Shortly after Lazarus was born, his angelic father, Lexliel, was killed by Lucifer, trying to rescue his brother's son from the Nephillium. Montgomery, Lexliel's brother, arrived too late to save his brother or his son. Now Montgomery, called Monty, serves as Lazarus' guardian angel. He has provided Lazarus wise counsel over the years, but Lazarus has always blamed him for his father's death and never been comfortable with him. What Montgomery does not realize is that his son, instead of being destroyed by the Nephillium, was transformed into a horrible monster, named Percival, a monster who feels betrayed and abandoned by his father and seeks revenge on his father and on Lazarus who took his place in his father's affections.
Percival kills Neomina's father and almost kills Lazarus. It takes the blood of the whole tribe to restore Lazarus to health, but in drinking their blood, he becomes tainted and must undergo much to become once again a rehabilitated vampire. With her father's death, Neomina comes to Lazarus to live among the vampires. Lazarus knows that for her to live among them, he must bring her across, make her a vampire, but he hesitates. Neomina finds herself changing as she lives among the vampires and she learns what her father had kept secret, that she is part vampire. Her father was once one of the Dark Breed, saved by a beautiful Tracker woman and by an amulet that holds the blood of Christ. As long as a vampire wears the amulet, he is human.
His health restored, Lazarus sets out to find and destroy Percival, but he is captured and tortured. Forced to drink tainted blood, his vampire hunger becomes an all consuming pain. He becomes the bait in Percival's trap for Montgomery and Neomina, who come to rescue him. Is Neomina's powers as a Tracker strong enough to overcome the demon or will they all succumb to Percival's evil?
While this story is supposedly set in Ireland in 1095, it reads more like a fantasy novel than a historical. But it certainly makes for a fine fantasy novel. I admit I had problems with an angel named Montgomery, often called Monty. Monty just doesn't sound angelic. Since I know very little of angelic mythology, I couldn't tell if the author was true to it or making up her own story. The background of fallen angels, demons, vampires, and trackers is some times confusing and certainly complex, but very, very interesting.
I enjoyed reading COME THE NIGHT and was pleased to hear that it was an award finalist for the Pearl Award and the Sapphire Award.
