Sir Michael Marsh

Sir Michael Marsh is the main antagonist of The Power of Five book one, Raven's Gate.

Biography
"Never trust anyone who works for the government"

- Richard about Sir Michael

Sir Michael Marsh was the head of the cult which sought to free the Old Ones and release them onto the world. Sir Michael used to be in the English government and he was very influential. He presumably bribed a lot of the politicians to have his own way. He had a very authoritive air which presumably helped him in many ventures.

He had Omega One built, which was a power station, in the Yorkshire woods and he and a team of government scientists set to work in making the power supply work. They were successful; and supplied Britain with power. In the ensuing years, they abandoned Omega One when the later stations were built; and therefore they went back to the government. Sir Michael persuaded them from destroying it, pretending that the minister said "nature is the best demolition expert" and then he had the station quietly waiting in the woods for when he went back.

Sir Michael Marsh knew of the Old Ones and thought they could help him if they were free. He read about Raven's Gate and how it was used to stop the demons from escaping. He wondered how to break it and finally realized he could combine science and magic and use the bomb to break the gate, and smash the doorway between dimensions. But for this, he needed human blood, and thus he needed Matt Freeman, the first of the Five, because the Old Ones would be appeased by Matt's sacrifice.

In the novel
Sir Michael Marsh seldom appears in the novel but he remains an antagonist due to his manipulation and treachery. He is contacted by Richard when Richard wants to know about trespassing at Omega One. Unbeknown to Matt, Matt had seen Sir Michael twice when he was living with Jayne Deverill - he had seen Sir Michael's car when the politician came to arrange Matt's sacrifice; he had seen the man himself when he escaped from being devoured by two demonic dogs. But he hadn't seen the man fully; it was dark and he could only see a silhouette of an old man. Matt escaped the dogs and found Richard when Matt was being drowned in a bog he had run into; and Richard saved him.

Then Matt and Richard went to see Sir Michael (against Richard's wishes, because Sir Michael was "an unbelievably boring man") and Sir Michael told them about nuclear power and how Omega One was dark and derelict and, despite Matt having seen terrorists dropping off uranium, there was no possible way of starting fires in the station. Matt soon realized Sir Michael was lying, because Jayne Deverill came, when they were with one of the Nexus organization, and animated dinosaur skeletons in the British Museum to kill them, killing the Nexus man, and Jayne Deverill got Matt and Richard, bringing them to the power station. Matt escaped from Deverill, but ran into Sir Michael, who pretended to protect him, but then soon revealed he was a traitor.

Sir Michael bought Matt to the station, saying Matt would have a "quick death" and that he "didn't like killing children." Sir Michael gave a grand speech about how they were the "chosen generation" to free the Old Ones and make the world theirs. Sir Michael said he was a witch and working with the villagers. Then he began the ritual and prepared to cut Matt's throat and free Chaos.

But Matt realized the extent of his supernatural power and freed himself, destroying the station. Sir Michael was the only cultist to remain in the magic circle; all the others ran into flames and died. Sir Michael remained even after Matt was free; but to his pleasure soon saw some of Matt's blood on his knife - he had managed to prick Matt's flesh. Sir Michael cried in triumph and broke the gate apart; and thus Chaos climbed out. Sir Michael was delighted that his god was free; and looked up to him, expecting some reward. But his only reward was a painful death as Chaos gripped Sir Michael and crushed the life out of him.

Chaos and everything else were sucked into the gate as it resealed; and thus the world was safe again.