Meeting of Elder and Younger Merlin

When I was just six years old, I met a wonderful woman in her nineties by the name of Elvira Scorgie. As the town historian, she held a great reservoir of knowledge (especially Native American lore), and also a child-like sense of wonder. We became fast friends. Our many talks, whether pondering an arrowhead I’d found or some Algonquin tradition she’d uncovered, illuminated my childhood.

Perhaps that was why, before writing even a single word of The Mirror of Merlin, Book Four of The Lost Years of Merlin epic, I had a clear vision of one scene. Somehow, through a surprising turn, young Merlin must meet his elder self. As I imagined the scene, the two would stand together in the wizard’s legendary crystal cave. Across a chasm of centuries, they would face each other. The elder would radiate ancient wisdom (and abundant eccentricities, the kind only someone a thousand years old could amass); the younger would brim with idealism, enthusiasm, and a dose of fiery impatience. Together, they would share a moment of genuine poignance—and discover something new about tragedy, hope, and the power of individual choice.

That scene culminates in the chapter that has been excerpted for this publication. It is entitled “Merlin’s Isle.” In its pages, young Merlin realizes the depth of his own inner magic—as well as the frailties of his own humanity.

Whether or not you have been so fortunate as to have known an Elvira Scorgie—or an elder wizard—in your life, I hope that the scene feels true. And may you enjoy the reading as much as I did the writing!