The Chronicles of Darkness: The Box of Infernos
The Chronicles of Darkness Book One
Matthew Head
Genre: Supernatural Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-78299-263-9
Number of pages: 204
Word Count: 85,000
Cover Artist: Matthew Head
Teaser trailer: http://youtu.be/STsB96OFZfw
Book Description:
In the south of England, in the city of Monks-Lantern, events are starting to unfold which have the potential to threaten all of creation. Isaac Jacobs is a young university student with a haunted past who has long been fighting the supernatural monsters of this world and now he fights them alongside his four friends; Gabbi Gurtpasha, Billie Stamford, Laura Henley and Ben Pokeley.
What starts off as a disturbing but relatively low key investigation soon explodes into something much larger, darker and more fearsome than any of them could have imagined. Just what is behind the slow but steady disappearance of people from the city? Who is the much feared Imperator? What is the worst thing you can hope to see beneath a door in an empty building? How do you define a good man from a bad one? And what terror lies within the Box of Infernos?
A plan which has been in motion for millenia is now coming to fruition and Isaac had better be ready as his life will never be the same again from now on.
Something is coming.
Excerpt:
At the entrance to the alleyway Ackley was standing talking to someone, someone who was standing more in the shadows but was still just about visible. He was robed and hooded whoever he was and as much as Isaac squinted through the darkness he couldn’t see a face. All he could make out were outlines.
“Is that a monk?” asked Billie. There was a monastery just outside of the city and sometimes the monks could be seen walking about through the city centre or sitting in one of the parks.
“No I don’t think so.” replied Isaac, “He looks more sinister to me.”
“Or like he’s just come off the set of any satanic movie ever made.” Ben said dryly.
Isaac couldn’t help but smirk. The outfit did look very much like that.
“Can we get closer?” asked Gabbi, “They’re talking but I can’t hear, it’s just mumbling.”
“Really? You can hear mumbling?” Isaac was amazed, he couldn’t hear anything.
They all crawled forwards behind the van, and then quickly along behind a low wall which led to a dead end right next to the alley where several large bins were kept. Isaac thought that they must have all looked ridiculous had anyone seen them but amazingly the whole area was deserted. The station wasn’t in the city centre really, so he guessed it wasn’t that odd that it should be quite quiet this time of the evening. Obviously Ackley and his friend were confident enough to be meeting in the semi-open location that they were in. They all crawled up as far as the bins, which left them only a little way away from the conversation. Isaac had to listen hard, but he just about heard everything.
“Have you given your report yet on the latest missing person?” It was the hooded man who spoke. The voice sounded ordinary enough.
“Give me time, I only just got back from France today!” Ackley sounded wheezy and gruff. So it wasn’t another cover up. He really had been in France.
“We don’t have all that much time. You know we’re close now, the quota is almost full. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
“No I know, don’t worry it will get done.”
“Good. The Imperator will be pleased to hear that.”
“I’m sure he will.” Ackley sounded sarcastic. “Just make sure that when this is over I get what you promised me. Then I never want to hear from any of you again.”
“You’ll get your thirty pieces of silver, have no fear about that.”
“Don’t call it that. You make me sound like a traitor.”
“Aren’t you?”
Isaac could tell without seeing the hooded man’s face that he must have been smiling as he spoke.
“Our power is everywhere Inspector, it seeps out of the earth like water from sodden ground.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“So you don’t fail. Succeed for us and yes, you shall be rewarded. Fail, and-” the voice paused.
“And?”
“Remember what I’ve told you. We can’t be escaped. There’s a purpose to all this beyond what you can see. A much bigger picture. You mustn’t fail us.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. We understand each other.” With that the hooded figure turned and walked into the inky blackness of the alleyway.
Ackley stood there for a moment and then shook his shoulders, as if shaking away some unpleasant thoughts. Isaac and the others hit the floor as he turned and walked past their hiding place - thankfully they were unseen. They heard a car door slam from across the forecourt and then an engine start followed by the sound of the vehicle driving away.
My name is Matthew Head and I'm a writer from Surrey. Well, I say from Surrey - I was born in Kent, moved to London for a bit and then moved out to Surrey to live with my partner Andrew. I was born in the eighties, raised in the nineties and then I was inspired in the noughties during my time at university where I studied Theology.
Theology is quite possibly the most fascinating subject in the world. Sounds boring I know, sounds like church and everyone knows that church is boring. But it's not like that at all. It's packed full of myths and monsters, gods and goddesses - mad, bad, sad ones alive in stories which rival many blockbuster movies in terms of how epic they are. It doesn't matter whether it's all real or not - it's the story that counts. Stories are beautiful because absolutely anything is possible within them. That's why I love writing because I love the idea of contributing to that and creating stories. Stories that will make you cry, make you laugh, make you scared. Because I think there is some magic in writing - that simple words have the power to make us feel and react so strongly to them.
When I'm not writing or doing my day job then I really enjoy going out and exploring new places. I love going somewhere I've never been before, especially if there's some history linked to the place. Old places are the best - the older the better. You just get this sense that so much has happened there, so many different people have come and gone and yet the place remains.
A few more random facts about me - my favourite pet is the humble goldfish, my favourite dinner is macaroni cheese, I love banana flavoured things but I strongly dislike bananas and the only real phobia I have is a phobia of frogs. Yeuch.
Web: www.chroniclesofdarkness.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesOfDarkness
Twitter: @Chronofdarkness
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Chronofdarkness
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6536000.Matthew_Head
No comments:
Post a Comment