Will you fight the skeletal army?
Hey, I’m back with more of Chaos Rises!
In that book, Sovvan must wrangle ex-goddesses, scheming angels, and even her own regrets as she discovers what it truly means to have power over life and death and what she’s willing to risk for those she loves.
Plus, there are footnotes, a flying skeleton army, angels, dragons and phoenixes because Fay, the ex-goddess of Fate, and her family of bored demigods dive into the fight. They can’t sit on the sidelines when the apocalypse is the most interesting thing to happen since they went to Hell in the His Angelic Keeper series.
Chaos Rises
By Melinda Kucsera
Chapter 2, Part 2
Misriah sighed. “You know I can’t. It’s against the rules.”
But it wasn’t against the rules to carry the guards who were trying to help Sarn from the crumbling cliff to safety when that tentacular creature tried to skewer them. I didn’t even ask her to help. She just grabbed people and carried them to safety by her own choice. Were the rules more like guidelines? J.C. was there too and the spirit of the prince of Hell, a guy called the Adversary. So maybe that changed things? All this supposing made her head spin.
“I don’t like the rules.” Sovvan folded her arms and dug her heels into the thin mattress her brother and nephew slept on.
“You don’t have to like them, but we both need to follow them.” Misriah folded her arms too and leaned against the wall next to a door. Someone had inscribed symbols near the lock and the knob.
“Speak for yourself. I’m not his guardian angel. I can save him if he needs saving.” Sovvan glanced at Ran when he murmured something. But his eyes stayed closed, so hopefully he was still asleep and not listening to their conversation.
Sarn was a powerful mage, so in theory, he could save himself most of the time. But Misriah had stopped her from helping him in the past. Would she do that in the future too?
Perhaps now wasn’t a good time to talk about that since Sarn’s son slept a few inches away and so did their younger brother. I don’t want Miren to worry, and he might if he overhears this because he won’t hear Misriah’s side of the conversation unless she allows it. And the prickly warrior angel who was wearing full armor like it was a second skin probably wouldn’t allow it. She probably only appeared to Sovvan.
“Relax, he’s not in any danger right now. He’s relighting lumir crystals.” Misriah didn’t say she grew bored watching him do that, but her tone implied it.
Why did she leave him? She didn’t come to talk about this. That was for sure. What did she want? Sovvan studied her, but she couldn’t think of a reason. Boredom wasn’t enough to make Misriah leave her post. “Why did you leave my brother alone?”
“He’s not alone. There are other angels watching over him and the Marksman is around. I guess he’s your marksman since you’re the new Angel of Death.” Misriah shrugged, but this wasn’t like her. She took her responsibility as Sarn’s guardian angel so seriously, it bordered on obsession.
“Where is the Marksman? I need to give him a piece of my mind. Did you know he tricked me? That’s how I got this.” Sovvan lifted the hem of her ball gown and waved it around since becoming the Angel of Death lengthened and widened her angel robes. That was the only outward sign of her new job so far. Thankfully, the hem was so wide, the dress still covered her from her collarbones to her toes despite that.
“What are you going to do now? You can’t hide from your new title. When you took on the mantle of the previous Angel of Death, you took on her responsibilities too.” Misriah pushed off the wall and paced the room. Someone pushed all the furniture to one side to fit the mattress Miren and Ran slept on.
“I know. I just need some time.” Sovvan fiddled with the gold hem of her too large white dress. It fit her as poorly as her new title, but she was stuck with both for now, unless she could give the mantle of the Angel of Death to someone else.
“What about the Riders of the Apocalypse?” Misriah went down on one knee into a low lunge kind of position, putting her at eye level, but she kept her hands on her sword belt like she might need to manifest her blade at any moment. Was she afraid the riders would come here?
Fear clasped cold hands around her heart, and Sovvan reached for Misriah. Her hand landed on the warrior angel’s thigh, and she squeezed the flexible armor there. “Will they come here?”
“They might, and I’m not saying that to make you fear for your family. One rider is the former Angel of Death, and we have to assume she’s come to Mount Eredren to claim the souls of the dead before. On one of those trips, she could have seen your brother.” Misriah rested her hand on Sovvan’s hand and squeezed it.
“Would you protect him if she came for him?” Sovvan searched the warrior angel’s glowing violet eyes and found steely determination there.
“You know I will. The riders are unnatural and not of this world, and that makes them fair game.” Misriah slid out of her grasp and as she rose, her sword appeared, sheathed at her hip. She rested her hand on the hilt. Maybe she looked forward to such a fight.
New plan. If I run into any Riders of the Apocalypse, I’ll throw Misriah at them. If she can’t take them down, then I never will. Sovvan felt better knowing she could count on Misriah for muscle. I hope it doesn’t come to that. The council of angels should choose a warrior like Misriah to round up the Wraths and the riders, not an untrained angel like me. Sovvan hugged herself.
“Speaking of the riders, they’re out there doing the Creator knows what while we’re here, in a flat under Mount Eredren. How long will you sit here ignoring them and hoping someone else will handle them?” Misriah sent her sword away as she turned to face her.
“I’m not ignoring them. I need time to think, and I promised my twin I’d be here when he returns.” Hopefully, that would buy her enough time for the council of angels to order someone else to round them up. Sovvan didn’t say that aloud as she gathered Ran into her arms again and laid down.
She was pretty sure Misriah knew that, and she scowled because she didn’t like it. But Misriah was a woman of action. What kind of woman am I? Sovvan didn’t know, but that felt like a question she should answer, and soon. But not right now. She held Ran close, and he snuggled into her.
Misriah paced around for a while and then she vanished. Hopefully, she went back to Sarn to watch over him like a proper guardian angel should. But Sovvan didn’t check. I’ll be here when you return from work, bro. Just do me a favor and stay out of trouble. I’ll keep Ran and Miren safe. Sovvan watched the sun rise through the slit window as her brother and her nephew slept on.
***
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Thank you for being part of this!
—Melinda
Happening Now
