Fantasy

Today, We Scheme!

But do we succeed?

Hey, this is Ran, your host, and I’m also the son of the nicest and most powerful mage I’ve ever met. Read our stories in the Curse Breaker series!

Last week, the Scribe worked a lot, so I didn’t see much of her. 😦 That means I didn’t get any more page time, and that really bothers me. But Melinda, my scribe, kept Storm The Gates moving toward the finish line despite some character conflicts.

To date, she’s written 39 chapters for Storm The Gates, book 3 of the Rogue Gods Trilogy. So that’s exciting.

Book 1, Gateway To Hell, aka the book I’ve been doing my absolute best to give out spoilers for topped out at 47 chapters. So book 3 should be nearing its big finish. Book 2, Summon The Gods, clocked in at 54 chapters, but we’re ignoring that right now because I want Storm the Gates to end so I can chase dragons!

And so you can get your hands on this humorous epic fantasy series. Don’t let the premise fool you. It’s not dystopian or depressing, not with the amount of hijinx the four main characters get into!

You’ll chuckle and shake your head along with them as they carve a path through all the realms on their quest to save it. I’m also in there, and you’ll see me next week!

Melinda wanted to skip ahead to that preview. But I’m a completionist, and I don’t like when we only share part of a chapter. If we’re going to share it, we should share all of it, right?

So I convinced her to put the end of the first chapter from Gateway to Hell in this week’s newsletter. Next week, we’ll skip ahead a few chapters so you can meet Evarian.

Then we’ll jump again so you can meet Rosalie and me, but it’ll be an adult version of me agewise. The book is pg-13 so get your mind out of the gutter.

I don’t do anything Papa wouldn’t approve of, especially since my aunt is an archangel. That way, I never need to explain anything to her.

Guerren wanted to stare your soul again, but I’m a little creeped out by his repeated requests. But next week, we switch to a different character, so I guess I can give me one more chance to gaze into your soul. This spread is from Gateway to Hell.

And now back to Guerren, the ex-war god, as he schemes.

Rogue Gods #1: Gateway To Hell

Fallen But Not Forgotten (Chapter 1, scene 5)

He stared at the pendant in his hand, feeling its weight and the deal he just struck. One book of names for one chance to strike back at the author of his miserable state. Not a bad deal.

Well, you agreed to this. So you’d best get to it. Guerren stepped through the doorway back into the alley as a hot wind blew past him, sending trash flying.

Distant laughter echoed through the alley. It was a sinister reminder that the Fallen were always watching. This was a path to what? Did he actually think that helping this rebellion would do anything to change his Fate?

No, I don’t think anything can do that now. But just having a purpose filled him with strength and made him feel more like himself than he’d felt in a long time. Determination fired him up as he strode toward that laughter. After all, what was a little danger to a former war god?

I’ve fought more battles than any of the Fallen and led more armies than the Adversary. That worthy had only ever led one army into one war, and he lost it. While I’ve led more than I want to count.

But he turned back as his natural suspicion took hold. Guerren had made many mistakes in the past, and this might be another one. He still had no proof that woman wasn’t working for the Adversary, and he was the prince of lies.

Doubt gnawed at him. But logic cut through it like a cold knife. The Adversary didn’t need that woman. He could walk into the library whenever he wanted and take the book. And why would he bother? The Morning Star had set his sights on the Mortal World long ago, and all his plots revolved around subjugating it and turning it into Hell’s waiting room or something. Guerren hadn’t paid attention to that jerk’s plans because he’d planned to dispose of the so-called Prince of Darkness as soon as the war ended.

I could have done it too. I had the power and prowess. No one was a match for me. Except for those fecking archangels and their spirit blades. Guerren rubbed his arm where one such blade cut him and shivered, remembering the jolts of agony that sent through him. It felt like a thousand cuts to his soul, and each one burned like a fire in his flesh.

But the Morning Star didn’t have one of those blades. I don’t have my powers either. So the rebellion was his only hope of defeating the self-styled Adversary and that would have galled the man he was when he first arrived here. But now it was an unignorable fact, and he must deal with it. Reality was never what people wanted it to be.

But this felt different. Now that he wasn’t so damned aroused by her presence, he remembered hearing rumors of a Sleeping Angel and a rebellion somewhere outside this city. That didn’t mean anything, not really since the Adversary could have put her up to this. He loved his games.

If she planned to turn on him, then why tell him about the book of names? It was a powerful weapon in anyone’s hands. Yes, he wasn’t a mage or a wizard, but he was a pagan god, and he still had some power. I could use those names too. She’s got no guarantee I’ll take the book to her people. I could grab it and run far away.

Or did she have some guarantee? Of course, the Fallen would hunt him down as soon as they realized the book was gone and who had taken it. Guerren rubbed his arm again, but the memory of the pain was fading, and this felt less like a setup and more like a genuine request. He still couldn’t see any downsides to doing this, and that meant he was probably overlooking something.

They built the Library of Forbidden Knowledge like a fortress, and he’d face unimaginable challenges to reach it, but that thought excited him. For the first time since he escaped the Fallen, he had a destination and soon, he’d have a powerful weapon to use against them.

“Tonight’s a great night to start a war,” he said to the shadows that surrounded him, then he slipped into them and became one with the darkness creeping through the streets of a city in Hell whose name he never cared to learn.

***

Don’t forget to follow the Kickstarter, so you know when it launches. Guerren is on the right. You’ll meet the other two characters in an upcoming newsletter!

New Podcast Episodes & Videos

Listen to our podcast in your player of choice. Or Watch it on YouTube.

  • Fantasy, Lore, & More: Sentinals Awaken – Helen Garraway joins me to talk about enchanted forests and loads of other things!

New Releases, Sales, & Other Book Stuff

Need to catch up?

We’ve got boxed sets and omnibuses for that! Whether you like 3-books in your boxed set/omnibus or more, we’ve got your book right here.

In Case You Missed It