Bethos responded, “Doubtful. But fine. You can tell them.”
“Well, then,” Nabu said, getting up to leave, “it looks like I have my first lesson.”
To be continued.
Afterword
Here we are—the fourth book in the Divine Protector series. This is only the second series I’ve written, but it’s already the longest. I can tell you right now the adventures of Ev Bannen and friends are far from over (they still have to graduate, after all), and I can see this going for several more books at least. Now, you might be asking yourself, “With the Flawless Few vanquished, who’s left for our heroes to fight?” Trust me, there are even more powerful villains incoming, but who or what they are will have to remain a mystery for now. For now, let’s just sit back and rejoice in the completion of the God War arc and a job (hopefully) well done by yours truly.
There were a lot of new faces introduced in this volume alongside familiar characters, and I’m proud to see this universe continue to grow and evolve as time goes on. I’m especially proud of the strong female characters I debuted in this book. Minerva, Warden Jane, Artemis and Athena all have special places in my heart. I wanted the fairer sex to be properly represented in my work, and I think I accomplished that. They got a chance to shine and be insane alongside their male counterparts. And if you read any of my previous books, you know I have a thing for psycho women (though, thankfully, that doesn’t apply to the real world). The crazier they are, the better. Here’s hoping I didn’t go too far with that.
And with this book, I decided to diversify my cast by adding more gay and nonbinary characters such as Joss and Ardhanaishvara, the latter being a real mythological character.
There were some more recognizable heavy hitters such as Thor and Hercules this time around. However, I didn’t want to use them too much as they would make things too easy for Ev. I think we’ll be seeing them again in the future, though.
I would now like to take this time to thank everyone for their kind words regarding my work. I’d probably have quit long ago if not for your continued support. From the bottom of my heart, you will always have my gratitude.
--August 2016
First Look
Aragami
As a formerly devout follower of Shintoism, Serika had never believed in the Christian notion of Hell. The whole idea of a fire and brimstone world beneath the surface of the earth was absurd.
Too bad. She would have killed for that afterlife. No, what she found upon dying was something infinitely worse: Yomi. She could still remember the welcome speech upon arriving in this world: “Welcome, you were a good Shintoist in life and now we’re going to make you a Shinigami, isn’t that great!?”
She hadn’t believed in Shinigamis, either, but that one turned out to be true. As a god of death, her job was to monitor the lives of everyone in her assigned district (hers being Oklahoma City) and escort their souls to the afterlife. The devoted Shintoists became Shinigamis, and everyone else just became regular dead souls. Turns out they were the lucky ones; being a Shinigami was the worst job you could ask for if you weren’t assigned to a Shinto-rich city like Tokyo which ended up having lots of Shinigamis. But, no, she had to have died in Oklahoma City, a large area with very few people assigned to it. That meant long days, assloads of paperwork, and death. Lots of death. And since the afterlife (this building, at least) was classical Japanese, there were no ergonomic chairs, the result being countless hours sitting on tatami mats. She hated those fucking mats. They spent every day mocking her. She’d kill (anyone, really) to be able to rip apart each and every one of them, tearing them into smaller and smaller pieces until they were microscopic and she couldn’t physically see them anymore and she wouldn’t have to deal with them ever again!
But that wasn’t the worst part, oh no. The worst part was the suffocating loneliness. Her parents were still alive, and the bulk of her relatives who had died lived in Japan and she hadn’t known them in life. They were strangers to her here.
As she walked down the hallway of the Bureau of Post-Life Relations with its hanging red lanterns and paper walls, she exchanged pleasantries with her co-workers whom she passed. She was being completely fake, though; she didn’t give a damn about any of them. She wished they’d all drop dead—except they already were. Only two people commanded her attention, and she would deal with them both in time.
She passed by a mirror and noted her appearance. Like all Shinigamis, she wore a black cloak over an equally black kimono. Her raven hair was pulled back into two long pig tails which ran down her back, and traditional geta footwear adorned her feet. Yes, the afterlife had a dress code.
She soon found the room she wanted and entered. Like most of the afterlife’s rooms, it was brown with tatami mats on the floor. Unlike the other rooms, however, there was a circular metal depression in the center of the floor.
She approached it and it lit up. “Aogami,” she said. In response, a blue light shot up and enveloped the room. Japanese characters floated about in a chaotic pattern. English was her native language, but her mother had insisted she learn Japanese. Nevertheless, her brain still had to translate for her.
