The Midnight Man (The Mancer Trilogy Book 2)

by Alan Scott

  “Captain Hazelgrove,” said Laura, “the Mancer Prophecy may be incomplete or incorrectly worded, however, it does clearly state that the only people who can stop the Midnight Man and his Brethren will be the Cult of Mancer. Now, whether that means the return of our Lord Mancer, or that someone within our cult will rise to his great heights, is unclear.”

  “Does it not mean we are now a priority target for the Brethren of the Night?” asked Peter Hazelgrove.

  “Ah, Captain,” Laura smiled, “your analytical mind once again comes to your rescue. You have my permission to implement the Northwind Protocol.”

  “Did you hear something?” asked Andrew Moore.

  “No, nothing,” said High Commander Artic.

  “Nor I… wait! I think I can hear...”

  At that moment, the door to the Great Hall burst open and a young man dressed in leather armour rushed down the central isle. “Ma’am! Ma’am!”

  “What is it, Initiate?”

  “We are under attack!”

  “From where?” asked Laura.

  “From everywhere, ma’am.”

  “What do you mean, lad?” demanded Andrew.

  “The enemy is appearing from thin air, and... it's worse, Captain Moore!”

  “What do you mean worse, lad?”

  “There are vampyres, also!”

  ***

  Joanna Harris bared her teeth in the dying twilight and swept her arm forward, directing a mob of the Brethren towards where a group of soldiers from the Cult of Mancer were mounting a defence.

  From the three shadow-doors being kept open by herself and two other vampyres, Fredrick Vast and Chloe Tarric, a flood of lower order Brethren were filling the monastery from the inside.

  “There!” Joanna screeched. “That is where the bitch will be - the woman who wants to kill my poor son!”

  Fredrick looked to where Joanna was pointing and saw a large number of men congregating around an entrance to a large building. “Agreed.”

  “DIE!” bellowed Joanna and, without a second thought, charged.

  “Mental bitch,” thought Fredrick before turning to a group of broken and saying, “Follow her, you fools!”

  ***

  Commander Laura Artic stepped out into the dying twilight and witnessed a scene she had never thought possible. All around lay dead or dying members of the Cult of Mancer. The Brethren had taken them totally by surprise. A scream of ‘DIE!’ caught Laura’s attention and, looking to her left, she saw a female vampyre charge straight at her. Without hesitation, Laura drew her sword and stepped forward.

  “Defensive formation! Protect the Commander!” shouted Andrew Moore as he rallied the troops against the chaotic charge of the broken.

  ***

  Joanna Harris lashed out with her razor-sharp claws and drew blood through Laura’s armour. Fighting with a wild abandonment, Joanna forced Laura back, as the broken smashed themselves upon the Cult of Mancer’s shield wall.

  ***

  Laura fought with every ounce of strength and ability she had against the rabid vampyre that was tearing into her. Already bleeding from multiple wounds, Laura gasped as the vampyre's claws raked her shoulder, cutting deep into the flesh and causing red rivers of blood to flow freely. As Laura collapsed onto her knees, Joanna Harris let out a victory yell and opened her arms wide to finish the loathsome opponent off.

  With a mighty yell of her own, Laura surged upwards with her sword held straight and true, abandoning her earlier feint. She drove the sword into Joanna’s chest at the point where her heart should be and straight out her back.

  Screaming and flailing about in agony, Joanna unintentionally backhanded Laura, sending her flying to land in a crumpled heap. With a supreme effort, Joanna placed a hand on the sword’s crossguard and pulled. With her attention fully on the sword, she failed to notice a young initiate from the Cult of Mancer make his way to stand behind her and swing his axe at her neck.

  ***

  Fredrick casually killed two more of the soldiers in front of him when he heard the death scream. Looking round, he saw Joanna’s head fall from her shoulders and her body crumple to the ground, her men looking distraught beside her. “Daft bitch,” he muttered.

