wagging his tail.

  “That’s right.
Such a good, good boy...”

  The ghost bounds towards me now, pushing me back to the floor as he showers me with kisses. I chuckle.

  I see why people have these as pets now. As broody and miserable as I am, he’s rather cute.

  It seems I’m not so alone in this mini-war.

  I may just get Bryn back after all.

  Chapter 5 - Bryn

  We stay in Edinburgh for the foreseeable future as we bunk up in a hotel. So far, we seem to be safe.

  The Humphreys have not come for us.

  The only other place I would have gone to was Bangor, but I know Matthew would have thought to look there first. He could always go to London and Liverpool too, the homes of Sophie and Megan, which was why I left my human friends out of this.

  They do not need to be involved in these supernatural affairs. I will have beaten Matthew’s father by the time he has a chance to take over the human world.

  I decided to do a little sight-seeing in the Scottish capital for the time being. I have visited the castle and gone to the zoo to see giant Pandas, and once again I am going to have an ass firmer than a peach.

  I’ve walked over more hills than I can count.

  I even had coffee in the Elephant House where the tales of that famous boy wizard were written. (Not Myrddin, I mean the other boy wizard).

  Since I never got to finish my exams at Bangor, I will have to do my re-sits in August or I will never get my zoology degree. I’m sure the academy will let us off once we save the world since we never got to finish our exams there either, but Bangor will be oblivious and chalk it up to me being lazy.

  Sucks.

  I’m really missing Gelert as I wonder how he’s holding up at the academy, the poor thing.

  He’s all alone without a friend in the world.

  I went to the statue of Greyfriars Bobby—a heart-breaking tale of a dog who visited his owner’s grave every day for fourteen years after his death, and he really reminds me of Gelert. Sure, he was a much smaller dog, but the undying loyalty of a canine is just the purest thing.

  In fact, the spirit of the little sky terrier even made himself known to me, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.