There
Be Demons
by
M.K. Theodoratus
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
After
her father remarries, Britt Kelly’s life becomes a cesspit. She
lives in her sister’s two-bedroom tenement apartment with her
mother, two brothers, and two young nephews. She starts a new high
school where she knows no one. And, even when Britt thinks she’s
making friends, the church where she studies in is torn down.
Then,
the field commanders of The Demon Wars draft her and her friends to
aid the four Gargoyle Guardians who fight the demons invading the
city of Trebridge. The fate of the city hangs on Britt’s ability to
lead and learn enough self-control to manipulate the natural magic of
Grace. Meanwhile, she also needs to decide what to do about Cahal,
her chemistry lab partner who is as strong as her and may have
interests more than just protecting Trebridge.
“There
Be Demons” is a continuation of M. K. Theodoratus’ urban fantasy,
"Night for the Gargoyles". It tells the tale of Gillen and
his team of Gargoyle Guardians as they defend Trebridge while
teaching Britt and her friends – the untrained “reinforcements.
Along the way, Gillen and Britt learn things about each other to make
them stronger both together and alone.
Demon lord Prince Vetis surged from the soft dirt of the portal. His magnificence blazed brighter than Andor’s setting sun. Dim though it was, the greenish sky made his three lidless, reddish eyes blink and water. He stepped under a tree for protection. The narrow portal, stretched by his power to accommodate the wide horns sprouting from the sides of his head, closed with a soft hiss behind him. He rubbed his aching neck muscles. He’d only been able to relax his tilted head once during the long journey between the cold Gehenathh and the city of Trebridge.
Alert for Angeli attacks, Vetis stayed in the copse of trees and bushes that hid him from the low building up the hill. The new operating base was supposed to be a counter-attack behind enemy lines, but he had his doubts. The minion had promised a new, secure entry into the human world, unknown to the humans’ Angeli defenders. Vetis snorted through wide nostrils. The scene did not impress, except for the number of imps cavorting on the field leading down to the river.
Broken trees grew in clumps across the crumbling expanse of asphalt around a dilapidated warehouse. The scene was deserted except for the splendid pack of imps. His minion, Abraxas, had boasted about his first hatching. The size of the clutch surprised Vetis. Most of these were twice the size of a Gehenathh brood, if a nest managed to hatch in the increasing cold. Even the nobility had problems raising a clutch.
Still, one sneeze would blow that building down. The braggart plans to hide a legion of demons in it? Vetis snorted again. I should have come sooner. Abraxas, the simpering idiot, has accomplished next to nothing except to hatch a batch of eggs. I need this base operational now.
Tufts of sickly grass traced thin, yellowish lines through the asphalt of the abandoned lot. Cans, boxes, shingles, bottles, and paper of all descriptions littered the cracked paving all the way down to the riverbank. The stench from the passing garbage barges on the river wafted on the shifting breeze. Somewhere upwind, a packinghouse discharged the scent of rotting flesh into the twilight, making the demon commander smile wide enough to reveal long fangs.
What a lovely place! If only the air had a sharper bite. Extending his senses to scan the area, Prince Vetis relaxed. Ahh, not a hint of Angeli taint. Perhaps Abraxas is right. Only four gargoyles defend the city. Can my gamble pay off?
The chicken-headed, humanoid demon Abraxas rushed from the warehouse to greet him, arms flapping. The underling paused on a raised platform at the door of the graffiti-covered building. His glance darted everywhere, from the river barges visible down the slope, to the dock at his feet, to the imps cavorting at the marshy end of the lot. Abraxas looked anywhere but at his lord and master.
Get
the Short Story – Night for the Gargoyles FREE! It
was the first story set in Andor and formed the inspiration for There
Be Demons.
Night
For the Gargoyles
by
M.K. Theodoratus
Night for the Gargoyles -- A Story Combining Magic with Reality!
Gillen's
dilemma. Who to fight? The Demons overrunning the city or Orvil, the
rival lusting for his position.
The
four gargoyles guarding Trebridge are outnumbered by a growing number
of demons. Gillen, their leader, is caught between fighting Demons
and the schemes of Orvil to replace him. He tries patience with the
plotting Orvil and asks the Angeli for reinforcements. Will help come
in time?
A
free short story set in a world where reality plays with magic. Read
the short story that inspired There Be Demons!
**Get
it FREE!!**
I'm
one of those weird people who have always played with fantasy. Had a
pretend friend by the time I was three, play acted elaborate
fantasies even after I learned not to talk about them, read comic
books, and discovered Oz, A. L. Merritt, Andre Norton, and Fritz
Leiber before my teens.
The
gears changed to include writing fantasy after the sixth grade. Until
then, mysteries ala Nancy Drew were my favorites. Most of my fiction
writing has been lost through the years. Must admit, though, I still
have the Clue of the Clay Cats, written in the sixth and seventh
grade, sitting in some file drawer.
Many
fantasy worlds have entertained me since then...but I've only written
in two since I started writing again, aka consistently. My main two
worlds are Andor where demons prey upon humans and other supernatural
events occur and the Marches of the Far Isles. My favorites, though,
are my Far Isles Half-Elven, Renna, Mariah, and Kerry, where I
explore the political ramifications of genetic drift on a hybrid
elf/human population. Unfortunately, my Half-Elven had become a
cliche by the time I completed the 600,000+ words moldering in my
computer. [Which is okay. I mainly write to amuse
myself.]
Currently, live with
my old man and two lap-cats in Colorado. The kids have long flown the
coop. Some of my favorite authors remain Alexander, Briggs, Belcher,
Cooper, Croogon, Pierce, Butcher, Elkins, McCrumb, Gaiman, O'Connell,
etc. etc. etc.
Oh, yes, my
pubs. I've published shorter fantasy for my Half-Elven, including
Troublesome Neighbors and Vengeance. Andor short stories include
Night for the Gargoyles [which inspired Andor], Showdown at Crossings
[prequel to There Be Demons], Doom Comes for a Sold Soul, and The
Ghost in the Closet. The short stories are both free and 99c.
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the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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