  “Agreed,” said Chloe Tarric, as she gracefully moved beside Fredrick. “Well, my lover, it seems that our mission has been a success. The Cult of Mancer will not recover from the death of its leader nor the massacre of its troops this day.”

  “That is very true, my darling. Let’s go.”

  “What about the Brethren?” asked Chloe.

  Fredrick looked round and shrugged his shoulders. “What of them?”

  Chloe laughed as she stepped through the nearest portal. Fredrick joined in with the laughter as he walked through and closed the door.

  ***

  “Is she still alive?” asked an anxious Captain Andrew Moore.

  “Yes, but out cold and badly injured,” replied Peter Hazelgrove. “We need to get her to safety.

  Andrew cast a glance around. “We need to get her back into the Great Hall.”

  “Is my lady alive?” A very worried young man dropped to his knees beside Laura’s prone body.

  “You are the one that delivered the message,” said Andrew.

  “And slew the vampyre,” added Peter.

  “Yes, Captains.”

  “What is your name?” asked Andrew.

  “Initiate Jason Woodfield.”

  “Well, Initiate, we shall talk later. At this moment in time, we must save our commander.”

  At that moment, evil laughter sounded out across the courtyard. Everyone turned to see two figures of authority, one female and one male, walk into shadowy portals and disappear.

  “Their leaders have abandoned the battlefield!” declared Peter.

  “Why?” queried Andrew.

  “Who knows, but we need to get her ladyship back into the Great Hall and have the surgeons look at her,” replied Peter.

  “Right, you go with young Woodfield and I’ll muster the forces,” said Andrew.

  “Okay.”

  Andrew stood up and made his way back into the battle line. With the Brethren's leaders gone and the remnants of the Cult of Mancer beginning to form workable defence lines, the flow of battle was turning. “We might just survive this,” Andrew muttered to himself before lifting his voice and shouting out, “Men of Mancer, we shall stand!”

  ***

  In the growing darkness, the rear-most elements of the Brethren army began to slip away into the night, deserting their colleagues who were still fighting the Cult of Mancer.

  ***

  The Brethren’s island hideaway

  After stepping through the shadow-door, Fredrick made his way straight to Chloe, who stood only ten feet away. Clasping her shoulders, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately on the lips. Chloe slipped her arms inside her lover's and broke the hold he had on her. Stepping back, she hissed at him.

  Fredrick moved quickly forward, reached around, and grasped the hair on the back of Chloe’s head, baring his fangs. Chloe tried to resist his hold, but he was too strong. Her head was slowly, but surely, pulled back, exposing her long pale naked neck.

  Vast lowered his head and kissed Chloe’s neck and ran his tongue up to her chin, before, with one final pull of her hair, kissing her passionately on the mouth. Chloe’s free hand grasped the back of Fredrick Vast’s head and held him there.

  After a few moments, the two of them broke apart. “Tonight, we shall celebrate,” said Fredrick.

  “I shall order a number of slaves to be brought to our room,” stated Chloe as she gently stroked Fredrick’s face.

  “Make sure they bring the Thunder drug with them,” said Fredrick.

  “As you command, my love,” cooed Chloe.

  “But first, we must give the Midnight Man the bittersweet news.” Fredrick frowned and added, “It will not be easy.”

  “It is never easy to tell someone that his mother is de
ad,” added Chloe.

  “Again!” said Fredrick. He opened a door and allowed Chloe to go first. The pair started to walk down the corridor. “How do we know it was the real Joanna Harris?” asked Chloe.

  “Good question.”

  “I do not think it was the real one,” declared Chloe. “There was something just not right about her.”

  “I think I know what you mean. Let’s see what the Midnight Man’s reaction is like.”

  The pair carried on walking through various corridors for a further ten minutes before reaching their destination - a room which the Midnight Man had decided to call the War Room. Fredrick Vast opened the door and walked in, quickly followed by Chloe Tarric. They entered a large gloomy room. A medium-sized dirty window did its best to illuminate the room, but only really managed to create deep shadows in the corners and recesses.

