Nightfall (The Twin Cities Series)

By Cameron Jon Bernhard

War has engulfed The Realms. One sparked by the abduction of the vampire lord Raven's young ward, a child whose mysterious powers are essential for his rule.

The conflict between the undead master and those determined to end his reign will shake the foundations of his gothic kingdom. Armies of trolls, Minotaur, goblins and vampires will clash in a deadly battle for supremacy.

With magic, might, and technology pitted against one another, the cost of defeat may be greater than anyone dared imagine. All that is certain is that nothing will ever be the same again, once NIGHT FALLS.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cameron Jon Bernhard
• Release date: Nov 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370240746

Cameron Jon Bernhard

Published since 2013, J.B. Cameron was forced to rebrand under the name "Cameron Jon Bernhard" to avoid conflicting with an identically named self-published writer. Though born in New Brunswick, Canada, his work shows more influence from an upbringing of American TV than his maritime roots. A writer who generally plays loose with the constraints of genre, Bernhard's dark style and black humor typically places fun, exciting characters in situations of suspense or urban horror, making an exciting roller coaster ride to both chill and amuse readers. Author of numerous novels, novellas and screenplays, his first published novel, "Reading The Dead - The Sarah Milton Chronicles," introduces a supernatural detective series unlike anything you'll find elsewhere.

Book preview

NIGHTFALL

The Twin Cities Series

J. B. Cameron

Featuring characters produced by

Theresa Snyder, Kedrick Rue, and Drew Avera

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, events, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living, dead, or otherwise), events, locales, etc. are entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2017 by J.B. Cameron. All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 9781370240746

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

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

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

FOREWORD

Since I published Magpie & Jynx in 2014, I've had a love/hate relationship with The Realms ever since.

I love the potential this amazing world presents for my fellow Twin Cities authors and me. It's a wellspring of urban fantasy tales, spanning every conceivable genre from romance to horror. I hope the plethora of vampires, trolls, goblins, shape shifters, and every kind of monster and mythological beast you can imagine has kept you thrilled and entertained along the way. After a dozen books, it still feels as though we've only scratched the surface. The possibilities really are endless.

I love the rich, exciting characters we've met along the way. In most series, you'll typically find only a few who are fleshed out in such detail. Not so with The Twin Cities Series. Thanks to the collaboration of our amazing team of writers, everything we've accomplish has been a group effort. We each carry over familiar characters in our contributions, adding new dimensions to this horrifying yet beautiful world we've constructed together.

I love working with this incredible team of authors involved in this project. I'm constantly in awe at how everyone can always inspire one another every step of the way. Theresa, Kedrick, and Drew are all vastly talented folks, and I'm deeply honored to be included among them on this project. I love the fantastic stories that they keep producing. Even if I wasn't already biased, The Twin Cities Series would still be my favorite urban fantasy as a reader, hands down.

Two seasons later, I still love everything about these incredible adventures we keep sharing in The Realms. The only thing I hate about them is when the stories end.

Which is probably why I had such a hard time writing Nightfall, because like it or not, it is an ending. The eternal struggle between good and evil, introduced in Drew Avera's characters of Alexander Grimm and Raven and given wings by Theresa Snyder's stories, reaches its final, epic conclusion in the pages of this book. Character storylines presented by myself, Kedrick Rue, and Theresa Snyder throughout this season come together in a stunning finale in the tale you're about to read. In closing a chapter on the legends of Raven and Grimm, it sets the stage for sweeping changes to The Realms, moving into season three. As well as familiar faces, you'll discover exciting new characters to love as our entire landscape undergoes a significant shift in the next round of books.

Like you, I'll miss some of the wonderful drama that came before, but I'm excited to see where the winds of change will take us. My love/hate affair with The Realms won't be ending any time soon.

I love that.

- J.B. Cameron

October 10, 2017

The people of Minnesota believe the twin cities to be Minneapolis and St. Paul, but what they don't realize is the name actually refers to a parallel dimension known as The Realms, where creatures of myth roam freely.

Humans stand only a dimensional barrier away from the most terrifying and horrible monsters imaginable, but there are a select few who answer the cries for help, who guard the world of mankind and keep it safe from harm.

The Realms can be a place of great danger, as well as great beauty, where love and loss can be sudden and significant. In this world, humanity is just another word for powerless.

But that's about to change...

Chapter 1

A large, black rat brazenly scurried through the empty halls of Raven's dungeon. Heavy, iron doors along both sides of the torch-lit corridors hung open, revealing scarred, bloodstained chambers; explicit reminders of the torment inflicted by the sadistic vampire lord of The Realms. To mask his victims' anguished screams, he buried his oubliette far below the sour soil and sturdy bedrock of his nocturnal kingdom, expanding upon it over the years with an almost child-like whimsy for cruelty. In all of that time, the torture chamber never went silent.

