sovereign_of_wrath

Sovereign of Wrath Ch230: Like Mother, Like Daughter

My left hand felt too heavy to knock with, held up to the door to Verrka’s home. From inside, I could hear my daughter’s voice, her laughter, mingling with the other young adults. Even holding up my second left hand didn’t seem enough.

Had I not just promised Sey I’d do this, I’d turn around and leave Joisse to her happiness. But then I’d be condemning her to ignorance as well, the pedants would argue. And unfortunately, like was so often when I got lost in my own thoughts, ...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch229: Not Listening

“What did you just say, Marchioness?” The king raised an eyebrow.

For that reaction, I had to give him credit. The way he’d addressed me, by my noble title, he’d given me a way out, and a chance to explain myself ahead of any accusations from someone like the increasingly furious Duke Ludwig.

Unfortunately for him, I had no intent to renege on what I said.

“Berethiel is after me above all. I will fight in my demesne and with my wife.”

The king’s jaw tight...

Sovereign of Wrath Interlude: Accidental Ally

To Utraxia, Sovereign of Pride, boredom was a constant threat. To call it a companion would be to undermine the lengths she went through to ensure that her perfection was not marred by ennui.

Writing had been a passion, once, before that scarlet harlot had taken a shine to her works and utterly ruined her creative spirit. Painting, architecture, refinements upon refinements of spell formations she’d mastered millennia ago, nothing was quite so thrilling as the past f...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch228: Schism

Reactions to the high priest’s entrance ranged from incredulous to disbelieving. Having heard enough cryptic nonsense from the man who supposedly spoke with clear intent, I found myself firmly in the camp of the former.

Supposedly, this man wasn’t responsible for my suffering. He’d warned Kartania out of Ardath before this latest attack, and I’d heard he’d fought for me against the will of the Church’s other high priests.

At the same time, he seemed to always show up a...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch227: Red-Hued Mountains pt. 2

For the mortals, the time between when I revealed myself and when the panic started must have been an instant. For me, there was more than enough time to catch expressions, feel the anger borne of fear, and watch the hands that moved toward weapons.

All periphery, however, as my eyes were fixed up the table, past the stumbling count and vacillating duke, and squarely on the king. Several emotions flickered behind calculating eyes, accompanied by a warm, brief flash of anger. He hesitate...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch226: Red-Hued Mountains pt.1

When I’d gotten a compressed course on noble etiquette, I’d learned a few things about timeliness. For one, showing up perfectly on time was apparently something that no one did. Never mind the logistics of appointing a specific hour and expecting someone to meet it precisely after a days’ long trip, if someone was already on the premises, “on time” was… atypical.

It was paradoxically both stodgy and rebellious. Like a polite statement always read as sarcasm. 

Ear...

Sovereign of Wrath Interlude: Guilt & Penitence

A/N: Hi all! Just as a heads up, the next full-length SoW chapter is going to be delayed by a bit (ideally it should be out on Monday/Tuesday but that is almost certainly not going to happen) purely because of the complexity and gravitas of the upcoming scenes, which will be the next chapter and 1-2 more (expect a 2-part chapter). They're complex, with MANY characters and several plot threads weaving back together. I need a bit of time to make sure it's done right. Expect it eithe...

2025-04-06 02:54:19 +0000 UTC View Post

Sovereign of Wrath Ch225: A Door, A Bath

The room was just as opulent as I remembered. No bed without Sey could truly compare to one with her, but the four-postered and overly-pillowed expanse certainly tried. Unfortunately, before I could draw a bath and not ten seconds after Mary had left came a sharp rapping on my door.

Now, given that the hallway outside my bedroom was also part of the chambers I was staying in, the person knocking so urgently was either very high ranking or had somehow skipped ...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch224: Earned Ale

A/N: I missed a week, so here's to make up for that. In other news, I think I'm finally getting back on track from a long period of burnout. That said, I've got something this weekend that will take me away from writing. Expect a chapter Monday or Tuesday.