The characters formed words in front of her face:
こんにちは、セリカどの。今日はどのようにお手伝いし すか。[Hello, Serika-dono. How may I assist you today?]
The Shinigami weren’t all-powerful or all-knowing. In order to monitor every mortal on Earth and track their probable lifespans, a ridiculously sophisticated computer was needed. Thus, Aogami was created.
She replied, “I need information on a specific person. His name is Martin McDonnell and he lives in Oklahoma City in America.”
[Subject located. Status: 24-years-old. Formerly married, but that is no longer the case. Currently employed at Business Scanning Systems in Edmond.]
“Good,” she said. “Based on current projections, when will he die?”
[In 42.38 years.]
That wasn’t good. She wanted him dead yesterday. “Is there any chance he’ll die sooner?”
[It is possible. He enjoys beer. Alcohol poisoning is difficult to anticipate.]
She stood there for a moment in silence, contemplating her target’s possible demise. “Would it be possible to get a Section Six exemption for him?” In other words, would it be possible to kill him ahead of schedule? She wasn’t holding her breath, though.
[Negative. Section Six exemptions only apply to the most dangerous individuals on Earth. It can only be invoked if said individual is about to commit mass destruction.]
She was disappointed, but not surprised; the Shinigamis couldn’t even get permission to kill the 9/11 hijackers before they carried out their acts. Millions of lives had to be threatened before a Section Six exemption would be authorized. If Martin McDonnell was to die, it would have to be done in blatant violation of the rules. “What would be the penalty for killing him now?”
The characters turned red and began shaking erratically. [Warning! Pre-emptive termination is strictly forbidden! Lord First will be notified of this.]
Unfortunately for Aogami, Serika had anticipated this. Unbeknownst to the AI, she had a friend (and she used the term loosely) named Hebimaru insert an elusive subroutine into its program. With only a simple phrase, she could command its compliance. “Dame da.” Don’t do that.
The characters turned back to normal.
[Compliance subroutine activated. All interactions between us will remain private.]
“Very good,” she said. “Now, then. Answer my previous question, you piece of shit.”
[The penalty for pre-emptive termination includes extended incarceration.]
She needed to avoid getting caught, then. Imprisonment would ruin everything. “OK,” she said. “If I were to attempt to kill Martin McDonnel, how long would it take for the higher-ups to get wind of it?”
[Based on pre-existing relationship, the Shinigami monitor Martin McDonnell more closely than others. Repeated attem
pts to kill him would quickly draw their attention. Estimated time for you to become a suspect, depending on the blatancy of the assassination attempts: one week.]
So, all she had to do was kill him within seven days. Doing it in person was risky; she couldn’t be seen with him. Therefore, she felt she should find someone or something to do it for her.
She already had an idea. “Show me what he’s up to right now.” He should have been at work.
The characters resolved into a 3D hologram in front of her which showed Martin at BSS. An attractive woman whom Serika knew as Betty Sodatrino walked up to him. “Break time, Martin.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Me and Marci are going to the mall after work. You wanna come?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“Great. See you then.” She flashed him two fingers in a V-sign. Serika felt flush with anger. She hadn’t realized their relationship had progressed that far.
Serika shook her head. It didn’t matter. Martin would soon be dead and Betty would have to find someone else. Right now Serika needed to focus. They had to have been talking about Quail Springs Mall which was just up the street on Memorial. “That’s enough.” The image turned back into kana and kanji characters. “Are there any disturbed—nay, psychotic—individuals near Quail Springs Mall right now?”
[Yes. Robert Simons. Age thirty-four. Schizophrenic. Currently sleeping under an overpass on May Avenue outside the mall.]
“Is he prone to violet outbursts?”
[Very.]
Serika smiled. It looked as if she would get this knocked out in one day. Martin would die and then her life (or afterlife) wouldn’t suck so much.
It was time to pay Robert Simons a visit.
Get ready for something a little different in Aragami: A Tale of the Previous Universe.
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
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Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/m78dyzd
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Amazon Canada: http://tinyurl.com/n2s539c
About the author
Scott Kinkade lives in Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a not-horrible GPA in 2006. He majored in English/Writing.
When he’s not working at his day job or hanging out with his chums or watching TV or a million other things, he can be found slaving away on these stories that sale for a pittance.
You can follow him on Twitter @SK_Author and on Facebook. He also runs a blog at www.thegamecalledrevolution.blogspot.com.
Where Gods Dare (Divine Protector Book 4) Page 19
