A Candlestick Christmas: The Doorknob Society Saga

By MJ Fletcher

With Christmas cheer in the air, Chloe Masters is on a new case and this time she is working alone. As she keeps her partner James Nightshade in the dark, she hunts down the elusive mastermind behind a series of robberies that have plagued the Old Kind this holiday season.

But the secret she is keeping from Nightshade may be too much for even their relationship to withstand. If she is correct about the identity of the thief, it could be the one person that can destroy Nightshade.

Will she find out the truth before it's too late, or will Chloe have to say goodbye to Nightshade forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: MJ FLetcher
• Release date: Nov 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502216120

MJ Fletcher

MJ Fletcher was born in New Jersey and now lives by the beach with his very understanding wife and daughter. He has been writing since he first stapled pages together as a child and called them a book. He finally realized his ambitions when his comic book series Adam Zero The Last Man of Earth was published by Ronin Studios. His other comic book work includes Digital Webbing Presents and The Hero Initiative. His first novel The Doorknob Society released in 2012 was nominated for a Cybil award in the young adult category. He has written the Doorknob Society Saga, The Grimm Chronlcies his rollicking steampunk adventure series as well as working on numerous other projects.

Book preview

A Candlestick Christmas

By

MJ Fletcher

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

A Candlestick Christmas

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2014 MJ Fletcher

Published by MJ Fletcher, 2014

Cover design by MJ Fletcher

Visit The Doorknob Society website

http://www.mjfletcher.net/

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Chapter 1

Status: Why do I make my own life difficult?

Well, crap, I muttered as I took a step backward.

            The three goons in front of me moved toward me as one. Each of them stood a foot taller than me with thickly muscled arms and nearly no necks to speak of and their hands were full with bulky, metal wrenches typical of Impossible Engineers.

            Don’t suppose you boys have heard of me? I asked as I glanced around the room. It was wider than it was long with dark wood floors and walls with numerous shelves stacked with musty, leather-bound books. And the door I had created left an azure glow on the floor behind me.

I could make a run for it back through to the safety of the Reliquary, but this mission wasn’t supposed to be easy. That’s why the Council had given it to me in the first place.

You picked the wrong night, DS girl, the burly man on the right grumbled.

Actually, —I flexed my fingers and gripped my doorknob tighter— I picked the perfect night.

What? he asked my bravado stopping him in his tracks.

Who are you three morons working for? And don’t make me ask twice. I flicked my wrist and a deep blue whip snapped into existence from the end of my Doorknob. All three men stopped moving and glanced between one another.

Who are you? the one on the left asked.

Chloe Masters and I told you not to make me ask twice, I answered and cracked my whip across the floor. A trail of smoke drifted up from where my whip left a black slash across the wood floor.

Get her, the burly man growled.

Really? I chuckled and spun out to my right side, snapping the whip back across my body and catching the knees of the man on the end, sending him crashing head first into the floor.

Here’s a pointer for next time, I said as I rushed toward the remaining two who stared at me, their mouths agape in utter disbelief, never announce to your opponent your next move.

I jumped high, my left hand snaking out with a second Doorknob that I used to open a portal and disappear through to suddenly appear behind the men. I brought up my knees into the backs of their heads. One of them took the full brunt as my knee forced his head down into his chin and bounced him off the floor like a super-ball.

The other rolled with the blow and staggered off to the side as I landed on the floor and flicked my left wrist, turning the Doorknob in that hand into a second energy whip.

Ready for some one-on-one? I asked with a sly smile.

I don’t think I like the sound of that, Nightshade said, stepping out of a crimson portal that swung open across the room. His red t-shirt, half-tucked into his ripped jeans, looked like he had hastily pulled it on after just waking up.

You know what I mean, I said, trying not to stare at him.

Do I now? he smirked, tilting his head to the side.

Who the hell are you? the remaining thief asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his thickly calloused hand.

Shut up, I’m talking to my girlfriend, Nightshade said dismissively.

Is that what you’re calling me these days?

Can’t think of anything better, he said with a shrug, plus it’s an accurate description.

Is it? I asked my voice dropping slightly.

The thief took a step away from us as Nightshade and I faced off. I spun my whips and cracked the floor behind him, keeping him in place.

Why didn’t you wake me? Nightshade asked.

What, I wanted to take this mission on my own, I said, refusing to meet his eyes.

You’ve always been a terrible liar, he said.

Shut up, I snapped.

The classic Masters response when I hit a nerve.

You’re infuriating, you know that? I said, rolling my eyes. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?

You don’t say. Nightshade glanced around as if he hadn’t seen what was transpiring.

We can talk about this later, I replied.

Both of you shut up. The hardscrabble Impossible Engineer leapt forward, swinging his wrench at me.

I darted to the side, avoiding the wicked swing by mere inches. I snapped my whip over my shoulder and cracked it across the wrench, hoping to break his grip, but he held tight.

He closed the distance between us quickly, swinging his wrench and catching my right hand, knocking the Doorknob from it and sending it twirling across the floor.

One down, girl, he sneered as he raised the wrench above his head, readying it for another blow.

I clenched my now free hand into a fist and jabbed him hard in the stomach, doubling him over as my mechanical hand rammed into him like a battering ram.

Another bit of advice—you might not want to free up my engineered-hand next time. I chuckled and brought my knee up across his jaw, knocking him to the ground.

See, Nightshade said, resting against the rows of bookshelves, while flipping my Doorknob in the air and catching it, I didn’t get involved at all.

Yet you still showed up, I said as I knelt down beside the fallen Impossible Engineer and created a set of sparkling silver shackles around his wrists.

What was I supposed to do when I woke up and found you gone? Nightshade asked.

Never mind, I huffed and moved onto the next Engineer.

This was supposed to be a case we handled together. You want to tell me what’s going on?

I turned