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  Copyright © M.M. Crumley 2022

  Excerpt from DARK AWAKENING Copyright © M.M. Crumley 2019

  All rights reserved. Published by Lone Ghost Publishing LLC,

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  Lone Ghost Publishing LLC.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted (vigorously).

  No part or parts of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (including via carrier pigeon),

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  Author: Crumley, M.M.

  Title: THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY, CHASM

  ISBN: 9798821180339

  Target Audience: Adult

  Also available in this series

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: HIDDEN (Book 1)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: COUP D'ÉTAT (Book 2)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: RUTHLESS (Book 3)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: INSTINCT (Book 4)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: ROGUES (Book 5)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: EMPIRE (Book 6)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: OMENS (Book 7)

  Subjects:

  Urban Fantasy/ Horror Comedy

  This is a work of fiction, which means it's made up. Names, characters, peoples, locales, and incidents (stuff that happens in the story) are either gifts of the ether, products of the author's resplendent imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead or dying, businesses or companies in operation or defunct, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Also by M.M. Crumley

  Urban Fantasy

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY SERIES

  BOOK 1: HIDDEN

  BOOK 2: COUP D'ÉTAT

  BOOK 3: RUTHLESS

  BOOK 4: INSTINCT

  BOOK 5: ROGUES

  BOOK 6: EMPIRE

  BOOK 7: OMENS

  BOOK 8: CHASM

  BOOK 9: FERAL

  BOOK 10: OBLIVION

  THE LEGEND OF ANDREW RUFUS SERIES

  BOOK 1: DARK AWAKENING

  BOOK 2: BONE DEEP

  BOOK 3: BLOOD STAINED

  BOOK 4: BURIAL GROUND

  BOOK 5: DEATH SONG

  BOOK 6: FUNERAL MARCH

  BOOK 7: WARPATH

  Writing as M.M. Boulder

  Psychological Thrillers

  THE LAST DOOR

  MY BETTER HALF

  THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

  MY ONE AND ONLY

  WE ALL FALL DOWN

  Facebook

  https://www.loneghostpublishing.com/

  Book 8:

  CHASM

  M.M. Crumley

  For all the "cryptids" out there...

  Character List

  Doc Holliday: our intrepid hero

  Thomas Jury (witch): Doc's friend

  Jervis (vampire): Doc's friend & Dulcis's manager

  Señora Teodora / Tozi (shaman): who "turned" Doc

  Thaddeus or Thaddy Whythe: Doc's talking plant

  Simon Redgrove (Takaheni): Hidden businessman & Doc's advisor

  Sagena Redgrove (Takaheni): Simon's sister

  Bree (banshee): Doc's adopted daughter

  Aine (banshee): Bree's daughter & owner of the House of Banshee

  Frankie (norm) Baker children's babysitter

  Baker Children—Johnny, Jules, Addison (witches)

  Boudica (witch hound)

  Adrian Gionta (witch): painter who imprisoned women in paintings

  Bennie (Worm): go-to guy

  Robert (Worm): owner of the Mortuary

  Sydney LaRoche (Romani): Doc's new go-to guy

  Julian LaRoche (Romani): Sydney's son

  Selina LaRoche (norm): Sydney's adopted daughter

  Edgar Achaean (norm): Appointed One, Doc killed in book 3

  Dublin O'Connell (wolf shifter): Doc's friend, current head of Magistratus, owner of Wolf Club

  Kaylee, Kylie, Kinsey (witches): triplets

  Ana & Ina Zaitsev (vampires): sisters from Russia

  Fernsby (witch): hypnotist

  Bluegrass Goodhunt (shaman): Doc's friend, died in book 6

  Apollo: Bluegrass's sentient house

  Sami Caruso (norm): Jury's manager & Jervis's squeeze

  Nevin Tucker (ghost): Ghost Guy

  Phillip and Abigail Jury (witches): Jury's parents

  Edward, William, Charles, & Edmund Jury (witches): 4 of Jury's 7 brothers

  Margaret Jury (witch): Jury's sister, head of the Jury family, American branch

  Gwenna Jury (witch): Jury's niece, Edward's daughter

  Drustan Jury (witch): Phillip's father & Duke of Darkness

  Cynric Jury (witch): Drustan's brother, was just a head in book 3

  Thulan (witch): ancient witch Tetrarch Mitcham had locked away

  Emily (Myhanava): works for Dulcis

  James (vampire): works for Dulcis

  Pierre (norm): chef at Dulcis

  Enoshi (shadow phantom): Doc's extraction team leader

  Callisto (imp): whiskey loving imp who watched the Bakers in book 7

  August Naese (witch): head of the Northwestern witches

  Isabel Naese (witch): August's daughter

  Ingrim Naese (witch): August's son

  Fain (witch/Crazasum): one of the Northwestern witches

  Alex (?): a mysterious man who met regularly with Tetrarch Mitcham

  Lena Danser (norm): Doc's lady love who killed herself

  Graven Birch (Takaheni): leader of the United States Council

  Nick (Takaheni): stood guard over Tetrarch Mitcham in book 5

  Francisco (norm): Doc's real-life adopted brother

  Kate (norm): Doc's real-life main squeeze

  Andrew Rufus (norm): Doc's friend from the past

  Janey Falke (norm): Doc's friend from the past, also Andrew's wife

  Doyle (norm): Andrew's friend

  Meli/Black Shaman (shaman): Doc brought her back to life in book 6, Andrew's nemesis

