by RL Edinger
©2012 R.L. Edinger
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system without permission in writing
from the author or publisher.
Author’s Note:
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of my imagination, or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events,
or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published by
R.L. Edinger
819 27th street
Two Rivers, WI 54241
Cover & book design by R.L. Edinger,
ISBN-13: 978-1461099895
ISBN-10: 1461099897
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4392-8339-4
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to…
My family for their love and support with all the hours
I spend on the computer, thank you.
And those who continue to be loyal fans of
Andrew Knight; you have my many thanks!
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
This book is dedicated to…
Acknowledgements…
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Acknowledgements…
A person would think that of all the pages to be written in a book, the acknowledgement pages would be the easiest of all to do; trust me it is not! How do you thank the people who have been an inspiration, supported, or contributed to the completion of this book? The following is my attempt to put into words my thoughts and the way I feel.
The first person I would like to thank is my wife, Linda. She’s the one who has been the most patient, understanding and supportive through not only the process of this book, but the previous ones. She is also the one who keeps reminding me that there is more to life than writing. Somewhere along the way, this next person and I ran into each other. Renda and I met on the website, gather.com, and through time have become good friends. Renda has been an inspiration, supportive, and a true friend I have ever known; even though we have never met face to face. Besides me, she has been the most passionate about my stories.
Through Renda, I met another person that has been a part of this book. It is her sister Kay. I would describe Kay as the head Cheerleader for the Andrew Knight Fan Club. Kay continues to lead through her enthusiasm and positive attitude. On a side note, Kay was the winner of a contest I had sponsored on gather.com. It was a contest to submit a character idea for this book. The character Kay submitted for the book is Kara Sadler. So, keep an eye out for this very interesting and pivotal character I created from Kay’s submission.
Finally there are two more people I would like to thank for the part they had in this book. The first is Holly. I met Holly through a game we both enjoy playing on facebook The game is Kingdoms of Camelot and on the game Holly (Lady Toughcookie) and I met because we are part of the same alliance. So when I put out a request for someone to proof the French words in the book, Holly graciously and willingly answered the call. She has done a wonderous service for me and I thank her greatly. The other person is Pastor Henry Koch. When I could not find anyone on facebook that was fluent in German, I turned to my coworkers. I asked around if any one knew of someone fluent in German. After several attempts, they suggested calling Pastor Koch. After introducing myself to him, I explained what I needed. Just like Holly, Pastor Koch graciously accepted the task. He even took the time to explain to me his written corrections, as well as to me which were spoken. It was a great moment for me.
In closing I would like to share with you that writing this story has turned out to be more than I expected. It has turned out to be a life lesson as well. I have found out that there are people out there who are willing to take a chance on someone they have never met before. Thank you my wife and soulmate Linda; Renda, Kay, Holly and Pastor Koch. You have been an inspiration to me as well, and forever more will be a very important part of my life.
Foreword
I have always been an avid reader. From the time I can remember, I have had a love for books and a wide array of genres. According to my current mood or mindset, I will pick up a book to take me away…to foreign lands, different times, or to just meet “new” people. At times, I may be in the mood for a good historical read, other times I may be in the mood for a good horror, and then there are times a romance calls to me. Either way, reading is a fantastic past time and a great hobby. There is always an adventure to be had and lands to be explored. After reading a good book, I enjoy writing book reviews. Writing the reviews allow me to share my thoughts about a writer and story with others. You can never be too young or old to establish a love for books, to allow yourself to be whisked away.
Somewhere along the way, R.L. and I ran into each other. I began reading his articles (or posts as they have become to be known on Gather). He would post blurbs on his various books and I would read them with interest. Being introduced to R.L. and his writings online has been something of an adventure in itself. What started as an online acquaintance has evolved into an endearing online friendship. We “met” at the website Gather.com, which started out for writers and has since evolved into more of a social site. Regardless, there are still writers and artists who remain members on it. Finally, one day, I decided to pick up one of his books, which happened to be the second book in this series, The Forgotten King, I was hooked and purchased the first and third books in the series. During that time, R.L. and I would exchange thoughts through emails. It grew into ideas and our relationship continued to grow from simple author/reader to an endearing friendship. I am thankful to know him.
