The Cardkeeper Chronicles: Books 1-5 (Complete Collection)

by A. C. Nicholls

  Now, its eyes were even wider. Saliva dripped from its fangs and its gaze was locked on me.

  “Oh, shit.” I moved quickly, ducking under the first quick swipe of its claws, as I shrank down the blade. Regaining my balance, I stood up straight and threw my best punch into its chest, right at its heart. The moment my knuckles connected, I pushed my thumb into the button and the blade lashed out, punching a hole right through the bastard’s ticker. The added momentum of the punch lent strength to the extending blade, helping to tear through the thick, mutant-like flesh and literally break its heart.

  I froze there, my fist gripping the sword as I waited for The Ancient to burn.

  It didn’t.

  The sword was ripped from my hand and The Ancient stumbled back. Slowly, it grabbed the hilt and pulled it from its chest, making a long whiny noise as it saw the weapon that had harmed it, and then tossed it to the floor like unwanted scrap. It panted heavily, hunched over as its head rose, its eyes full of hate as it met mine. I stood back, ready to defend myself from its retaliation, but what it did instead took me by surprise.

  From its back, long, bat-like wings ripped through its skin and spread out to scratch the walls. The Ancient hissed at me furiously, turned into a crouch, and then took off, smashing through the circular window at the top of the stairs. Shattered glass rained exploded outward as the creature’s silhouette flapped in front of a full moon, before disappearing into the night.

  Stunned, I looked back at Link, who was on the floor and breathing heavily, surrounded by chunks of clay that he’d created by demolishing the final statue. He didn’t look at me – he was too wrapped up in staring at the broken window, where the oldest of the world’s vampires had fled after we’d hurt it.

  Or had it gone to die? That was possibly wishful thinking, but I had shoved an enchanted sword into its heart. Is it possible that it had simply used the last of its strength to find a final resting place? I liked to think so, sure, but the luck of a Cardkeeper never ran that high. Keira had taught me that much, so like her, I left the house knowing that it was not yet over, and that the fight of my life was yet to come.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Against his suggestion that I simply take another cab, I persuaded Link to carry me back to Harvey’s garage. Due to his incredible strength, I knew it was possible to lift me – I’d seen him lift Keira before, and she didn’t weigh much less than I did. At least that was what I thought. Unfortunately for Link, I’d underestimated my heft.

  After stopping and starting the entire way, we finally reached the garage, Link losing his grip on me a couple of meters above the ground. I tumbled into the dirt, where I shielded my face from the impact and then climbed to my feet, dusting off my knees.

  “What the hell was that for?” I said, gritting my teeth.

  “It was an accident, sorry. You’re not exactly a featherweight.”

  I grunted. “I guess not.”

  Link landed by my feet, placing his hands at the small of his back and giving a little push. The poor little fella probably ached after all that, and he still had to make his way back across Europe. I didn’t know how he would manage it.

  “Anything else you need?” Link asked.

  “Nope.” I shook my head, rapping my knuckles on the door of the garage. “Thanks for your help, but I’ll take it from here. Just be sure to let Keira know what happened and tell her everything will be okay.”

  Link nodded slowly. “I will.”

  The garage door began to move as Harvey opened it from the opposite side. Before it opened all the way, when I could only see a pair of boots on the other side of the door, I waved Link off. “Get out of here.”

  Saluting, Link shot up onto his wings, hovered there for an instant, and then flew off into the distance. Within only a couple of seconds, he was nothing more than a white speck on the black canvas of the night.

  I’d miss him.

  Harvey finally finished getting the door open, and when he saw me standing there waiting for him, his eyes lit up. “You made it,” he said, failing to disguise the excitement in his voice. “Good to see you in one piece, son.”

  I smiled. It felt nice to be appreciated. “You got that beer now?”

  “Sure do. Come on in.”

