Sneak Peak at Godless!

It’s exciting to be so close to releasing book 2. Below are the first couple of chapters and I hope you dig em.

You can pre-order here and that helps a TON. If you have questions, want to hear more about this book or the publishing process or whatever just hit me up in a comment or DM. Thanks for reading...heart emoji.

Here’s the book:

CHAPTER 1 - AXIS-

At the place where your vertebrae meet, between the Axis and Atlas (C1 and C2), when someone skilled takes hold of the jaw and shoulder and twists, there’s a crack. It's so subtle, you couldn't hear it in the quiet of a room. Less intrusive than a whisper. Soft as the dripping of water from a faulty faucet in a distant bath. But that sound, that almost imperceptible snap, is important. Because it's the last thing Lord Bantham would hear as the life drained, sudden and simple, from his eyes.

Addeleigh smirked, looked down at the journal entry she’d been writing and then crumbled it, tossing the paper into a pile near the disposal bin. Her smile faded slightly as she looked around the sparse room carved into the mountain she now called home. Her eyes fell to her flightless mute-cat, Bruce, resting on her bed and looking inquisitively back at Addie.

“Okay, it's not much of a plan, without all the details and stuff but that ending, the cracked neck of Bantham? Come on.” 

Bruce yawned and stretched out his paws before circling twice on the blankets and falling asleep once more. 

Addie was only two weeks into her new training and the general weight of what she was trying to accomplish lay heavy on her shoulders. 

Less than a month ago, she was employed by the church. She attended classes and had the sort of friends she had always assumed she would have in the later stages of youth. The only mark on an otherwise decent existence was the knowledge that she couldn’t keep up with those friends. She had believed completely that she was just human. Boring, un-modified, weak. But now, a few terrifying weeks later, she had learned that she was perhaps less human than machine, that she had blank spots in her memories and was intended as some strange experiment by Bantham, the most powerful man in their world and leader of The Holy Order. And now, she was supposed to use whatever machinations they’d baked into her, modifications unlike any other that she couldn’t even control yet, to...what? To lead a revolution? To start a war? To kill the most powerful people in the world?

She laid down next to Bruce and sighed, petting lightly between the animal’s wings, enjoying the vibration of his purring. Every part of her ached from the intensive training under Persephone. Her teacher was harsh, frightening even. But she had a reputation as the best. Tonight, Addie’s shoulders bore the worst of it. Perhaps from stress, perhaps from the impact of the training sticks.

There was a knock at her metal door and she sat up, anxiously expecting her instructor as though summoned from her begrudging thoughts about the woman.

“Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Zel and Shane, followed closely by Kel and Cam. A reluctant Jesse was bringing up the rear.

“Hey! It’s way past Kel’s bedtime isn’t it?” Addie remarked, ushering the group inside.

Zel pulled out a small misshapen cake covered in chocolate icing and some poorly written lettering spelling out “Happy Birthd Addi”. 

“Happy birthday, kid.” Kel said smiling.

“I wrote the letters but there wasn’t much room,” Jesse said apologetically.

Cam pulled out several small incendiary spikes with a flourish and placed them among the misshapen letters on the cake.

“This is my favorite part!” Cam said stepping back and smiling.

“I…” Addie smiled, stumbling a bit on her words as she took it all in. “Thank you! I’d kinda forgotten. How did you even..?”

Shane slapped Cam on the back. “This guy has too much access to government records and spends too little time doing the daily chores. He gave us a heads up a week or so ago.” Shane smiled. “Which is either sweet or creepy, depending on your perspective.”

“Light ‘em up!” Cam shouted, moving behind Zel as a shield.

“I don’t think I’ve had candles like this before.” Addie looked apprehensively at the explosives sticking out of the chocolate icing. ”Aren’t these lock pickers? Like what you use to blow up door locks?”

“YEAH! See, Jess? She has seen ‘em!” Cam lit up as he spoke. “The fuse is tough to blow out, gotta get all three before they pop and blow up your cake. It’s for good luck!” Cam explained. He spoke in a perpetually excited, proud sort of way that always made Addeleigh smile.

Zel pulled out a small lighter and raised her eyebrows at Addie. “You ready?”

Addie nodded and watched Zel light all three explosives in one motion of her hand. The small group chanted as Addie tried to blow out the fuses.

“Another year passes

You’re getting so old

Please put out this cake

Before it explodes”

Every repetition of the verse got faster and less coherent as Addie blew harder and harder on the fuses. She got one out and moved to the next.

“Another year passes!” 

Her lips were numb and she felt as though she was practically spitting on the cake.

“You’re getting so old!”

A soft flicker and the next was out. 

Two down, she focused on the third exploding “candle” and frantically glanced at the group singing faster and watching her go.

“Please put out this--!”

Bang! Addie was covered in chocolate and smelled of gunpowder.

“YES!” Cam jumped up and down and danced around the room as Kel handed Addie a towel.

“Ya did good. My first cake, I didn’t even get one out.” 

Shane brought out a second cake from his backpack and cut it into slices. He handed small pieces out to the group.

