Ritual of Strength Archives - Page 7 of 7

“Bring. Salt.” Six insults Pietas #ChaosIsComing #scifi #quote

Kayelle Allen 04/27/2016 Character Insights

Pietas is known for eating his enemies. It’s more tactic of intimidation than true action, but when he threatens Six with it? “Bring. Salt.” In this scene from Bringer of Chaos, Six just used a knife to assist Pietas with a ritual, and the immortal comments on the blade.

30 Days of Chaos: Day 27

To celebrate the launch of Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas I’m sharing 30 Days of Chaos. Each day during April, I’ll post one excerpt from the book, along with a poster of a quote by Pietas. On the final day, members of my Romance Lives Forever Reader Group will receive a full color book containing all the quotes and posters. Unlike my website, the book posters will have only a quote and a beautiful image. Look for another giveaway at the end of this post.

Bring. Salt.

“I want to see how you sharpen knives.”

Though it was full daylight, they were in shade, and the firelight cast flickering shadows on Six’s face. “Oh?”

“That blade is impressive.”

“Thanks.” Six folded the knife, and holstered it. “It does the job.”

“However, you disobeyed a direct order.”

He fastened the safety on the holster, securing the knife. “See, I’m not one of your soldiers.” Using a thumb, he wiped away a smear of blood from Pietas’s cheek. “Which means you can’t give me an order. Therefore, I did no such thing.”

He met the man’s unwavering gaze. “How you frustrate me, ghost.”

“To quote you, ‘Good.’ Now, what’s next?”

“The ritual is complete.”

Six gestured to his own eyes. “So that mask is part of your ritual.”

“I never wear the mask until I’ve made myself worthy. And I’m ready for war.”

“That means the day we met, you’d done the ritual.”

“Yes.”

Six cursed under his breath. “So, uh, what else do you need?”

“I’ll settle for you helping me up.”

“The great Pietas, War Leader of the Ultras, wants help from a mortal? How the mighty have fallen.”

Pietas narrowed his eyes. “Ghost, don’t make me eat you.”

“Yeah? I got two words for you, Ultra. Bring. Salt.” He stood and offered his hand. “Come on, amigo. I’ll douse the fire while you get dressed.”

Pietas gripped it, and forced himself to stand. His legs hurt, and it took a full minute for him to catch his breath. Did mortals put up with this kind of pain on a daily basis? They must be stronger than he ever imagined.

Six had the courtesy to remain silent about how badly Pietas limped, and instead, worked on putting out the campfire.

Once he’d brushed off the dirt on his legs, Pietas dressed, and then helped Six clean up. Though it was still morning, the day darkened while they were finishing. By the time they reached camp, the sun was gone.

At first, Pietas thought it might be more birds, but then he spied what had sent the birds fleeing.

Black clouds roiled. Thunder boomed. The sky went white with lightning.

In the north, the mother of all thunderstorms rolled over the horizon.

—
Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas
Immortal. Warrior. Outcasts. Traitors took everything. Except their honor.
Preorder on Amazon http://amzn.to/1R8DAbb (Out May 1, 2016)
Read now in print on CreateSpace http://bit.ly/boc-origin-csp

Support Bringer of Chaos

How? By joining my Thunderclap or Headtalker campaigns.
For Thunderclap click here: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/40531-chaos-is-coming
#ChaosIsComing Create chaos and you create opportunity. Pietas; BRINGER OF CHAOS #SciFi #Amreading http://thndr.me/kyeSr9
—
For Headtalker click here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/chaos-is-coming/
#ChaosIsComing In battle, chaos is a good thing. Especially among the enemy. BRINGER OF CHAOS #SciFi #AmReading https://hdtk.co/LeBAh
—
Review the book or host it on your blog. Sign up here http://bit.ly/1SDr9nj

Giveaway – Free Download

Download and print three PDF Bookmarks. The first features Six, the human warrior. The second is Pietas, the immortal warrior. The third is the two, back to back.
Six https://kayelleallen.com/media/boc-bookmark-six.pdf
Pietas https://kayelleallen.com/media/boc-bookmark-pietas.pdf
Pietas and Six https://kayelleallen.com/media/boc-bookmark-pietas6.pdf
Download a free adult coloring book you can print and share. Relax and color with friends. It’s fun! https://kayelleallen.com/media/pietas-coloring-book.pdf

Ritual: Pietas affirms his prowess #ChaosIsComing #scifi #quote

Kayelle Allen 04/07/2016 Character Insights

In this scene from Bringer of Chaos, Pietas performs a vital ceremony.

30 Days of Chaos: Day 7

To celebrate the launch of Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas I’m sharing 30 Days of Chaos. Each day during April, I’ll post one excerpt from the book, along with a poster of a quote by Pietas. On the final day, members of my Romance Lives Forever Reader Group will receive a full color book containing all the quotes and posters. Unlike my website, the book posters will have only a quote and a beautiful image. Look for a giveaway at the end of this post.
—

Ritual

Early on the first morning of the peace talks, Pietas entered his round bathing room. Starlight filtered through the portal overhead. Sleek silver walls reflected the cool light.

He remained at the door, content to savor its calming glow. Its beauty did not dispel the worry niggling at his mind. Not given to trusting premonitions and omens, he grounded himself with meditation. Once he centered himself and calmed his spirit, Pietas took a deep, purifying breath, and with slow deliberation, exhaled.