  Gasping for a sip of cold beer, I stepped inside and invited myself to sit in the armchair. As soon as I sat, I immediately noticed the scuff marks across my pants and bent down to wipe them off. Only then did I realize that it was actually a tear in the fabric, and I would need to change at some point. I probably stank anyway, after all that fighting.

  Harvey dangled a beer bottle by my side until I took it, and then sprawled out across the couch in front of me. He grinned, nodding as he took in the fact that I’d returned in one piece. “I can’t believe you did it. I really can’t.”

  Whoa. What exactly did he think I’d done? Slay The Ancient?

  “I didn’t do anything,” I told him. “At least I don’t think so.”

  Harvey’s smile dropped from his face. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I found the guy – big bastard, too – and put a sword right through its heart. After that, it still found the strength to rip the sword out and fly out of there.” I took a long pull of my beer, the refreshing drink bringing me back to life like a potion. I burped lightly as I pulled the bottle away. “You don’t think it’s dead, do you?”

  “Ah.” Harvey winced, struggling to sit up and then resting his face in his hands. “This is bad – real, real bad.”

  Why did I feel like I’d done something wrong?

  “It’s not that bad,” I assured him. “I can try again.”

  “Don’t you think we already did that?” Harvey pulled his hands away and stood up. His face growing scarlet red, he paced around the garage, shaking his head and making me nervous. “I did try to warn you that you shouldn’t head up there.”

  I felt uneasy, like something seriously crappy had happened and everyone knew but me. Growing more uncomfortable, I set down the beer and went to stand by the open garage door, letting the cold air caress my cheeks. “You gonna explain what’s got your panties in a bunch? Or are you just going to leave me here, guessing?”

  “It’s out there,” he said, shaking his head still. Finally he came to stand by my side, looking out at the range of trees that hid in the darkness ahead. “Wherever it is, it’s gone there to heal. All us townsfolk tried to kill it a couple of times before.”

  “Unsuccessfully, I’m guessing.”

  “Don’t be a smart Alec.” Harvey sighed. “Both times we attacked it, we only got as far as hurting it. Both times we attacked it, it fled and came back stronger. It might be years before it comes back this way again. Hopefully I’ll be dead by then, but… Ah, forget it.”

  As the old man went back inside and sat in his office chair, sulking, I thought through my options. If The Ancient lurked out there somewhere, healing up and prepping to come back stronger than before, I had to find it fast. My only hope now was to catch it as it recovered, and this time, take its goddamn head off.

  “Hey,” I said, turning. “You don’t know where it goes, do you?”

  Harvey shrugged. “How the hell am I supposed to know? You’re the Cardkeeper, for crying out loud. I’m just a damn eBay salesman.” He huffed, blowing out a hot gust of breath like an angry bull. “Look, all I know is that it reappeared by a body of water. Now that might be a coincidence, but it’s possible that it was a deliberate action. You can try looking somewhere like that. I know it’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

  A body of water. Right. It really was better than nothing, but still useless to me. I needed some insight to The Ancient, and there was only one man who would know anything. That man was Edgar George, and while I was there I could ask for a little help, too. “I’m going back to Chicago,” I said.

  “You’re giving up?”

  “No, I’m going to get some help and see if I can’t learn where to find that big
, ugly bastard.” I stormed to the back of the garage and offered my hand to Harvey. When he shook it with a look on his face that suggested sheer confusion, I took my chance to say goodbye. “Thank you so much for all your help. I’m going to do right by you.”

  “Good luck, son. If you need anything…”

  I waved my hand, dismissing it. “You’ve done more than enough for me. When all this is over – and trust me, it will be over – I’ll be sure to send you a muffin basket.”

  Harvey laughed, showing those awful black teeth again. “I never was a fan of muffins, so you can just send me the money instead. What do they fetch these days; a hundred bucks?”

