Dark Rite
By David Wood and Alan Baxter
5/5
()
About this ebook
A small mountain town hides a dark secret…
When his father’s death brings Grant Shipman to the Appalachian town of Wallen’s Gap, he believes his biggest problem will be dealing with the slow pace and odd townsfolk. But something sinister is at work. A dark power rises, an echo of the town’s bloody past. A book of blood magic offers an unspeakable horror a gateway into the world of the living, and only Grant stands in the way of their Dark Rite.
Praise for Dark Rite
“Wood and Baxter have delivered a stunning tale that reminds of an early Stephen King’s talent for the macabre with a pinch of Graham Masterton’s flair for witchcraft and terror. A sinister tale of black magic and horror – not for the faint hearted.”
Greig Beck, bestselling author of Beneath the Dark Ice and Black Mountain
“When Grant Shipman returns to Wallens' Gap for his father's funeral, he discovers a curious book and a supernatural relic hidden from the malevolent townsfolk, who shelter generations of malignant secrets. After his friend Cassie is kidnapped and his own life increasingly threatened, Grant must confront the powers of darkness, a demon summoned for the ultimate sacrifice.
With mysterious rituals, macabre rites and superb supernatural action scenes, Wood and Baxter deliver a fast-paced horror thriller.”
J.F.Penn, author of the bestselling ARKANE thriller series
"Wood and Baxter have taken on the classic black magic/cult conspiracy subgenre, chucked in a toxic mix of weirdness, creepshow chills and action, and created a tale that reads like a
latter-day Hammer Horror thriller. Nice, dark fun."
Robert Hood, author of Immaterial and Fragments of a Broken Land: Valarl Undead
David Wood
Based in West Lancashire, David is a keen walker, photographer and rock climber. As a frequent traveller he has followed his pursuits in over 20 countries across five continents. David worked initially in the police service, following which he taught in secondary and adult education. He subsequently worked as a psychologist with children and adults in the public sector. After developing an interest in the mountains as a young teenager through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, David completed the Pennine Way at the age of 17. He improved his rock climbing in his thirties largely through the influence of the Fylde Mountaineering Club. During frequent climbing visits to Morocco with the Club he became increasingly aware of the potential for walking and scrambling and in March 2015 he returned with his partner Halina to explore and document the routes in this guidebook.
Read more from David Wood
Outpost- A Dane Maddock Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Walks and Scrambles in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas: Tafraout, Jebel El Kest, Ait Mansour, Ameln Valley, Taskra and Tanalt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLair of the Swamp Witch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOverlord Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Porridge Pincher: Band 11/Lime Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystic- An Adventure from the Myrmidon Files Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Wimbledon Final That Never Was . . .: And Other Tennis Tales from a By-Gone Era Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Into the Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reoccupy Earth: Notes toward an Other Beginning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLinked Data: Structured data on the Web Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deep Time, Dark Times: On Being Geologically Human Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJade Ihara Adventures Omnibus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lifting the Cup: The Story of Battling Barnsley, 1910-1912 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Dark Rite
Related ebooks
Forsaken Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mystic- An Adventure from the Myrmidon Files: Myrmidon Files, #2 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sarcophagus: Their Mistake Wasn’t Finding it, it was Bringing it Back! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Destiny- An Adventure from the Myrmidon Files: Myrmidon Files, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Rising: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Demons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeneath the Dark Ice: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Primitive- A Bones Bonebrake Adventure: Bones Bonebrake Adventures, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shadowkiller: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMutation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pandemonium Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Revenant- A Jake Crowley Adventure: Jake Crowley Adventures Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Subhuman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Primordial: Sam Aston Investigations, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Skin and Bones: Bones Bonebrake Adventures, #3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shroud of Heaven: Nick Kismet Adventures, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Temple Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Event: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reckoning Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Grim Reaper: End of Days Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Covenant: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost City: Bones Bonebrake Adventures, #4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Arena of Souls- A Brock Stone Adventure: Brock Stone Adventures, #1 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Menagerie: The Eden Trilogy, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Virgin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Crocalypse: Sam Aston Investigations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sanctum- A Jake Crowley Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Horror Island - Where Nightmares Become Reality: Voted Scariest Horror of 2019 by Horror Readers USA Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDragon Gold: Order of the Dolphin, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlood Codex- A Jake Crowley Adventure: Jake Crowley Adventures, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Action & Adventure Fiction For You
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dust: Book Three of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swamp Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shift: Book Two of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wool: Book One of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Billy Summers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We, the Drowned Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scarlet Pimpernel Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prodigal Summer: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Summary: by Rebecca Yarros - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Our Town: A Play in Three Acts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bean Trees: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Darkness That Comes Before Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Timeborne: BLADE OF SHADOWS Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Grace of Kings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlawed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Most Dangerous Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5James Patterson's Alex Cross Series Best Reading Order with Checklist and Summaries Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Postman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Invasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Notebook: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Dark Rite
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Dark Rite - David Wood
Dark Rite
A small mountain town hides a dark secret...