Bruce was entirely unimpressed with the noise and had moved from his bundle of blankets to a dark spot beneath the desk in the corner. He was licking tentatively at some icing that had landed near his left paw.

They spent the remainder of the evening catching up and enjoying mountain ale, rich chocolate cake, and small gossip from around the compound. Cam was flirting with a girl in his marksman class and thought it was going well. Zel had heard someone talking about a satellite group that was living in Aberthene and relaying news back to the mountain on some weird project in the Church. Jesse complained that the cafeteria food wasn’t any good and everyone agreed. 

Through all of it, Kel was quiet and ate his cake in peace. It was a contented silence. A passive, noiseless appreciation of the moment. He hung behind after the others stumbled away to their own rooms in a contentedly drunken state.

“How ya feeling, now that you're an old woman?” he asked.

Addie smiled. “My spine is killing me, and the price of butter is too high. These damned kids and their late night parties keeping me up at all hours. It’s absolute purgatory, Kel.” Addie made a jokingly pained gesture holding at the small of her back.

“Don’t worry, kid,” Kel said, “It gets much worse.” He smiled at her and reached into his jacket to pull out a small, neatly wrapped package.

“What’s this? You shouldn’t have, Kel,” Addie protested but was quieted by Kel’s raised hand and a smile.

“It’s no trouble, kid. Open it.”

She pulled at the ribbon and tore away the paper beneath revealing a box of the type you got at fancy department stores in the upper districts. Inside was the most perfect dress. It was an emerald green material of a richness she’d never even seen, much less touched with her own hands. The sleeves were a sheer lace with small jewels accenting the pattern. The layers of green cloth draped around in soft folds with a tapered base that was the fashion in the upper levels. It was the most elegant article of clothing she had ever owned.

Addie looked at Kel, and her eyes filled with tears as she hunted for the right words of gratitude.

“Don’t go tearing up on me, kid. It’s a damn dress,” Kel said as she hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Kel. How’d you even get this all the way out here?”

“I know a guy who knows a guy and that guy knows a girl with better taste than me. Pulled in a favor and had it brought out. There’s more.” He pulled out another box and handed it to Addie. “This is from everyone. Designed by Zel, but the gang chipped in to have it tailored out here.”

Inside the second box was a dark black jacket. So dark it was as though no light was reflected from it at all. It was as though the material itself was made of night sky. The outside was startlingly plain in contrast to the dress but inside it was lined with a fine quilted cloth and so many different compartments that Kel couldn’t quite remember where they all were hidden.

“There’s a spot in there for two kinds of money. The kind you carry on the road and the kind that you need to keep from being found. Some pockets are easily accessed and others are hidden in some ways I didn’t fully understand. You’ll have to ask Zel about it. I know this one,” Kel motioned to a larger inner pocket, “is for ol’ Bruce there.”

Addie put on the coat and spun around briefly smiling. It was perfect. Bruce stirred a bit from his sleep and Addie beckoned him into the larger pocket.

“Kel, it’s perfect. Thank you so much!” Addie was beside herself. They didn’t celebrate birthdays with any sort of fanfare at the church. It was hardly acknowledged, as the practice might distract from single minded focus on God...or something like that. A few hours ago she’d forgotten her birthday completely, and now she was wearing one of the most thoughtful gifts anyone had given her.

“The other’s would have stuck around but they said something about it being weird to watch people open gifts.”

Kel and Addie sat for a small comfortable silence as Bruce explored the other pockets he couldn’t fit in and some that he discovered he could.

“How’s training going?” Kel asked.

“It’s been great,” Addie lied. 

In truth, the training had been miserable. She hadn’t once been able to reach the God State that allowed full control of her augmentation. In fact, she felt even worse than she had when she believed herself to be a no-mod. Now she was limited only by herself. She had all the requisite tools and was still failing.

“Well, good. I’m glad to hear it. I heard Persephone was tough, but I know you’re tougher.” He punched her lightly in the arm as he stood up. Kel still struggled with expressions of affection and his discomfort was amusing. “I’ll let ya rest, kid. Happy birthday.” 

Addie hugged Kel tightly and watched him leave. She ran her hands down the lapels of her new jacket smiling at the contours and feeling the material before hanging it on the rack near the doorway. She went to lie on the bed near Bruce and looked at the ceiling, smiling and content. It was a happy birthday. And for the briefest moment, the weight of her responsibility, of leading a rebellion of young children against the vastness of the church-state, was lifted. For a moment, Addie was an eighteen year old girl, with amazing friends and all of the resplendent joy that comes in knowing you are loved.

Chapter 2

The training hall was magnificent and reflected how deeply valued combat was to the people living in the mountain fortress. It sat one hundred meters up, carved deep into the rock face, and provided a grand view of the desert landscape beyond as the students went about their routines. Unlike much of the mountain city, the ceilings were artfully carved away in decorative patterns rather than left as plain, rustic stone. The floor was painted in muted colors and was only worn away in the very center of the room, where they held weekly tournaments to see who performed best across a wide range of skills.