  I grinned, giving his hand a final shake. “Goodbye, Harvey.” It was unlikely that I’d see the old man again, but I was glad to have met him. The kindness he’d shown me only made me more determined to slay The Ancient. Not just for him, but for the sake of all the townsfolk, and all the people who would be victims of the vampire’s next deadly reign.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  After the long bus ride my ass ached and my neck vibrated with strain. I’d spent the time with my head propped up against the rattling window while I watched the world go by. My shoulder slowly healed over and my eyelids started to droop. I wasn’t even fortunate enough to get a good night’s sleep, so I decided to do it inside the Vault.

  The next day, when I awoke long into the afternoon feeling right as rain, I checked the time and – quite ashamed of how long I’d slept – I snatched my coat off the rack and quickly scurried down the mountain path that led to the VHS store. I was flustered as I passed through, waving hello and goodbye to Stanley before I made my way to Dante’s Nightclub. I had to speak to Edgar, and I’d already wasted enough time sleeping.

  As I rounded the corner to the club, I was shocked to see the length of the line outside. With no time to waste, I passed by all the rowdy drinkers, feeling their eyes on me as I stormed toward the bouncer. Did they know I was a Cardkeeper? Could they sense it on me? It felt a lot like they could, if only from their cold stares and disgusted grimaces.

  “Back of the line,” said the bouncer. He was a huge guy with tattoos of skulls and dragons all the way up his sleeves, and a hairless head that looked like an ugly white boulder. His arms were folded over his massive chest as he stood there like a barricade.

  “I need to speak with Edgar George.”

  “Then you can get in line and wait like everyone else.”

  I glanced back at the line. Man, it would take me hours to get inside if I waited. Lucky for me, I had a sword in my pocket and a new level of impatience. With all the strength of a well-rested Cardkeeper, I drove my body into the bouncer and pinned him against the wall, ripping the sunglasses from his face and revealing cold, lifeless eyes. Vampire – no doubt about it. “Listen,” I said, spittle flying at him from between my gritted teeth. I’ve been through hell and back to run an errand for Edgar. I need to speak with him, and I’ll do it right now.”

  “Fuck you,” the bouncer gargled.

  “Not even if I were gay. Now, I’m going inside to see your boss. If you try to stop me, I’ll take your head clean off. You got it?”

  The man hesitated, then nodded.

  “Good boy.” I dropped him and let his limp body sag to the ground, then headed inside. I tried not to let the cheering from the drinkers go to my head, but a smile tugged at my lips as I went through the doors and entered the club.

  It was so different in here that it didn’t even feel like the same place. Last time I’d been here there was a lot of light and no people. Now I could barely see five feet in front of me due to the wall-to-wall bodies. Music for a newer generation blared from the speakers at a deafening volume, and I squeezed past a decade’s worth of dance styles while trying to find Edgar. By the time I saw him leaning into the bar from the customers’ side, my coat was covered in someone’s spilt drink – something white that smelt a lot like milk.

  “Son of a bitch,” I muttered.

  I stifled my anger and turned to the bar, where the bartender pointed accusingly in my direction with a radio in his hand. Edgar turned to follow the young man’s line of sight, gawking over the tops of everyone’s heads until he saw me. He then waved off the bartender and made his way toward me. The sea of bodies parted right down the middle and made me wonder if they all knew his identity – that he owned the nightclub and, if they were vampires, he also owned them.

  “Any luck?” Edgar shouted over the music when he reached me.

  “It’s complicated.”

  He nodded, glanced around, and then took me by the arm. “Come on.”

  We weaved back through the crowd, but it was easier this time. The dancers kept their drinks to themselves as they hurriedly stepped aside for Edgar and me to pass. A couple of staircases later, Edgar punched a code into a keypad and shoved open the door to a dark, quiet office. I followed in behind him, admiring the fish tanks that went from wall to wall on each side of us, until we reached his desk. There were two seats here, and I took one without being asked.

  “You’ll pardon my grabbing you,” he said, slumping into his chair.

  “I get it. It’s impossible to hear anything down there.”