  Ahanu/Grey Shaman (shaman): Meli's brother, Doc owed him a favor

  Tetrarch Mitcham (Zeniu): tetrarch of the Hidden until Doc killed him in book 5

  Akashii: keepers of the Akashic record

  Solomon (norm): leader of an ancient order called Sons of Solomon; Doc killed in book 7

  Eldwin (vampire): Jervis's brother, Jervis killed in book 7

  Winks (gargoyle): tiny gargoyle of Jury's

  Rot mites (insect): creatures that feed off of witches' power

  Chapter 1

  Tetrarch Doc Holliday grinned slowly as he took in Thomas Jury's astonished face.

  "Did you just ask me to call my mother?" Jury asked.

  "Yes," Doc replied, winking at Jervis and Simon.

  "And why should I call my mother?" Jury demanded.

  "So she can show us how to access Blackwater Prison," Doc said patiently.

  Jury just stared at Doc, eyebrows raised, mouth poised to say something but nothing came out.

  "I'm glad it's not just me Doc turns speechless," Simon muttered irritably.

  "It happens to be a particular talent of his," Jervis shrugged.

  Jury made a broad gesture and said, "Let me see if I've got this straight. The witches are making a play for power; and meanwhile, instead of dealing with them, you're going to go behind their backs and close down Blackwater, which happens to be one of their favorite toys."

  "That sounds—"

  "I wasn't done!" Jury snapped. "And to do this, you want to solicit the help of my mother, who happens to be married to one the most notorious Doc-haters around. And if I know Father, he's likely the person leading the charge against you."

  "That's—"

  "Still not done," Jury ground out. "In order to close Blackwater, you plan to bring in August Naese and all the Northwestern witches; and if you knew anything about witches, which you don't, you'd know that the Northwestern witches and the Eastern witches don't get along."

  "I didn't—"

  "Still not fucking done!" Jury exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? You're going to start a fucking war! Do you realize that?"

  "I had thought—"

  "Oh!" Jury mocked. "You had thought! You had thought you might start a war?"

  "The thought—"

  "Do you realize what would happen if the witches went to war? Do you have any idea?!"

  "Actually—"

  "It would be a goddamn mess!" Jury snapped.

  "I realize—"

  Doc sighed as Jury interrupted him once more.

  "And all you'll have on your side are a few kitchen pantry witches from the hills and a bunch of anti-moderns. Meanwhile, Father will have the Jurys on his side. ALL of them! Not to mention all the Jury adjacents. Do you have any idea how many Jurys there are in Britain? Do you?!"

  "Enough!" Doc snapped.

  "But—"

  "No," Doc said firmly. "One, you're getting ahead of yourself. I haven't started a war yet."

  "But—"

  "No," Doc said again, cutting off Jury's next rant. "I haven't, and I will avoid it, if at all possible. But I will shut down Blackwater, witches be damned."

  "That's the part that starts the war!" Jury broke in.

  "Maybe," Doc allowed. "But you're forgetting a few things."

  "Such as?"

  "Such as, nobody likes the witches."

  "What does that have to do with anything?"
Jury demanded.

  "It means everyone else will be on my side."

  "That's actually true," Simon interjected.

  "Thank you, Simon," Doc said with a quick grin. "Besides that, I have a couple of witches on my side who are smarter and more talented than all the Jury witches put together."

  "Who?" Jury demanded.

  "You, for one," Doc muttered, shaking his head. "Jules and Johnny—"

  "They're just kids," Jury pointed out.

  "But they're clever," Doc said. "Which is something most witches lack."

  "What's your point?" Jury grouched.

  "My point is even if I do start a war, we can handle it."

  "You're wrong," Jury said emphatically.

  Doc shrugged carelessly. "Maybe I am. But are you with me?"

  Several emotions crossed Jury's face before he said, "Whatever; just don't blame me when Mother spits in your face and runs to tell Father what you're up to."

  With that Jury stood and stomped towards the door, face thunderous.

  "Don't forget to send one of those birds to August!" Doc called out just as Jury opened the door.

  "Go to war with me; bring your mother. Oh, and don't forget to send one of those birds to August. Is there anything else you'd like, Tetrarch Holliday?" Jury sneered.

  "Actually, now that you mention it, I need Gwenna."

  "Gwenna?! Why?"

  "She's the only Jury who was ever smart enough to learn how to cover her tracks," Doc replied.

  "This is a bad idea," Jury insisted.

  "I know," Doc grinned.

  "I hate you."

  "But you can't," Doc said. "You ate the best friends forever cake."

  "I'll give it back."

  "It's too late."

  Jury's eyes narrowed. "You owe me."

  "Whatever you want," Doc promised.

