After nearly half a millennium, victory was in sight.

Kael could just make out the tell-tale signs of grey smoke staining the last remnants of the dusklit sky ahead, though he hardly needed it to know he was close. The wind was blowing in from the east, carrying smoke, yes, but also the unmistakable stench of sweat, charred flesh, and the distinct, metallic tang of blood. He couldn’t yet hear the screams of those unfortunates left to burn within the palisade that had become their pyre, but it was only a matter of time.

His sandals scuffed across the hardpan on the fringe of a great desert as he gazed toward the shifting shadows of a doomed civilization. The dry air burned his throat, and though his body had long since forgotten trivial human needs like food and water, he still wished for a waterskin to cool his tongue. He wondered if, after tonight, even such things as simple cravings would pass beyond memory. Hopefully not, for what was the purpose of immortality without the delightful temptations of flesh and wine?

What would it be like to be truly immortal? Not as he was now, a man who did not age or need fear death by any normal means, but a god-like being without peer. Could such a being stand against the very gods, those distant beings whose ancient power had once created the air of which he breathed? Kael did not know. He was undying, unaged, and untouchable by all except those weapons made by his people, but he had no magic of his own. He couldn’t bring forth budding life from the trees like the Faerrun, fly like the fabled dragons of old, or conjure great storms like the sorcerers in the far east. Kael was strong, he was swift, and he was cunning, yet he had only ever been a warrior.

Perhaps that would change tonight.

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Hello, everyone! I’m excited to write to you about something new I’m trying out. A new section on my Substack, exclusively for paid subscribers: WIPs. For those who don’t know, WIP means Work In Progress.

Starting this Sunday, July 5th, I plan to post raw, unedited versions of chapters for my upcoming novels at least once every other week and will likely leave them posted even after they are edited and published in a manuscript form (unless instructed to remove them by the publisher). If there is a major edit, I’ll be sure to post the revision.

This page will be pinned to the top of my WIP section and will contain links to every prologue, chapter, and epilogue I am working on, organized by Book Title. Come back to this section every now and then and check this article if you get lost and need a link to the next chapter!

I would love to have your support, and I’ll make you a promise: If you are a current paid subscriber and have been a paid subscriber for at least six months, I will give you a signed, free copy of whatever book I am working on, if and when it is published, as a huge thank you for supporting my work! I’ll do my best to reach out to you when the time comes, but feel free to message me if I get behind.

In the meantime, if you pay for an annual subscription, I will mail you a signed physical copy of my paperback novel, Mississippi Wizards (releasing August 11, 2026), a $20 value, free of charge, including shipping. This offer is for US residents living in the contiguous States only. However, if you live outside of this area and wish to get a signed copy, reach out to me and we can likely work something out.

If you wish to remain a free subscriber, don’t worry! All of the short stories and poems I post will remain free of charge forever. Thank you all for your support!

Sincerely,

War of the Gods - Book One

• Prologue

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