The gray shrouds of deMarco’s followers were discarded and the winged demons that hid within were unleashed. They whipped and prodded the naked soldiers from the pews, urging them forward against the Jesuits.
Celeste issued her instructions and the well-drilled army deployed itself into position and began the fighting. Both sides had prepared for centuries, and neither would be satisfied with surrender.
The cathedral was filled with screams as blood spilled onto the stone floor, soaking into it as if into tissue paper. The light flooding through the stained-glass windows was like spotlights onto a stage, picking out thrusts of swords, slashes of claws. Everywhere were performances of hatred and anger. Limbs were severed, throats torn, as two beasts of armies clambered over each other.
On one side of Carter stood Meyer, on the other side stood deMarco. As deMarco thrust his power into Carter’s mind, trying to unlock the psychic strength, so Meyer probed, seeking to gain control so that he could send this Satanist back to the depths from which he was trying to summon further demons.
As the twin forces pulsed through his body Carter seemed to glow, his skin translucent. His back arched from the pain pulsing through him.
Carter could feel the ley line beneath his feet swelling and moving like an electric cable. Both deMarco and Meyer were trying to harness it to bring ever more troops into play. He was summoning all his strength to keep his abilities locked away so that neither side could use them. If weakened, he wouldn’t be able to predict what effect his powers allied to theirs would have.
He could feel the Ley expanding; something large was moving along it. He remembered what deMarco had called it,
Suddenly Carter felt Meyer’s influence lessen. He opened his eyes and saw a flour-white and spindle-thin demon latched onto Meyer’s back, pulling his hands away from Carter’s. Like a hungry animal deMarco pounced. He shot bolts of electric energy through Carter’s arm, up along his spine and into his skull. The sparks flashed over his brain causing pain and confusion. With a roar of triumph deMarco pinned Carter’s consciousness and directed their joint powers into the opening of the ley line.
The lights dimmed, the candles fluttered, and the warring armies momentarily halted battle. Tongues of flame flicked from the dark opening of the Ley. The stench of open graves wafted out, as a black cloud of flies hovered over the entrance. And something very large began to force itself into the cathedral.
Carter felt a bolt of lightning enter his head, the pain so intense his heart seemed to shrink inside his chest.
On the altar Jane Talbot was sitting cross-legged, her eyes closed, her full attention on Carter.
McKinley had made Bayliss and Kirby hide down beneath a front pew, and he was standing beside Meyer.
The ley line had ripped open and claws more than six feet in length were scrabbling to gain entrance.
Carter, using McKinley and Jane, directed a fierce pulse of energy at the demon attacking Meyer and within moments it was killed.
As the immense head and shoulders emerged as if from the womb of the Ley, and the army of deMarco renewed battle with revitalized vigor, so Carter pulled in the others and for the first time he opened his mind fully. It was a risk, as deMarco was still there, but he moved quickly.
Jane was as powerful as Carter had predicted she would be. With McKinley using his power to the full they began slowly but systematically to repel deMarco. Piercing him with combined surges of psychic energy they gradually weakened him until he dropped away from Carter’s mind, and within moments dropped Carter’s hand. He was no longer in control.
DeMarco was on his knees, damaged, but he was crawling towards Jane.
Meyer was concentrating. There was a blinding light from above. It was as if the ceiling had evaporated and un-filtered sunlight was pouring down on them. It had a dramatic affect on deMarco’s followers. The naked conscripts folded at the knees and fell forwards as the bindings of darkness that had held them in suspended death dissolved and left them to their natural passing. The gray demons shrieked as the skin bubbled and flaked off them in the intense heat and brightness of the light.
The Jesuits recognized the source of the light and revered it, but took strength from its purpose and seized their victory.
As the brightness intensified so the ley line began to shrink, and as if cowering away from the pure source of the light the huge entity that had sought freedom slunk back to the dark depths.
The battle lasted a few moments more before stillness insinuated into the cathedral. The intense light receded and Celeste began shepherding her army away.
Carter and McKinley helped Jane from the altar. Her face was drained of color but to Carter she had never looked more beautiful.
Meyer said, ‘If you come with me there’ll be transport back to London, although even for the Department I think your report is going to make waves.’
‘You may want to file your own report first. Crozier thinks he’s God but your boss takes precedence.’
Meyer held out his hand and Carter shook it.
‘I’m afraid Sian Davies is amongst those who didn’t survive. Like my daughter she’s one of deMarco’s victims.’
‘So am I the only one concerned?’ Bayliss demanded. ‘There’s no sign of Alphonse anywhere.’ Kirby put her hand on his shoulder but he shrugged her off.
Meyer sighed. ‘It shouldn’t involve you anymore but I’ll track him down. If he escaped I’ll find him. He’s alone now.’
Carter looked at the others, felt Jane’s hand tighten in his.
‘We’re professionals. When we start a job we like to finish it.’
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Don and the fantastic team at Leisure for another stunningly produced novel. The cover artwork is great and the process of delivery of manuscript to finished book is a real pleasure.
Many thanks to Mario Guslandi for his prepublication reading and review.
Grateful thanks to Clare Sims and Emily Sims who helped and inspired Mick with his part of the writing, revisions, editing, proofing, promotion — well, all of what he did really.
Len did all his hard work all on his own.
Huge thanks to Iain Maynard for the marvelous new website and the appearance of what seems a worrying new website with links to it.
Finally thank you to everyone who took the time to review, blog or just tell us what they thought of
“Maynard and Sims write with a voice that is both uniquely entertaining and profoundly disturbing. Their fiction reflects classic old-school style themes told with a decidedly modern perspective.”
— Brian Keene, author of
“Maynard and Sims make readers accept terrible denizens from nightmare as casual fact.”
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“Maynard and Sims write with a fluid, graceful style and know how to involve the reader in their story.”
— Masters of Terror
“Reminiscent of the work of Ramsey Campbell.”
— Gothic Net
“Maynard and Sims know what makes a horror story tick.”
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“L. H. Maynard and M. P. N. Sims are a duo of talent to be reckoned with.”
