Midnite's Daughter Read online

  Table of Contents

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

  PROLOGUE

  1945

  1

  2

  3

  PRESENT DAY

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  GLOSSARY

  BONUS CHAPTER

  MIDNITE’S DAUGHTER

  R. Gualtieri

  Copyright © 2017 Rick Gualtieri

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author. Your support of author’s rights is greatly appreciated.

  All characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The use of any real company and/or product names is for literary effect only. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

  Edited by Megan Harris:

  www.mharriseditor.com

  Cover by Orina Kafe:

  http://orinakafedigitalart.wixsite.com

  Proofread by BZ Hercules:

  www.bzhercules.com

  Published by Freewill-Press

  Freewill-press-com

  Special thanks to Annette Marie for tolerating my constant questions and providing so much helpful feedback. And, as always, a big thanks to my awesome beta readers and ARC crew.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Welcome to a story that’s a bit of a departure for me. Even when writing humor, I typically like to dwell in dark places where terrible things happen to undeserving people ... and sometimes to those who very much deserve it.

  But for this tale you are about to read, I have stepped firmly into the realm of fantasy. Now, this doesn’t mean horrible things won’t happen, or that there won’t be those who meet it with some catchy snark escaping their lips. Quite the contrary. However, rather than draw from western horror, I instead took inspiration from the Japanese art of manga, as well as its cartoon counterpart – anime.

  What can I say? I’ve always had a soft spot for larger-than-life heroes and villains, especially those who like to scream out the names of their attacks before letting loose with an energy blast powerful enough to shatter a mountain. But it’s not just the fantastic aspect of it. Quirky and likeable characters abound in this medium. And ultimately the deciding factor almost always comes down to their friendships and strong relationships to one another.

  My hope was to take that inspiration, mash it up with a bit of urban fantasy, and come up with mythology and characters that are both fantastical and lots of fun.

  I sincerely hope I have succeeded.

  Rick G.

  PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

  This is a spoiler-free guide to notable names, objects, and places in this story.

  A full glossary of names and definitions is included in the back of the book.

  Daimao: die-mou

  Mazoku: mah-zoh-koo

  Youkai: yoh-kigh

  Oni: oh-knee

  Hanyou: han-yoh

  Taiyosori: tie-oh-sore-ee

  Ichitiro: ee-chi-tier-oh

  Kisaki: kiss-ah-key

  Shitoro: she-tour-oh

  Tamiko: tah-me-koh

  Reiden: ray-den

  Hinode: hin-noh-day

  Ito: ee-toh

  Tanaki: tah-nah-key

  Kaokatta: kay-oh-kah-tah

  Sensuru: sen-sue-rue

  Ishigachi: ee-she-ga-chee

  Sata Andagi: sah-tah an-dah-ghee

  PROLOGUE

  The order of the heavens is a known quantity. Established when the elder gods defeated the entropic chaos that threatened to destroy this nascent universe, the cycle has stood for as long as the stars have shined down upon us and, if dictated, will continue until those very stars burn out.

  At the very bottom of the order, non-divine beings such as humans scurry about, living their short lives. They create but the barest blip upon the face of the universe and then they are gone, their energy dissipating until they are reborn to do so again.

  Youkai, the least of the divine, walk among these lesser races, sometimes preying upon them, sometimes being preyed upon. They represent balance – order versus the chaos that forever threatens to return – sometimes serving their masters’ whims, sometimes serving their own. Many imagine themselves to be powerful, but then so, too, does a mouse alone in a field of grain until a wolf catches its scent.

  The mazoku and oni stand above them in the celestial order, tasked with the upkeep of the heavens, the casting of judgment, and delivering boon and bane alike against mankind whenever such is needed – a flood to punish an arrogant warlord, a tornado as warning against insufficient tribute, a field of flowers for a pious child with an appreciation for beauty.

  Strongest among demonkind are the daimao. We are the custodians of the multiverse, serving in the stead of the gods, who now slumber within the confines of the celestial palace, deep within the vast island in the sky upon which it rests.

  The gods are cared for meticulously, so their rest remains undisturbed for all of eternity. It has been a necessity since the order of the heavens was established. Their power is such that even the barest of coughs from one is enough to snuff out an entire civilization. Whole worlds have perished from something as seemingly insignificant as an elder god doing little more than the equivalent of stretching their limbs.

  It is said their dreams influence the palace, sending it to new worlds as their whims demand.

  So it was that we came to Earth, hovering far above this world, yet always a moment out of sync so as to remain unseen. And here we have stayed, for over five thousand of its inhabitants’ years, sometimes interacting, sometimes influencing, but always watching ... eternally wondering why the elder gods have brought us here, what they see in this otherwise unremarkable world.

