As Britain continues to burn in a heat fit for hell itself, what better time to continue the tale of William McKenzie, The Devil’s Knave.
I’m taking a break from book fairs this month but keep an eye on my feeds for new opportunities to buy the Nightmare Vacations stories without using Amazon in the UK and Canada.
The Devil’s Knave
A gaslight horror short story, continued.
This month, wealthy gambler William McKenzie once again faces the devilish Madison, who proposes a new wager to save Mary, his late wife, from eternal damnation.
Catch up on the first four chapters of The Devil’s Knave at www.alexanderlane.co.uk/thedevilsknave and use the password badbadbilly to enter.
Chapter 5. 1839: The Bargain
“I had not known that Mr Tully’s knowledge ran to summoning the agents of the devil,” said McKenzie.
“Agent?” Madison sniffed. “I merely stopped by on my way, hoping to see an old acquaintance.”
“Your way? To where?”
“I hardly know where to begin. I have so many respects to pay on this night. Mary sends her best, by the way. Quite the conversationalist and remarkably robust under the circumstances.”
McKenzie heard Tully’s gasp and the press of his foreman’s hand against his shoulder, but he had already resolved not to rise if Madison confirmed his worst fears. This was no unruly worker or defiant whore, and he was far from the careless inebriation that had lead him astray before. “You’ve meddled with more than my domestic happiness, beyond the limits of our damned wager.”
“I cannot take credit for the whole of your misfortunes, though it might be said that the loss of a single brick will weaken the wall.” Madison sipped his wine. “Oh, dear, is this watered down?”
“I did not summon you to enjoy my hospitality.”
“Ah, so you’ve invited me for a rematch? A chance to recover Mary from damnation? They do say the first year is the hardest but I think that speaks to a lack of imagination.” Madison reached towards the cards, which Tully had shuffled and stacked in the middle of the table.
It seemed to McKenzie that they sat in a bubble, as if apart from the bustle of Hettie’s clientele around them, unseen and unheard. What power could do this, that he was about to challenge? He brushed the cards aside. “I shall play no more at games of chance with you, Madison. An exchange, plain and simple, my eternal soul for Mary’s safe passage to Heaven.”
“What, Mr McKenzie? No sharp shuffles or sly deals? No bluff? Perhaps you have learned some wisdom.” Madison looked around restlessly, his eyes appearing to delve far beyond the smoky corners of Hettie’s establishment. “I should leave, so many prospects to collect on this of all nights and yet, your defiance entertains me.”
“You will free Mary and take me in her place?” Hardly believing his success, McKenzie sat up straight, barely prepared and rapidly sobering for his imminent descent into Hell.
Madison gestured for him to take ease. “Patience is a virtue, as your good brother might say. I shall continue to enjoy Mary’s soul for the Devil’s dozen and in that time you may live your life free from divine judgement or demonic punishment. I offer this boon to you, William McKenzie, for you belong to me in perpetuity and without exception. As witnessed by your loyal retainer, Mr Tully, I promise that before this day comes thirteen years hence, I shall collect your soul and deliver your Mary to the very gates of Heaven.”
Usually so reticent to intervene in his master’s business, Tully spoke with unexpected force. “I’ll do many things for ye, Mac, but I’ll make no contract with the likes of him and neither should ye. Accept your sins and the punishments due on your day of judgement.”
“I know to whence I am bound, Tully, even if your wife prays for us both,” said McKenzie, “But to do right by Mary would ease my soul when the time comes.”
“Listen to the deal you’re making, Mac. Thirteen years! She’ll damn ye for that, even if it puts the holy angels off their singing.”
Madison raised a hand. “If I might, given the suffering that she has endured in her passing and since, Mary has resisted with remarkable fortitude the temptation to damn Mr McKenzie for his culpability, not to mention the evidence of his vile personal tastes. Thirteen years of our attention will seem as nothing compared to his winning her an eternity within the celestial estate.”
“I had not hoped to achieve even this,” said McKenzie. The uncharacteristic sheen of wetness around his eyes melted Tully’s resolve.
“You’re damned either way,” said Tully. “I’ll stand witness for ye but I’ll not speak of this bargain with my wife or any other God-fearing soul and neither should ye.” He crossed himself, though Madison showed no sign that the gesture affected him.
