Fantasy

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi Readers,

The cast of the Curse Breaker series, the His Angelic Keeper Series, and the Robin of Larkspur series wish you a happy Thanksgiving if you are in the US.

We’re grateful you’re part of our extended family of crazy characters.

Thank you for joining us on our story journeys.

From our found family of wacky characters, who cannot do anything without it turning into an epic fantasy adventure, to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

If your plans got a little messed up because of a certain virus and you need someone to holiday with, you can join ours by picking up any of our books.

The following books are 99 cents for everyone, everywhere (or the local equivalent) today through Monday:

We’re always ready and willing to entertain you! And we’ve got plenty of shenanigans for the Scrive to chronicle today to make up for the holiday snafu.

And now, as promised, here’s another installment of:

His Angelic Keeper Fallen

by Melinda Kucsera

Where am I? voices called to Sovvan as she sank deeper into the dark water, but she couldn’t understand them. A calm filled her when she finally realized where she must be—the Drop of Eternity in the Gray Between. That’s what she had glimpsed in the moment before Malachiah had pulled her under. How did I get here? Malachiah must have dragged her to this pool. Why would he do that?

Sovvan was grateful she was here. This was far better than the abyss he’d threatened to send her to. What had changed his mind? Probably not her sparkling personality. He likely had a new plan since she’d destroyed his last one. But why did his plans have to involve her? Why couldn’t he just leave her alone, so she could figure out this whole afterlife thing without interference?

Water swirled around them, whipping up a whirlpool that pulled them down into that liminal space between the Gray Between and the Mortal World. Sovvan pictured her brother’s face. If she had to go somewhere, then she wanted to go to someone who needed her. The water vanished, and air replaced it. As had happened before, Sovvan slammed into a rainbow-hued shield, and it parted for her but not for Malachiah.

“No!” Malachiah pounded a green, scaly fist against the shield. What had her ex-guardian angel been doing?

Sovvan couldn’t see the rest of him, but she’d bet it was also becoming more insectoid than angelic. If that happened when an angel fell from grace, then she needed to avoid it. Becoming an insect wasn’t on her to-do list, but saving her family was.

Sovvan waved as she plummeted toward the ground. Well, that was convenient. Escape achieved. Now she just needed to stop falling. Thankfully, her soaked dress clung to her legs, keeping her modesty intact.

Sovvan had planned to come back to this world, just not so soon. At least the heat generated by her fall was drying her clothes. She might not be a dripping mess when she landed. What had happened to Fay and the others? Had they survived the gateway’s collapse? Did they know she had? Were they looking for her right now or mourning her destruction?

She needed to find out, but first, she’d check on her twin. Sarn had called her during the whole gateway takedown business, and he’d sounded like he’d needed her. What trouble had her twin gotten into now? Where was Mount Eredren?

Sovvan scanned the dark blurs below until a gold glow caught her eye. It was rectangular, and it was either floating, or it was partway up the side of a mountain. That glow must be the doors to Mount Eredren. After all, they were luminous, and she didn’t see anything else for miles around that glowed. A glowing chain appeared, and its other end disappeared into that mountain. Well, that answered that question. Sarn was in there, and that was where she needed to go.

Sovvan tried to angle her fall, so she headed for those glowing doors. But she had a rough landing ahead of her. Luckily, she was quite durable. Being dead had its advantages. But the ground rose at an alarming rate as the dark blurs became the enchanted forest that surrounded Mount Eredren.

A body slammed into her back. What the hell? Sovvan struggled as a scaly green arm wrapped around her waist. Damn, Malachiah had gotten through the shield.

“You can’t escape me, girl!” he shouted in her ear.

“Let go of me, you creep!” Sovvan pried at his hands, but she couldn’t break his grip. Her ex-guardian angel held tightly to her as he flew through the giant double-leaf doors of Mount Eredren.

“How did you escape the Agents of Chaos?” Malachiah searched for something as he flew around the stalactites and columns in the tunnel.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Sovvan wouldn’t tell him either. He’d never believe the truth, anyway. Let him wonder what trickery she was capable of.

“Fine. Keep your secrets. Soon, I’ll know everything.” His head kept turning as he scanned the ground thirty feet below, bringing his misshapen face into view. But there were only armed statues with glowing eyes and shadows down there.

Sovvan approved of the changes in his appearance. He looked as evil on the outside as he was on the inside now, and that evil was sloughing off its skin to reveal a more alien one underneath made of chitin, like the insect he was.

“Where are you taking me?” Sovvan slammed the heel of her hand into his arm, but it stayed cinched tight around her waist.

Malachiah didn’t answer. What was he searching for? Sovvan couldn’t see anything in the dark, and darkness covered everything except the luminous eyes of the creepy statues. They’re not staring at you. But it felt like they were. They’re just statues. Really creepy ones with swords and axes, and — Sovvan glanced away before those statues could put any more crazy ideas in her head.

She pressed against her neck and kept pressing on various spots, but she couldn’t find that one spot that had turned her incorporeal before. Damn. Why had it worked earlier and not now? Probably because even her hybrid nature had rules. If only someone would enlighten her about them.

Sovvan slammed the back of her head into her ex-guardian angel’s face until his grip loosened, and ichor matted her hair. Ew. Gross. But her freedom was worth any price, so she slammed her head into his face again. It was cathartic, especially when he moaned.

“Not so fast. You can’t escape me like that.” Malachiah tightened his hold on her.

Oh, but she could. Sovvan could go wherever she pleased. Pain hammered the back of her skull as she slammed her head into his nose again, and it triggered a change in her. Sovvan became transparent as all her mass went somewhere else, leaving just a ghost behind. She fell through his arms and probably the floor too, even though she couldn’t see it in the dark. Thank God, because she’d needed an escape.

“No!” Malachiah shouted, but he didn’t follow her.

Maybe he couldn’t shed all his mass like she could. Sovvan had never seen an angel become incorporeal. Invisible, yes, but they only did that to avoid answering her questions. At least she’d gotten away and good riddance to him. But she had another problem. She didn’t know how to become tangible again. At least she wasn’t wet anymore.

Sovvan tried willing herself to take on mass as she fell through the ceiling of a well-lit office. Thankfully, she was incorporeal at the time of her fall, so the ceiling remained as pristine as it was before she’d arrived.

“Oof.” Sovvan passed through the piles of papers on a large desk without disturbing them. But she couldn’t say the same for the short man sitting in the chair facing her.

***

Get His Angelic Keeper Fallen today to continue this fun adventure. We’ll be back with more on Monday.  Until then, stay safe on your holiday adventures.

–Sincerely, Ran, son of Sarn, and the Scribe, Melinda K.


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