When his father’s death brings Grant Shipman to the Appalachian town of Wallen’s Gap, he believes his biggest problem will be dealing with the slow pace and odd townsfolk. But something sinister is at work. A dark power rises, an echo of the town’s bloody past. A book of blood magic offers an unspeakable horror a gateway into the world of the living, and only Grant stands in the way of their Dark Rite.
Praise for Dark Rite
Wood and Baxter have delivered a stunning tale that reminds of an early Stephen King’s talent for the macabre with a pinch of Graham Masterton’s flair for witchcraft and terror. A sinister tale of black magic and horror – not for the faint hearted.
Greig Beck, bestselling author of Beneath the Dark Ice and Black Mountain
"When Grant Shipman returns to Wallens' Gap for his father's funeral, he discovers a curious book and a supernatural relic hidden from the malevolent townsfolk, who shelter generations of malignant secrets. After his friend Cassie is kidnapped and his own life increasingly threatened, Grant must confront the powers of darkness, a demon summoned for the ultimate sacrifice.
With mysterious rituals, macabre rites and superb supernatural action scenes, Wood and Baxter deliver a fast-paced horror thriller."
J.F.Penn, author of the bestselling ARKANE thriller series
"Wood and Baxter have taken on the classic black magic/cult conspiracy subgenre, chucked in a toxic mix of weirdness, creepshow chills and action, and created a tale that reads like a
latter-day Hammer Horror thriller. Nice, dark fun."
Robert Hood, author of Immaterial and Fragments of a Broken Land: Valarl Undead
Works by Alan Baxter
The Isiah Duology
RealmShift
MageSign
The Alex Caine Series
Bound
Obsidian
Abduction
The Jake Crowley Adventures (with David Wood)
Blood Codex
Anubis Key (forthcoming)
Stand-Alone Works
Ghost of the Black: A ‘Verse Full of Scum
Dark Rite (with David Wood)
Works by David Wood
The Dane Maddock Adventures
Dourado
Cibola
Quest
Icefall
Buccaneer
Atlantis
Ark
Xibalba
Dane Maddock Origins
Freedom
Hell Ship
Splashdown
Dead Ice
Electra
Liberty
Amber
Justice
Treasure of the Dead
Jake Crowley Adventures (with Alan Baxter)
Blood Codex
Anubis Key (forthcoming)
Stand-Alone Works
Into the Woods (with David S. Wood)
Callsign: Queen (with Jeremy Robinson)
Dark Rite (with Alan Baxter)
The Zombie-Driven Life
You Suck
Writing as David Debord
The Silver Serpent
Keeper of the Mists
The Gates of Iron
The Impostor Prince
Dark Rite by David Wood and Alan Baxter
Copyright 2013 by David Wood and Alan Baxter
Published April, 2013 by Gryphonwood Press
www.gryphonwoodpress.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction, all names, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please return to Smashwords and purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
Dedicated to our loyal AuthorCast listeners.
Chapter 1
The unrelenting blanket of green shrouded the world as far as the eye could see. Only a sprinkling of snow atop the highest peaks broke the monotony. Somewhere in this wilderness was the turnoff to Wallen's Gap. At least, that's what the map promised, though the GPS had other ideas. If the device was to be believed, the little town sat isolated between two mountains to the west with no means of ingress or egress. It was as if the forest had wrapped its arms around the town and refused to let it go.
His cell phone vibrated and he took it out, surprised he actually had coverage in the middle of nowhere. Voicemail. He must have caught a brief moment of reception. He punched up the message and pressed the phone to his ear.
Grant, it’s Suzanne. I was hoping you’d answer. Listen, I know this is a bad time and all, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you before you left. I mean, you just found out about your dad and all.
Long pause.
I think we need to take a break.
A longer pause.
No, I can’t drag this out. I’m moving out. I’ve put up with your stupid dreams long enough. You never finish anything, Grant, ever. You start something, it gets tough, you quit. We both know this music thing is just going to end up as another of your failures. You’ll do it for a while, something will go wrong, or you’ll get discouraged, and you’ll be moving on to the next pipe dream. I want to be with somebody who’s actually going somewhere in life. There are things I want and you can’t give them to me. Anyway, I really am sorry to tell you this way. Hope things go okay in Virginia.
Grant ended the call and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. He stared ahead, stunned as the trees zipped past on either side. Three years together and she couldn’t even tell him to his face. What the hell? Maybe she was right. Perhaps a college degree and a safe career choice would be better for his future. He had a vision of himself trying to teach anthems to hormonal teenagers in a high school band and the very thought made him itch all over. He was a damned good musician and he would make it. Screw Suzanne. She’d be sorry when she saw him rocking out arenas. Besides, he’d loved his guitar a lot longer than he had loved her. But the coldness of her message shocked him. His GPS flickered and he cursed. He rapped on it twice before realizing what was really going on.
You have got to be kidding me.
Blue lights flashed in his rear-view mirror and with them came the icy feeling in the pit of his stomach that always accompanied a traffic ticket. Haven't seen a damn soul for miles and the first person I meet is a cop.
Could this day get any worse? He hadn't been speeding but, with all the attention he'd been paying to his phone and GPS, he had doubtless had trouble staying on his side of the center line on the winding mountain road.