  Jury grinned widely and said, "An open favor?"

  "Exactly."

  "Deal."

  As soon as the door closed behind Jury, Doc turned to Simon and said, "Have you made up your mind?"

  "About what?"

  "What you're going to do?"

  "I don't see how I can help with Blackwater, so I'll go down to the council and try to stall the proceedings as long as possible," Simon said wearily.

  "Do you know what their argument is?" Doc asked.

  "Not yet," Simon replied. "I assume it will start with your normness, since it is technically against the law for a norm to be tetrarch."

  "Interesting," Doc murmured. "Has there ever been a witch tetrarch?"

  "Once, early on."

  "Then a precedent has been set."

  "What do you mean?" Simon demanded.

  "There are scholars among the Northwestern witches who argue that witches are merely norms with abilities, not actually a cryptid species. And based on my own experience, I'm pretty sure it's a solid theory."

  "That's a stab in the dark," Simon said. "And there's no way I could prove it."

  "It's enough to bring it into question," Doc pointed out. "Can they truly prove I'm a norm?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I'm over a hundred and twenty years old, and I still look like I'm thirty. I'm fairly certain that's not common for norms," Doc said with a wink.

  "I see what you mean," Simon said thoughtfully. "All I have to do is muddy the waters."

  "Exactly. And you should bring in witnesses," Doc suggested.

  "To what end?"

  "To ramble on endlessly," Doc explained.

  "Are you sure you weren't a lawyer?"

  "I've picked up a few tricks over the years," Doc replied.

  "I'll see what I can do," Simon promised. "And I'll keep you updated."

  "Likewise," Doc said.

  Simon left, and Doc turned to Jervis and said, "Do you remember when I wasn't the tetrarch?"

  "I do," Jervis said slowly. "But, to be honest, I think you're kind of enjoying yourself."

  "What makes you say that?"

  "I know you like your cards, women, and whiskey, but it's never been enough for you."

  Doc raised an eyebrow and waited for Jervis to continue.

  "Remember when we opened Dulcis?"

  "Obviously."

  "You told me to only hire people no one else would."

  "Desperate people make better workers," Doc pointed out.

  "So you said. That doesn't explain why you paid them twice the normal wage."

  "I was buying loyalty," Doc shrugged.

  "So you said. And remember when you first assembled the extraction team?"

  "I needed to get Gloria out of that laboratory, and that was the only way I could do it without killing everyone," Doc said as he opened another bottle of whiskey. "If you recall, she had information I needed."

  "I do recall, but it was a little out of your way to scrub her and set her up in that villa in France."

  "I couldn't be sure I wouldn't need her help again," Doc countered.

  "If you're going to be difficult," Jervis muttered. "Remember when you infiltrated a church's catacombs, killed the men there, released me, and nearly died trying to save me?"

  "I knew you'd be a superb manager someday," Doc said evenly.

  Jervis raised an eyebrow.

  "Fine!" Doc snapped. "I'd already grown rather attached to your taciturn and grumpy ways, and I would have missed you. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

  "You can't help but help people," Jervis said.

  "I don't... That's not..."

  Doc trailed off. He knew Jervis was right; he just didn't want to admit it. He worked really hard not to care about people, and if he admitted he did care about people, who knew what would happen.

  "And as tetrarch," Jervis went on, "you've spent all your time trying to right the wrongs of previous tetrarchs, including Blackwater."

  "I hate Blackwater," Doc ground out.

  "Unlike most of the Jurys or other ageless cryptids, you've lived many lives," Jervis said. "You've been locked away without cause. You've lived from win to win. You've been destitute. You've been filthy rich. You've been loved. You've had no one. You've treated others unjustly. You've been treated unjustly. But most importantly, you've learned from your experiences, and you've changed. You've evolved."

  "So have you," Doc argued.

  "Not so much," Jervis said, voice soft. "I've clung to your shadow for the last hundred years because..." He sighed heavily, and for a second his face almost looked old. "Because through you I... I can feel something other than hate and despair. Through you... I can care. Without you..." He shrugged and said, "Without you I'm just a wraith wandering the countryside taking out my hatred on anyone I can."

  Doc stared at Jervis, emotion clogging his throat.

  "You're so much more than that," Doc finally managed to say. "And without you I'd drown in sorrow."

  "I know," Jervis replied.

  Neither of them spoke as Doc finished off the bottle of whiskey, then Doc said, "I'm really sorry about your brother. I'm glad... I'm glad we ended it."

  "I feel strangely empty now," Jervis murmured. "Eldwin is no longer there to hate, and that was all that I had."

  "You keep saying that, but it's not true at all," Doc snorted. "Case in point, you were more of a father to Bree than I ever was."

  Jervis shook his head and said, "We were two different kinds of fathers, and she needed us both. You for levity and hope."

  "You for stability and perspective," Doc countered.

  "That's certainly true. You advised her to kill Billy when he asked her to marry him."

  "He looked at her with... with..."

  "Love?" Jervis supplied.

  "Not at first!" Doc argued.

  Jervis rolled his eyes and said, "They were happy together."