Bringer of Chaos Bundle 1

If you're fighting immortals who always get back up, you'd better have a way to do the same thing. Otherwise, it's lights out...

When you're a soldier genetically enhanced to the point of near immortality and you fight a mortal soldier resurrected with the pilfered blood of your people, friendship never enters the equation.

But what if the enemy you've despised your entire life holds the sole key to your salvation...

Read the Bringer of Chaos Bundle 1, containing the first two books in the ongoing Bringer of Chaos saga plus a bonus short story, Lights Out.

Think Enemy Mine meets Lethal Weapon on a deserted, sci-fi world.

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Forged in Fire: Bringer of Chaos

Forged in Fire

No food. No shelter. No weapons. Enemies aplenty. And the only one watching his back is his captor.

When traitors maroon the immortal king Pietas on an alien planet, there's no escape. Half a million of his followers were transported as well, asleep in their cryopods.

Pietas could create a new world, rule his people, and start completely over. Except there's no technology, no infrastructure, and every pod is set to open at the same time. Stacked atop one another in inoperable units, the pods will trap his fellow immortals in a gruesome cycle of repeated deaths, lodged within the very pods that should have offered sanctuary.

Unless Pietas can free them before that happens.

At his side is an irascible mortal who'd once been his jailer, and a fascinating woman who's the designer of their people's finest weapons—and telepathic. Just his luck, Pietas has been adopted by an entire tribe of know-it-all sentient panthers. But first, he must deal with the most dysfunctional family in the history of forever...

Tropes include: Genetic Engineering, Enemies to Friends, Tragic Past, Space Marine, Revenge

In this scene from Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire, the immortal king, Pietas, is surveying the alien world where he's been exiled. Sempervia is a beautiful planet, but it's not fully terraformed and it harbors dark secrets of its own.

Excerpt

The summit lay a good distance ahead, but they had left the forest. Scant grasses and scrubby bushes dotted the landscape.

Pietas pushed further up the mountain, where hand over hand, he climbed up among black boulders. Their pockmarked texture stung his palms but did no harm to his feet. He'd hiked half the planet barefoot. Panting from the quick exertion, he turned to take in the view.

Across plains to the east, low-scudding clouds skimmed a fringe of mist-shrouded mountains, no more than blue smudges on the horizon. Their white tips implied great height. North, the lazy river they'd followed from its source snaked its way across the savannah, a necklace of shimmering gold. The path took seconds to trace with his gaze but had taken them weeks to walk. As it wended its way further south, the confluence of its mighty waters with another river turned its gold to muddy brown.

What worried him were the sheets of gray in the northwest. A storm marched straight toward them. The heavy, pelting rain on Sempervia so saturated the air one could drown on land.

They did not dare let it catch them in the open. They needed to cross the summit and reach shelter.

He braced both hands on his knees. How galling to need a break. He'd hiked less than five hours. Was he no better than a mortal?

Before his exile, Pietas would have run--not walked--up this mountain without a single pause. When mortals and traitors among his kind imprisoned him in an unpowered life pod and left him to rot for over a year, it broke his health and shattered his stamina.

Had it not been for his friend, Six, what sanity Pietas possessed would have been as beaten and battered as dirt clods trampled in a horse paddock. Though unable to free Pietas, Six had stayed with him day and night, talking, whistling, singing songs, sharing life and light through his tales.

Long after Pietas could no longer respond.

Broken in body as he was, his will, determination, and drive survived intact, as had his undying thirst for revenge. No doubt his enemies thought to teach him a lesson. Having endured the worst they could muster, he'd learned there was no pain he could not bear, no matter how horrific.

One day, he'd return the favor and teach them.

When your hero is a narcissist… Or is he? #PietasFans #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Updated on 02/25/2024 by Kayelle Allen

One way writers allow readers to connect with a hero is to give him serious character flaws. In Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas, Pietas begins as an arrogant narcissist with a superiority complex. He is sooo above puny humans... but in this book, his immortal life could end when he winds up at the mercy of one.

Character Flaws

In this scene between the immortal Pietas and his father, the two are arguing a familiar topic: humans. To establish the main character's chief flaw, it's important to reveal it as close to the opening as possible. This conversation begins on the first page, but we join it here a few pages later. Pietas is speaking.

"You want us to treat humans as equals. They never treated us as such. Even now, we're hated and reviled. Putting them on the council will make them haughtier. I want nothing to do with humans."

"Then you want nothing to do with me, Son. Humans are all I care about."

And wasn't that the naked truth of his father's betrayal? He had turned his back on their people. He had turned his back on his son.

"You're right, Father. I want nothing to do with you. I care nothing for mortals. They all die."