  The only real light was provided by four very large candles, one on each corner of a huge table which dominated the centre of the room. On that table was a giant map of Talocants, which had been drawn on the flayed skin of at least ten humans.

  “Ah, you return,” smiled the Midnight Man as he leaned casually on a throne which was sitting on a raised platform at the back of the room. Dark curtains were drawn behind him.

  “Yes, my lord and with bittersweet news,” replied Fredrick.

  “How is Mother?” asked the Midnight Man, innocently. “I so do wish to speak to my mother.”

  “I am afraid that your mother fell in battle...” began Chloe.

  “SHE WHAT?” screamed the Midnight Man as he surged upright.

  “My lord...” started Chloe.

  “SHE FELL IN BATTLE? WHEN?”

  “Within the last hour, my lord. She fell as we destroyed the Cult of Mancer.”

  “Oh,” said the Midnight Man, sitting down on the throne. “That Mother. Oh, that is okay, then.” Settling down into a comfortable position, the Midnight Man said, “Right, full report, please, Vast.”

  Slightly shaken, Vast began to speak. “We attacked the Cult of Mancer's monastery with complete surprise. It may have taken us many years to get one of our people inside that organisation, but our waiting has certainly paid off today. We managed to kill many of their captains and, most importantly of all, their High Commander. When we left, we left behind all of the lower orders of the cult. They will continue to cause mayhem until they die, my lord.”

  “Excellent.” The Midnight Man sat up and made his way to where Chloe and Fredrick were standing. “However, you let my mother die.”

  “But my lord, I thought you said it was okay,” said Fredrick.

  The Midnight Man moved his face to within fractions of Fredrick’s face before replying, “Do you think it’s okay for my mother to be killed?”

  “But it was not your mother, my lord.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you said it wasn’t.”

  “Did I?” queried the Midnight Man.

  “Yes, my lord,” quickly replied Chloe Tarric.

  “Ah, young Tarric.” The Midnight Man turned his attention to Chloe. “What should be the punishment for allowing someone’s mother to die?” As he talked, the Midnight Man’s hand closed round Fredrick’s throat.

  “Play nicely, Tom!” the real Joanna Harris called out as she walked from behind the drawn curtains with Maria Clough following her. Both women were drenched in blood.

  “Mother!” exclaimed the Midnight Man, rolling his eyes. “I see you have returned from your mission,” he said as he slowly closed his grip. “Did it go well?”

  Joanna smiled and pointed to the blood that surrounded her mouth. “Dark Herald Maria and I have made sure that the House of Refkeif is no more.”

  “Excellent, Mother! That should serve as a suitable warning.” Tom smiled and surreptitiously tightened his grip even more.

  Joanna shook her head sadly and, in her best mothering voice, chastised, “I said play nice.”

  The Midnight Man released his grip on Fredrick and took a step back. “Excellent work, you two. The Cult of Mancer is broken and fractured.”

  “Are they destroyed totally?” asked Joanna.

  “Not as such, my lady,” responded Fredrick, gasping for air. “A number of captains and a few minions still lived...”

  With a tormented shriek, Joanna raced across the room and plunged her clawed hand into Fredrick’s chest. Ripping out his heart, she dropped it to the ground and stamped angrily on it. “Failure! Oh, my dear son, failure!” Joanna looked round the room, her head cocked as if listening to something. “Oh, my dear lovely son, the wind still whispers Mancer.” Spinning on her heel, she turned her attention to Chloe Tarric. “You.”

  “My lady, it was Fredrick who gave the order...” began Chloe, before a hand appeared through her chest and blood began to bubble in her mouth.

  “My mistress does not like failure,” said Maria Clough from behind Chloe. Balling her fist, Maria placed her free hand on Chloe’s back and pulled her other hand quickly back through the torso of Chloe.

  Chloe’s dead body collapsed to the ground. Maria watched, disinterested as she munched on the vampyre once known as Chloe Tarric's black heart.

  The Midnight Man looked exasperated. “Mother, really!”