Having the opportunity to read all three of R.L.’s books, Journey into the Knight, The Forgotten King, and, Into the Fire Storm, has offered me a look into the life and adventures of Andrew Knight. The characters have come alive and now I feel as if I know them personally. To expound a bit more, each of these books offer intrigue and suspense while allowing you to trail along and try to solve the mysteries. Trailing along beside Andrew Knight and trying to unravel the mystery is part of the fun as far as I am concerned. One thing I particularly liked about Journey into the Knight is it is actually a collection of smaller stories. This was a plus because it allowed me to read the selections while waiting at doctor’s appointments and other places. I used the time to try to figure out the “who done it” before reading the rest of the story. What makes a book or story even greater is when you feel you are pulled into the story line and actually “there”, or when you feel the emotion of the characters. A good book pulls you in, holds you there…allowing you to experience the whole effect. So far, R.L.’s writings have done just that and I greatly enjoy following Andrew along on his “journeys”.
It has been an honor to come to know R.L. With the pa
ssing of time, R.L. and I have shared our different thoughts on various things, including writing. It has been interesting to witness the evolution of this new story Night Kill. I have found R.L. to be a wonderful inspiration and he is supportive, kind, and intelligent. There are many authors I admire and seek out their material to read. One of those is R.L. Edinger. When I was first introduced to his work online, I was not sure if I would like it or not…but being the reader I am, I decided to try it. From the first few pages, I was enthralled with R.L.’s main character, Andrew Knight. I devoured one book after another and was ecstatic to learn there would be a fourth book in the Knight series. As an added bonus, I was thrilled my sister won the character contest R.L. held. It was interesting to see how R.L. weaved her character into the story. As I have mentioned before, I am honored to have seen R.L. “in action” and watch this book progress from an idea into an amazing story. Somehow, R.L. weaved his magic again in Night Kill. I am honored to be allowed a “sneak peek” of this new, upcoming novel. In it, the characters seem to evolve together, creating a captivating dance and alluring the reader. Compared to the other stories R.L. has written, I have found this one to be more intense, showing a deeper, darker side of the main character. R.L. seems to allow Andrew to come more alive in this later story, becoming more “human” by experiencing the darker side of life, making mistakes like those that we all do, and trying to fight “good and evil”. Although the previous three books are very good and you would be missing out if you do not read them, I feel this new book is one of R.L.’s best thus far. This is going to be a great addition to my growing library and will certainly be to yours, as well as the other three books.
A little teaser ~ in this new story, members of the Higgins family are murdered, save one…Storm. Her missing boyfriend, Wyatt, is immediately suspected of the brutal murders. The intensity of the search for the truth brings Andrew into the depths of vampirism, allowing his dark side to surface. Will he survive it all? Will those close to him survive? Only the pages hold the answers. Come along on this journey if you dare. You will not want to miss this newest story in the series.
Happy Reading…Enjoy the Journey!
-Renda Brooks
Introduction
What if a gothic tale of vampires were married to a classic murder mystery thriller? So what if there were such a book?
The idea for this book actually came from a question my oldest daughter asked me one day; why don’t you write a story about vampires? Well, did she forget that I write mysteries were the first question on my mind? Probably not, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I responded that it would have to be a mystery. Now this raised some more questions in my mind. First of all, how would I be able to many these two very distinct genres? Second would the story line be strong enough to hold the interest of the reader? And finally, would I be able to pull it off? So once more it was off to the internet to do some more research.
I started with the Vampire genre. Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. Okay, well that was pretty straight forward I thought. I mean, there have been countless books about vampires. I’ve even read some like Bram Strokers ‘Dracula’ and watched movies like ‘Interview with the Vampire’. And yes, I admit that I have watched the ‘Twilight movies’. I mean we have been fascinated with these undead creatures since the beginning of history.
The next area of research was the mystery genre. Now this was familiar ground to me, but nonetheless fascinating. In my research I found a definition of the mystery/crime genre I want to share with you. Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) investigates and solves a crime. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction. The term “mystery fiction” may sometimes be limited to the subset of detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle element and its logical solution (cf. whodunit), as a contrast to hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism. However, in more general usage “mystery” may be used to describe any form of crime scene fiction, even if there is no mystery to be solved.
Okay, now we have our two different genres, how do you bring them together? Well, you need a story, a plot, and a mystery that revolves around vampires. That seems easy enough, right? It could not be a true vampire story about the undead, for after all it still had to be a mystery. It had to be rooted in the vampirism culture of today, and yet be true to my roots in the mystery culture I grew up with.
