Darkness Rising

DARKNESS RISING Angels of the Veil Book 2 NITA ROUND Edited By KRISTA WALSH Cover by MAY DAWNEY DESIGNS Contents Copyright notice Author’s note 1. Catherine Samuels 2. The Library 3. Nightmares are real 4. Applicants 5. Cassandra 6. Good morning 7. Coffee and a chat 8. Perimeter check 9. In the mortuary 10. Just cleaning 11. It’s just a linen pouch 12. Checking the house 13. Hey, you! 14. Breakfast 15. Where is Cassie? 16. Angel song 17. One of those days 18. Father and daughter chat 19. Heritage 20. Welcome to the gate 21. Problems 22. Explanations 23. Preparations 24. Cemetery guide 25. Woman with a gun 26. Healer’s sight 27. Silver in love 28. Changes 29. The end of this world 30. I am always here 31. Catherine awakens 32. Meeting Martha again 33. Old families 34. The cost of healing 35. Shemshael awareness 36. To the Gate 37. The minor gates 38. Old Town power 39. The prophecy of the fallen 40. In the gate 41. Daisy at the gate 42. Into the pit 43. Azrael 44. Hot head 45. A Knight’s second sacrifice 46. Life and death in stone 47. Blood and necromancy 48. Cassie and wings 49. Blue of forever 50. Epilogue: Some Months Later Thank you with a free story Other books by Nita Round Copyright © 2023 by Nita Round All rights reserved. The right of Nita Round to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patents and Design Act 1988. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The characters, incidents and dialogue herein are fictional and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. First published 2023 For readers everywhere Without you a story is as good as untold And to my wife without her none of this would be possible. Author’s note: Knight’s Sacrifice When I created Pink Tea Books in 2020, I decided to rename, rebrand, and republish all of my works where possible. This is one of them. Originally called Knight’s Sacrifice, it was the first complete novel ever published. In line with other reworkings, Knight’s Sacrifice has been scrubbed and polished, rewritten in places, re-edited, renamed, and given a shiny new cover. This book has gone through a substantive rewrite. Although the story is the same, there are subtle differences in the way the story has been told, especially to tie this in with Legacy of Light and Dark Mission. I think it is even better for the additional work. This is Darkness Rising, book two in The Angels of the Veil. I hope you enjoy getting to know Cassie Evans even better. ONE Catherine Samuels Catherine stared out of her office window on the second floor of Memorial House. Moonlight lit the treetops with silver, and in the light evening breeze, the branches waved and glimmered in the subtle silvery glow. Along the road, a long line of streetlamps cast small puddles of dirty amber light on pavements no one used. Even the road lay empty with not a car in sight. After yet another long, busy day, Catherine welcomed the quiet and allowed herself a moment to enjoy the peace and tranquility. She lost herself in the shimmering silver view and forgot every single complication that had stormed into her life and turned her world upside down. “Catherine,” a voice said. “Are you listening?” She put a smile on her face and turned around to face Ellie, her assistant. “Sorry, I was miles away.” “I’m not surprised. You’ve had such a lot to deal with today.” “And every day since I arrived here.” “That, too.” Ellie smiled sympathetically. Catherine slipped her feet into her oldest, dirtiest, but most comfortable pair of trainers and almost swooned with the cool relief. Ellie scrunched her nose up and pointed to the shoes. “You know they smell worse than a week-old corpse?” Catherine chuckled for what seemed like the first time in a long while. “Yes, but I don’t care. They’re really, really comfy.” “It’s your feet, but don't come whining to me because you’ve picked up some dreadful foot-rotting disease and can't get rid of the stench.” “I won’t be whining to anyone,” Catherine replied. “It will just be another problem to add to the list.” “I can’t counter that argument.” Ellie gestured to the official looking letters in Catherine’s hand. “How do you feel now that the paperwork is signed, sealed, and delivered?” “Good.” “They put your maiden name, not your married name, I see,” Ellie said. “I know.” Catherine looked at the headed paper once more. Catherine Samuels, licensed and accredited funeral director. The sole owner of Samuels and Family funeral services. “But the business is a Samuels family thing, so that makes sense.” On the one hand, she was pleased to be back in the family business. On the other, she was only here because her family wasn’t. It might have been even more straightforward if someone, anyone, had told her all the details of the business, including the ones hidden behind closed doors. “To be honest, I’d rather not be here under the circumstances. My family is dead. My parents, my brother, all of them, all gone. How can I be pleased with accreditation when they are not here?” She put the headed paper on her desk. “I’m here without my daughter, too and although she is with safe her father, how can that be a good thing?” Catherine didn't remember picking up the photograph. One minute it was on her desk and the next it was in her hands. She gripped the ornate frame until her knuckles glowed white. Happy smiling faces stared back, and her heart ached with the loss. Her parents,