Nights Rise: Arcanum Black Ops, #1

By Andrew Dobell

When her past comes back to haunt her, Rebecca will question everything she thought she knew. 

 

Rebecca Chance is a Black Ops Agent for the Arcanum. She works in the shadows, saving a disbelieving humanity from powers beyond comprehension night after night.

 

In a world filled with Magic, Magi and monsters, the Arcanum is humanities last defence against their ever-present threat. The Agents of the Black Ops division are the ones in the field, taking the fight to the enemy. A new organisation of mortals trading enchanted items has arisen. Rebecca is tasked with finding out more about this group and stopping them from selling these dangerous artifacts to the wrong people.

 

No one wants a dictator who can control people's minds through Magic.

 

But when her investigations reveal a part of her past she thought long gone, and a bigger threat to the mortal world, Rebecca begins to question everything. Who should she trust? Where do her loyalties really lie? But with powerful items for sale to the highest bidder, Rebecca must rise above her doubts and save humanity again. 

 

Nights Rise: Arcanum Black Ops 1, is a Special Ops thriller set in the Urban Fantasy world of the Magi Saga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Creative Edge Publishing
• Release date: Jun 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227016492

Book preview

Welcome to The Magi Saga

This book is part of a sprawling universe of magic and adventure taking place over several series of books, detailing the incredible lives of a wide range of heroes and villains.

I hope you enjoy reading this book, and if you’d like more from the Magi Saga universe, check out my website. 

Acknowledgements

For my Grandfather, who was a continual inspiration and support. I miss you, and this is for you.

Thank you to my wife and family for their love and tolerance and help. You make everything worthwhile.

Thank you to my old gaming friends, you guys have inspired this story more than you can know. I have some of the best memories from those hours sitting at the gaming table.

Thank you to my Editors Julie Hall, CP Bialois, and Hanna Elizabeth. Your input has been amazing, thank you.

Dedication

For my boys, my kids, I love you!

Language

I’m a British author living in Britain, and I write in British English with British spellings.  ;-)

Booklist

For full list of Andrew Dobells Books, visit his website

www.andrewdobellauthor.com

Table of Contents

Welcome to The Magi Saga

Acknowledgements

Booklist

Table of Contents

About this book

Lexicon

Prologue - The Black Hand

Desert Mission

Five to nine

Deep Dive

End of the day

Initiation

Miami Meeting

New Leads

Infiltration

Extraction

Coup

Saviour

Council

Dead End

Downtime

Gatecrash

Chase

Goodbye?

Authors Note

Booklist

About this book

This book takes place in the Magi Saga universe, but can be read independently of any of the other Magi Saga books.

I’ve had fun writing the adventures of Amanda, but I wanted to write something that showed the Magi through the lens of those who don’t have Magical powers. So, this is kind of my Agents of Shield to the Magi Saga’s Avengers.

The tale in this book (bar the opening chapter) takes place at the same time as events in book 4 of the first Magi Saga series featuring Amanda, and in fact, directly crosses over with that book at one point, with a cameo from Amanda.

If you have never read the Magi Saga, and you enjoyed this book, then you might want to check out that series to get a look at the wider world of the Magi and learn the origins of Amanda as she becomes a Magus.

That is not required to enjoy this book, though.

Enjoy.

Andrew

Lexicon

Magi – (Pronounced Mah-Guy) Humans who can harness Essentia and bend it to their will to work ‘Magic’.

Scions – Creatures of nightmare and legends. Vampires, werewolves, and more. Created by the Archons.

Nomad – Magi who serve the Archons or Crux. Magi who walk the dark path.

Essentia – An extra-dimensional exotic energy that, when used to fuel the wishes of a Magus, creates Magic.

Aegis – The Magical shield that Magi use to protect themselves.

Riven – Humans with no Magical ability.

Initiated Riven – Riven who are aware of Magic.

Prologue - The Black Hand

Sarajevo

1914

Really, you heard that? Who told you?

Andrej looked sideways at Dušan with a half-smile. I can’t tell you that, idiot, we’re not meant to know what the other cells are doing, remember? But I assure you, it’s true. The Archduke of Austria’s days are numbered. You watch.

Shit. That will mean war, surely, Dušan said.

Probably. But that’s what Apis wants, I think. Andrej mused.

Do you think the Russians will support us?