“I am, as ever, indebted to your loyalty, Mr Tully.” McKenzie sipped his wine and drew a cigar from his breast pocket, keenly aware of the playful smile on Madison’s face. “What has you so amused? Am I not right to toast the end to my dear Mary’s torment?”
“Forgive my honesty, but I wager that your mind has turned also to the return of your own good fortunes. I would bet good money that Mary will not be the last woman to share the McKenzie name or your marital bed.”
“Keep your wagers to yourself, Madison. My future is my own, least for the coming thirteen years. Time enough for wife and family to ensure my legacy.”
“Ah, but the first year is already lost. Your time began the moment we laid our first wager.”
“See, Mac, how he twists the bargain towards himself,” Tully groaned.
“As for your legacy, I aim to collect your entire soul. A wife you may take to share your last living days but no part of your soul shall be reserved for a child to carry forwards. Make no mistake in this.” Madison sipped his diluted wine, grimaced and poured the remainder onto the floor.
The noise of the room washed over their table and seemed to blow Madison away as if he were no more than a phantom in the smoke.
Tully clutched his fingers to his chest, tight around the cross beneath his shirt, rose and left the bar in silence. McKenzie sat alone and the fury in his eyes ensured that no-one dared take a seat. Hettie was about to chance an enquiry when he summoned her: “Your newest girl, if you please.”
She glanced at a young woman flirting nervously with another patron and raised a reproachful finger at McKenzie. “Now Mac, you look like the devil himself tonight. You promised you’d never again leave my girls barely fit for scrubbing. I promise them hard work, not torment.”
“Name the price of your kindness, woman, double it and send two to share the burden of my wants. Neither devil, nor man nor whoremistress shall dictate who I lie with or the manner of my pleasure.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a roll of large notes. “I’ll satisfy your wants in paper if coin is not enough.”
Hettie’s businesslike smile barely twitched at the jibe, but her eyes widened at the display of bills. “If it’s paper you’re offering, the girls are yours. Just mind them screaming, the other patrons say it puts them off.” She named a sum that would have bought most men a night with her entire stable.
McKenzie counted off the notes with a grim satisfaction. “You’re a fine businesswoman, Hettie, always have your clients’ best interests at heart. It’s why I can’t stay away.”
***
You’ll find Chapter 6. 1841: The Confession at www.alexanderlane.co.uk/thedevilsknave. Use the password badbadbilly to enter.
Indie books for August 2026
Buy a book and support independent self-published authors.
FREE eBOOK: Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure in the Xura Dream House by C.L. Hart
The fate of the Cosmos rests in the hands of an unlikely team of unusual friends.
Will an exiled member of an ancient extraterrestrial race, a human ghost, and two ghouls be able to outfox an ancient evil and beat Nyarlathotep at his game before time runs out?
This buddy story is the first in a series of New Cthulhu Mythos cliffhangers.
Murder by Munchausen: When Androids Dream of Murder by M.T. Bass
Androids hacked into hitmen. A murderer tapping the past for inspiration. Can a cop’s old-school ways end the slayings before the next body drops?
“…packed with action and unexpected developments…fast-paced, entertaining…” —Kirkus Reviews.
After Jake shoots and kills a murder suspect who turns out to be the son of a powerful city councilman, he finds himself demoted to the Artificial Crimes Unit, tracking down androids hacked and programmed to be hitmen.
When his case of an “extra-judicial” divorce settlement takes a nasty turn with DNA from a hundred-year-old murder in Boston and a signature that harkens back to the very first serial killer ever in London, Jake finds himself tangled up in the brutal slayings of prostitutes being investigated by his former Robbery/Homicide partner, Maddie–who is now his lover.
“It might not make sense, but the beloved Media tags it ‘Murder by Munchausen.’ For a price, there are hackers out there who will reprogram a synthoid to do your dirty work. The bad news: no fingerprints or DNA left at the crime scene. The good news—at least for us—is that they’re like missiles: once they hit their target, they’re usually as harmless as empty brass. The trick is to get them before they melt down their core OS data, so you can get the unit into forensics for analysis and, hopefully, an arrest.”[excerpt from Murder by Munchausen]
Artificial Intelligence? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Artificial Evil has a name…Munchausen.
The Riveting Reads August ebook sale
Fill your Kindle with Horror, Mystery, Suspense, Sci-Fi and Fantasy in the Riveting Reads August sale. Books from more than 80 authors at 99p/¢ on Amazon or free with Kindle Unlimited.
Mentions