Main Characters
Kim Taylor
Twenty-two years old. Final-year college student in literature, who doesn’t take crap from nobody. Kim is a powerful witch, hiding her magic to avoid detection. She’s the main female character of Forbidden Road and Merlin’s Creed. Daughter of Julie Evans-Ralston and Mark Ralston. Tricked by Morgan La Fay, Kim finds herself in 500 AD with no memory of who she is, about to enter into an arranged marriage with a prince who betrays the high throne, and puts her life at risk.
Forbidden Road, Chapter 2:
I never knew my parents as Mark and Julie Ralston. To me, they were always Markus and Julia Taylor. The identities that they had chosen.
I discovered the truth about our family on my sixteenth birthday, when my mom took me to Glastonbury for a weekend and we had the talk. Only mine wasn’t about guys and safety.
It had convinced me that we were by far the weirdest family at my school. Of course, I had already made that statement many times before.
After all, we had magic.
I was at my final year of college now, eager to graduate and start my own independent life.
Seth Rivers
Twenty-four years old. Computers masters student in Kim’s college and an Olympic fencer. When traveling to 500AD with Kim, they get accidentally separated and he becomes a knight in Fergus Mór’s court. Seth is down-to-earth, humble, and has a critical worldview, which charms Kim when she gets to know him. But things don’t start off that smoothly at first…
Forbidden Road, Chapter 4:
“Do you know who that was? That was Seth Rivers!”
The name was familiar. Was Seth famous?
“Our fencing champion. He was on the news last night,” Bradley continued, Zhi Ruo watching him with admiration. “They said he’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. He’s been winning tournaments all year and they think he’s a sure Olympic gold medalist, if there ever was one.”
A fancy athlete. No wonder he was so full of himself!
Forbidden Road, Chapter 4:
“I’m really sorry, Kim.” He shook his head. “I haven’t had a fight with anyone in months. And now it’s twice with you in one day. I don’t know why this is happening.”
“I thought you were a pro at fighting.”
For the first time, he gave me a kind smile. “Actually, I’m an amateur.”
Right. He had to maintain the status for the Olympics.
Julie Evans
Twenty-six years old. Fitness trainer and powerful witch; the main female character of Blue Diamond,Dark Flame, and Dragon Fire. We first meet Julie briefly in Forbidden Road as Kim’s mother, though Kim doesn’t know the entire story of her parents’ past. Julie escapes several attempts on her life, by mages who want to kill her and take her magic. She suffers from PTSD due to one of those attempts, early in her life, when someone tried to drown her and she had to bind her powers, resulting in traumatic memories when near a pool. She regains these powers at the beginning of Blue Diamond, when she meets Mark, her Charge.
As the series progresses, Julie’s ability to protect Mark Ralston puts both their lives and their children’s lives at risk. The books see her regain her confidence and stand up to her oppressors, as she protects both herself and her family.
Blue Diamond, Chapter 1:
And then I felt it. Magic. It was as if a dam had suddenly lifted and the water rushed through me, spreading instantly from my heart all the way to my fingertips, like a gush of light, charging every part of me. It shook all my cells like an inner earthquake and I felt awakened, my body iron-strong and my feet vibrating as I felt the ground under me all the way to the hot lava core of the Earth. It was a force larger than life, forever bubbling, ready to shoot through my hands and radiate out of me with the power of seven thousand suns. Intoxicating, and swirling with unstoppable motion, clearing everything out of its way in its awful greatness. And most of all, it was mine.
Mark Ralston
Twenty-nine years old. CEO of a multinational software company worth billions. Mark is Julie’s Charge and he’s a good guy. A really good guy. The kind who gets corrupted…in Dragon Fire, after a spell goes very wrong. Julie and Mark meet as sweethearts in Blue Diamond, but the series progresses in Dark Flame and Dragon Fire to see Mark’s struggle against a darkness that takes over. We meet him briefly as Kim’s father in Forbidden Road and more in Merlin’s Creed, when we see a different, mature Mark who is the guiding father for Kim, and has succeeded with handling the struggles of his earlier life.
Blue Diamond, Chapter 1:
Two large blue eyes looked at me intently, the same eyes of the man who had just stood next to Kendra. Now that his face was close enough to recognize, I knew I had seen him before somewhere. He looked at me, worried.
Kendra was right beside him. “Thanks for the help, Mark.”
Mark smiled, but kept looking at me. He had a great smile. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” I tried to sit up straight, and he helped me. “Thanks.”
There was something special about his face. The short golden hair was a shade I hadn’t seen before. Or had I?
He still looked at me, concerned.
“It’s probably just the wine,” I reassured him. “I hardly ever drink.”
“That’s a very healthy habit.” He smiled again, as if he was almost happy to have been there to help. He also had dimples.
