Battle for Nox: Nox: Triumvirate War, #1

By J.C. Diem

Fifty years have passed since the fateful night the Immortal Triumvirate cast a curse that affected millions of people. The victims were turned into the Halloween costumes they were wearing at the time the hex struck. The poor souls were torn from their normal lives and were drawn to Nox to become the batteries that powered the magical City of Night.

 

Factions have been scheming in the Vampire, Fae, Shifter and Demon Districts since the very beginning of the city's creation. Many of the rebels have been eradicated by the Immortal Triumvirate's assassins, but they couldn't wipe them all out. Xiara Evora, the Guardian of Nox, has also killed some of their foes with the aid of her trusty staff, Wrath.

 

The rebels have formed their own triumvirate. They plan to challenge their enemies during the upcoming party to celebrate the city's fiftieth anniversary. Sebastian, Kade and Raum aren't the only ones who have formed a union. Onvier, Azazel and Nilanthy have also become bound. A trio of trinities are all vying for rulership of the City of Night.

 

Crowmon has evolved from a trickster god into something far darker and infinitely more dangerous. He's determined to rule the city and to subjugate everyone to his will. War is coming to Nox. The fate of the entire population and the city itself will soon hang in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seize The Night Agency
• Release date: Jul 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201646288

Book preview

Chapter One

XIARA EVORA WAS ON patrol in one of the poorer areas of the Fae District when she heard a strange humming sound. Turning towards it, she came to a stop facing the wealthiest suburb where the fairies and elves lived. What’s that noise? she murmured as she slung her staff over her shoulder. Wrath pulsed three times to indicate he didn’t know. The gray fog that emanated from him reached out to stroke her face as if the weapon was trying to comfort her.

Flashes of fluttering white objects appeared, then the Guardian of Nox realized what the noise was. They’re letters, she said as millions of envelopes winged their way towards their intended recipients.

A group of elderly witches and wizards halted across the street from her to wait to see what was going to happen. The huntress crossed to them when the letters came to a stop and hovered in front of their faces.

I’ve never seen anything like this before, one of the witches said as she gingerly reached out to take her letter.

Where did they come from? a wizard asked.

Let’s open them and find out, someone else said.

Xiara lurked behind the group and read one of the letters over a shoulder.

You are cordially invited to a Halloween party.

Everyone must wear an authentic Halloween costume.

Food and drinks will be provided for everyone in the

Vampire, Fae, Shifter and Demon Districts.

A contest will be held in each District for the best costumes.

Prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Penalties will be handed out to anyone who

fails to create a suitable costume.

Special guests will be attending in celebration of

the 50th anniversary of the creation of Nox!

Lord Dallinar sent them, Xiara said and the group whirled around to face her, scrambling to reach for their wands.

Oh, it’s just you, Ms. Evora, a witch said in relief. We thought you were a zombie for a minute there.

I’ve been called worse, the executioner said wryly.

Where’s your invitation? a wizard asked.

I’m Night Cursed, she reminded him. The Immortal Triumvirate don’t class my kind as being people. Looks of pity came her way, but she changed the subject. Why did you think I was a zombie?

Because we’ve seen them creeping around, picking us off one by one, a witch replied in a hoarse whisper.

One of them almost snatched our leader, someone else told her.

You mean Guild Master Onvier? the huntress asked with a frown. She hadn’t heard anything about the undead attacking the elf.

"Not him, a witch replied with her upper lip lifted in derision. Poppy is the leader of the Retiree Guild."

Xiara almost snorted out a laugh at that news. There’s a Retiree Guild now? she asked. She knew who Poppy was and it was hard to believe the cranky old witch was in charge of anyone, let alone an entire guild.

It isn’t official, a wizard admitted. It’s just what we call ourselves.

We were kicked out of the Magic Guild for being too old, but we aren’t useless, another wizard said. Mutters of agreement sounded among the group. We’ll be ready for the zombie apocalypse on Halloween, you mark my words, he added.

From their grimly determined expressions, they were deadly serious. Why do you think there’ll be a zombie apocalypse on Halloween? Xiara asked as dread began to seep into her.