He scanned the roadside for a place to pull over but there was precious little space. The mountain rose up to his right at a steep incline and to his left fell away into a dark valley. The cop was riding his ass now, and cold sweat trickled down the back of Grant's neck as he wondered if the guy was getting impatient with him for not pulling over right away. What was he supposed to do? Stop in the middle of the road?
He was about do to that very thing when he spied a turn-off to his right. He winced as the encroaching shrubs scraped the paint job on his '68 Camaro. Finally far enough off the road to feel safe, he killed the engine and, careful not to make any sudden moves, took his wallet from his back pocket.
He turned to roll down the window and gasped, jerking involuntarily and dropping his wallet. A dark shaped loomed in the window, gleaming teeth bared. Heart pounding, he blinked and the image came into focus. A man in a beige uniform, mirrored shades, and a wide-brimmed hat. How had the cop gotten to Grant's car so fast?
Still grinning, the cop tapped the window with a yellow fingernail.
Sorry,
Grant called, cranking the handle for all he was worth, wishing for an automatic window. I'm a little lost and I was trying to look at my...
Just get your license and hand it to me, son.
The cop had a nasal voice with a touch of mountain twang, but his big hands and authoritative manner chased away any feelings Grant might have had of city superiority. His name tag read J. Barton.
He handed over his license, proud that his hands weren’t trembling. Biting his lip, he waited for a chance to explain himself and possibly ask for directions, but was hesitant to be the first to break the silence.
Barton held the license up. Grant Shipman,
he read aloud. He pursed his lips and tapped his chin. You Andrew's boy?
Grant's heart sank. Yes, officer.
His mouth was dry and his voice scratchy.
Sheriff.
Sorry, Sheriff. Yes, Andrew was my dad.
He paused, searching Sheriff Barton's face to see if the admission had any obvious impact, but could see none. I'm headed to the memorial service, but the road to Wallen's Gap isn't showing up on my GPS. I was trying to look at it and check my directions. I know I shouldn't do that when I'm driving.
Damn shame about your daddy.
Barton handed back Grant's license. Damn shame. He was a good man.
Thank you.
There wasn't much else Grant could say. He and his father had never been close, and the elder Shipman had moved to Wallen's Gap a long time ago.
You going to see to his affairs? His house and the like?
I suppose so. But not until after the funeral, of course.
Grant grimaced. He didn't relish the thought of sorting through a dead man's possessions, especially a man whom he felt he should have known better, should have cared for more deeply.
It's just a dirt road into town from this side of the mountains. You'd best follow me.
Barton turned and strode back to his patrol car.
Grant sagged against the headrest, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He had avoided a ticket and found himself a guide to town. Perhaps this day was about to get better.
Cassie took a deep breath and stepped into the community center beside the tiny Wallen's Gap supermarket. Her heart hammered and her nerves made her angry. She needed help and wouldn’t let pride get in the way.
Hello, Cassie.
The gray-haired woman at the desk greeted her with a smile that was more genuine than her too-white dentures.
Cassie ground her teeth. Everyone knew everyone in this tiny craphole of a town. Hello, Mrs. Golding.
A moment's uncomfortable silence hung in the air.
You'd like to see the counselor?
Golding eventually asked, her voice gentle.
Cassie nodded, not quite able to meet the woman's eye.
Golding stood, favored Cassie with a kind smile, and stepped away down a corridor. Moments later she returned. She's free. Second door on your left.
Cassie tried not to roll her eyes. The only counselor in a small town where half the people thought psychology to be just one of the many tools of the devil wasn’t likely to have people beating down her door for appointments.
The woman in the office had a familiar face, but Cassie couldn't place her. Cassie Brunswick, is it? I'm Doctor Houghton. Please come in and sit down.
Cassie took the offered seat. Houghton. She'd gone to school with a Clare Houghton, but they had never been close. This must be Clare’s mother. She took in her surroundings in a quick glance: a sofa and chair, a tiny bookshelf stuffed with self-help books, and a spartan, metal desk, neatly organized, above which hung a framed diploma from Stuart College. Two whole hours away! By Wallen's Gap standards, this woman was a world traveler. Cassie supposed she should get on with it before she changed her mind. Everything we talk about is confidential, right?
she asked.
Houghton took a pad and pencil from her desk and sat in a chair opposite. Yes, absolutely. You can be open and honest and nothing needs to ever leave this room. Unless I think you're about to commit a crime or harm yourself. That's not the case, I presume. Is it?
Cassie shook her head and stared at her hands in her lap. She'd bitten her nails down to the quick. Her grandmother would have had a fit. The room seemed to press in on her as she searched for words. She had no idea where to start.
It's all right,
Houghton said softly. Tell me what's on your mind.
I've been seeing this boy, Carl.
She stopped, unsure again.
How old are you, Cassie?
There was no trace of judgment in the woman's tone.
Just turned eighteen.
Carl is twenty, isn’t he?
Twenty going on twelve.
How had she not seen what an immature jerk he was? She'd known from