Legacy: The Mark of Merlin. Gerald Pruett

as powerful to half as powerful as the people who carry the mark of Merlin.”

      “Well, it’s still cool that I could be more powerful than the average person,” Ellen thought aloud.

      “Yeah, well, if you want to learn witchcraft, let me introduce you to my cousin Sadie,” Harris insisted.

      “I met Sadie at Mike and Tanya’s wedding,” Ellen reminded him. “She was Tanya’s bridesmaid.”

      “Okay, then let me reintroduce you two,” Harris corrected.

      Ellen gave Harris a curious look while asking, “Why?”

      “She’s a practicing witch and she’s a safety nut,” Harris said.

      Ellen grinned before saying, “I guess learning witchcraft under Sadie wouldn’t hurt… so to speak.”

      Before anything else was said, a nurse stepped in and told them, “Sorry to interrupt you folks, but I need to check on the kids.”

      “It’s fine,” Allyson assured her. “Don’t let us keep you from doing your job.”

      “So have you folks decided on a name?” the nurse asked as she moved towards one of the cribs.

      “We have,” Ellen and Allyson said. Allyson grinned while gesturing for Ellen to continue.

      Ellen grinned as she continued with, “Her name is Sonya Paige Anderson.”

      “Pretty,” the nurse said.

      “Thanks,” Ellen said.

      “We should get out of your way,” Harris told the nurse.

      “What do you mean get out of the way?” Ellen quickly demanded to know.

      “I want to go to your house and use your phone and computer,” Harris said.

      “I’m staying here, but I’ll give you my house key,” Ellen said as she went to pull out the key from her pocket.

      When Harris shot Ellen a curious look, Jane said, “She doesn’t want Sonya out of her sight.”

      Harris gave an understanding nod before saying, “Ellen, Sonya isn’t going to disappear from life if you’re not around her.”

      “I know that,” Ellen quickly said. “I just want to visit, and if the nurse will let me, I want to feed her when the time comes.”

      Before the nurse could respond, Allyson strongly suggested, “Ellen, Sonya’s weak right now, and until she’s stronger we should let the hospital staff feed her.”

      “And in the meantime, you don’t need to be underfoot,” Jane added.

      “So we will all go back to your place, so I can use your phone and computer, yes?” Harris requested.

      Ellen slightly huffed before saying, “Yes.”

      “Before you folks go, you should make Sonya’s name official by filling out the paperwork,” the nurse suggested.

      “Right,” Harris said before looking at Ellen. “Let’s go fill out the paperwork.”

      “Fine,” Ellen said before she followed Harris out of the room. Jane followed Ellen while Allyson followed Jane.

Chapter Two

      As soon as Ellen, Harris, Allyson and Jane stepped into Ellen’s house Harris called his grandmother in London.

      Harris had used the speakerphone feature so the others could also hear. Once all the greetings were over and Harris had told Laura—his grandmother—about Sonya, Laura said, “I had told your mother that I had a strong feeling that Tanya’s daughter will be born with the mark of Merlin… and I was right.”

      “Why would you think that since the mark was gone?” Harris asked as he glanced at Allyson. Allyson just responded with a polite grin.

      “Two reasons actually, and the first reason is that it’s yours and Tanya’s generation to parent twins, and Tanya wasn’t carrying twins.”

      “But the mark was gone,” Harris insisted.

      “The mark might’ve faded from sight, but it needed another generation of twins being born before it could die out completely. The three generations from when the birthmark first fades to when the next set of twins is born is known as the Phoenix stage. As long as both parents are in the Phoenix stage the mark of Merlin will return within their children. The mark of Merlin will also become more prominent in their children if both parents carry the mark. Even if one parent is in the Phoenix stage and the other carries the mark, the child will still have a more prominent mark than the parent who carries the mark.”

      “I did not know all that,” Harris replied. “When there are multiple lines involve, is it random or is there a rule of which line the child will have power over?”

      “There is a rule actually. The stronger line will always give strength to the weaker line, so the child will always be born with a more definable birthmark of the weaker line; however, if the child has grandparents of all three lines then the child’s mark will be of the strongest line of the three lines.”

      “So from what you had said the power over the beasts is the weaker of the two lines.”

      “The power over the beasts is the weakest of the three lines and our power, the power over the Fire and Water is the strongest of the three; so I’m guessing that Sonya’s birthmark is more than a sliver of a waning crescent moon.”

      “Oh yeah,” Ellen agreed.

      “So, Grandmother, what was the second reason why you thought that Sonya was going to be born with the mark of Merlin?”

      “You haven’t mentioned it, but I know for a fact that you would get a ‘static electricity’ feeling when you get within thirty feet of any of your relatives. And I’m going to bet that you get that same feeling when you get around Ellen and—and before Michael’s tragic accident—Michael. Ellen, you should be getting the same feeling when you’re around Harris.”

      Before Ellen had a chance to respond, Harris said, “Yes; except before today, I was never around Mike or Ellen without Tanya being there, so I always assumed that I was sensing Tanya.”

      “Same with you earlier when I was walking into the nursery,” Ellen added. “I just assumed that I was just sensing Sonya.”

      “Yes, well, that feeling is caused by us sensing each other, and I had sensed Michael when he and Tanya had visited us in London. When I asked Tanya on how she and Michael had met, she said that she had met him at an auction. The two felt each other and then locked eyes on one another. So I think that they both had mistaken the feeling as ‘love at first sight’. Anyway, Harris, since I had suspected that Sonya was going to be born with the birthmark, I had our family’s Legacy volumes copied,”—A curious expression came across Ellen’s face— “and your parents are on their way to Kansas City as we speak with those volumes.”

      “What are Legacy volumes?” Ellen asked.

      “Chronicles of our ancestors,” Harris said.

      “They are more than chronicles, Harris,” Laura told him.

      “Please tell me you didn’t include the books on incantations,” Harris uttered.

      “I had everything copied and sent, Harris.” Harris sighed as Laura continued with, “The Legacy volumes that we have and all of our incantations.”

      “Cool,” Ellen said.

      “Ellen, your grandfather’s family should’ve kept volumes of your family’s Legacy,” Laura continued with. “And by no means was your grandfather the first one who had lost contact with his Legacy, but if it is at all possible, you should try to retrace your family tree and locate your family’s