Like Poppy said, when bad things happen in Nox, it’s always on Halloween, was the reply.

We aren’t going to stand around and let the undead slaughter us this time, a witch declared with her pointy chin thrust forward belligerently. We’re going to show those walking corpses we’ve got what it takes to protect our District!

Have you spoken to the Immortal Triumvirate about these zombies? Xiara asked. She’d heard a witch had been trying to warn people in the City Square about zombies a while ago, but nothing had come of it.

They think we’re crazy, was the derisive answer the witch gave her. The Immortal Triumvirate don’t care about us, or anyone else. Knowing them, they’d let the entire city burn to the ground and stand back so they don’t get any ash on their shoes.

It was an accurate assessment of the trio and the huntress couldn’t argue with it. One of the wizards tore his invitation in half and tossed it to the ground. The envelope vanished, but the invitation repaired itself. He started a second later and reached inside his pocket to take it out. They’re enchanted, he said unhappily and shoved it back in his pocket. The Immortal Triumvirate think we’re stupid enough to accept the food and drinks they’re going to provide and ignore the fact that they’re going to be taking more of our magic from us.

It looks like we’ll all have to go along with this farce, a witch grumbled. I can’t believe we have to wear stupid costumes like the lowly Night Cursed beings! How undignified!

Glances cut towards the Guardian of Nox at the insult. Xiara gave the witch a flat, unfriendly stare. I’d better continue with my patrol, she said. Good luck with the zombies. She stalked away before she could say something she would regret. That’s the thanks I get for patrolling their neighborhood to make sure bloodsuckers don’t try to kidnap them, she muttered.

Speaking of vampires, she hadn’t seen any starving masterless fledglings hunting in the Fae District lately. They’d been keeping to the Vampire District and didn’t seem to venture out very often anymore.

A carriage pulled to a stop beside her and the skeleton clicked its teeth at her in an invitation to climb inside. Xiara wasn’t far from the river that divided the Fae and Vampire Districts, but she decided to take the carriage instead of walking. She climbed in and the driver took off. The wheels rumbled over the cobbled streets, then crossed a bridge to the bloodsuckers’ District. Her chauffeur picked where she wanted to go from her mind and headed unerringly for the poorest suburbs.

When they reached their destination, Xiara climbed out. Wait for me here, she requested and the skeleton nodded creakily. Wrath’s glow changed from gray to white as his divine power reacted to being in the presence of evil.

The Guardian of Nox crossed to a house that had images of five bats etched onto the door. She couldn’t hear anyone moving around inside, but she sensed the undead were there. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She knocked louder and still no one answered it. Does anyone need help in there? she asked, raising her voice a little.

A tiny sound came from inside. It sounded like a pained moan. That sounds like a cry for help to me, Xiara murmured. She tried the door handle and it turned. Pushing the door open, she held Wrath ready and stepped inside. The occupants of the house were too weak to dredge up the energy to light any candles. She saw why when she stepped into the living room.

What the hell? the executioner said when she saw five fledglings lying on the floor. Their hair had turned white and their faces were aged and wrinkled. They’re just like the rogues I saw in the shifter woods, she realized. The Immortal Triumvirate had to be behind this. No one else had the capacity to drain people like that. Crowmon does, she corrected herself and Wrath pulsed once in agreement. Or he used to be able to, she added, remembering the trickster god’s olde-worlde magic had been stripped from him. The deity was weak and powerless now. He didn’t have the capacity to steal the life force from other beings.

A presentiment of doom hit the executioner as she left the house. There was nothing she could do for the vampires. All she could do was hope Sebastian, Kade and Raum would be able to overthrow their current leaders. The fate of the City of Night hung in the balance. It had been prophesized that she would have to die before the Immortal Triumvirate would fall, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. As the Guardian of Nox, it was her job to look after the welfare of the entire city.

Chapter Two

LORD DALLINAR HADN’T been sure that the magic of Nox would be up to sending millions of invitations to the civilians of the city. He’d opened his window to dictate the message, mentally crossing his fingers that it would work. The sky above his property had become filled with magical sheets of paper and quills when he’d voiced his intentions to send an invitation to most of the uncursed beings. He’d worked hard on wording the message to the population. No one except him and his two allies knew who the secret guests were going to be.

