Following the events of December 1922, both Josine and I were in sore need of a quiet start to the New Year. We had witnessed a good few deaths during that awful prelude to Christmas; two of them had hit us hard, though in very different ways.
The loss of Dr James Hardy had been a blow to me. Partly because I had grown fond of the man in the brief time I had known him, partly because it had brought back some bad memories from the Great War. I must confess that my sleep suffered through much of the rest of that winter.
As for Josine, the fiery demise of Martin Grant had robbed her of a sworn enemy. Her revenge on the murderer of her sister left her unusually subdued – and occasionally a little irritable – throughout much of January.
Of course, we had other things weighing on our minds. Our last trip to Darkisle had only added to the catalogue of horrors that had been opened since our introduction to the island. There were certainly times when I regretted not walking away from both that first Darkisle case and Darkisle itself. I had done neither and now found myself living in a world of dire magic, ungodly monsters and murderous cultists.
But, as I reminded myself, ignorance would not be bliss. Even if I chose to stick my head in the sand, the threats that menaced humanity would still be there. At least – involved as I was – I had the opportunity to do something about them. The chance to fight back against the darkness. Or so I thought at the time.
It has been quite a while since my last update! In my defence, I have been hard at work on the latest Darkisle novel. Happily, after a very slow start, I have managed to finish the first draft! Above are the opening words of the Prologue (as they stand at the moment, that is!). More news on the title, cover art and launch date will follow!
Mark N Drake 