I’d always loved dimples.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 2:
And then there was my dad. I was closest to him. He was always there for me. He made time. He taught me and Harley everything he could, and we knew to come to him whenever there was trouble.
There were few people I could trust that way and there were instances in my life when I felt that he was the only person I could talk to.
Guinevere
Fifteen years old when we meet her. Queen of Camelot. Strong-willed and intelligent. We see her progress from a smart but naive young teen to a mature, strong woman. She’s talented with languages and translates the Grail’s text from Hebrew. We learn her strength early on, when she defies her father on arranging her marriage to Arthur.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 1:
“Father! What have you done?”
“Only what was best.”
“For whom? Because, definitely, it wasn’t for me.”
“Queen of the country is not good enough for you?”
“Marriage to a man I don’t know…”
“You’ll have your whole life to know him.”
“How could you do this?” I shouted. He was supposed to protect me.
“Lower your voice!” His eyes blazed.
“Or you’ll what?”
Lancelot
Twenty-four when we meet him. Knight and mage; Guinevere’s lover. Brave, with a strong personality and there for Guinevere in times of trouble. A balancing force in Guinevere’s life and later a charismatic leader. As a mage, he uses cuffs to block his magic, so that he can serve as a Knight of the Round Table, and later First Knight.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 13:
I knew that as long as Lancelot and I were together, there was nothing we couldn’t face. He was my reminder of who I was—of the strength that was in me, that got suppressed by Arthur’s dismissive behavior and by my recent worries. In Lancelot, I met my match. I thought of his cuffs that blocked the magic: he didn’t need spells; he could take the world with a broken sword, if he chose.
There would be a way for us. We would find one.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 15:
He got to know the knights slowly, from training with them. They wanted to learn his skills with the sword, that had been passed down in his family. Through building one-on-one relationships, he gained their trust, and over time he won them over. He made decisions quickly and always followed through. When he gave orders, he made sure people were motivated and understood the reasons behind what had to be done.
…And his view of the law gained the trust of the commoners. He had a talent for seeing the good even in the accused. When a case arrived at court, he’d try to acknowledge the human error and not just rule by the cold law. Word spread quickly.
King Arthur
Nineteen when we meet him. King of Camelot. Valiant knight who changes the world through his moral laws and his knight order, Knights of the Round Table. Suffers from personality difficulties that become worse with age, and is later on prone to obsessive and oppressive behavior.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 2:
“So, tell me about Camelot,” I said as we walked down the narrow paths.
“What do you want to know?” He smiled.
“How long have you been there?”
“Since I became king, five years ago. Before that, I lived with my adopting father, Ector.”
Yes, that was right. Elaine had mentioned it to me. Of his nineteen years, only the last five were spent knowing who he really was, and she was impressed by how much he had accomplished in such a short time.
Main Side Characters
Merlin
More than five hundred years old. Slightly insane and mostly humorous, Merlin is the strongest mage in the books, and guides Kim on her journey. He is later Guinevere’s best friend. Has a collection of magical artefacts. “Talks funny” because of his visions of the future and his mental instability comes from his ability to see the future (but nobody knows what his excuse was before that).
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 8:
One of Merlin’s candles sneezed at me. Merlin chuckled. “He’s got the grippe. Went a bit on the wild side last night. Wandered off in the rain. But, don’t worry, it’s not contagious.” He wrapped a towel around the little candle to keep it warm.
I couldn’t help laughing, my eyes open in disbelief.
My favorite artifact so far was a small blue book that sobbed bitterly when I found it.
“Oh, Charlie, not again!” Merlin took him off the shelf and explained that he was frightened of strangers. “Come, come. She doesn’t bite. There’s a good lad. Now, I’m going to put you back, and you can watch her quietly just like the others.”
Many of his books were alive. And one was… “I’d describe Herald as…sort of undead,” Merlin said.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 9:
Merlin sat by the fire, looking at Kim.
“So, dude, how come you’re not using magic?” He had cast the tent spell so they could speak freely.
She smiled and held Seth’s hand. “We weren’t safe. I feared detection.” She wondered what “dude” meant.
George Evans
More than two hundred years old. Doctor and Julie’s father. Loves magic, and has a laidback approach to life.
Blue Diamond, Chapter 9:
“How much did my dad tell you?”
“Well…” Mark looked down and smiled to himself.
“What?”
He chuckled.
I suddenly felt as though I were missing out on some private joke.
He looked at me, his fingers playing with his chin. “I’d say…pretty much everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yup. Everything.”
“What do you mean?” What had my father told him? “As in…the Guild, and the Blue Diamond?”
He laughed. “As in everything. Your powers. Guardians. Your family. How your dad met your mom, where she works now, and what your siblings do. Something about a large talking mirror. Then, a bit about the good old days in Paris when he and young Chopin played duets all night, and also when he took your mother to see Maria Callas sing in La Scala, and the name of the waitress who served them supper that night. Your old man can’t hold his drink.”