Just wait until the party and they see the Night Cursed creatures walking the streets of their Districts again, the fairy lord said in glee. Halloween was only three months away now. He couldn’t wait for the festivities and to see what sort of costumes the citizens would make. He was certain they were excited about the event. Who wouldn’t be when free food and beverages were on offer?

He’d enchanted the invitations so they would remain with their owners. It would be a constant reminder of the requirements of the party. If anyone failed to obey the rules he’d set, the invitations would punish them. That was the penalty he’d warned them about. The fairy lord had remained sober so he could pull this off. It had taken a lot out of him despite the power he was hoarding. It was almost as if the magic didn’t want to be used, which was preposterous.

I made Nox and the Night Cursed beings, he muttered as he crossed to his armoire. Their power should be mine by right. Pouring a shot of whiskey, he carried the tumbler over to his scarlet and gold sofa and sank down onto it. He placed his wand on the coffee table, then sipped the alcohol slowly to savor it.

Lord Dallinar had been careful when he’d sent out the invitations. He’d had to make sure no undesirables would be in attendance. Crowmon and his worshippers were at the top of his list. He wasn’t about to allow the trickster god to attend the festivities after the treachery he’d pulled last Halloween.

None of the prisoners in the cells beneath the City Square, or the children they’d produced had been invited. He’d also refrained from sending letters to the rogue werecreatures. It would be a disaster to allow the mindless beasts to walk among the shifters who still retained their wits. The rogues could turn on them and chaos would ensue. Besides, they were too stupid to read now that they’d become permanently bestial.

The final group the fairy had left off the invitation list were the fledglings he’d drained. It wouldn’t do for the vampires to see the state their masterless kin were in. When he and his allies hunted for more leeches to drain, he would have to take care to destroy their invitations. Only he had the power to undo the enchantment he’d laid on them.

Quietly giggling about how clever he’d been to set this all up, Lord Dallinar finished his drink and rose to get another one. He felt he deserved a reward for the effort he’d just expended.

Several glasses of whiskey later, he was drunk and feeling sorry for himself. No one appreciates me, he whined. His vision swam as he blearily poured another shot of liquor. Lord Kreaton and Lord Graham think I’m useless, he added with a scowl. They don’t know how hard I work to keep this city running. I’m the only one who can perform the Energy Tax, but they treat me with scorn just because I like to tipple every now and then.

His fondness for alcohol wasn’t the only thing he was ridiculed for. Everyone seemed to be aware that he used magical means to achieve an erection now. He wasn’t sure how the rumor had spread. The man who had created the device had been assassinated so he couldn’t spill the beans. When Lord Dallinar had accidentally broken the contraption by throwing it at one of the mutated crows, he’d given it to Xiara Evora to take to someone who could repair it. He’d sworn her to secrecy, so she couldn’t have told the person who had fixed it who it belonged to. She would have forgotten about it the following night as well. It was a mystery how word had spread about the contraption.

Thankfully, the device was now in perfect working order again. In fact, it was even better than it had been before. The only downside was that he couldn’t remove it. Whoever had repaired it had altered it so it had become a permanent part of his anatomy. It had been embarrassing the first few times he’d used the device on his bedpartners, but he’d gotten over it. He’d made sure to push the women out of his window when he was done with them. It was a pity he could no longer order his assassins to eliminate any women who might try to escape from him.

They’re all dead now, Lord Dallinar said and lifted his mostly empty glass in salute. Here’s to Eden, Sorcha and Malachi, three of the finest assassins Nox has ever seen. He snorted out a laugh and finished off the glass, then pushed himself to his feet to pour another one. He manfully made himself leave the bottle on the armoire rather than carrying it over to the coffee table.

Eden and Malachi had been slain by Sebastian, Lord Kreaton’s old nemesis. He was pretty sure Sorcha had died after being sent three assassination orders at the same time. They would have torn her mind to pieces. Such a shame, the fairy lord said mournfully. Now we don’t have anyone to kill our enemies for us. Even Wort, the trainer of their stable of killers, was dead. The master vampire who they suspected headed the rebellion was also to blame for the satyr’s demise.

