Dawn of Night: The Last Mage III: The Last Mage, #3

By Jeff Brown

Months after the conclusion of Book II, Carter Nash, the Last Mage, finds himself facing more challenges as he continues to protect and defend the town of McLain, Mississippi. With assistance from the eternal goddess Athena, now using the name Alana Jordan, he finds new allies and sees allegiances change as he faces the threat of a new power to rival his own. In the midst of this, he must also deal with a rampaging murderer loose in the town. Thought depressed and confused, he finds the strength, with the aid of his allies, to learn the truth and face the challenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Brown
• Release date: Aug 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201500542

Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown created the beloved character of Flat Stanley as a bedtime story for his sons. He has written other outrageous books about the Lambchop family, including Flat Stanley, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Invisible Stanley, Stanley’s Christmas Adventure, Stanley in Space, and Stanley, Flat Again! You can learn more about Jeff Brown and Flat Stanley at www.flatstanleybooks.com.

Book preview

Additional Thanks

Thanks again to those that have supported and inspired me along the way. I couldn’t do it without you.

Jodi Albritton, DeAnna Allen, Karen Bates, Suraya Birkhoff, Ramona Burrow, Lisa Bishop, Faith Cooper, Joan Cox, Paul Dancsisin, Stacey Day, Tim Dunaway, Wanda Faircloth, Robin Fite, Dee Freeman, John Goodwin, Michael Graves, Kristy Greenlee, Monique Hibbs, Coretta Johnson, Angela Jones, Nicole Knight, Sharon Laird, Mary Larsen, Jason Marsalis, Magan McClellan, Victor Merritt, Jennifer Miller, Brittany Ollie, Carol Price, Myra Reeves, Mandie Ritchie, Tim Rochel, Francis Rodriguez, Jacob Rosenthal, LaTisha Rushing, Melinda Slemaker, Penny Slemaker, Susan Solomon, Bailey Strickland, Cheri Stringer, Polly Varnado, Melissa Wallace, Chris Waller, Sydney Woodson, Tammy Wright

The Support Staff

The ones that are also always there, no matter what:

Dorothy Howell, Jimmy Turner, Melissa Summersell, Ray Hamilton, Kim Chancelor, Ben Boyd, Jo Renee Bass, Jennie Moesta, Kayla Bruce, Eldon Blalock, Mike and Veronica Wimmer, Kevin Barr, Braxton Rushing

CHAPTER ONE

Spring was most definitely in the air, the spring of 1989 in McLain, Mississippi, and Carter Nash wasn’t thrilled about it at all. Things in the town had settled down in the few months following the incident with the vampires, but that didn’t mean much to him. His life was in a state of turmoil, more than it had been in a number of years. He’d made several changes to try and alleviate some of the anger and frustration, more of a distraction than anything else, but none of it seemed to help.

There’d been too many changes going on around him, too much for him to keep up with. Some had been his decisions while others had just happened around him. He hoped that the most major of the changes had already happened and life in the town would settle down to something approaching normal so he could get back to doing what he did best.

He was the Last Mage, the holder of an intense Power that had rendered him immortal and practically indestructible. Now, after more than two centuries of living and breathing, he knew more about that Power and had finally put more of it together with some assistance from the vampires and their tomes of esoteric knowledge. He learned that the Power took on different forms. Only a true adept, like him, was granted the full Power and immortality. There had been others that could channel the power, but it often corrupted their minds and bodies if they tried to do too much with it. Those people could be really dangerous and a major challenge for him, but his breadth of experience would help in dealing with them, if they should show up to challenge him.

He also knew that he could give up the Power, most easily by transferring it to another. It didn’t have to be someone that had accessed it another way. He could give it up to anyone with the right mentality to see it through. So far, the only one he’d encountered that he thought would be capable of handling it was his assistant, Leigh Callahan. She was as sharp as they came and had learned a great deal in her time with him. He’d already considered giving it to her, knowing that the loss of the Power would make him mortal, but that was what he’d wanted at the time. He’d planned to give it up to spend the rest of his life with the town’s mayor, Sara Berkley.

He’d fallen for her, harder than he thought was still possible. It had started with the job, of course, taking care of an issue in her home, but the relationship developed from there, to the point that he’d moved in with her. After the experience with the vampires, when she’d been fully exposed to his world and what he really did, it had become too much for her and that had ended the relationship. He was still heartbroken over it, but he was dealing with it and was starting the process of moving on. He just wasn’t there yet.