Kendra
Twenty-six years old. Events planner. Julie’s best friend and the only person outside her family who knows she has magic. A businesswoman, with a talent for people.
Blue Diamond, Chapter 1:
“Your friend has a rare gift.” Eduard winked at me. He observed Kendra, beaming and laughing with the stranger she’d just met, as if they’d known each other for years. A few minutes later, he gave her his business card. Eduard raised an eyebrow.
Dark Flame, Chapter 2:
She wasn’t hard to find, with her blonde ponytail blowing in the breeze, her slender but full-in-the-right-places figure, paired with golden-brown eyes. You simply had to look where most of the guys were looking.
Ralph
Thirty-one years old. Journalist. Julie’s and Kendra’s college friend. Behaves younger than his age and has a passion for life and a crush on Julie.
Dark Flame, Chapter 3:
He was a journalist. A few years older than Kendra and me, and already had a job when we studied together in college—one that had him traveling a lot and returning with pictures of night life in different parts of the world. He also liked to try different sports all the time—which kept things interesting for me, though I sometimes wondered when he slept.
…Normally, a city didn’t know what hit it when he arrived. Even if he got there at two in the morning.
Jane Omondi
Twenty-two years old. Final-year college student in literature. Kim’s best friend. Passionate about becoming a professor of English Literature.
Forbidden Road, Chapter 2:
Jane had a unique personality that combined her affectionate, warm nature with strict ideals about how committed people should be at school. You had to know her to get it. Most people just loved her because she was so caring and down-to-earth.
But when you got close, you also saw her sophistication. That, and the amount of effort it took her to get to where she was.
She was raised by a single mom, who immigrated from Kenya when Jane was fifteen, and her dream was to become a literature professor. English was her second language, but it was hard to tell, because she spoke it so well.
Morgan La Fay
More than two thousand years old. Fairy Queen who is now a professor of physics and Arthurian literature. Morgan was Kim’s mentor in the past, and close to Guinevere and Merlin.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 15:
Unlike her daughter, Morgan’s presence sparked a mixture of emotions. Similar to what you felt when you walked into a room in the depth of winter, and in one go you sensed both the warmth and light of the flames in the hearthside and the contrasting dark cold of the space beyond their reach.
She was one of the fairest of all fairies. And yet, it was power and not beauty that radiated from her.
Vivienne
Twenty-four years old. Fairy. Morgan’s daughter, queen of Benwick. Becomes a close friend to both Kim and later Guinevere. Wife of King Ban, mother of Bors and later adopting mother of Lancelot. Vivienne is powerful, but in a quiet way. She’s also called the Lady of the Lake.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 3:
The exact opposite of her husband and his extroverted lively manners, she walked toward them silently. And in that silence, she radiated like a ball of lightning on a stormy night.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 20:
“No!” Vivienne stepped forward. Her skin glowed as her word echoed in the room. She looked at Arthur with the fierce eyes of a lioness protecting her cub. There were murmurs in the hall. Even I felt the fear that her presence and power commanded. “My son will not be part of your bloodbaths! At least, Benwick should keep its peace.”
Rick Mitchel & Eduard Davies
The villains who attack Julie and Mark. Both are more than three hundred years old. Eduard is head of the Guild in Blue Diamond, and Rick challenges the head of the Guild in Dragon Fire. Eduard is vicious, violent, and sophisticated, whereas Rick is tough and likes to force his way.
Rick:
Dragon Fire, Chapter 18
He gave me a look that should have been reserved for predator species. Perhaps he really was one. I felt my stomach muscles clench and looked away.
Eduard:
Blue Diamond, Chapter 7
“No. I need to know what’s going on first.”
He just laughed. A laugh of a lion looking at a small sheep with a little too much nerve. It sent a chill down my spine.
“Julie.” He said my name slowly, in a tone directed at reminding me who I was and who he was. “I said, get in the car.” He tapped on the soft leather seat with his hand, at an angle that emphasized the head of the Guild ring he wore.
I had no choice but to do as he commanded.
Leonard
Unfortunately Leonard used his magical camouflage when the photo was taken. Oops.
More than fifteen hundred years old. Dragon from one of the Loch Ness dragon clans. Second to the dragon Protectress of Loch Ness. Likes to travel and has a humorous approach to life. Immortal and resurrects every ten years. Has learned how to talk like Scottish people. Has made friends with Seth and Kim in the past.
Blue Diamond, Chapter 14:
“Have you ever been outside the loch?” he asked her.
“No. But some of us have. Like Leonard here, quite the world explorer. And an ambassador to our Scottish culture.”