"You were elected by the council and you serve at their pleasure." He jabbed a finger at the ground. "They want this treaty. Remember that."

"I never forsake duty." Pietas twitched his fingers, dismissing him. He waited until Mahikos reached the door. "Did it never occur to you?"

His father faced him. "What?"

"The council elected me to head these talks and removed you. You want to bring in humans. I do not. Perhaps the council hates humans more than you think."

A wave of aggravation emanated from Mahikos. Licks of emotional flame scorched Pietas's skin. Accustomed to the pain, he did not flinch.

"Son, surely you realize they elected you to keep you close and control you."

"To control--" Pietas broke into laughter. "Did they? How unenlightened." He shrugged. "Well, they can try. I must say, your annoyance today is a refreshing change from your usual indifference. I'd begun wondering if you had any emotions regarding my takeover. It must nettle, knowing your lowly son succeeded your rule."

"No one would consider you lowly."

Pietas lifted his chin. "Except you."

"I'm surprised you even bothered to show up, as much as you hate humans."

"It's nothing personal. I hate humans no more than a physician hates germs yet still takes time to eradicate them. Humans are dangerous."

"Humans are the reason we exist."

"Perhaps that was true in your reality. Humans have abused, misused, and betrayed their creations throughout their history. This peace everyone clamors for comes from concern about humans. I care less than nothing about them. As for their good graces? I have no faith they exist."

"You know, Pietas, one day you'll rely on the mercy of humans."

"You think humans show mercy? How amusing."

Head down, Mahikos rubbed a spot between his eyes. "I hope I'm there to see it. When you realize even humans have value, that will be a good day for all of us."

"How well you preach love." If only his father gave it half as well.

"Son, when the conference starts tomorrow, all your mother and I ask is that you try to be gracious."

"I'm certain I already am." He toyed with the circlet. "Just this morning when I knocked on your chamber door, I heard Mother say, 'Oh gracious. That must be Pietas.'"

"Why can you not be serious about this?"

"I consider these talks of utmost importance. It is you I do not take seriously."

Okay -- now tell me, aren't you irritated with Pietas right now? If I've done my job as a writer, you will be. However, as you walk in his shoes (or lack of them) through the rest of the story, you'll gain an insight into his arrogance and his hate-love-hate relationship with his father. One reviewer wrote that by the end, she loved this man (Pietas) she had been driven to hate.

Writing a character with serious flaws is like buying a diamond in the rough. You know the gem is in there. It takes time to grind and polish but eventually, you get to the good part.

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Posted in Character Insights, Fallen Empires | Tagged Bringer of Chaos, Immortal Heroes, Lights Out, Pietas, Pietas and Six, Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels, Six |

#PietasFans #Ritual My body submits to my will #SciFi Performer Nik Nitsvetov @nitsvetov Bringer of Chaos series by Kayelle Allen

Updated on 02/25/2024 by Kayelle Allen

My body submits to my will.

When it comes to matters of decisions, Pietas is an alpha. The only time in Origin of Pietas that he uses the word submit is when he's refusing to do so. Submits is only used in the ritual.

"Water submits to my presence the way enemies submit to my will."

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

It surprised me that in Ring of the Dragon, where Pietas has a romantic partner, that he is more of a switch. He has no issue not being in charge with the right person. In fact, he rather prefers not to be the lead. Who knew?

Excerpt from Ring of the Dragon

In this scene, Pietas is talking to Dark Hair, who has just finished having a bath. He'd hired the Kin female to help him find a missing hynder (horse) for Cyken. When Pietas had dried her afterward, she asked whom he'd served prior to her, and he told her it was a king. It opens with her speaking.

"The one you serve. You love him. Humans call this gay, yes?"

She'd deduced that about him, had she? Except he was not gay, straight, bisexual, or any of those other labels. He was a healthy person with a healthy sexual appetite who loved the finest of everything. If you wanted the utter truth, he was sapiosexual, attracted to intelligent people.

Like Cyken.

Biting his lips, Pietas shook his head. "Not lovers anymore."

She stroked his wet cheeks, drying his face. "Good."

He drew back. "Good? Why?"

"He not deserve you."

Pietas broke into a smile. After taking her hands, he pressed his mouth against each palm in turn. "Thank you. I needed that."

"You welcome. Is truth." She took the towel. "Your turn."

The hot water looked perfect, but he shook his head. "I can't."

"You want clean water?"

"No. I..." He shook his head.

She shifted position and sat on the floor beside him. "What you need?"

"I injured my shoulders." Thousands of years before. "They didn't heal right. Leaning on my arms is--" He turned his head. "I live with pain. Getting in and out of a tub is...."

