But this was still not easy. I hadn’t established an afterlife in the previous books, and I had to not only come up with one, but explain why it isn’t around anymore. FYI, I’ll reveal more about Yomi’s fate in the next book.
Serika has already become one of my favorite characters. This, ultimately is a story about emotions, and I hope I successfully captured hers. I don’t want to tell you how to feel about her; monster or victim, psychopath or mother, you can make up your own mind.
As always, thank you for your patronage, and please keep reading. This crazy train is nowhere near finished.
First Look
Return of the Nine
Far to the east of Mt. Orleia and Divine Protector Academy, the Stangea mountain chain ran from the north pole to the south pole. It divided the rest of the world from Chrichton and D’neh. Dotted here and there along the length of the chain were volcanoes, and Brandon Strong was here for one.
It was a bright, sunny day as he floated down to the rim of this particular volcano. Lava bubbled hundreds of feet below him, and despite the distance, he was already building up a sweat. Better get this done quickly, he thought.
“Hello!” he shouted into the deadly chasm below him. “I know you’re here! Answer me!” Moments passed by without an answer. “I just want to talk!”
Suddenly, from deep below, a sultry voice called out, “And what would the great Ares want with me?”
“I’d rather do this in person, Pele,” he said.
In response, droplets of lava began rising up, more and more, until they coalesced into the shape of a woman. The lava then solidified into a recognizable human form. She had bronze skin and flowing black hair which came down to her hips. She wore a red robe and a wreath of yellow hibiscus flowers sat atop her head.
She rose up to Brandon’s eye level, yet maintained a healthy distance to snub him just a little while she hovered above the lava. “What do you want?” she asked testily.
He explained, “There’s been an attack. The moon’s now in the control of… somebody, we don’t know who. We’re planning a rescue mission to take it back, but we need all the help we can get.”
She gave him a bitter laugh. “Why not ask Freya to help you? You and here were always so close.”
“Freya’s already on board with this,” he replied.
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “She always was willing to follow you anywhere.”
Brandon knew exactly what she was getting at. “Look, I’m sorry about the way things turned out. I never meant to leave you for her.”
Pele’s eyebrow twitched. “Didn’t you? The Ares I knew was a passionate hell-raiser. He would have done anything for me. But once you all went and destroyed the other universe, you turned into a pussy cat. After that, you only had eyes for Freya. You saw in her the person who could redeem you. And what was I to you? Just a bad influence.”
He rolled his eyes. “You were a bad influence. Admit it—you were just as much a hell-raiser as I was. The only difference was, I could learn from my mistakes.”
She shot one fist into the sky. In response, the lava was hurled up from below, coming within inches of him before falling back down. “I couldn’t learn from my mistakes!?” she said. “What do you think I’m doing out here? After the destruction of the previous universe, I learned one. Very. Important. Lesson: Stay the hell away from all of you. I’ve been living here in peace ever since. I haven’t bothered anyone. Not one ounce of hell has been raised by me in all the years we’ve been on this planet.”
Brandon sighed. “All right, point taken. I guess you have learned a lesson. I’m sorry for judging you. But we need you. We don’t know what we’re up against, and you’re one of the most powerful gods to have ever lived. Even Zeus would have had a hard time going up against you.”
“Flattery, Ares? It’s a start, but you can do better than that.”
“Fine, then. What do you want?”
Her lips curled into a mischievous smile. “Well, if you insist, I supposed I could be persuaded to join your little troupe. But in return, I want the old Ares back for just one day. One day of wreaking havoc.”
“I can’t do that. I thought we had both learned our lessons.”
Pele wriggled her index finger. “I’m not talking about murder or anything like that. I know of an abandoned city in the Murnau Islands. Completely uninhabited. We can go wreck it. It’s been so boring being cooped up here all this time. Do this one favor for me and I’ll help you.”
Brandon sighed. “I supposed I could make that sacrifice for the greater good. But let’s not tell Bethos about this, all right?”
“As you wish. But though we’ll be on a team, I have no desire to become friends with anyone. As soon as we’re done, I’m coming right back here. After all…” She floated over to him and began stroking his chest with her finger. “All I ever wanted was you.”
Catch all the action in Return of the Nine, coming next year.
Also by Scott Kinkade
The Game Called Revolution (Infini Calendar #1)
The French Revolution was never like this. Join Jeanne de Fleur and the knights of the Ordre as they sail the skies in their airship, the Minuit Solaire, battling to save France from a conspiracy that threatens all of Europe.
Published February 25, 2012
Science Fiction/Steampunk
Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/lkzq6sr
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/pf9k6kj
Amazon Canada: http://tinyurl.com/oae8ejp
Secrets of the New World (Infini Calendar #2)
The adventure continues, this time in post-revolutionary Washington. Austrian spitfire Farahilde Johanna journeys to America and gets caught up in an otherworldly invasion. Can she save the day without igniting a war in the process?
Published February 28, 2013
Science Fiction/Steampunk
Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/pwcx5hn
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/oydesmc
Amazon Canada: http://tinyurl.com/pkkxdt7
The Revolution Beyond Time (Infini Calendar #3)
A new journey begins a century after the previous books. Nelly Flowers accompanies her parents to Wichita to compete in the Oklahoma Land Run. But when old enemies once again threaten the world, she’ll have to find the courage to fight back.
Published December 23, 2013
Science Fiction/Steampunk
Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/m78dyzd
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/n8qelj3
Amazon Canada: http://tinyurl.com/n2s539c
About the Author
Scott Kinkade lives in Oklahoma where he struggles to put words to paper. He graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a BA in Arts. His major was English/Writing. He enjoys reading, writing, TV, anime, videogames and comic books/manga. He has an unhealthy interest in history which is sure to get him in trouble one day.
He welcomes visitors to his web site:
www.scottkinkade.net.
You can also follow him on Twitter
@SK_Author,
and friend him on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/otakuscott.
Don’t forget to Subscribe to his YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/InfiniCalendar?feature=mhee
Reference
The following is a very informal list of the sources I used to research this story.
“Kamidana.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamidana
“Cleyera Japonica.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleyera_japonica
“Japanese Calligraphy.” http://www.japancalligraphy.eu/
Ono, Sokyo. Shinto the Kami Way. Tuttle Publishing. September 13, 2011.
“Shinto Wedding.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto_wedding.
“Our Japanese Wedding Ceremony.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJQMvydpzQ.
“Shinto.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto.
“Kekkon: Japanese Wedding Costumes.” https://
haikugirl.me/2013/02/24/kekkon-japanese-wedding-costumes.
“Wata boshi (綿帽子) - traditional Japanese wedding headwear.”
http://www.japan-in-photography.com/japan-in-photography-blog/wata-boshi-traditional-japanese-wedding-headwear
“Traditional Japanese Style Weddings.” http://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2015/8/17/traditional-japanese-style-weddings
“Policy and Procedure No. 535: Deceased Persons.” http://www.worcesterma.gov/wpd-policy-manual/investigations/deceased-persons.pdf
“Shinto: Funeral and Burial Customs.” http://www.econdolence.com/learn/articles/shinto-funeral-burial/
“10 Telling Symptoms of Liver Damage.” http://www.activebeat.com/your-health/10-telling-symptoms-of-liver-damage/?x-class-type=Class-B
Aragami: A Tale of the Previous Universe (Divine Protector Book 5) Page 14