“Aye, well…” said Leonard, with a sudden redness in his face. “Why stay in one place when there’s so much tae see? Travel is easy when ye can walk around invisibly, and ye dinnae need a brolly when it rains. There are dragons in other places I like to visit.”
“What’s your favorite?” said Mark.
“Lake Van in Turkey. Braw dragon clan, braw sunshine, easy tanning. They also make nice falafel in that country.”
Elaine
Eighteen years old when we first meet her. Guinevere’s look-alike cousin, and best friend at the beginning of the book. Cunning and smarter than most people around her, she has a talent for court life, which she loses later on and becomes self-confined. Her humor and wisdom give Guinevere strength during Arthur’s courtship, and with dealing with his changing personality.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 1:
“Flirting with the high throne, are we?”
I chuckled. “I didn’t even see him.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“I swear it. I was busy with…” I hadn’t told her about the real reasons I’d gone to the market. “Selecting fabrics.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, come on. I didn’t intentionally cause this. Do you think I want to get married?”
“You could do worse than Arthur.”
“What? Whose side are you on?”
She laughed. “I’m just saying… Rumor is out that he recently ended his relationship with the Lady of Broceliande. Might be on the rebound.”
Isadora Gifford
More than five hundred years old. Head of the Guild in Dark Flame and Dragon Fire, and board member of a large financial institution. Old-school and strict, but warm-hearted once you get to know her.
Dragon Fire, Chapter 14:
“Julie.” Her voice was stern, as usual when she answered her phone. But to my ears, it had warmth—because it was a familiar sternness.
“How are you?”
“I should ask you that question. I am sorry you must handle all of this pressure, in your state.”
Harley Taylor
Seventeen years old. High school senior. Mark and Julie’s second son and Kim’s brother. The black sheep in the family when it comes to magic…
Dragon Fire, Chapter 12:
He had just one power: telekinesis… But Harley had other, more rare talents than magic: he was extremely intelligent. Where Kim had to work hard for grades, he almost did it in his sleep. He was exceptional at reading people, and cunning about it: he could anticipate how people would act and turn it to his advantage—a nightmare for everyone when he was in his early teens. But he grew out of that phase quickly. In fact, he did everything quickly. I knew mages with a lot of power in my life, but I’d met few people with such bright minds.
Uther Pendragon
Thirty-eight years old. Ruthless king. Resides in Kardoel and is a womanizer. Changes his ways after meeting and falling in love with Igraine.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 5:
Uther grimaced, but then a smile covered his face. “I also have the longest sword in the country.”
Kim looked away.
Though uncomfortable, she didn’t feel threatened. Uther wasn’t one to impose himself; he wanted admiration, and resistance made him lose interest. Though he still sent her a few heavy hints, his attention turned to other women.
Including Igraine.
With her, he finally met his match. He asked her something that was a blunt crossing of red lines.
Igraine just sat back and grinned. “You don’t know me well enough to ask me that question. And if you did know me, you wouldn’t have to ask!”
Her words impressed him. It occurred to Kim that Igraine was substantially more sophisticated than the young women around him.
Igraine
Twenty-six years old. A modern woman born in the wrong century. Igraine is wise and open-eyed about the people around her. She holds modern views about marriage (hers is an open one) and sometimes comes off as too blunt. Through meeting and falling in love with Uther, she softens.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 3:
Igraine walked around the carriage and, in a few minutes, had their horses—which luckily stayed with the coach—securely added to the reins. An impressive feat for a noblewoman. “I was never much of the sew and draw kind of court lady,” she said when she returned. She stamped her feet on the ground to clear the mud off her shoes and then stepped into the coach.
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 3:
Igraine returned to the table and took a seat across from them.
Her face was flushed. Her dress seemed a bit loose around the top. One of Ban’s knights stepped into the room cautiously from a side door.
Kim gave Seth a glance, to see whether he had also noticed. From his expression, she could tell that he did. He raised his eyebrows and then looked away.
“That’s unusual.” She looked back at Igraine.
“Is it really?” said Igraine. “I’m sure it happens more often than people think.”
Ivan of Camelot
Twenty-four years old. The first mage of the Evans family. A farmer from the village of Camelot who was forced to join Harthenon’s people. Possesses unusual premonition powers. Stands up to the tyrant king and wins, but activates Avalon’s Curse.
Blue Diamond, Chapter 15:
Ivan quickly became one of Harthenon’s top men and one of the two guild-masters who were sent north to create dragons. His magic was strong and focused, and he tried to use some of his influence to get Harthenon to lessen his malice. After two years of serving the king, Ivan asked to return to his village to marry the woman he loved. Harthenon agreed, with the condition that the couple would return together to the palace and Ivan would continue to serve him. In his twisted mind, Harthenon suspected betrayal. That night, he sent a group of soldiers in secret to burn Camelot to the ground and leave no survivors.
all image by EvansWitches @ Artbreeder
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