The walk through the old town had an entirely different air about it than Linthel at large. Guards still patrolled, but their presence felt routine, unnoticed. Some skilled gardeners had even managed ...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch223: There We Have the Salad

Once again, I found myself flying out of Astrye, sizzling snowflakes in my wake. Anxiety? Check. And… that was the prevailing emotion, really.

Half a dozen sources all warring for attention and keeping me locked in a struggle to just keep my mind where it needed to be: the sky, the ground, and the summit ahead of me. Metaphorical—though I had plenty of literal options to choose.

I’d almost like some of Envy’s minions to fight. 

Almost.

Fortunately Linthel ...

Sovereign of Wrath Interlude: Blue

“Mother, must you go?”

Duchess Arina Kapel looked down at her son, standing in the doorway with his nanny hovering just behind. She held a brave face behind the veil she’d taken to wearing. He’d seen already—of course she’d shown him. But right now, he needn’t see the conflict in her eyes. Certainty, surety—be strong, Arina.

“I must,” she replied in a well-practiced tone. Authoritative, but gentle enough to tell her son she wasn’t scolding him.

Sovereign of Wrath Ch222: Pass the Messenger

The game went longer than I’d expected, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I had a lovely time. Though I got the strangest looks after Verrka had asked me if I’d had fun. For most people, I suppose a game playing characters with magic and swords fighting demons and bandits wouldn’t be a “fun restriction” compared to their day-to-day.

Though that wasn’t the only reason, certainly not. I figured it probably wasn’t always the case, but the simple adventure we’d ima...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch221: Summoning a Demon

“You’ll be fine,” Seyari insisted.

I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. Half an hour of deliberation only to decide on no makeup, no horn adornments, and my hair left untamed down my back. “What if I’m too intimidating?”

“You’re not putting mittens on your horns.”

“They’re—”

“Horn socks.” She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek; reflection-me blushed dark crimson. “I know, I just think it sounds… strange.”...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch220: Sapling

I awoke to two unfortunate problems: one was some powerful aura entering my demesne at the southern edge, and the other was someone banging on my door. Seyari, who’d pulled herself up against me, stirred awake, and I glared at the door through a small gap between her massive wings.

She almost never slept in… she must have done everything in my brief absence. Gently, I pulled a sheet over us just enough to cover the necessary bits.

“What?” I whispered, letting...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch219: Five Durians

It just so happened that a second storm rolled in that evening. By that time, however, I’d already landed on my island and stashed a few durians in my cabin. Even though it’d been only one night, I already missed Nelys’s presence here.

But I wouldn’t be spending the night. At least I wouldn’t if I could just find the dang cave!

The dark wasn’t the problem; it was the rain. Even with my wind magic, I struggled to clear up enough of an area to search from the air. It for...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch218: Sundress

I touched down on dry, sun-warmed sand just above the tideline. I hadn’t particularly seen structures from the air, but I expected something. Behind me, my tail tip traced furrows.

Nelys must have seen me looking around, because they laughed. “Expecting a welcoming party?”

“...a little. Or maybe a structure or markings or a dock or something. You’re certain we’re at the right atoll?”

They nodded. “What would we build with up here? If we did,...

Sovereign of Wrath Interlude: Acyclical

A flash of pain. Darkness. Fire. Wrath.

Confusion.

Eyes snap open under a slate gray sky. Bleeding fingers dig furrows through ash-covered, half-frozen mud. Memories of battle war with memories of home, of expectations and… mistakes.

Lungs draw breath and sputter, choking on frigid, sulphurous air. Years of training kick in, then out. Clashing lives, spasming muscles, and a flash of flattened, de-barked trees. A desperate fight for air as face turns from sky to ch...

Scales & Shadows Hiatus Announcement

Hi all,

First of all, I want to thank you for your support for this series which has gotten so little comparative attention. You've doubtless noticed the lack of new chapters and the space between when they do come out. S&S is difficult to write for me, and unfortunately I need to take an extended (potentially permanent) break from the series.

