Book IV

Merlin's Shaman Odysseys

Merlin's mentorship of his twenty-first-century charges is detailed and complex. The events occur in about the middle of Book III, as the kids are traveling to Arthur's Court at Tintagel Castle and before the final battle. However, they are so different from the rest of the story that they were made into a separate book.

While traveling with the future magus to Arthur's Court, Merlin uses the nights around the campfire to initiate the new shamans and introduce them to their new identities. Using an elaborate ritual, he gives them their shaman names and tells them of their animal helpers. He then sends them on psychological/emotional journeys to meet themselves. Each has a journey tailored to his or her own personality and needs.  The journeys are harrowing, but through them, they learn about themselves. (One involves a monster.) (There's always a monster!)