  Edgar nodded, distractedly looking for something in the desk drawers. “So then, what can I do for you? I’m guessing you had no luck in finding The Ancient.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I still can’t go out in daylight or take a piss.”

  I grinned. “It’s overrated. Anyway, I did find it.”

  Edgar stopped fidgeting, his eyes flicking up at me as he considered what kind of reaction to give. A smile broke through his expression though, against his obvious reluctance to show it. “You did? And what happened?”

  “In short, it kicked my ass.”

  “No surprise there.”

  “Yeah…” My eyes wandered around the room, watching the fish swim around as the water bubbled and churned. The sound of bubbles forming was really quite hypnotic, and it was making me sleepy. “From what I hear, it’s fled to a faraway place to heal up.”

  Edgar nodded with no expression on his face whatsoever. As he began to fiddle with his cufflinks and his tie, he paid me no mind at all. It was like I was talking to someone who couldn’t hear me – a deaf man, or a highly uninterested one.

  “So the reason I’ve come by,” I went on, “is that I want some help.”

  “You mean financially?”

  “No…”

  “Advice then?”

  “Actually, I need help slaying it.”

  Edgar stopped again, his eyes meeting mine. “No.”

  Wow. Points for bluntness. “Just no?”

  “No.”

  Shocked by the man’s ignorance, I shook my head. Sure, he’d already told me that I would be alone in this venture, but the circumstances had changed so much that I thought perhaps his mind would have, too. “I’m going to level with you, Mr. George.”

  “Please do.”

  “The Ancient was one tough son of a bitch. Even after I slid an enchanted sword through its heart, it just flew on out of there to recover. I’m still trying to find it and I still want it dead, but it would be a lot easier with your help.”

  Edgar sighed, propping his elbows onto his desk and then leaning on closed fists. “I understand,” he said. “It’s not easy. But I did tell you that I wouldn’t be getting involved. Like I said, I can help you out in any other capacity, but I’m not going to war against my own leader. I’m quite fond of keeping my head attached to my neck.”

  “This isn’t usurpation.”

  “All the same, I would be punished.”

  “That’s quite a cowardly way of looking at it.”

  Edgar snapped, banging down hard on the desk and then aiming a finger right at my face. “I like you, Mr. Hannigan, but if you insult me in my own club again, you’ll be leaving with a lot more than a scratch on your neck.”

  Ever the hypocrite, I cowere
d down at the threat. Edgar was bigger than me, and that would usually be no problem, but I actually liked the guy too much to want to fight him, unless it meant my death.

  I took a breath, raised my hands. “All right. So then, what can you do?”

  “You tell me.”

  It was hard to think of how exactly he could be useful. Other than having him beside me in a fight, there wasn’t much he was good for. Unless… “I need to find The Ancient. If I’m going to kill it, I can’t wait for it to return to Vival Creek.”

  Edgar’s scowl softened as he shrugged. “I don’t know where it is.” He then went on to roll up his sleeves, gazing down at his desk deep in thought, until he stopped. “Actually, I think I know someone who can help you.”

  “Oh?”

  Flicking through the rolodex on his desk, Edgar found a card, took a pen from the side and copied an address onto a piece of paper for me. When he was done, he tore it off and handed it over. “This is the address of a witch I know.”

  I took the paper and studied it.

  KAREN SAUNDERS

  1408 Stoke Point

  “A witch?” I slid the address into my pocket.

  Edgar nodded, placing the pen back down in perfect alignment with the paper beside it, obsessively finding an exact arrangement for the contents of his desk. “She has ways of finding out these things. Just approach her humbly and ask for her help. Tell her I sent you – that should work in your favor.”

  “I hope so. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. Just get it done before The Ancient grows any stronger.”

  I left the office with that on the forefront of my mind. Just how much stronger would The Ancient become? It had already almost taken me down to Chinatown and if it got any stronger, that might mean permanent lights out. I had to strategize. To get it before it was fully rested, but for that to happen, I would have to get a move on.