He’d tried to rekindle the romance since then, but there were too many issues involved for Sara to even consider taking him back. The two most prominent things that kept recurring were the frequent visits from two that had been essential in handling the vampire situation. The first, the one that returned a bit more frequently, was Alana Jordan. She was tall, powerful, and absolutely gorgeous, with long, jet black hair, dark green eyes, and a powerful body that just wouldn’t quit. She was also an immortal, but her longevity rested in her claim of being the Greek goddess Athena. There was still no proof of that, but he had seen more of the characteristics that were associated with Athena clearly represented in Alana, but there was still no definite proof.

The other was the equally gorgeous and alluring Grand Master vampire, Lydia Warden. Even after everything had been resolved within the vampire nation and he’d done everything he could to make sure their presence was still hidden from the world of man, Lydia still chose to return on occasion to visit with him and keep him informed of what was going on in her world. It was information that he really didn’t need since he hoped he would never again be called on to assist with anything concerning the vampire society.

Of course, he did consider that her repeated visits had something to do with the three people remaining in McLain that had been recruited to help track her down when she’d been kidnapped by a rogue vampire. Carter had taken them in and done what he could to help them acclimate to life in a small Mississippi town. He’d given them a place to live, tried to find job for them, and introduced them to the people that would best be able to help them find their way.

Once Sara had kicked him out of her home, he’d considered just finding a small place; he didn’t need much, but had purchased a huge upscale house on the western side of town, close to the entrance to the state park just beyond the city limits. It was enough for the three women to each have a bedroom with a fourth set aside for him, but he rarely used it and rarely visited the house. He’d purchased a vehicle for each of the three to make it easier for them to get into town when necessary rather than waiting for him or someone else to pick them up. Of course, he had more than enough money to cover it, but he never tried to flaunt his wealth. He wasn’t reliant on the bookstore to keep him solvent; it was just an easy place to store his personal library and a central location for him to operate and it kept him connected to the town. It was at the eastern edge of the downtown area, almost adjacent to the multiple rail lines that effectively divided the town in half, though the town had been expanding westward and the east side remained as it had been for decades. In fact, downtown was fading away and he figured it wouldn’t be long until most of the businesses there either moved west or permanently closed. He didn’t want to be move the store or close it and did his best to keep things going.

Having financial interest in a majority of the downtown businesses didn’t hurt. The location of the store gave him the opportunity to maintain his closeness to the town, the land that he was now bonded to, and let him keep things in order even though he wasn’t exactly running everything.

Of the three women that had chosen to stay, the first was the Clairvoyant, Sadie Denson. She was about average height with a roughly average build, a pretty face, and shoulder-length curly brown hair. She could see the future, in snippets of dreams and visions, but she had been developing her skills and discovered a little different use of that power. She’d begun calling it a prognostication ability. Her mind worked rapidly and she was able to foresee the consequences of her actions and those of others she focused on. He didn’t fully understand it, but she’d sort of explained that she could see alternate paths based on potential decisions. It had something to do with the idea that every choice came down to a yes or no decision. She could quickly track those decisions and determine the best outcome for each situation, but it did take a toll on her and she couldn’t do it very often. Still, it might prove to be a useful talent.

Marissa Evers was the second of them, a tall, lean woman with long, light brown hair and startling hazel eyes set in a lean face that always bore a warm smile, except for those times when she was using her abilities. Then, her expression turned somber, her eyes narrowing with focus. She was a Reader, a tactile Reader, meaning that she could touch an object and concentrate on it to read its history. She hadn’t been exactly proficient when she’d joined the team, but she’d been working on it regularly since moving to McLain and she’d become much better. It had expanded to include reading people just a bit. Of course, Carter’s Power wouldn’t allow her to read him and he was thankful for that.

The third, Octavia Kinsley, was a Translator. She could decipher any written language and verbally translate any spoken language. Lately, she’d been working on translating those skills to body language as well. She was becoming quite good at that and could almost find a full conversation just in someone’s posture. He was sure that would come in handy sooner or later.