Until now.

The rodent perked its head up and twitched its nose at the scent of freshly spilled blood. With a hungry squeak, it darted across the grimy stone floor. Somewhere close by, something reeked of death and misery. It smelled as though it were bleeding the last of its life away.

The aroma wasn't coming from one of the vacant cells, but from a large, metal cage standing in the darkened center of a wide, vaulted chamber, surrounded on all sides by cruel implements of pain and suffering. The enclosure, normally meant to contain ferocious animals, held a solitary prisoner trapped behind its reinforced iron bars. Deemed unworthy of warranting the relative comfort of a cell, the vampire contained within the cage was someone so detestable to him that Raven had ordered all of his other captives executed, so nothing would distract him from savoring her excruciating, eternal damnation.

Tabitha stuck a trembling hand through the bars. A fresh gash torn across the palm by one of her broken nails enticed the hungry rodent closer. She forced herself to remain perfectly still, subduing her raging hunger at the prospect of tasting fresh plasma again. The slightest twitch might scare off her cautious prey. She couldn't afford that. It might be days before Raven would allow another taste of animal blood to nourish her withering body.

In all the time that she spent by his side, she had never seen her sire so utterly obsessed before. He spent every waking moment either fielding reports from scouting missions or concentrating on breaking her by any means necessary – including starvation.

She rested her cheek on the cold, metallic floor of her prison and stared at the wary rodent. It wasn't so long ago that compelling the creature to hop into her grasp would have been child's play. Now, she barely possessed the strength to stand upright.

Please, she thought. Please. Please. Please...

That she found herself in such a lamentable position wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, this was hardly the first time that she betrayed her master over a child.

After he ripped baby Angelica from her broken family, he offered her up to a vampire who had never experienced the joys of motherhood during her mortal life. Though coming from a place of cruelty, the generosity of his unexpected gift caught Tabitha completely by surprise. However, it paled in comparison to her shock when, years later, Raven again tore the girl from her loving caretaker and gave her to a passing Minotaur as though she were worth nothing.

In that moment, Tabitha understood everything there was to know about the one who turned her into a vampire. Raven was a soulless fiend whose only purpose was to torment others. His bite wasn't a blessing, but an everlasting curse. Though pledged by blood and mind to serve him, part of her vowed to one day rid the world of his foul taint.

Her time had finally come, and thanks to his vampiric kiss, the one gift outside his power to take back, she might yet survive this latest ordeal to spit on his ashes.

Assuming this damnable vermin cooperates, she thought bitterly.

The rat sniffed and started to turn away. If Tabitha's necrotic lungs weren't already emaciated husks, she would have gasped in desperation.

Quickly, she flipped her bloody palm and patted the floor, spreading a crimson smear over the stones. The rat jumped at the noise, but didn't flee. The smell of her blood filled its nostrils.

That's it, you little furry bugger. Come on. Come and get it.

It remained out of her reach, pondering the situation with its devious little rat brain. Tabitha bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. She licked the wound clean, hoping that the brief taste would be sufficient to keep her stomach from growling at this inopportune time. The rat's nose twitched. It moved a couple of steps closer to her outstretched hand.

Games. Everything in her miserable life as Raven's plaything was a game, no different from the one she played now with this rodent. He dangled incentives in front of people, toying with emotions and feeding off their pain and misery. He held out Angelica as the carrot, but the inevitable stick broke everyone who cared about her.

Raven's motives were clear. Tabitha had spent years slipping information about Angelica to her father, the human operative known as Mr. Grimm. She had become complacent, believing that her deception would remain undetected. Raven had sent the girl away, in part, as a message to his unfaithful underling. It was his way of saying that she would never put anything past him.

Sick, sadistic, twisted games. Tabitha never imagined she could feel such consuming hatred for anyone, as much as she did for the monster who granted her eternal life.

Fortunately, Raven wasn't the only one who knew how to play. With the help of Grimm and a seer named Bitsy, the seeds she planted in the name of vengeance would soon bear bitter fruit.

In a repeat of his reprehensible gambit, her first overt move against him was to strip him of the child he treasured more than anything else in this world.

Her name was Delphine. Raven rescued the immortal child from goblins not long after they first arrived in The Realms, and had tended to her ever since. The introverted, bookish girl was his daughter in all but blood. At every turn, he afforded her the care and attention that he never deemed Angelica fit to receive.

Separating her from her guardian was almost too easy. Tabitha played on Raven's paranoia about threats in this dangerous land, whispering rumors in his ear of a plot to harm Delphine. As Bitsy knew he would, he enlisted the aid of Charles, a vampire outside his circle, to act as the girl's constant protector. Tabitha easily preyed on Charles' misgivings about his role and his doubts about his employer, guiding him and his charge into the hands of her co-conspirators.

