Part Six of The Necromancer of Bern
Reginald guardedly descended into the cellar’s first chamber. The odd bit of rotten flesh and stale blood on the earthen floor marked the recent passage of the undead. Brackish light illuminated the scene. Its source was burning pitch held in metal brackets fastened to the walls. The manor’s foundation was built upon crude stones. A haphazard masonry that divided the cellar into separate chambers.
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Part Four of The Necromancer of Bern
The sun shined through a stand of evergreens on the outskirts of Bern. It was welcome relief from the endless rain and snow of the previous days. Cloudless blue skies stretched overhead. Bird song could be heard from adjacent trees near Sir Reginald. The knight camped at the base of a towering pine tree. Its snow-encrusted branches sagged to the ground and formed a natural shelter from the wind.
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Part Three of The Necromancer of Bern
Deep lines gouged into the Saracen’s face tell Sir Reginald that his enemy has seen many battles. Further confirmation comes in the form of his foes scimitar strikes. It’s all Reginald can do to intercept the blows with his battered shield. A cold certainty fills the pit of his stomach as the battle wears on.
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Part One of The Necromancer of Bern
It wouldn’t stop raining. For the past six days a steady downpour fell on the covered wagon Sir Reginald rode in. But the heavy canvas top was already soaked through. Cold rainwater dripped onto him – waking him when he occasionally managed to doze off. As it did now.
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In 1170 AD, four knights seeking the favor of King Henry II burst into Canterbury Cathedral. The Archbishop, Thomas Becket, was an opponent of the Constitutions of Clarendon. Henry’s policies aimed at weakening the independence of the clergy and Rome’s authority. Thomas refused to sign the documents. In defying the king – he sealed his fate.
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By Jason Zapata
I resolved to acquire Mina and had Harker detained
The letters he wrote to her were gradually mailed
While my brides ensured his attempts to escape failed
Thus the illusion of Harker’s well being was maintained
As my passage aboard the Demeter was swiftly obtained
Those sailors never knew what that journey entailed
That it was upon a ghost ship in which they sailed
One by one their disappearances never explained
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Abigail Larson loves all things gothic and spooky. Literary influences such as Edgar Allan Poe and Lewis Carroll are the inspirations behind many of her works. Abigail’s art instills a viewer with a sense of dreariness and longing that fits the theme she’s chosen. Her early work consisted of ink drawings and watercolor paintings, but she now specializes in digital art.
By Jason Zapata
What did I do to become so feared and maligned
A guiltless woman puritanical men apprehended
Was I really so threatening to Christendom’s kind
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Salem Brownstone” by John Harris Dunning & Nikhil Singh is a stylized graphic novel. The tale centers on Salem Brownstone, a young man who has adopted a mansion from his deceased father. Salem begins to explore the mansion and gradually uncovers the truth about his father. Jedediah Brownstone struggled against The Dark Elders of Mu’brick: a race of shadowy beings seeking a magic artifact now in Salem’s possession.
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By: Jason Zapata
By the Order of The Dragon I was knighted
To defend Wallachia and faithfully support
His holiness Pope Pius II’s crusade to thwart
The Turks who left Constantinople blighted
Crescent moons marked that land as benighted
Many prayed for the fall of the Ottoman Court
I never possessed a tongue for such a resort
Battle was the only psalm I wished recited
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