There are also a lot of other ideas I want to write, but I just can't because I feel like I have to "catch up" with Scale...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch217: How Far

Two rooms. One shabby thing I could hardly consider a bed. Six hundred odd marks on the wall—had I really forgotten the number of days?

The salvaged parts of the shipwreck stood out against the bits I’d made with my own claws and fire. Surprisingly neither were really rotting, though the same couldn’t be said for the roof, which was letting in more than enough rain to turn the entire place into a damp mess. Thankfully, I’d not left any food inside, though something ...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch216: Port in a Storm

Elnie looked up at me with narrowed eyes, but I couldn’t read her expression. I could, however, taste the flash of anger behind them.

“A contract? With you?” She seemed to be fighting a sneer.

I dropped the transformation on just my eyes, getting far too much enjoyment from her sudden flinch. “Can you sense auras?”

Elnie’s brow furrowed, but her eyes glowed—and she gasped, the sound turning into a hiss. “Damnit.”

A commotion at the docks behind us per...

Sovereign of Wrath Interlude: Unlikely Allies

“Are you certain?” the demon in disguise asked.

“I am,” Aretan replied, pausing at the entrance to the cave. Tool markings and foot-worn stone hinted at a long history. “And were your mistress uncertain, she would not have sent you along.”

Mereneth frowned, the expression looking out of place to Aretan, almost pout-like on the young Navanaean face she wore.

The ex noble, ex soldier, ex mercenary took a deep breath and steadied himself, offering a small prayer to ...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch215: Secret Princess

In the harbor, at berth, was the Lady of Liseu. The very same ship whose captain, Torrez, had plucked Nelys from their home to sate their wanderlust. Who had taken in Seyari and given her purpose, and who had been the first person other than my wife and Nelys to truly accept me as a demon.

Though it was only for a few days, every moment of my time on the Lady was a treasured memory. Including my conflict with the Elnie, the elf on board. Even the fight where Aarsh, Seyari’s then-rival...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch214: Map & Compass

Back in Astrye, I chipped away at the mountain of work I had to do before Sey, Myrna, and Phol arrived that night. The small smiles we got when we started distributing the food were a cold reminder of what had happened. I had the trust of most of the people here, but I also had their fear. And a not-insignificant amount of anger. 

Explaining the demesne thing to Razz took some time, but she’d get word out. Eventually, we’d mark a border, although folks could probably feel it if...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch213: Demesne

Warm. I woke slowly, basking in the sensation. Rolling from my side to my front, I pushed up with my lower pair of arms and stretched out, feeling my somehow-not-sore muscles. Top arms, bottom arms, legs, tail. And I capped it off with a tongue-stretching yawn, flicking the tip before slumping back onto the bed, boobs pushed into soft sheets.

Unfortunately, despite the heaviest sleep I’d had in quite a while, the grogginess didn’t last and my demonic constitut...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch212: Merchant or Martyr

Hi all! Sorry for the delay, I spent the first half of last week almost getting seated for a jury and that plus Halloween kinda scooched my schedule. S&S later this week, and ideally the next SoW this coming weekend.

Myrna’s hands felt like ice, even through her gloves. Despite that, the road was clear under the recent snowfall, horses puffing through knee-high drifts while the carriage glided through behind them. Overhead, the early morning sun was...

Sovereign of Wrath Ch211: Suffusive Warmth

“It’s over.” It was the first thing I’d said coming out of that hug, standing on the wall. Below, in the courtyard, anxious faces watched me with looks that ranged from relief to resentment. Nelys gave me a wave and a half smile, then bounded off to join them, and Taava moved further up the rubble toward the top of the wall. Leaving me alone with my sister.

Words I wanted to say bounced around my head but couldn’t find a way out. The Church is retreating! We killed Mordwel...