Her opening shot in the war to come had hit its mark perfectly. The satisfaction of seeing him suffer the loss of a child, as she had done before him, sustained her in this dark hell, even when all hope seemed lost.

A clap of metal resounded down the hall, echoing through the chambers like rolling thunder. The rat dashed for cover, taking Tabitha's hopes for an easy meal with it.

No! She hammered a frustrated fist onto the hard floor. The pain she felt was a relatively unfamiliar experience to the vampire.

Footsteps tapped on the cobblestones, stopping briefly to slam the door shut, before proceeding down the hall towards her. Tabitha sniffed the air and frowned. She pulled her hand back in and licked off the blood until the cut was barely visible. Raven would undoubtedly smell the blood in the air. Fortunately, the one who approached was someone else.

It's not too late to turn around and rethink the folly of appearing before me, turncoat, she hissed from the darkness.

A tall figure clad in the rich velvet robes of Raven's elite chuckled and slipped the torch he bore into rings fastened into the wall. The shape shifter Corgan Zeller looked unchanged from the lanky, hairless figure who once served her bidding, but even in the dim lights of her prison, Tabitha could tell that this was as much an affectation as was his human appearance. His eyes had grown deeper, his face more stern. He wore the malice of his new master like an ill-fitting suit.

Do I look worried to you? he smirked.

Open this cage and ask me that.

I would if I could, he replied. It's a shame that your kind casts no reflection in mirrors. You should see yourself. I've faced pixies with more fight in them than you have. It'll only be a matter of time before Lord Raven breaks you.

If you genuinely believe that, you're a bigger fool than I originally credited you to be.

Corgan laughed at her defiance. No argument there. I was foolish in believing you were someone of importance. Thankfully, your latest act of duplicity paved the way for bigger and better things for me.

Raven views betrayal as the worst possible sin. Tabitha shifted in her cell and flashed her fangs at Zeller. Are you really so certain that you and I are all that different in his eyes?

Her goading elicited the intended result. For the first time since his entrance, the smug expression on Corgan's face waned. The scowl replacing it wasn't an improvement.

What I am certain of is that we'll eventually find the girl you helped Charles smuggle out of the compound. Delphine. When that happens, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

I should've known asking you to fetch Charles' record was a mistake. It was only natural that you'd be curious about it. Tabitha huffed. I misjudged the depths you'd stoop to stab me in the back to further your standing with Raven.

You misjudged me. You have from the very beginning.

I wouldn't say that, she rebutted. I've always considered you to be lower than a worm. I'd say my estimation of you was spot on.

Corgan's face turned dark for a moment, before lighting up in a broad, humorless grin. Hold onto that defiant spirit, Tabitha. You'll need it in the dark days ahead.

I'm a creature of the night, Zeller. It's you who needs to fear the dark, she smirked. Your presence here bores me. If you've merely come to gloat over your passing victory, consider your work done. Go skulk back to your new master and regale him with tales of your brilliant wit.

I'll be happy to leave. The air down here is foul, and the company fouler, he said. Alas, Lord Raven sent me down here for a purpose. He wants to know your plans for the half-troll you recently sired, Gerrod Kinslayer.

I'm surprised you found the courage to tell him about that, given your participation in the affair, she scoffed.

What makes you think I needed to say anything? Did you honestly believe you could turn anyone without him sensing it?

Not really, no, she replied with a shrug. Raven has grown to tolerate my impulsive ways, as long as I don't step out of line.

Which is what he wanted me to discover. Have you stepped out of line? I've heard tales of the battle that took place outside the magic shop.

Oh, that's right! Tabitha chuckled. That shape shifting girl informed me that she left you out cold in a ditch somewhere. You missed out.

A being with a vampire's speed and a troll's strength would make a powerful servant for any vampire. Raven should have been the one to turn him.

And risk creating a hybrid with the potential to destroy him? Not likely.

Corgan nodded his head. Is that what you're after? You seek to destroy him?

Does this surprise you? He has only spent every waking moment for the past week devising new and more brutal ways to torture me. I think it's safe to say that we're well past the point of reconciling our differences.

You brought this upon yourself.

No, Corgan, your treachery brought me to this! Tabitha snarled, rising unsteadily to her feet. She clasped the bars in her hands, squeezing them with a trembling fury. Mark my words, shifter. I will escape this cage. When that happens, I will show you why I was your master's favorite for over a century. I will visit every pain and indignity that I have ever suffered at his hand upon you. If you think this is torture, wait until I introduce you to the hell that will become your new reality.

Corgan fell silent. Tabitha took great delight in the way the blood drained from his face.

She turned from him, dismissing him with a tired wave of her hand. Now, be gone from my sight. If Raven has any further questions for me, tell him to come himself. I won't waste any more time squabbling with lackies.

As you wish, he responded with a bowed head. I'm sure he'll be down shortly.

Corgan glided to the doorway and plucked the