"How often this pain?"

Constant. Unending. A river of pain he endured every moment. Pietas shared that detail with no one except Uurah, and Tiklaus, whom he could never fool. He couldn't hide it from Joss, whose unblockable telepathy laid bare every secret. Not even Cyken knew it was constant. Why should he trust Dark Hair?

"It never stops."

She brushed back his hair and kissed him on the forehead. "You wait." She stood and left the room.

Pietas struggled to his feet, but as he took a step toward the door, it opened.

Dark Hair dragged a small chair into the room and placed the two back legs into the tub. "Take off clothes. Sit."

"What are you going to do?"

"Help you bath." Still nude herself, she assisted him in undressing and then directed him to sit. Standing behind him in the tub, she wound his hair up and looped it around, making it stay in place. How, he could not fathom, but he'd give anything to have her teach his valet that trick. He'd never manage it himself. He could barely brush it.

Using the sponge, Dark Hair drizzled water over him and then scrubbed his back. "No scars, nahee. How you injure?"

He could not explain without revealing what he was. Mortals who discovered the power of healing in an immortal's blood never let them live in freedom. So the immortals looked out for mankind, protected and cared for them, but never told.

"Torture."

She hissed. "Why you not say?"

Because he'd rather suffer a thousand deaths than let his people think him weak. "I--" No half-truths. Not about this. Not with her. "Ashamed. I should have found a way out. I should have..." No, he could still not, even all these thousands of years later make himself admit he should have called out. As alien to his nature to admit weakness as it was to kindle fire using dirt.

Dark Hair climbed out of the tub, came around and cupped both wet hands around his face. She looked him straight in the eyes. "You not take shame. The ahnahori who did this. They take shame."

Ahnahori. Monster. "Thank you."

She stood straight. "Tomorrow, we not find hynder, we get different room. With shower. You do shower?"

"I love a hot shower. Feels great on my shoulders."

"Good." Dark Hair kissed him. With a knowing smile, she went back to scrubbing. "Now I see why you like female on top."

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Posted in Fallen Empires, Heart of the Immortal King, Ritual of Strength | Tagged Bringer of Chaos, Dessy, Forged in Fire, Immortal Heroes, Origin of Pietas, Pietas, Pietas and Six, Ritual of Strength, Sci Fi Fantasy, Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels, Sempervians, Six, Ultras, Watch Your Six, Writing Pietas |

#Quotes I face every foe. Ritual of Strength, Bringer of Chaos series by Kayelle Allen. Performer Nik Nitsvetov @nitsvetov #PietasFans #SciFi

Updated on 02/25/2024 by Kayelle Allen

I face every foe.

Pietas performs the Ritual of Strength before battle, whether it be a physical or emotional one. In it, as a sign of humility, he cuts his hair with a dagger. If he has a partner, they cut it. But where did the ritual originate?

Pietas and a group of his followers served as mercenaries in the Gedarin Republic, a cluster of inhabited planets on the outskirts of the Terran Crescent. On the planet Kaffir, an influential warlord hired them to assist in taking over a neighboring country. Once they had, the warlord hosted a party and invited them to enjoy themselves. The warlord's youngest son flirted with Pietas, but Pietas rebuffed him. The young man kept coming back, always polite no matter how irritated Pietas got with him. One day, Pietas asked why he didn't give up, and the young man said that his father was always cruel also, even though he professed to love him. It broke Pietas's heart, having a father similar. He began spending time with the younger man, and discovered his name was Til.

For several months, he and Til enjoyed a casual relationship, which developed into a sexual one. Til taught him how to perform the ritual, insisting Pietas was worthy of the honor. Head over heels in love, Pietas involved himself less and less in the pursuit of war.

The warlord of Northern Kaffir asked Pietas to again attack a neighboring country, but the country was poor and had little of value to offer. When Pietas refused, the warlord killed Til to spite Pietas. In a rage, Pietas gathered every member of the warlord's bloodline and forced him to watch as every last one was killed. Finally, Pietas drove a dagger through the man's heart. From that time on, Pietas carried the name Slayer of Innocents.

He performs the ritual to remind himself that war has a price, and to honor Til. However, he never speaks Til's name aloud, keeping it only to himself. Because of Til, Pietas refused to have a friendship or love relationship with any mortal, because the pain of loss was so great. He only broke that rule for himself after coming to know Six.

Tiklaus, Pietas's panther, carries a name in the language of Kaffir. Tiklaus means loyal warrior.