He worked with them when he could, but he tried to keep his distance. He still held out a bit of hope that he could reconcile with Sara, but that was getting farther and farther away from a possibility. He hadn’t exactly kept tabs on her, keeping his distance since she apparently wanted nothing else to do with him. He’d tried calling her a few times, at her office and not at home, to discuss some fairly insignificant local matters, but she never had time for him and always deflected the call to one of her associates.

He had tried to move on, but found it overly difficult. It had been a very long time since he’d been involved in a relationship and never one that he’d felt that deeply, and it just wasn’t something he could just turn off. The only way he could think of was to find another woman. It was difficult in a town that size, but he had grown fairly close to Trish Gramercy, the owner and operator of TG Diner, his favorite place to eat in town, and had finally worked up the nerve to ask her out.

Trish was a beautiful woman, with a great body once she shed the typical work clothes and the bulky apron she always wore. He thought she looked great without makeup, as she was while on the job, but just a little added an extra touch that put her over the top. She was a great person, fun to be around, and very attentive, but she still wasn’t Sara and he wasn’t quite ready to accept anyone as a replacement. He’d gone out with Trish on three occasions and the spark just wasn’t there, for either of them. They remained friends, but dating was off the table.

Other things in town had actually gone rather well, especially after he’d invested a little more in some of the businesses he owned and a few that he didn’t. The first had been the clinic. The resident physician, Dr. Wanda Fullerton, still owned the building and the business, but by investing a sizable amount, with no expectations of a return, the clinic had expanded and now rivaled the small, overpriced hospital on the other side of town. The investment had given her enough to bring in some additional staff, upgrade the equipment, and was actually able to keep the clinic open almost around the clock.

She’d hired a second physician, Dr. Robin Lane, and a second nurse, Terra Hanson, to assist her chief nurse, Dee Friedman. A receptionist, Amy Wilton, had been included, taking that responsibility from Dee, and a new lab tech had been brought in. Tom Dawson was brilliant and highly capable, but he did seem a little too laid back for the job. Still, he got everything done and was nearly perfect when it came to the details of the job.

His second big investment had been in the bar, Chills, owned and operated by Shari Steiner. After everything that had happened at the place during the vampire incident, he felt that he needed to do something for her. He wanted to make it the nice, respectable place Shari had envisioned. Where she’d previously operated with a single waitress and a part-time cook while she managed the front and tended the bar, she now had the operating capital to bring in a few additional people. None of the previous staff remained and she’d hired seven people to cover the work.

Her first hire had been a manager, Phil Coulter. He was a nice, friendly guy that had managed a couple of restaurants in the area and it wasn’t much different for him, other than the hours. Her new bartender, Marie Green, was young and attractive, giving the male patrons a nice view while she mixed drinks. She’d hired two waitresses rather than one, Suzie Layton and Bella Landry. Both were fairly short and attractive enough to keep the male patrons interested, friendly enough to keep the females engaged. After the incident that resulted in the disappearance of her lone waitress, she’d hired a couple of guys to act as security. Jon Morrison was a tall, thin guy that worked best at the door. He didn’t look very intimidating, but there was a toughness and an intensity about him that kept things moving smoothly. Caleb Rose was her official bouncer, a big, muscular guy that looked overly tough, and could be, but he was truly a gentle soul at heart. Finally, she’d brought in Frank Edwards, a somewhat timid guy, as a barback. He was there to help keep things running smoothly and make sure the place was fully stocked.

Other things hadn’t gone quite as smoothly, though. The person he’d hired as a  manager for his businesses had finally received an offer in Nashville and had taken off just over a month after everything began to settle down. Carter didn’t blame her, but he’d found it a little difficult to find a replacement. Finally, after searching for more than a month, he’d been introduced to Jessica Fillmore. She’d managed a few businesses in town, making them all successful before being lured away by another company. At the time, she’d left one company with the intention of moving to a town in Alabama for a somewhat more lucrative position, but Carter had intervened and offered her even more money to stay. She took the job and was working out better than he’d expected.

There were still issues with the town’s resident witch, Ramona Barlow. She still kept to herself, but the little bit of power she wielded, though different from his, could cause problems. So far, she’d refrained from doing anything, as far as he knew. Carter liked to think that she’d seen him in action and that had been enough to deter her from trying anything ridiculous. Still, the possibility remained and there was nothing he could do about it.

