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Nite Writer Nick
books2read.com
Category:
Fantasy
Publisher: Lightning Lang
ISBN-10: B0FL1M98TH
Type: Fiction
Pages: 137
Copyright: Aug 4, 2025
ISBN-13: 9798296778291
Price: $5.00 (eBook)
A man must face who he used to be and what he did in another world!
Drako, moved into his sister’s house to help take care of his niece and nephews. He likes to tell them stories of the great Manticore Knight, a legend that lives in Elm. But he’s keeping a secret. That he’s from Elm, himself and hopes he never returns. When his nephew finds his way there, Drako must reluctantly return and is hoping to just find him and get out. But his niece and little nephew follow him. Now he must look after them and find his nephew. But in doing so, he’ll have to face the ghosts of his past and what he did as the Manticore Knight!
Excerpt
Chapter 1
The siblings, Kat and Tod, talked loudly, telling stories to the other kids. “Then the one-eyed witch captured the Great Manticore Knight.”
“No!” Tod said, “That isn’t right, Kat! I remember how this story went.” He looked toward the other kids, who hunched together in the little tent in the living room. The rain pounded the windows outside. Tod picked up the story. “The Great Knight swooped down on top of the one-eyed witch and ran her through with his sword. Blood was everywhere. All over the house, the carpet, even him.”
“That’s not how the story was!” Kat said, louder yet. “And why’s everything about blood with you? Ever since we turned twelve.”
“Because that’s how it went,” Tod said, “I’ll even ask Uncle Drako.” Tod ran out of the tent and came up to a young man, sitting in a chair reading a book, or at least staring at it.
Drako heard the kids, but his mind was on something else. Did I really see what I think I saw a few days ago?
“Drako! Drako, are you minding the kids?” a woman asked, who came in with an eight-year-old child following her close behind. “We’ll do more exercise later,” she told her son.
“Yes, I am, Why?”
“Kat and Tod told me what happened a few days ago at the pool. You were staring off into space while changing Philip?” she nodded her head toward the eight-year-old running toward his brother and sister. As he ran though, both hands were clenched into fists.
“Oh, sorry about that, Kathy. Guess I zoned out for a bit.”
The woman’s brown hair swished around as she shook her head. “I’ll be glad when Messenia moves in. At least she has a head. Now watch them while I help get ready for the Manticore festival for tonight.” She disappeared into the kitchen and out the back door where she and her friends were putting up streamers and party favors all over the yard.
Drako looked down at Kat and Tod and ran his hand through his black hair, his brown eyes wanting to frown at his niece and nephew. “I just thought I saw something.” He went back to his chair and sat.
“What did you think you saw, Uncle Drako?” Kat asked.
“Um, nothing.” He looked at his niece’s intense green eyes and could tell she didn’t believe him. A few weeks ago, at the community pool outside, all the kids were splashing in the pool. Seeing that there was a line for the bathroom, he decided to change Philip’s wet clothes right there. Drako took Philip’s wet shirt off, then out of the corner of his eye he saw something black flying against the sunset and the waxing crescent moon. The black silhouette had wings and a tail. But how?
“Uncle Drako?” she asked.
“Nothing really,” he sat back down and looked at the kids. “So, what did you want to ask me?”
“Didn’t the Manticore Knight get captured by the one-eyed witch?” she asked, trying to get Philip onto her lap.
Drako thought about this. “Almost. But the Harpy Knight was cleverer.”
“Harpy Knight?” Tod asked.
Drako picked up a big book that lay on the table and flipped through the pages. “The Harpy Knight isn’t called a Manticore Knight because he could talk to all serpents.” He came to a page with a picture of a man with a bushy beard, holding a lance and a shield. He read from the book. “Although the Harpy Knights could talk to certain Manticore’s and Serpents only the Great Harpy Knight could command all. Now known as the Manticore Knight.”
“Wow, to have that kind of power would be awesome,” Tod said.
“Oh, please,” Kat said, “You would just have them do tricks and stuff.”
“I’d command them to bring me my food.” Tod looked at Uncle Drako. His eyes widening, “So, what happened to the one-eyed witch?”
Something banged against the window and Tod parted the curtains to see something that everyone gasped at. A Manticore. The red, and blue pinata had gotten away from Drako’s sister and her friends in a guest of wind.
“Manticore’s don’t really look like that, do they?” Tod asked.
“No,” Drako said, “Sometimes they’re green or blue but never multi color.”
“You guys want to practice our Manticore parade for tonight?” Tod asked his friends who all gave a cheer.
As the kids got their Manticore costumes on, Drako frowned at the paper Manticore, now being hung at a tree. Could what I saw be a paper Manticore? But it was up too high.
Drako watched as the kids paraded around the living room under cover of their paper Manticore, which he helped them put together for the last four weeks for the Manticore festival. He wished he was small again so he could join in the fun. But instead, he just guided them around the living room as the children laughed and made roaring noises. With part of his thoughts on the kids, his other thoughts were still on the Manticore in the sky. Did they send one to find me?
Just then, the back of the paper Manticore hit a table causing the kids to fall down into each other. On top of the table stood a jeweled egg that began to roll off toward the floor but Drako quickly caught it. “That was close,” he breathed.
