Have an angel with your fireworks

Jul 04, 2024

Hey.

For those in the US, Happy 4th of July! For those in Canada, I hope you had a fun Canada Day! Whatever you’re doing today, I hope you have fun. Just don’t sneak into any libraries okay? Especially if they are run by a certain angel… more on that in a moment.

First off, let’s talk about the cast of complex characters that star in the Rogue Gods trilogy. Who will you root for? Here's a peek at some of our favorites:

Guerren - an ex-war god looking for an army to lead in all the wrong places (literally)
Rosalie - a woman determined to save the world, armed only with a dagger (and she takes on a goddess with that dagger. We don’t recommend that.)
Argeaneal - a fallen angel librarian who might not be as fallen as he thinks. He protects dangerous knowledge and fights with magical tunnels as you do when they fall on your library.
N'talli - a shapeshifter just trying to survive, but they are somehow responsible for Geurren after a deal gone wrong.
Thaniel - a fun-loving angel who likes to smash things with her oversized hammer but only when smashing things is required. She joins the quest in book 2, Summon the Gods and sticks around until the end of the trilogy.

And I’m Ran, Sarn’s son from the Curse Breaker series, and I try my best to make him proud in this trilogy. Since someone messed up the timeline, it wasn’t me! I swear I had nothing to do with that.

But alas, I’m stuck on a different timeline from my beloved Papa even though I didn’t cause the timeline issue. So only you can judge if I made him proud or if he should lecture me if Rosalie actually saves the timeline. I star in the Curse Breaker series where there is no time travel.

Before we dive back into chapter 21 from Gateway to Hell, why not head over to the Rogue Gods Kickstarter and order your copy?

No matter what tier you back (excluding the no images tier), your copy of the trilogy will have all the 28 new full color images unlocked as part of the stretch rewards. Back the Kickstarter before it ends on July 12 to get them. You can also get my next book before anyone else.

And now back to Argeaneal and the Library of Forbidden Knowledge.

Rogue Gods #1: Gateway to Hell

By Melinda Kucsera

Searching For A Spell (Chapter 21) Part 2

“I need a finding spell.” Argeaneal turned, still holding the book.

“What do you need to find?” Antares asked from another aisle.

“The Book of Names. According to the thief, his cousin, the former god of history, took the book to the Mortal World.” Argeaneal hoped that didn't sound as ridiculous out loud as it did in his head.

“And you believe him?” Antares limped toward him, his red face pinched from pain.

Argeaneal dropped the book, strode over to him, and crouched in front of the tall, muscular demon. “What did you do to your leg?”

“It’s nothing.” Antares grimaced as he tried to wave that question away.

“It’s not nothing. You dislocated your knee again.” Argeaneal rested a hand on Antares' thigh right above his knee and grasped his calf with his other hand. As he summoned the remnants of his power, his hands glowed with violet light, and they warmed the blue skin under his hands. It only took a moment to ease the joint back in place and soothe the inflamed ligaments and tendons.

“Oh, that’s so much better. Thank you.” Antares staggered backward into a bookshelf and smiled as he leaned against it as the euphoria of healing faded.

Argeaneal sat on the ground, too spent from that expenditure of power to rise just yet. Since his connection to the divine broke when he fell from Heaven, it would take a while for the energy he spent to regenerate. But it was worth it to heal a friend.

“Are you all right?” Antares slid down the bookcase and sat across from him, his newly healed leg stretched out before him. Books and scrolls lay scattered about the marble floor between them.

“I will be in a little while. I just need to rest a moment.” Argeaneal tipped onto his side and lay there, missing the light of Heaven and the connection to his creator and all the angels in the heavenly host. He rested a hand on his heart where the severed bonds ached and burned worse than any hellfire.

“While you do that, will you please tell me what’s happening? Some low-level demons arrived, and they claim they’re answering your call. But we don’t need the help, and I won’t let them into the library proper for fear they’ll wreck the place.”

“Where did you put them?” There were catacombs under the library, but some stored dangerous artifacts. Perhaps that was where Antares put them. Argeaneal couldn’t care about that right now, but he would later.

“In the empty caves under the library, of course. They’re under guard too. But why did you call them?” Antares didn’t ask why he didn't consult him, but the question lingered in his dark blue eyes.

Argeaneal told him about his meeting with the dread beast and his friends. The whole thing sounded ridiculous, but he had nothing to lose by waiting and gathering forces to send through if the gateway appeared as promised. And I still need a finding spell that can reveal the Book of Names. He sat up and the bookshelves spun around him.

Clawed feet appeared in his peripheral vision, followed by a red-skinned hand with its claws carefully retracted. “Come on. You need to rest.”

“I need to find a spell first.” Argeaneal tried to wave his assistant away, but Antares caught his hand and pulled him to his feet.

***

We’ll be back with more.

In the meantime, don’t forget to back to our Kickstarter and back the Rogue Gods Trilogy. It’s fully funded, so you are guaranteed to get your copy when the campaign ends.

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