So to get a better understanding of this whole vampirism culture, I had to do some more research and want to share what I found out with you. A Sanguine (or Sang) is a vampire that feeds specifically off of the blood of others, and cannot achieve satisfaction through any other feeding methods. Psychic Vampire (psi vamp) is a vampire that feeds directly upon the vital energy of a being, and cannot achieve satisfaction through the intake of blood. Psi feeding methods can be long ranged or up close. Hybrid vampires are a vampire that requires both blood and vital energy to satisfy its needs. So basically it is person who cannot adequately sustain their own physical, mental or spiritual well-being without the taking of blood or vital life force energy from people. I also found out there are also is autovampirism. Let me explain further.
Clinical psychologist Richard Noll proposed a term for clinical vampirism and named after the very fictional Renfield character of Dracula fame due to his eating flies, spiders and various other behaviors in belief that he requires/craves their lifeforce the syndrome is said to be a pathological and delusional disease ‘fetishistic and compulsive’ and for the most part affecting males.
Now that I had a better understanding of this culture, what was next? When you have vampires, you must also have vampire slayers, right? So what is a vampire slayer? A vampire hunter or slayer is a character in folklore and works of fiction, such as books, films, and video games, which specialize in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires and other monstrous creatures, including their powers and weaknesses, and uses this knowledge to effectively combat them. In many works, vampire hunters are simply humans with more than average knowledge about the occult, while in others they are themselves supernatural beings, having superhuman abilities. A well known and influential vampire hunter is Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a character in Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel, Dracula.
I had all the elements to move forward; the vampires, the vampire hunters, and of course yours and mine favorite Private Investigator Andrew Knight. But the one thing I did not have was the story. With all of this information and prior experience, what kind of story was I going to write? They say that you need to capture the reader’s attention in the first chapter of the book, or you will lose their interest. Okay, so that was simple enough, right? Let me see, vampires and vampire hunters, hmmm? Well of course it was simple. In the first chapter I had to have some vampires killed, right? Night Kill puts forth a fantastically thrilling effort with just such a story.
The story Night Kill… In the snowy, quaint countryside, a loving family gathers in their home to celebrate the much anticipated winter solstice. Finishing touches are being made for the arrival of the rest of the clan. Suddenly, the Higgins family, are attacked one by one and murdered in cold blood. The only survivor of the brutal attack is the couple’s daughter, Storm. The authorities suspect Storm’s boyfriend, Wyatt, immediately. Evidence found at the crime scene brings the authorities to this swift conclusion. The clan’s council of elders set forth governing laws and expects everyone to follow them. Several months earlier, Wyatt, was excommunicated for violating these laws. Wyatt’s mysterious disappearance has added more chaos only making things worse! Wyatt’s mother, Nedra Collins, and the family priest pay a visit to Private Investigator Andrew Knight. Andrew is informed of details of recent e
vents and the fact that Wyatt is being treated by Psychologist, Claudie Straussman, for a mental condition. Nedra hires Andrew to find her son before the authorities and prove his innocence of the murders. Immersed in the Gothic world of modern-day vampires, blood feasts and a ritualistic killing, Andrew becomes drawn in and discovers his dark side. Things get even more sinister as the newly elected County Sheriff shows her contempt for Andrew. She loathes Andrew’s involvement in the investigation. Things only intensify in the search for Wyatt and clues to the Higgins murder as their relationship becomes more confrontational. Andrew and ultimately the reader will be shocked by the truth as the solution to this mystery is revealed in the final two chapters.
It is my hope that the reader will enjoy this book. So what are you waiting for?
—R.L. Edinger
Chapter 1
The shimmering moonlight danced across the fields of white which were etched with black shadows of forest trees. The cold winter night lay still with nary a breath of wind, or sounds from the forest creatures.
A dark manor at the end of the long, winding road, quietly nestled, seeming snug and warm, waited for those who had been invited to come safely inside.
Natasha, and her husband Jonathan, were putting the finishing touches on their dining room table. While Jonathan arranged the place settings, Natasha lit the candles and dimmed the lights. Tonight they were celebrating the winter solstice. Soon their guests would arrive to partake of the rituals set forth by the clan. It would be a celebration for both kindred and those whose life blood was freely offered for the taking.
The doorbell interrupted as it announced the first guest to arrive. Natasha told her husband she would get it and that he should finish with the settings. She excused herself and left the dining room to go answer the door.