She sighed a put-upon sigh. “Someone has to do it.”
“Not before breakfast.” He strode across the room toward her and held out his hand. “Join me?”
Summer of Warrendale considered that offered hand, and because she was a very bright young woman, she knew very well that his words held double meaning. But because she was also a very brave woman, she lifted her head, her amber eyes flashed, and she placed her hand in his.
His fingers curled over hers, warm and secure.
*****
Grolsch of Tanith stood tall and strong before the crowd of black-clad men and women who now called him their leader. All around him, the leather armor of his hunters unanimously displayed a renowned and infamous symbol, one that bounties far and wide had feared, and would fear, for years to come.
If Grolsch had anything to say about it.
“You know your place and your way. You’ve been taught well,” Grolsch addressed the hunters. “You will carry this knowledge within you, and in so doing, transport it through time. In all you do, remember who you are… and who made you so.”
The tribute was short and sweet as the hunters took to their knees and bowed their heads in honor of their founder and teacher, the notorious man who was now the King of Abaddon.
*****
“Are you certain this is what you wish to do?”
Loki looked at Summer, searching her features for any sign of unhappiness. But there were none. She was content to live in the elven castle. She was even more content to live with the elven king.
But it was actually she who had asked the question, not him. So, it was he who answered it. “I am,” he said.
He’d made a decision in the wake of all that transpired. The Mage God had given of himself for the well-being of Loki and Raven as no other god ever had for his followers. He’d sacrificed himself to near extinction to become their Guardian.
Loki glanced down at the Soul Stone in his hand. It pulsed weakly and slowly, a single glowing ember at its center all that kept it from going completely out. It needed nourishment. It needed faith.
Loki lowered his hand and looked up at the building he and Summer stood in front of. It was a small temple, but one well built, constructed by elven architectural magic. Which was fitting, because it was a new temple of Magus.
There were others, of course. But not here. If Magus were ever to return to his former glory, he would need the sustenance that makes a god a god – belief.
“I’m sure,” he finally replied, turning back to the woman who had named herself Summer of Warrendale.
She smiled and nodded, just once. “Very well, then.” She glanced down at the ground, and then raised her head again and added, “May we talk for a moment?”
Loki followed her to the fallen log a few feet away and sat down beside her when she gestured to the space.
“Do you remember when Raven said that I was a source of spiritual strength?”
Loki nodded, but said nothing.
“The truth is,” she said, but then hesitated. She licked her lips and nervously clasped her hands together. “My faith in Haledon? It was all an act,” she finally admitted. She exhaled in a big whoosh and closed her eyes.
“What do you mean?” he asked softly.
“I mean,” she said, reopening her eyes and turning to face him on the log. “I never believed that Haledon was the one saving me. I know that the reason I was rescued from Abaddon was because you came for me. It was chance and good fortune that the Phylactery needed me. I wasn’t saved by a god. I know that now. I never actually thought he was answering my prayers at all, in fact.” She shook her head, throwing her hands up a little. “I mean, once upon a time, I did. When I was younger, I believed whole-heartedly that there was a wonderful god of the sun and healing and that he only had humanity’s best interests in mind.”
She grew still then, and looked at the ground again. “And then the war came. I saw so many people hurt in so many horrible ways. I watched a man cut off his daughter’s leg with an axe because she was caught in an iron spike that Abaddon’s mages had thrown at the elves in an iron spell. She would have been right in the path of more danger, and they couldn’t get her free. So he grabbed his axe and took off his little girl’s leg.”
Again, she closed her eyes. “Babies died. Mothers who hadn’t yet given birth. Children. Good men. People called out to the gods for help, but were killed anyway or left scarred and ultimately hopeless. Some killed themselves out of sheer misery.”
Now Summer took a deep breath, rolled back her shoulders, and turned a hard, focused look on Loki. “Magus did something about it. But the others?” She shook her head. “I know not if Haledon is out there somewhere watching over us all as I’d always believed. But I do know that if he is, and he heard and saw all that was happening, and he did nothing… then he doesn’t deserve my faith. He doesn’t deserve anyone’s.”
