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Hell Hath No Fury Part 1: Ripples “Only fools and idealists believe that no one has anything to complain about.” -Emperor Justinus ïst Lucinti de Vincentius, 854 Imperial Year Chapter 1: A Flimsy Grip The sound of beautiful violin music suddenly died. A moment later, the elegant instrument was dashed to pieces on the amphitheater’s stage, producing the decidedly less beautiful sounds of cracking wood and popping strings. “Oh no,” Özcan said, barely even trying to keep it under his breath, “here it comes.” Right on que, the sound of tortured screaming followed the sound of tortured wood. “You dare fall asleep at my concert,” shrieked Emperor Lucius ïst Havice de Vincentius. He stood in the middle of the stage, black locks, black doublet, black cape, and black ostrich feather in his gold cap all shaking with rage. Just because he's slender and pretty like a woman doesn’t mean he has to be shrill like one, Özcan thought, disgusted at the emperor’s effeminate outrage. If you must throw a hissy fit, at least have the balls to bellow like a man. Özcan leaned forward and looked down the row of prim and proper lords and ladies, craning to see around the backs of finely manicured heads. “Oh no,” he moaned, this time loud enough for even his neighbors to hear. General Demir Claixtus’s eyes fluttered open as he straightened in his chair, uncrossed his thick arms from his chest. His broad, lined face blinked about like he’d forgotten where he was. If the great general had been sitting in the back, his mid performance nap likely would have gone unnoticed. Unfortunately for everyone in the concert hall, he was the guest of honor for tonight’s show; and thus, was seated in the very front. Right where Emperor Lucius could see him. “Bloody disgrace,” Özcan breathed again but no one was listening. They were too busy pretending not to listen to their Emperor tirade. “I put on this grand event,” Lucius was still yelling for some reason. “Wine, food, and music all paid for by the Imperial treasury.” “He paid himself to perform at a concert he paid for?” This time Özcan didn’t bother whispering. A neighboring wife of some bureaucrat tittered at his joke. The elder bureaucrat did not. Lucius ranted on, shrill as his once intact instrument. “And this is how you repay your Emperor? By falling asleep?” For General Demir’s part, the man seemed totally unperturbed. His heavy-lidded eyes blinked once. He reached one scarred hand up and gently ran it over his stubbly salt and pepper hair. Özcan watched his steady blue eyes evenly stare back at the red-faced Emperor. Ater a moment, he gently slid from his seat and down onto one knee. “I apologize, your highness,” he said in a voice that seemed too booming for his short stature. “Since returning from campaign I haven’t much time to rest, and I cannot shrug off sleeplessness as I could in my youth. Forgive me. Your playing was excellent, and I would love to hear more.” The calm, civil response starkly contrasted Lucius’s childish rage, and when placed side by side, the emperor’s terrible temper seemed even more terrible. However, Özcan couldn’t help but notice that despite the general’s calm acquiescence, his son Vadim Claixtus, appeared to be growing quite indignant. “I refuse,” Lucius said. The black ostrich feather dipped back as he turned up his nose. “True art must be appreciated the first time. If you cannot do so, then you do not deserve it.” “Very well,” Demir grunted as he rose to standing. “The hour is late, and you deserve to perform for an audience who can truly appreciate your talent. So, I will retire for the evening.” Lucius’s face went beet red. “Wrong answer,” Özcan winced, bringing his nails to his lips. “You cannot be serious,” Lucius snapped out. The poor General paused, looking as confused as a dog with four tails. “My lord?” “You are supposed to beg for more! I was willing to play again but not if you didn’t genuinely push for it.” “Oh, uh, right, well would you please play more, your grace? Please.” “Well, I’m not going to do it now!” Lucius screeched. Özcan thanked the gods that there was no glass around lest it be shattered by sheer decibels. “You had your chance to grovel. It has passed. Now out! You have wasted enough of my time already!” While the general sighed with evident relief, that last comment was apparently a bridge too far for the younger Claixtus. Though he looked nothing like his father, the gangly youth he sprung from his chair, finger pointed at the emperor in the best impression of his father ordering a charge. “You dare insult my father?” He whined, voice not that much deeper than the Emperor’s. “At his own celebration?” With the first sense of urgency he’d shown all evening, the general turned and scolded his son, “Quiet boy.” But the damage had been done. Emperor Lucius had been presented with the fuel he needed to keep the fires of another famous tantrum roaring hot. “What