Today, the girl that taught knife work was facing off against three boys. She was perhaps fourteen years old and her hands moved with the deft speed of someone who left the womb bearing a blade. They called her Edge, and Addie deeply admired the girl’s talent. 

Most grit their teeth and contort their faces when they fight. The concentration necessary for combat manifests in the way that pain would. But Edge made it look fun. Her smile was easy and her movement more akin to dance than brutish exchangings of blows. Watching her fend off several of the boys at once was exhilarating. Addie stared as the young instructor ducked below one of the wooden training blades and moved her leg almost imperceptibly closer to a boy’s left foot causing him to stumble as he shifted his balance. He toppled into a larger kid that had his staff raised above his head and their bodies tangled beneath the girl as she turned on her heel towards the largest kid, who was swinging an axe with menacing speed while running towards her. She ducked an arc that, even with training weaponry, would have seriously damaged her small frame. She moved with an almost disinterested bending of her waist and used a small rope, worn like a belt, to lash out around the assailant’s feet and sweep him to the floor. Three attackers were on the ground in less time than it would take to say their names aloud.

Edge helped each of the boys up and offered kind words of guidance about their performance. 

“Center yourself before you swing, Taft. If you aren’t in control, you can’t hit your target.” She turned. “And Branton, you had your eyes closed again while you were swinging. We’ve talked about that.”

Addie admired the way the girl spoke to and treated her students; she was jealous of the kindness. Past the instructor and the three boys, Addie moved towards the small section of the facility that was run by Persephone.

It was decided that she should be trained in private so as to encourage complete focus. The dojo was closed off from the rest of the training hall and was bereft of the sunlight and the inspiring view that the others enjoyed in the main atrium. 

The room was a circle and the only light came from a dozen candles surrounding the outer edges, providing an ominous flicker to the sessions. 

Each morning started with a circuit of bodyweight exercises. Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, and planks. Addie would then squat and hold the stance throughout a recitation of the warrior’s code. The code was roughly one hour long when read aloud. The first time Addie had attempted to hold herself static for the duration, she collapsed halfway through, which resulted in a repetition of the entire circuit for the remainder of their day. She had gone home sore and angry, but  admittedly, much stronger.

Persephone was pacing in the center of the room when Addeleigh arrived.

“It is four minutes past the hour. Is there something more important than my training?” Persephone was calm as she spoke the words without turning to look at Addie.

“No. I hadn’t realized the time…”

“Two weeks, Addeleigh,” Persephone interrupted. “Two weeks and not once have you activated the God-State. My previous students were able to do it in only a few days.” She turned to face Addie directly, “Had I not already trained these others, I might be able to believe your failure was a reflection of my teaching, but,” she glared into Addie, “no. The failure is yours.” She motioned to the wooden training stick in the center of the room, “Grab the staff.” 

Addie moved quickly to pick it up, suddenly self-conscious.

“Hit me,” Persephone said, staring through Addie. Her eyes were an icy cold blue.

“You don’t have a…”

The instructor moved closer and whispered, “I asked you to strike me with the staff, Addeleigh. Surely this is within the grasp of your meager faculties. Or is it that you can neither arrive on time nor be bothered to swing your training staff?”

Addie swung hard in an upward motion toward Persephone’s gut. Her eyes closed, anticipating the impact, but the staff continued through the air, connecting with nothing as her teacher moved sideways and hit at the back of Addie’s legs hard, sending her to the ground.

“Up, Miss Simmons.” Persephone was speaking quickly, “Hit me.”

Addie moved from her knees, swiping wildly out with the staff. 

Her teacher casually moved away, hands behind her back.

“I’ve seen eight year old children swing harder than that. You lack strength and commitment.” Something was different. Persephone was always difficult, but today she was cruel.Tilted.

Addie struck out again, attempting to make use of the forms that she had been practicing in her rare moments of free time. Her right foot planted firmly in the soft dirt and the dust kicked up, briefly illuminated as dramatic motes of particulate in the candlelight. She swept her left foot in a soft arc behind her and used the momentum to push the staff at the midsection of Persephone. The world was in clear focus and she felt the power behind the swing radiate through the muscles in her back. 

It appeared as though the rod would connect, but Addie watched as her teacher lightly jumped, the toe of her foot pushing the rod into the ground, and in a half second, Persephone’s foot kicked the side of Addie’s face hard, sending her into the dirt. Through blurred vision, Addie could see her teacher walk away with her hands still clasped together behind her back. 

“Again.” Persephone didn’t turn around.

Addie started to get up but lost her balance in the now spinning room and collapsed back to the dirt. Her breathing was heavy.

“I…” Addie touched lightly at her ribs. At least one was broken and she struggled to breathe “I can’t.”

Her teacher turned and walked closer, kneeling next to Addeleigh.

“I know.” Persephone’s words were a blade through thick air.

There was an icy stillness and Addie looked confusedly into the eyes of Persephone.

“Come back to me when you are committed and ready to be taught.” Persephone walked out the door and left Addie alone in the candlelight.

THANKS FOR READING. I PROBABLY LOVE YOU

Pre-Order: AMAZON