A silence stretched then. Loki absorbed Summer’s words for some time. He was speechless, in a sense, but not because he didn’t believe her. What surprised Loki about Summer’s confession was that her hand had worked in the hollow that revealed the Phylactery to Raven. It was the hollow that had called for spiritual strength. Raven had translated that into faith.
“But I do have faith,” Summer said, interrupting his thoughts with softly spoken words and an even softer smile. “I do have faith.” She smiled broadly now, that brilliant smile that Loki knew she had shared with many, many people, brightening many otherwise hopeless lives. “I have faith in myself, Loki. I have faith in people. We will always do what we must. I will always do what I must. That is my strength of spirit. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s here.” She touched her chest, placing her hand over her heart. “And it’s stronger than ever.”
*****
“You look beautiful,” he told his sister. And it was so very true.
Their entire lives, Loki had accepted that his sister was more comely than other girls, more lovely than other women. But it was a glancing sort of acceptance of something that was there, but not overwhelming.
Now, Raven Grey was Lady Raven Winter of Nisse – the Queen of Abaddon. Where there had been beauty before, there was now brilliance. The depth of her gaze, the grace of her stature, were deeper and grander. She was different all grown up.
Her dark eyes somehow, impossibly, held light. Her raven black hair glimmered with shimmering blue, and her skin positively glowed.
“Thank you,” she said. And then, as if to remind him that she was his sister, she punched him in the arm. “And that’s for not returning my invitation.”
“You want me to attend your wedding. In Nisse.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “And to a man you know I can barely tolerate – though he’s perfect for you, I admit.”
“Yes,” she said with a hard nod. “You’ve summed it up nicely. So, will you come?”
“An acolyte in Hell?”
Raven shrugged and held out her hands in exasperation. “It isn’t as if you haven’t been there before. In fact, by now, you could give tours.”
Loki took a deep breath and let it out in a long, relenting sigh. He met his sister’s gaze and smiled sheepishly. “Do I have to bring anything?”
The End.
Q and A
Note from the author:
As an author, I of course receive a lot of questions about book plots, character development, and the like. Sometimes, I find myself answering the same question for various readers, several times a day. So it occurred to me – why not share these responses with all of my readers and quench everyone’s curious thirst in one fell swoop? Sounded good to me, but how to do this?
Well Queen of Abaddon all but gave me the answer to that with its initials. Every time I saved a draft of the manuscript, I saved it under QoA. One time, however, when I was particularly exhausted, I accidentally saved the file as QandA.
And voila.
The Q and A (Question and Answer) section of Queen of Abad
don was born! Here, I will take five questions asked by my readers and answer them for you – in the public eye, for all to read and contemplate. As the questions keep pouring in, I will do the same in future publications. In the meantime, thank you so much for submitting them, and I hope you enjoy the answers!
Cheri Peton Brown asks, “How did you come up with who all the kings (in The Kings series) would be?” Well, Cheri, the truth is, it took a few drafts, and even a few books written and published in the series before I knew for certain who I wanted them to be. I wanted there to be thirteen, because thirteen is a mystical, magical number. Of course, I needed thirteen supernatural beings, and though there is a wealthy treasure trove of literally thousands of monsters and mythological creatures to choose from on this planet, the thirteen I chose needed to somehow fit into the story line and be relatable enough (sexy enough) to reach my reading audience. The selection process was harsh. So many poor bastards just didn’t have what it took to make the list. But in the end, I’m happy with the ones that did – and I know you will be too.
Kate Matson remarks, “I would love to know how you thought up the Wish Fae. To me, that is a unique power that I’ve not read of before. What was your inspiration for them?” When we’re children, we ask each other, “What would you wish for if you could wish for anything?” and of course, we most often reply, “The ability to do anything we wanted.” Or perhaps we phrase it, “Magic powers to do whatever we want.” But in essence, it’s always the same general outcome: We want the ability to make our wishes come true. So when I began dreaming of a being who would be truly powerful, and truly frightening to others who lacked that same power, the Wishers (Wish Fae) were born.