Why wouldn’t they? Ilija, the third member of their group cut in.

They’ve let us down recently, Dušan answered.

Yes, I suppose so... Ilija agreed, looking slightly worried.

Guys, keep it down, there’s movement, Andrej said, directing their attention across the road.

The main front door of the house opposite opened and a man in his fifties shook the hand of a slightly younger-looking gentleman. The younger one pulled his collar up on his coat and waved before walking outside and setting off down the street.

The older man then disappeared back into the house and closed the door behind him.

Was that him? Dušan whispered.

Tomislav? Yes, that’s our target, and he should be alone now, Andrej replied. Come on; let’s get this done.

He had joined the Black Hand around the same time that Dušan had, and they seemed like a good fit when they were put into the same group. They had been through a lot together and talked often. Andrej had been promoted earlier and faster, taking over the leadership of the group when their previous Captain had gotten himself killed on a mission. He sometimes wondered if Dušan was jealous, but, he’d seen no signs of this.

Ilija was a newer recruit to the cause, assigned to them after their teammate’s death, but he’d fit in well and had proved himself to be a skilled fighter.

Together, they had been on a few missions now, working toward the betterment of the Serbian nation under the guidance of the Black Hand’s founder, Apis. Apis was a codename—that much was obvious. No one called themselves ‘God’ in all seriousness unless they were crazy, and Andrej felt sure that Apis wasn’t that. Even with the cell structure of the organisation, where members of one group should not know members of another, the word still spread around and Andrej, through various circumstances, had cultivated contacts in other parts of the Black Hand, which was how he had heard the rumours of the plot to assassinate the Archduke.

As far as he knew, this current mission was another for the betterment of Serbia, although he didn’t know what this Tomislav had done to attract the attention of the Black Hand.

Andrej checked his Mosin Nagant M1891 Dragoon rifle one last time before rising to his feet and checking down the street once more. Tomislav’s visitor was already well down the road and showed no signs of coming back. The night was cold, and a light mist was drawing in, which would only help keep their movements hidden. God was on the side of the righteous it seemed.

Now, go, Andrej hissed and jogged across the street to the alleyway a few houses up from Tomislav’s. All the houses in the block were attached, and you could only access the back of them through one of only a handful of alleyways that cut between the buildings every so often. A wooden gate blocked their way, but Andrej had known it was here, having scouted the area days before, and quickly used the stock of his rifle to smash the lock off the latch while his teammates kept a lookout.

They stayed quiet for a few seconds in case anyone came to look, but they heard nothing.

Andrej eased the gate open with a slight squeak from the hinges as he moved forward and stepped into the middle of the block—a courtyard surrounded by the houses that backed up to it. Fences divided the area into allotments where the residents grew food and kept their gardening equipment in wooden outbuildings and tool sheds. It was very dark back here, away from the street lights with only the occasional light from inside the houses to penetrate the shadows.

Come on, we’re clear, Andrej said under his breath and led the three of them through the maze of gardens around to the back of Tomislav’s house. His back garden was also fenced off, but only with a five-foot-tall perimeter fence.

I’m going over, keep a lookout, Andrej said. His two fellow assassins turned to watch their backs as Andrej slung his weapon over his shoulder on the strap and heaved himself over the fence with little difficulty, landing in the untended garden. He pulled his rifle again and paused, holding his position a few seconds to make sure no one had spotted him. Everything remained quiet and still.

Clear, he hissed, as loud as he dare.

Seconds later he was joined by Dušan and Ilija, also with their rifles drawn.

Ready, Dušan said. Andrej moved through the garden and found what he was looking for, a window right next to the flagstone floor that led to a basement.

We’re going through there? Dušan asked.

Andrej pulled out a metal jimmy bar and jammed it into the bottom of the window next to the bolt on the inside. With very minimal effort and hardly any noise, the window came loose.

That’s right, Andrej finally answered, unless you want to wake everyone in the block and break through that back door? Andrej looked up at Dušan with raised eyebrows, challenging the man to question his choice.

Well, not now you’ve gone to all that trouble, Dušan joked.

Is that right, Andrej said, rolling his eyes. He then focused on the task at hand and slipped through the window, lowering himself down to the stone floor about six foot below him. He pulled his rifle once more and turned to scan over the room. It was pitch-dark, but with the meagre light from the window, as his compatriots followed him inside, he could start to make out shapes.

Slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the light, he came to realise he stood in some kind of laboratory. A large wooden table dominated the centre of the room, covered in test tubes and Bunsen burners and other similar equipment that Andrej couldn’t name. There were also several stacks of papers and notes covered in some very strange writing that he didn’t recognise, as well as some he did. What he did recognise on one sheet was a pentagram with a goats head drawn within the five-pointed star.

Was this an occult laboratory?

Nearby, Ilija found and lit the main light, and suddenly they could see quite clearly. Off to one side of the room, hung up on meat hooks, were various human body parts. Legs, arms, and torsos of both men and women. Where were the heads?

All three of them had done some pretty gruesome things. They’d killed people, some of them up close and personal, but this was of another order of magnitude. This was sick.

What is this place, boss? Dušan asked, looking somewhat shaky.

I don’t know Dušan, I don’t know, but this is messed up.

And this guy has links to the governments of Bosnia and Serbia?

That’s right, and I think I can now see why Apis wants him dead.

Agreed, Dušan answered.

Come on, I’ve seen enough, we need to get this done and get out of here, Andrej said, moving to the door. Whatever the reasons were for the Black Hand ordering this hit, having seen this room, Andrej had no doubt that this man had forfeited his life long ago.

Dušan was already there and eased the door open to see a flight of stairs going up. He paused and looked back at Andrej.

Andrej nodded, urging his teammate on.

Dušan proceeded up the stairs, taking them slowly and steadily, keeping his feet to the sides of the steps to try and avoid making them creak.

They reached the top and another closed door. Dušan turned the handle, and it opened easily. Had it been locked, that would have changed things and they would have needed to break the door down and storm on through the house. As it was, they could attempt to remain covert and move silently.

Pushing the door open, Dušan moved into the room beyond, looking around himself before motioning Andrej and Iliya to follow.

Andrej stepped into a kitchen. It wasn’t terribly remarkable but showed signs that it had been used, due to the dirty plates and utensils on the sideboard.

Andrej slung his rifle over his back again and drew his Luger pistol, pulling on the top action to load a bullet into the chamber. Dušan kept his long gun out while Iliya also swapped to his Luger.

Andrej nodded to Dušan who moved to the doorway and checked his corners before stepping out into the corridor beyond. Andrej could hear voices now and motioned to Dušan to follow them, which led them to a room in the front of the house. He’d thought Tomislav would be alone and hoped they hadn’t made an error. It could be the wireless, but he wasn’t convinced, it didn’t sound like it. They were soon gathered outside the door of the room, and with a nod from Andrej, they ran in brandishing their weapons.

Sure enough, there were two people in here, much to Andrej’s dismay. Their target, Tomislav, sat in a high backed wooden chair with deep red cushions reading a thick, old looking tome that rested upon his lap. He’d been talking with a woman who stood before him and now looked back at Andrej and his men in shock. Tomislav looked surprised as well, and as he sat there, his jaw slack at the sight of the three soldiers, he lifted the book and held it to his chest protectively.

Stay where you are, don’t move, Andrej said, his tone authoritative.

What do we do? Dušan asked in hushed tones.

As he watched, the expression on the woman’s face went from surprise to anger and then rage in a matter of seconds before she suddenly turned and leapt at Dušan. He’d been aiming at the man and tried to turn his rifle toward the woman as she closed on him. Dušan fired, but his shot went wide, and the woman was suddenly on him, pushing him back and down as she clawed at him with her nails.

Andrej wasted no time and kicked her across the face as she forced Dušan down. He was generally against violence to women, but he felt this was one of those times when it was justified. Even so, he felt a pang of guilt for what he’d just done.

The woman fell sideways but the kick didn’t keep her down for long, and she was suddenly up and lunging for Andrej.

The look on her face was barely human, she looked wild, like a frenzied animal fighting for its life with her eyes open wide and saliva oozing out of her mouth.

What on earth was going on?

She moved so fast that he didn’t have time to think through his actions, he just reacted out of self-preservation and fired the gun into the woman’s chest as she came for him. The force of the bullet hitting her stopped her dead, and as she stood there for a second, looking down at the growing red stain on her silk blouse, the look on her face utterly changed.

The raging animalistic fury fell away, and she suddenly looked human again. Andrej could only watch in shock, a growing feeling of horror building in his mind at what he’d just done.

The woman pressed