No Good Men

Noel can see death. He can both bring and dissuade death. And he has earned his title—the Death Knell—one of London's most perilous villains. In the year 1866, during the Battle of Bezzecca in the Third Italian War for Independence, Noel departs upon a mission for creatures who think little of his life. But he finds he can do nothing but watch, waiting for his own demise. Left with no direction, he thinks to vanish into the comforts of the dark. In a most peculiar turn of events, he succumbs to the pressures of an unlikely influence to begin a new life. Restored of purpose, he discovers a time of relative peace; he explores it, he learns what the growing Kingdom of Italy has to offer him. For nearly two decades, Noel watches over the de Fiore family. But behind the family's constant and hidden agenda and secretive, sub rosa pacts of an old and deadly history, Noel is forced away yet again, and retreats back to his birthplace of London. Through a series of mishaps, challenges, and unlikely alliances, Noel finds himself drawn into the roles of guardian, friend, enemy, and ultimately, the lance before powerful forces of the dark, forces seeking to rule not only the world of darkness but also the world of light. Noel must face a tortured past and armor that will, in time, fail him. He must find the being he was meant to be, face the demons which haunt him, and reclaim his humanity before he is dragged down into an abyss of eternal darkness—bringing all of London with him. "No Good Men: A Villain's Tale" is a dark, twisting tale that puts the antagonist front and center, asking the real question: What does it truly mean to be a villain?