“Time to begin. Lights.”

The room brightened.

He shed his silk robe and let it fall at his feet. Nude, his platinum hair streaming down his back and chest, he lifted his hands, palms up as if praying.

On the planet Kaffir, warriors used this ritual to summon spirits. He used it to affirm his own superior strength and prowess.

Before a copper fire pit, he plucked one blond hair, and fed it to the fire. It singed and melted.

“As fire has victory over life, so I have victory over my enemies.”

He passed a hand through the flame, and hissed at the searing heat, relishing the pain. He cupped his hand over the flame’s source, and held it until the fire went out. The burns on his palm cooled, and as he watched, the skin healed. Of all the elements, fire alone had power to linger on an Ultra’s skin. He welcomed it as a symbol of victory.

“I am powerful, as fire is powerful.”

Pietas thrust both hands forward, clutched his fists, and yanked them back.

“I own the wind. I prevail over the breath of my enemies.”

In the bathing area, he took six steps down into a waist-deep pool.

“Water submits to my presence the way enemies submit to my will.”

He cupped water in his hands, lifted it, and let it pour down his arms.

“The blood of my enemies trickles into the pool of time, is absorbed, and forgotten.”

He pushed wet fingers through his hair, and released it.

“My mind is clear. I do not waver.”

He submersed, and rose, head thrown back, face lifted to the sparkle of stars above.

“My body submits to my will. No pain defeats me. No fear touches me.”

He swept his hands down his chest to his loins, and the tops of his thighs.

“My will is absolute.”

A scratching sound alerted him to the presence of his silver-skinned android servant. The creature entered, and Pietas fixed him with a hard glare. “Why did you interrupt me?”

“Your guest is here, my lord, in the living area.” He offered Pietas a towel.

“Leave it.” He waved the android away.

After exiting the pool, Pietas brushed off the water and wrung out his hair. He pulled out a tray holding half a dozen clasps. He chose a silver dragon studded with six turquoise stones, twisted his wet hair, and fastened it up, out of the way.

He dried his face, gathered a brush, and picked up a pot of black face paint. Leaning in close to a freestanding mirror, he outlined a bandit’s mask from beneath his eyes to over his dark eyebrows, and filled it with black.

He’d worn the mask in battle ever since defeating the First Division, a human special-ops group formed to fight Ultras. It came about because Pietas had slain an enemy, and blood splashed across his eyes. Thinking the blood belonged to Pietas, the Ultra troops had rallied to him and slaughtered the humans. The blood dried almost black.

Stories of how their “bandit king” had conquered the First Division filled the night. The name stuck. To his troops, he was First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras.

Pietas turned his head side to side, surveying the effect.

His body would reject foreign matter on his skin. The Ultra metabolism protected from every perceived attack, even harmless face paint. He closed his eyes and sprayed sealant over the mask to delay its disappearance by a few hours.

Satisfied with his looks, Pietas pulled on a pair of loose white lounging pants. With a deep, cleansing breath, he opened the door. Damp, shirtless, barefoot, he padded into the adjacent room.
—
Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas
Immortal. Warrior. Outcasts. Traitors took everything. Except their honor.
Preorder on Amazon http://amzn.to/1R8DAbb (Out May 1, 2016)
Read now in print on CreateSpace http://bit.ly/boc-origin-csp
Image credit: Pietas drawing by Jamin Allen, Nimajination Studios

Giveaway – Free Download

Download and print three PDF Bookmarks. The first features Six, the human warrior. The second is Pietas, the immortal warrior. The third is the two, back to back.
Six https://kayelleallen.com/media/boc-bookmark-six.pdf
Pietas https://kayelleallen.com/media/boc-bookmark-pietas.pdf
Pietas and Six https://kayelleallen.com/media/boc-bookmark-pietas6.pdf
Download a free adult coloring book you can print and share. Relax and color with friends. It’s fun! https://kayelleallen.com/media/pietas-coloring-book.pdf

A dragon who calls up storms #scifi #dragons #fanart

Kayelle Allen 12/03/2015 Character Insights

My character Pietas has always been the villain, but I had it in my head to write his origin story. I knew he was well aquainted with storms, personal, psychic, physical, and spiritual. So when I wanted to create a dragon for him to have as a spirit animal, I knew the dragon would have something to do with storms as well. You’ll be seeing more about Bringer of Chaos as I continue to work on the book.

storms Stormsinger with Pietas — Stormsinger with Pietas

It turns out, his dragon can summon storms by singing to the wind and sky, and although his color is a very cold blue and turquoise, Stormsinger is a firedrake. Pietas’s sister, Dessy, has a dragon spirit animal as well. Hers is a red ice dragon called Fireshade. Does it do me any good to complain to these characters that their creatures are completely opposite of what’s expected? Talk to the floor and see how far you get.

Pietas and the dragon met on the planet Stachien in the Colonies of Man. I haven’t written that part of the story yet, so I don’t have details, but it’s coming. I thought you’d like to see a preview of a drawing of Pietas with his dragon. Clicking the picture below will open the image full size, which is 1920×1200, full wallpaper size for a desktop computer. Art is by Jamin Allen, my son, although I have done extensive work on both the dragon and Pietas.

Stormsinger with Pietas storms — Stormsinger with Pietas

Watch Jamin create the Pietas image in this speed-drawing video. You’ll also get a peek at the real life model he used as the inspiration for the drawing.