The Ritual of Strength series

Credits

My thanks to the performer, Nik Nitsvetov, and photographer Belyaeva Yuliya

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Posted in Fallen Empires, Ritual of Strength | Tagged Forged in Fire, Lights Out, Origin of Pietas, Pietas, Pietas and Six, Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels, Sempervians, Six, Ultras |

#Ritual I am invincible. Ritual of Strength, Bringer of Chaos series by Kayelle Allen. Performer Nik Nitsvetov @nitsvetov #PietasFans #SciFi

Updated on 02/25/2024 by Kayelle Allen

I am invincible.

In this scene from Origin of Pietas, Pietas is free of the lifepod, but his injuries have incapacitated him. He must rely completely on Six. Depending on others is not the king's forte. In his ritual, the final line is that he is invincible. Here, he is anything but.

Excerpt from Origin of Pietas

Six brought out a metal box and opened it. "Plain soap. Scrap of cloth. You'll be clean before you know it." Six lathered the soap and gently scrubbed Pietas's face.

Afterward, Pietas rested on the blanket. Six dried him and worked his uncooperative arms and legs into the clothes.

Mortifying to be so useless. He hadn't been this helpless since he was an infant.

The ordeal of movement and cold exhausted him. Pietas dozed and woke to find himself clothed, dry and warm.

"Ready for a manicure?" Six used the knife to pare the claws on Pietas's hands and feet. As he had on board the ship, Six passed the time with tales.

How many were fanciful stories and how many true? Pietas doubted he would ever know. It didn't matter. He could rest his throat and learn more about this ghost. The thought that he no longer gathered intel in order to kill him was unsettling at first. How long since he'd listened to someone without thinking how he could use the information to his advantage? Since he'd listened to enjoy a story?

This time, when Six told a bawdy story, Pietas laughed aloud.

Six grinned at him, threw back his head and laughed along.

The ghost cleaned up the area. He put the bar of soap back in its box and withdrew a metal comb. "This comb is also a magnet and it's strong, but it's not getting through that rat's nest. I can take care of it, if you don't mind a haircut with a blade."

The last haircut he'd had, at Dessy's hand, had been with a blade. Then, he'd thought he would trust no one else near his neck with a sharp weapon. For Six, he did not hesitate. "Please."

The knife sawed through his wet hair faster than Pietas's dagger. And didn't that tell a story all by itself?

"You okay for a few minutes while I grab a quick swim? Wash off some of this dirt?"

"Yes." He soaked up the sun. The reflective blanket warmed beneath him.

Six stripped. Like most soldiers, he showed no concern about baring his body. However confined he'd been on board the ship, he'd kept up with exercise. The ghost turned and waded down into the water.

Spread across Six's entire back was a tattoo of a mythical beast, teal outlined in black. Wings unfurled. Claws out. Fangs bared.

A dragon.

The sense of destiny coming full circle hit with the impact of a tornado slamming into a shack.

Pietas thought about the dragon while Six finished bathing.

At last, the ghost picked up his shirt and began drying himself. He dressed and came back up the slope. "Okay. Let's get you back to camp to rest and I'll fish. I'm ready for some solids and I think you could handle some tomorrow. Ready?"

"Ready."

Six picked him up.

"You like teal."

"What?" Six tossed wet hair out of his eyes.

"The color. Teal. Turquoise."

"Turq-- Oh! You saw my dragon. Took a lot of visits to complete that."

"Why?"

"It's the detail. They draw the outline first, and then--"

"No, why a dragon? Why teal?"

They'd reached camp, and one end of the parachute cloth had pulled loose. It flapped in the wind.

Six put Pietas down, and began refastening the cloth. "Dragons are primal. They're protectors. They represent courage. Teal because it's the color of sky and sea. It's heavenly energy. Pure. You ever get a tattoo?"

"Ultras could never keep them."

"Oh, right, forgot. Tattoos tell you about a person. Who they are, where they belong. Some, who they belong to."

Pietas smiled. "Yes. They do."

The Ritual of Strength series

Credits

My thanks to the performer, Nik Nitsvetov, and photographer Belyaeva Yuliya

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Posted in Fallen Empires, Ritual of Strength | Tagged Bringer of Chaos, Dessy, Forged in Fire, Immortal Heroes, Origin of Pietas, Pietas, Pietas and Six, Ritual of Strength, Sci Fi Fantasy, Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels, Sempervians, Six, Ultras, Watch Your Six, Writing Pietas |

Tag Archives: Six

Immortals Rule

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Origin of Pietas: Bringer of Chaos

Bringer of Chaos

Immortals Rule the Empire

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Forged in Fire

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Bringer of Chaos

Character Flaws

Bringer of Chaos

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My body submits to my will.

Excerpt from Ring of the Dragon

Bringer of Chaos