“What was close?” Kathy asked. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the egg in Drako’s hand. Then she saw the book on the floor. “Been getting them wound up with your stories I see. All right, outside all of you before you destroy the house and some of you will have soar bottoms for tonight’s festival.”
“But it’s raining,” one kid complained.
“Sun is coming out and so should you.”
“You heard her,” Uncle Drako said.
Some of the kids moaned but all lumbered outside into the chilly air anyway. Kat grabbed Philip’s backpack. “Shall, we hunt for silver and gold like the Harpy Knights?” Tod asked his friends. They all shouted and raced toward the sloping trail with Drako and Kat bringing up the rear.
“Don’t slip you guys,” Drako said. “Your mom would kill me if she saw you had scratches for the festival.”
“Dad always loved this night,” Kat said as they went down the dirt trail. “He also would have loved that you’re here.”
Drako swallowed. He always liked spending time with his stepbrother. Fishing, biking, hiking. Now he would never get to do those things again. “I just wish I could have visited more.” They came out of the skinny trail to a wide area of rocks and sand. The ocean rushed up to the sand then receded. The children ran around collecting things. Drako looked out above the sea toward the sunny sky. Could they be searching for me, he wondered. They know I can’t help them now. Drako was pulled out of his thoughts when Kat took his hand.
“Are you okay?” she asked. She squeezed his hand. “You miss Dad, don’t you?”
He swallowed. “Yes, very much.” He wiped his eyes. “Let’s go find some silver,” Drako said. She let go of his hand and wandered away. Drako began looking at the ground littered with pebbles and seashells. A few minutes later he came across piles of wood burning with a great fire. He stopped and looked at the blazing storm letting it consume his vision.
A boy, of mere fourteen, with short brown hair was laying on the ground. His eyes narrowed at the man scolding him. People started yelling and running in the village. Fires were being set on houses from the sky. Drako looked up to see Manticores fill the night, opening their mouths to launch red and orange fire. Setting everything ablaze. No! Stop this! He wanted to shout. I command you! But the Manticores were relentless and kept on their treacherous path of annihilation.
“Hey, you lost man?” a voice said, snapping Drako out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked beyond the roaring touch to find a man and woman holding each other looking at him.
“So—sorry,” Drako said and moved along quickly before he got into a fight. He glanced around to see the kids still at their tasks. What made me think of that day? He wondered. Haven’t thought of that since almost ten years ago. He shook his head, continuing on the beach looking for shiny shells or silver, which he knew he wouldn’t find. Drops of rain splashed on his head a little at a time, at first, then harsher until the sky opened up gallons on them.
“To the cave!” Tod shouted. Drako followed him and the kids across the beach into a hollow rock in a corner of the rock wall. The cave or “The Knights Den” as the kids called it, contained mostly odd, shaped rocks and shells that the kids collected. Drako was first introduced to it a few months ago. He had helped them collect wood for a fire and they’d come in the evenings and tell them stories of the Harpy Knight.
“Oh, that’s cold,” one of the kids said, “let’s get a fire going.” Everyone put sticks into a pile in a pit.
He saw Philip whispering in Kat’s ear and got up and went to a corner of the cave. She unzipped the pack and took out a pull-up and began to take Philip’s pants down.
Poor kid has to go through that because of his hand, he thought. Drako took out his cell phone and dialed the number to the house only to get dead air. Must be from the storm. Guess we stay here for a while.
“Okay, Uncle Drako,” Tod said, “Will you light it?”
Drako went to a rock and lifted it up to find a lighter, then went to the pile of sticks and set them on fire. The cave lit up and the cold soon vanished. As Drako looked into the flames of fire once again the vision of the Manticores crept into his mind. Flying toward the village. Children and adults all screaming in terror. Flames from the creatures striking the dry grass and dirt like a match, incinerating everything.
Until he heard the kids yelling. They were swinging sticks at each other like swords. Tod yelled out, “The Harpy Knight will slay the Manticore,” he ran toward his sister and smacked her on the back.
“Ouch!” Kat turned from tying Philip’s shoes and glared at Tod. “I’m not a Manticore!” she spat. She yanked the stick from his hand and snapped it in half, letting the two pieces fall to the ground.
“Hey!” Tod yelled and pushed her.
She pushed him back. “You don’t hit people with sticks. You’re lucky Mom doesn’t let me hit you. I’d use that stick on you right now!”
He stuck his tongue out at her, and she tried to grab it.
Guess I have to break this up, Drako thought. “All right, that’s enough you two. Who wants to hear a story?”
All the kids chanted, “I do, I do!”
They all gathered around the fire, including Tod and Kat and Philip. “Tell us one we haven’t heard of, Uncle,” Kat said.
“Are there more stories about the one-eyed witch?” Tod asked. “Is it bloody?”
Kat snarled at him.
Drako thought for a moment. A bloody tale about the one-eyed witch? “Tod, will you get my book?” he jumped up and ran to the pack and unzipped it but then he stopped. “Gross, there’s a dirty pull-up in here.”
“Just get the book you big baby,” Kat said. “You don’t have to touch it.” She shook her head. Tod ran back with the book and gave it to Uncle Drako and sat down.
Drako flipped through some of the pages then stopped at one and smiled in remembering something. “Ah, yes, here’s one you’ll love. I don’t think I ever told you the one-eyed witch’s name. Cecilia…”
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