The situation at Bio-Tech Industries remained and he wasn’t sure what was going on in that place. He’d never spoken to any of the employees, never visited the place, but they were too secretive for that company to be up to anything good. As had been the case for several months, the company and its activities remained in the back of his mind.

He was still being pursued by the local reporter, Erica Chase, both for an interview and explanation of what he did as well as a possible connection, either physical or romantic. He did like her and found her highly attractive, but he wasn’t ready for either of those scenarios just yet.

There had also been issues with the local Arts Council and its President, Sharon Fairly. She was after him again to use his store and other businesses to promote some local artists. After the last one he’d tried to include had been killed, he was reluctant to try that again, but Sharon frequently suggested that he take a look at the work of another, Jade Bolton. He hadn’t yet seen her work, but he’d heard a few things about it. He would have to consider it, but it was another thing that could wait while he tried to figure out his own life at that point.

One bright spot had been his continued and growing friendship with police officer Chris Walker. He’d been of great help in both of the major situations Carter had faced since arriving in McLain. He’d gone above and beyond frequently and the two had become real friends. It felt good to have someone he could confide in and rely on after so many years of keeping maximum distance from people, though that closeness always came with a price. Eventually, something would happen and Chris would no longer be there. He dreaded that day, whether it was due to Chris’s death or some situation that ended the friendship. It was inevitable with his life, but he hoped it would last for quite a while.

He thought about those things as he sat in his old, comfortable chair at the old desk in his newly refurbished office above the main floor of the bookstore, still named Second Chance, and thought about leaving for the night and going to the house he’d bought, but the three women would be there, probably having one of their nightly parties or whatever they did, and he didn’t want to get in the middle of that. Part of the alterations to his office had been the inclusion of a small bedroom and an even smaller bathroom. With a closet in the bedroom, he didn’t need to visit the house as often. All of his important possessions were in the office, primarily the myriad books and papers stuffed into the strained bookshelves that covered the entirety of two walls, with enough space for his desk and a small refrigerator against the third and the fourth wall only holding the doors to the staircase and the bedroom area. He was comfortable there, though Leigh did occasionally bother him with some detail of running the store that she’d been unable to figure out. Thankfully, Leigh was smart and capable, and those incidents were few and far between.

It was late on a Friday night in early March, still a decent chill in the air, but it wasn’t yet enough for him to justify turning on the heat. He was comfortable and that was good enough. He was thinking about just going to bed and reading a book, a novel and not one of those tomes of ancient history that he typically read in the office, when he heard something downstairs.

Reaching out with his Power, he tried to find out if someone had entered the store after hours, but the flow of the energy only showed him a blank spot that was moving slowly toward him. For just an instant, he began to fear that there was something new on its way to attack him, but he settled down and shook his head as he realized that the empty spot was an indication that either Alana or Lydia had entered the building.

He heaved a tired sigh and sat back, rotating his chair to face the room’s entrance, and waited. He wasn’t in the frame of mind to deal with either of them, but they were helpful and he was sure that he would need one or both of them to help him with something in the future.

It took only a moment for the silent approach to reveal the identity of the person that had so easily infiltrated his store. When the door opened, the faint light coming from the lamp over his desk revealed the tall, firm form of Alana Jordan wearing faded jeans and a tight, light blue t-shirt.

A smile stretched her full lips as she slowly entered the room and said, It seems like you were expecting me.

He sat back in the chair and laced his fingers together in front of him, elbows remaining on the arms of the chair, as he said, Pretty much. It was either you or Lydia.

Alana took a step forward and frowned, Is the vampire still bothering you?

He shrugged, I guess. You’re the only two that visit me on a regular basis. I suppose that makes us friends, or something like it.

Yeah, she said and moved slowly closer. I guess it does.

Her voice was silky smooth, a rich contralto, and fit her perfectly, though there was still just a hint of an accent. It sounded a bit like a Greek accent, but there was something more to it that he hadn’t yet been able to identify.

So, what are you doing here? he asked and gestured toward the other chair in the room, to his right.

Well, she said and moved fluidly toward the chair. I’ve been thinking about things for the past couple of weeks.

Since your last visit.

Yes, she nodded and sat down primly. I’ve been watching this town, Carter, and it seems to be settling down.