  Though beneath our masters, my people often sleep alongside them. Our power makes us dangerous to lesser beings, such as mankind. My brothers have been known to wipe out cities for the most minor of slights and raze villages for little more than base amusement.

  Though lesser demons are openly envious of our power, it is only because of their own ignorance. If they knew better, they would cease their petty jealousy, for we long ago grew bored with this world much as a child quickly tires of watching an anthill.

  Those who have seen what we can do call us uncaring, but that is not so. Though we would not wish it known among lesser beings, we are susceptible to the same whims as they are: anger, envy, boredom, happiness, and even love.

  It is that latter which caused me to stray from the path of my people, to betray their covenant, and protect my child.

  But that very act also opened my eyes. For where once I thought the ability to shape worlds to be the ultimate power, I now know bett
er. Indeed, I once thought the elder gods slept because, like us, they were bored. But I now believe that they do so out of that simplest of emotions – love. They love this universe but realize they also have the power to destroy it. As such, they have locked themselves away in a living death rather than betray that which they love.

  It is a lesson I wish I had learned sooner. If so, perhaps I would not have allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. I would not have given in to the base desires that commanded me. And I would not have borne the child whose very existence came to threaten the eternal cycle of the heavens.

  1945

  1

  The daimao were revered as war gods. This was not without merit for, in the early days of the universe, they had acted as the enforcers of the elder gods, their foot soldiers in the crusade to bring order from the entropic chaos that existed before.

  Though that was untold ages past and many generations removed, the instinct for battle still remained in their blood, much how a domesticated dog might still howl at the moon, even if it can’t remember why it is doing so.

  So it was that Midnite awoke for the first time in three hundred years, drawn out of her slumber by a deep resonance within her bones that told her battle was afoot. It had been some time since anything of note had happened. The constant warring of the humans who lived upon the islands blessed by her kind had been amusing for a time, but soon grew tiresome. Mankind was a dedicated race when it came to slaughtering one another, but they seemingly lacked the creativity to be more clever about it.

  Watching the same battle unfold time and again under different warlords quickly became uninteresting and, when it did, Midnite pulled back from the world so as to sleep, much like her brothers. In doing so, they dreamt, allowing their astral forms to visit myriad worlds and races, many of whom were far more interesting than those of Earth.

  Something had changed, however. Midnite’s servants had noted that her sleep had been fitful this past century, but there had been no occurrences significant enough to wake her ... until now.

  One such servant raced to his mistress’s side, wanting to be there when she rose so as to ensure her needs were tended to and her mood was pleasant.

  Though Midnite was perhaps the most even-tempered of her siblings, it was well known among the many denizens of the celestial palace that it was never a good idea to allow a daimao to remain in an ill mood for long.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Mmm,” Midnite purred as she stretched. The sheets of mist and flame that covered her slid down her body, revealing her flawless alabaster skin. “Shitoro, is my...”

  “I am here, my mistress,” the diminutive youkai replied eagerly, his head barely visible above the clouds that made up the mattress of Midnite’s bed. “I have your robe, and a bath has been drawn and is awaiting you.”

  Midnite smiled and sat up. Shitoro had always done his best to make her happy, ever since she’d rescued him from a band of human hunters some fourteen hundred years earlier. The truth of the matter was, she found him to be adorably cute, but being that he was a tiger demon, albeit of much smaller stature than normal, she would never have insulted him by saying so. “I see my mighty guardian has been watching over me.”

  “Now and always,” he replied proudly.

  Midnite stretched again and yawned. “How long?”

  “The barest of moments in the cosmos. One such as you would barely have time to blink in the...”

  “How long, Shitoro?” Midnite asked impatiently. Though she was dearly fond of him, he could get caught up in the pomp and circumstance of his station from time to time.

  “Three hundred and twenty-four years, by human standards.”

  Midnite nodded absentmindedly. The daimao were a timeless race, the birth and death of stars barely a heartbeat for them. So there was some irony in relying upon the methods of such a low species to delineate its passage.

  “Hmm,” she grunted, swinging her long legs out from under the sheets. It was, she noted, just barely a long enough nap for her to feel refreshed, but refreshed she was.

  That wasn’t all, though. Along with a sense of being fully awake, there was something else, something deeper – an anxiousness in her bones that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Had something at long last changed in the world of man?

  She reached out with her senses, probing. Yes, they were still near Earth. She’d have sensed the residual energy had the palace moved elsewhere in the universe.

  Pity. It would be a welcome change.