Worry about the prophecy Madam Quilla had foretold about himself and his allies plucked at his mind. She’d foreseen that a magic user strong enough to rival him would appear. The Energy Tax would have ensured anyone who’d had a lot of power would be greatly weakened by now. Unless it’s someone new to Nox, he said craftily. New arrivals appeared every night and became trapped in the City of Night.

The feeling of doom that had begun last Halloween returned as he sat alone in his private tower and drank. To try to distract himself from his woes, he thought of Nilanthy. The fairy maiden was resisting his efforts to woo her, but he was confident he would win her over eventually. Guild Master Onvier was obsessed with her, which was one of the reasons Lord Dallinar had chosen her to be his wife. Few things brought him enjoyment lately. Stealing the woman his rival wanted would bring him more joy than he could describe.

Nilanthy had expressed her disgust at the thought of being bedded by him, but she would come around. Lord Dallinar would show her how skilled he’d become with the device that was designed to bring pleasure to females. If it turned out she didn’t enjoy it, that would be too damn bad. He would still enjoy using her delectable body against her will.

Emerald green eyes going dreamy, he twirled a lock of lilac hair around his delicate finger as he mused about the ways he could defile his future wife.

Chapter Three

CROWMON WAS MERGED with Hilda’s mind when he heard the fluttering noise of millions of letters zooming throughout Nox. He was using his minion to throttle an aged witch to death when a letter came to a stop above his victim. What’s this? Crowmon murmured through Hilda’s lips. One of her helpers had his hand pressed over the witch’s mouth and was holding her down on the ground. The other two were strangling a wizard a few yards away. A second letter hovered over their captive.

Using Hilda’s hands, Crowmon grabbed the letter and opened it. He scanned the invitation and grinned. Well now, I see the Immortal Triumvirate have finally sent out the invitations to the costume party on Halloween, he said, then giggled. One of his rats had overheard their leaders plotting the festivities months ago.

Back in his own body, the deity cracked one eye open and scanned the sky. The canopy his worshippers had erected to block the weather also hid his view of the stars. He couldn’t hear any letters coming his way and figured they hadn’t been invited.

Dropping the invitation on the terrified witch’s chest, Crowmon finished throttling her to death, then infused her corpse with death magic. As soon as her life seeped away, the letter and envelope vanished. So did the invitation the wizard hadn’t even had a chance to open once he’d been turned into an undead soldier. I’m afraid you won’t be attending the Halloween party as guests anymore, my dear friends, the carrion god told his new lackeys, then cackled quietly at his joke. The walking dead didn’t have a sense of humor and they didn’t laugh along with him.

Crowmon had to be careful that the spies who were set to watch him didn’t hear what he was saying. He’d taken to speaking through his zombies rather than using his own mouth. All they saw was their god-king sitting on his throne wearing his cloak made of crow feathers. He kept his face hidden by his hood, so they didn’t see him grinning slyly as he diligently increased the size of his army.

His human and vampire zombies were spreading through the Fae and Vampire Districts. It was getting harder to catch civilians alone or in pairs. His bloodsucking minions had spread far faster than the human ones. They were adept at hunting their former kind down and subduing them so Crowmon could infuse them with his death magic.

No matter how many times he infected a dead body, it never got old. Crowmon had taken over most of the crows and rats in Nox. They were his eyes and ears and there were few secrets from him now. He was growing more powerful with each night that passed and with each soul he ingested.

Vella and Brycen were worried at how sly and secretive he’d become. If they only knew what I was up to, the deity murmured as his new minions rose to their feet. Once upon a time, he’d thought his High Priestess loved him and would have done anything for him. He’d since learned the shifter-witch had only been using him. Brycen was the one she loved. She only wanted to bed the handsome elf, not the man she called her god-king.

Rage swelled and Crowmon clenched Hilda’s fists. More of his minions had killed or caught fresh victims. They were patiently waiting for him to turn them into zombies. He ignored them as they dragged the corpses and fledglings out of sight before they could be spotted.