  “They failed you, my son.” Joanna tried to look endearing. “They had to die. Mummy knows best.”

  “I just wanted to scare them a bit.”

  “I know, I know,” said Joanna, taking the Midnight Man's arm and leading him to the table and the map of Talocants. “Now, show your mother and Maria how clever you are, and how the war is going, mmmm?”

  Shaking himself loose, the Midnight Man looked at his mother. “Only if you promise no more duplicates of you.”

  “But, darling, it was your...”

  “No, it wasn’t, Mother,” interrupted the Midnight Man.

  “I think it was, Tom.”

  “I don't recall saying that, Mother.”

  “Well, I think your memory...”

  “MOTHER!” shouted the Midnight Man.

  “Okay, okay, no need to shout at your old mother.” Joanna looked hurt. “No more duplicates.”

  “Thank you, Mother,” said the Midnight Man. “Now, be ready to be amazed and proud.”

  “I am always proud of you, son.”

  “I know, Mother.” The Midnight Man turned his attention to the map. “As you know, I have attacked those across the sea and those across the sand.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “Well, it has turned out better than I could have hoped. We have had factions from both sides wanting to join us. In fact, there will be a very important meeting being held in a small town called White Tree on All Hallows' Eve between some very senior members of the Necromancer Guild and one of my representatives.”

  “How about those across the sea?” asked Joanna.

  “They are a little bit more cagey, but after what I did to Jacob Pace and the lack of response from Lord D’Edlup, they will come slowly but surely to my banner.”

  “You are very clever, Tom.” Joanna radiated pride. “Isn’t he, Maria?”

  “He is, my lady,” replied Maria, casually tossing the last bit of Chloe’s heart over her shoulder.

  “Thank you, both,” said Tom. “Now shall we get back to the map?”

  “Yes, let's,” agreed Joanna.

  “As you can see, I have already taken the Red Coast and most of the land surrounding the Twin Kingdoms.”

  “What about here and here?” queried Joanna as she pointed at marks on the map.

  “Ah, yes. The town of Idris and the land surrounding the Granite Mountains,” grinned the Midnight Man. “They are my rat traps.”

  “Rat traps?”

  “Yes, Mother, rat traps. People need places to run, to escape and hide - places of hope.” Tom placed his hands on the table as he studied the map. “By All Hallows' Eve, the Twin Kingdoms will be encircled by my troops, and do you know what I shall do, Mother?”

&n
bsp; “No, I don’t know, my son. What shall you do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Nothing, Mother. For you see, I own all the whore houses, the few doctors, all the farms, all the warehouses, almost all the merchants. I do not need to invade with my armies. All I need to do is watch and wait and see the Twin Kingdoms descend into chaos and anarchy.”

  “Won’t that be boring, son?”

  “Yes, it will, Mother. That is why, just before it happens, I will slowly invade the Twin Kingdoms and finally take the city of Deep Lake. I said it before and I will say it again - like a slow, painful, and deadly cancer, I will destroy everything that is good and just in the land of Talocants.”

  “Some people will slip through, son.”

  The Midnight Man smiled. “Ah, and they will run to my rat traps, Idris and the Granite Mountains, where I shall finally destroy all meaningful resistance to my rule.”

  “What then, my lord?” asked Maria Clough.

  “What then?” The Midnight Man turned around slowly and looked at Maria. “What then, my dear Maria? Why, I then conquer the world and turn this planet into a place of pure debauchery and chaos.”

  Joanna clapped, maniacally. “Isn’t he wonderful, Maria?”

  “Yes, he is, my lady,” grinned Maria.

  “All Hallows' Eve is when it all comes together, ladies. All Hallows' Eve, the Night of the Dead, is when my plan gains a life of its own.” Tom turned back to the table and placed his hands down firmly as he studied the map. “All the planning, all the pain, all the pleasure will finally pay off.”

  Joanna grinned.

  “Mother, round up some of the sex slaves, the good ones, and have them sent to my room. I plan to celebrate.”