  Mankind had long since grown repetitively dull, so she wasn’t certain exactly what kind of disturbance from below could have possibly awoken her so abruptly.

  “The planet hasn’t exploded, has it, Shitoro?”

  Her servant raised one eyebrow. “Not to the best of my knowledge, mistress.”

  Midnite stood, excess divine energy crackling off her body. Whatever it was she felt, she doubted it couldn’t wait for a steaming hot bath. Shitoro, ever vigilant, could fill her in while she enjoyed the feel of the boiling spring against her skin.

  She allowed him to lead her to the bath, all while reaching out with her senses to the endless corridors of the palace. It didn’t take her long to realize she wasn’t alone. A few of her siblings were awake, too. Most were still slumbering, but even they were beginning to stir. Curious indeed. Had she alone woken up, she would have dismissed it as a quirk, bathed, and then perhaps returned to her bed.

  If the others were waking up, though, then something was indeed happening. Midnite allowed herself a small grin at the thought. It had been dreadfully dull for so long. Perhaps the humans had finally become clever enough to catch their attention again.

  Once she was nestled in her bath, she lay back and enjoyed herself, closing her eyes and slipping beneath the holy waters of the palace, enjoying the feel as it reinvigorated her senses and made the tiny horns on her head tingle.

  After a time, when she felt she had soaked long enough, she turned to Shitoro. “Do you know the cause of our awakening, my friend?”

  “Oh, that?” he asked dismissively. “Just another war between the humans. Nothing more. You know their kind. Can’t even go a decade without slaughtering each other for sport.”

  “Nothing more? Are you certain? I sincerely doubt some petty feud over water rights or arable land would have caused me to stir.” After a moment, she added, “Nor would it have awoken my siblings.”

  Rather than answer, Shitoro did his best to look busy straightening towels, making sure the right amount of candles were lit, ensuring that the scalding water was the proper temperature – anything to seemingly avoid meeting his mistress’s gaze.

  Midnite smiled at his backside. He truly was the most loyal of servants, but he was easily the poorest liar in the palace.

  “What about the world of man bothers you?” she asked.

  This seemed to catch the diminutive demon by surprise. “The outside world, my lady? Oh, that?” Midnite raised an eyebrow. Before she could prod him, he continued. “You may be surprised by the humans, mistress. They have ... changed. Their methods of waging war have evolved significantly, especially in the last half century.”

  “Oh?” she replied lazily, her attention once more focusing on the soothing way the roiling water lapped against her skin. It was almost enough to make her want to doze off again. “Tell me, do they no longer use ships?”

  “Yes, but they...”

  “What about chariots? Have those, too, been discarded?”

  “They have changed a bit, but...”

  “Have the humans perhaps sprouted wings to take to the air?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Then I do not see how different it could possibly be.” She closed her eyes and tried to lose herself in the comforting feel of the water against her body.

  Despite her dismissive attitude, though, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something had indeed changed. Perhaps she’d been too quick
to scoff at Shitoro. Alas, it would be beneath her station to apologize to a servant.

  Some things simply were not done.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Once Midnite had bathed, she made her way back so as to dress. Despite her boredom with mankind, it had been too long since she’d felt grass beneath her feet, enjoyed the smell of the wind as it carried through the fields. Her intent was to visit the blessed islands of the small world far below. Certainly a little time away from the palace would ease the odd calling inside of her.

  She entered her audience chamber, planning on passing straight through, then stopped short as her breath caught. The entire room was filled with wind lilies, all of them in hand-carved vases of the finest jade. They were her favorite because, when in bloom, their scent was that of the night sky right after a storm. They were very rare, only growing in a small corner of a distant world at the far reaches of the stars. Only a few knew of their existence, and fewer still knew of her love for them.

  Still, she repressed the whoop of delight she wanted to let loose. If these were here, then that meant someone had invaded her private chambers while she slept. It couldn’t have been Shitoro or any of her other servants. Though they could have used the crystals to travel such a distance, they would not have done so without her permission, even knowing it would please their mistress.

  “Shitoro!”

  She waited patiently for him to answer, her annoyance warring with a desire to breathe in the clean scent of the flowers. She was just about to call for him again, something that would certainly ignite her ire, when he answered sheepishly from behind her. “Yes ... m-my lady?”

  From the way he stuttered, she immediately realized her mistake from earlier. Shitoro hadn’t been nervous about her questioning the state of the outside world. There had been something else bothering him. Midnite suspected what it was, but she wanted to hear it from him. “Who?”

  “Who?” he repeated, drawing an annoyed sigh from her.

  “Who placed these here? Was it you?”

  “I ... helped arrange them, my lady.”