Switching his attention to a group of zombie vampires, Crowmon took possession of one of them. His lackeys were closing in on a smaller group of leeches who didn’t sense they were in danger yet. Feeling the need to vent his anger, the god rushed towards the weak and starving bloodsuckers who had made the mistake of leaving their home in search of food.

Leaping at the five vampires, Crowmon hooked his minion’s fingers into claws and began tearing into the kiss. Black blood flowed and shouts of alarm and pain rang out. No one came running to help them, or to see what was going on. No one in the poorest suburbs of the Vampire District had the energy to care about the fate of their neighbors.

Crowmon’s three other zombies caught up to him and helped him subdue the badly wounded leeches. He sent his death magic into them and they became his puppets. He did his best to heal the damage he’d done, but they looked a little worse for wear. Their black clothes would hide the stains and the rain would wash away the rank smell of their tainted blood.

It was only raining lightly at the moment, but the deluge would soon intensify. Storms always seemed to be raging across Nox lately. The weather was growing worse as summer began to draw to a close.

Leaving his lackey’s mind, Crowmon had his rage back under control. He mentally flitted from group to group, infusing the corpses and vampire fledglings with death magic. When his task was complete, he switched his attention to a crow and directed it to fly over the Vampire District.

A familiar dead black tree caught his eye as the crow soared across the District. He made the bird descend so he could take a closer look at it. The oak tree that he’d turned sentient to taunt Xiara Evora decades ago was still standing. The hole that had been made in the stone wall that surrounded the property had never been repaired. No lights shone inside the house and there were no images etched on the front door. He made the crow caw in a parody of laughter that the inhabitants had either fled, or were dead.

Sudden movement at the base of the tree startled the crow into silence. Three pumpkins appeared from out of nowhere. Crowmon figured the magic of Nox had created them. Candles flickered inside the pumpkins that had been carved to look like the Immortal Triumvirate. Their expressions seemed to be leering and sneering at him in turns.

I’ll be the one who will have the last laugh, the god murmured sullenly from his own mouth, since the crow couldn’t speak.

More Halloween decorations appeared as he set the bird back into motion. All over the City of Night, gaudy Halloween trappings were cropping up like a blight. The civilians would add their own decorations to their houses. It would add to the atmosphere as the fiftieth anniversary of the city’s creation drew nearer.

Crowmon spent the rest of the night transforming the human dead into the undead and fledgling vampires into his minions. When dawn drew closer, he directed his zombies to hide in the abandoned houses. So far, only one witch had survived an attack from his soldiers. Poppy was never alone anymore, but Crowmon was confident most people thought she was a crackpot. The Immortal Triumvirate and Guild Masters hadn’t taken her seriously when she’d told them she’d been attacked by walking corpses. As long as his puppets killed everyone else who saw them in action, his plans would remain on track.

Chapter Four

ONVIER PACED UP AND down in his office in agitation. He was thinking about Nilanthy rather than his duties as the Magic Guild Master. The fairy maiden was avoiding him and it was infuriating. She’d refused to answer his summons the last time he’d called his triumvirate together for a meeting. It had been humiliating to have Azazel accuse him of not being able to control her.

Nilanthy will learn not to defy me or deny me what I want, the elf muttered angrily, darting a furious look at the door through slightly tilted orange eyes. He caught a glimpse of himself in his mirror and halted when he saw his auburn hair was slightly disheveled. He paused to run his hands through it until it was perfect again. That’s better, he said, feeling slightly calmer. He couldn’t stand to be messy. His appearance always had to be immaculate. Take his clothes for instance. His tunic was bright yellow and his pants were blue. His cloak was dark magenta and his shoes were the same color. Women found him attractive and he knew he was even more handsome than most elves. There was absolutely no reason why Nilanthy should reject him, yet she detested him.

I suppose I shouldn’t have pinned her to the wall with daggers so soon into our relationship, he whispered. His office was warded against anyone eavesdropping, but he was used to sneaking around and being stealthy by now.

At first, Onvier had been slightly ashamed of his penchant for violence during sex. He’d