Crystal Shannon asks, “What do you do when inspiration strikes and you’re not at home? Do you carry a notebook with you, or do you have little notes on napkins and receipts hanging about?” I love this question. I simply can not imagine a writer of any caliber going anywhere at all without some means to write things down. Unfortunately, although I am usually prepared with either a mini iPad and stylus or a journal and pen, I have been known to forget on the rare occasion. And so, to answer the second half of your question – yes. There are a few scribbled-on receipts and napkins in my collection.
Jacqui Hardy remarks, “I’m useless at remembering names. So what I’d like to know is, how do you remember all your characters’ names?” The honest truth, Jacqui? Sometimes I don’t. LOL I have SO many books and series that, despite the fact that many of these characters have become like a second family to me, I forget their names from time to time. Luckily, I freely admit my sieve-like memory and take precautions to cancel it out. I write everything down. After all, I literally don’t know half the names of the people in my real life family either.
Caroline Judd comments, “You once said you receive a lot of inspiration from sessions of DnD. Can you point out any examples of game play and how it translated into a published book?” This is a fun question too. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the initials, “DnD” they come from “Dungeons and Dragons,” a role playing game created in the seventies by a man named Gary Gygax and another by the name of Dave Arneson. Anyway, imagine World of Warcraft and Minecraft and Skyrim and all of those sorts of games, but rather than on a screen, they’re in your head and you’re making it all up as you go and you’re doing so with friends while sitting at a table covered in paper and dice. That’s Dungeons and Dragons. To answer your question, Caroline, the Chosen Soul series is an excellent example of game play translated into a published work. Raven Grey was originally Raven Phelan, a sorceress character I played to 22nd level before finally having to retire her due to a lack of time to play. During her adventures, her devilish lineage was revealed, and in one particularly interesting adventure, a non-player bounty hunter character by the name of Drake of Tanith was introduced. Well, I’m an author. And I love a romantic challenge. I simply could not let this bait dangle on the end of the hook and line for long. And so the Chosen Soul series was written.
Now, if your question wasn’t chosen this time around to be answered in the Q and A section, remember that I will be adding a Q and A section to every publication until the questions run out. I have your queries, I will keep them, and as long as I can do so without revealing spoilers or things I just don’t know (like TBA release dates), I will answer them. Keep reading! XOXO
Heather Killough-Walden Reading List
The Lost Angels series:
Always Angel (eBook-only introductory novella)
Avenger's Angel
Messenger's Angel
Death's Angel
Warrior's Angel
Samael (releases August, 2015)
The October Trilogy:
Sam I Am
Secretly Sam
Suddenly Sam
Neverland Series:
Forever Neverland
Beyond Neverland
The Big Bad Wolf series:
The Heat (no longer available separately - purchase as part of the Big Bad Wolf Romance Compilation)
The Strip (no longer available separately - purchase as part the Big Bad Wolf Romance Compilation)
The Spell
The Hunt
The Big Bad Wolf Romance Compilation (all four books together, in proper chronological order)
The Kings - A Big Bad Wolf spinoff series:
The Vampire King
The Phantom King
The Warlock King
The Goblin King
The Seelie King
The Unseelie King
(future The Kings books TBA; at least 13 total)
The Chosen Soul Trilogy:
The Chosen Soul
Drake of Tanith
Queen of Abaddon
Redeemer (stand-alone)
Hell Bent (stand-alone)
Vampire, Vampire (stand-alone)
A Sinister Game (stand-alone)
The Third Kiss: Dorian's Dream
Note: The Lost Angels series (not including Always Angel) is available in print and eBook format. All other HKW books are currently eBook-only.
*Brand new series and stand-alones are in the works, so always stay tuned!
Table of Contents
Heather Killough-Walden Reading List
Queen of AbaddonBy Heather Killough-Walden
“The course of true love never did run smooth.
Queen of Abaddon
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six“Raven!”
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Epilogue
Q and A
Heather Killough-Walden Reading List
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Queen of Abaddon Page 21