I guess, he shrugged again. It’s been a little complicated.

She nodded, I have been paying attention and it seems like this is the calm before the next storm. I have a strange feeling that something major is about to happen, something even bigger than the rescue of the Grand Master.

His almost blank expression contorted into a frown as he asked, What makes you say that? I haven’t really noticed anything.

She leaned forward with her hands planted on her knees and looked him in the eye, You haven’t been paying attention, Carter. You’ve been too busy trying to get your own life in order and you’re still tormented by your failed relationship with Sara. It’s blinded you to what’s going on around you.

He shook his head slowly, lowering his hands to the arms of the chair, I don’t think so. Sara is old news. I have been focused on getting my life in order, the businesses and the people working with me. I haven’t had much time to think about Sara.

No, she shook her head. You still haven’t put Sara behind you and you need to. She is not going to change her mind and take you back. You need to look beyond all of these mundane things and see the truth of what’s going on. Besides, if it’s the sex that you’re missing so badly, I can help you with that.

No, he said and his gaze narrowed. It’s not that, but I do appreciate the offer.

She shrugged and sat back, If you change your mind, the offer remains open.

Thanks, he said and almost smirked. I really don’t know if that’ll help.

It might, she said and smiled wryly. Just think about it. I will be around here for a while.

He leaned forward then and asked, Where do you go when you’re not sneaking into my office? Do you have a house or something around here?

It’s not quite so simple, she said. I go where I please and rest where I can find comfort and peace. Perhaps one day I’ll show you. Maybe if you accept my offer.

He thought about that for a couple of seconds. It seemed that Alana had something in mind beyond mere physical contact, but he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t read her at all and that left him with some doubt.

I will be here to assist you, she said. I believe that you’ll need my help before long.

I don’t know, he said almost weakly and looked at the floor. It’s all coming together and I think we’ll be on the right track before long.

Alana shook her head again and slowly rose to her feet, You’re distracted. You should already feel what’s coming. It’s not as direct as the vampires. It’s coming from all sides and you need to be prepared.

He continued to frown, wondering what she meant, and he walked as she moved slowly toward him, her dark eyes locked onto his. The expression on her face was an intense one that he hadn’t seen before. It looked almost as if she was aroused.

She stopped in front of him and leaned closer, Perhaps this will help.

She moved in and kissed him. It wasn’t a quick peck. She caught his lips with hers and pressed forward. After a second, he returned the kiss and, as his hands moved to her trim waist, his eyes flashed open and it hit him.

There was something else in town, another source of Power, but it was different than anything he’d ever felt before.

What is it? he asked, sounding almost breathless.

I don’t know, Alana replied, her gaze hardening and more intense.

He nodded once and said, We need to find out.

CHAPTER TWO

The bright moonlight felt good on Ramona’s bare skin, reflecting off the rippling surface of the pond not far from her small, secluded home. She felt the moon’s gentle energy bouncing off the gentle waves of the water and flowing into her body along with the more direct light as it shone through a gap in the trees around the clearing beside the pond. She drew in a sharp breath, almost an orgasmic gasp, as her erect nipples tightened just a bit more, almost painfully, but it was a delicious pain and she relished it. The pain opened her even more to the energy and the influx brought a smile to her thin lips.

She was flat on her back with her legs spread wide and her thin arms stretched out at her sides, palms flat against the ground to draw a little more energy from the Earth. She didn’t know what was coming, but she felt the urge to draw in as much energy as she could, to build those reserves more than she ever had in the past. Whatever was on its way would arrive soon and she knew she had to be ready. She felt that if she failed to prepare, she would miss out on something special or she would be destroyed by it.

She wished she had the level of control over her energy the way Carter Nash did over his Power. He could simply draw on it at any time and do whatever he wanted with it. She had to perform the proper spell to release the energy, but that was really just a way for her to focus the energy in the right direction. It was tedious and time-consuming, but she’d grown accustomed to the process and it was no longer as frustrating as it had been at first.

The energy flowed into her with each slow, deep breath and her dark eyes practically sparkled with a combination of that energy and the reflected moonlight. It felt great to have it flowing into her, giving her a sexual thrill, but it was nothing like actually having sex. Both were important to her, but she still preferred the flow of energy to dealing with a man. She was always disappointed with them and frequently hurt. The