did you say to your Emperor, you little pissant?” “Please your highness, forgive my son,” Demir held a hand up, “he has forgotten himself. It was his first campaign we most recently returned from, and he seems to have taken it harder than most.” Lucius wasn’t listening. He spun on his heel and walked backstage. A moment later, he returned. Oh, dear me, now what is he doing with that? Holding it by the scabbard, Lucius brandished Worldrender like a torch against the dark. He made sure everyone present saw the gold hilt, jeweled cross piece, and the deadly splendor of the strongest Hexerax in the entire Empire. A Hexerax now in the hands of an unreasonably irritated man child. Based on a thumping of floorboard from behind him, Özcan was sure someone had fainted. He felt his ass clench in its seat with the rest of the room/ All except General Claixtus it seemed. While his prickly son took a weary step back, Demir simply stood at the base of the stage, heavy eyes looking up somewhat unimpressed at the emperor’s threatening display. He was not a tall man, shorter than most women. But the set of his thick legs and broad shoulder conveyed a sturdiness that wouldn’t be easily shaken. It appeared Lucius, however, was ready to give his best effort. He took another step towards the pair. “Speak another word contrary to mine and I’ll have your tongue, boy,” Lucius hissed. “No, you won’t.” Demir replied. Not with any defiance or challenge. Just a statement. Like the Emperor had said the sky was red and Demir had politely but firmly corrected him. It wasn’t received well. He snarled at Demir. “You presume to command your Emperor?” “Of course not,” the general replied nonchalantly, bowing. “I merely stated that you will not draw that Hexerax. I am truly sorry for my uncouth behavior tonight. Your highness’s prowess with bow and string are truly as masterful they say. I will be happy to reimburse the treasury out of pocket if I have wasted any imperial Arens on this lovely evening.” He straightened to his full height. “But you will not draw that blade.” Lucius faltered, clearly unsure of what to do with that calm but firm acquiescence. He stuck with his rage. “I shall not be spoken to like that in my own palace!” Demir drew a long, deep breath through his nose. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge. Özcan felt the tension in the air like a yolk on his shoulders. Maybe they all did. “Fine,” Demir finally said slowly, “then draw.” Özcan heard someone near him audibly gasp. A woman to his left swooned, the back of her hand to her forehead. A second casualty of dramatics. “Wh-what?” Lucius was properly thrown out of sorts now, his anger faltering. Demir held his gaze level and folded his arms, crisp doublet crumpling around bulky shoulders. “If you are so keen to draw Worldrender then do so.” Özcan’s initial fear of Woldrender being used had begun to fade and was now replaced by a sort of morbid fascination. He leaned forward, genuinely intrigued by what would happen next, studying the faces of those around him. Because despite all the palatable unease and tension in the amphitheater, the most uneasy and most tense of all now appeared to be Emperor Lucius himself. “Woldrender mustn’t be drawn,” Lucius hesitantly said, “unless the Empire itself is under threat.” “I wholeheartedly agree,” Demir replied, “and given you are Worldrender’s Handler by birthright as Emperor, I’m assuming you threatened to draw it against my son because you believe he poses a threat to the Empire. Does he?” The question was meant to be rhetorical, but General Demir avoided making it sound condescending. He spoke like one friend trying to help another through a difficult life problem. Two buddies solving it together. Lucius’s face seemed to experience ten different emotions at once. His mouth was hanging open like he might say something. His hand inched towards the hilt like he might actually draw the damn thing. His eyes darted back and forth like he was looking for a target. Only then did Özcan realize just how close he was seated to the potential zone of violence. Oh dear. And here I got into politics to avoid this sort of thing in the Army. What a pity. However, it appeared that this evening, Emperor Lucius had as much appetite for violence as Özcan did. “Out of my sight,” he finally barked. Worldrender dropped limp by his side. “Out! Before I change my mind.” With that he spun on his finely tailored boots and stormed off, limp feather swishing in time with his angry footsteps. If he’d been an actor, it would have been a very well executed exit stage left. But since Lucius was an Emperor, Özcan thought it was frankly unbecoming, bordering on embarrassing. “Thank you very much, my Lord,” the general called after him. “I once again apologize for my behavior as well as that of my son’s. Please send a receipt to my residence for your immediate reimbursement.” The sound of a slamming door back stage showed what Emperor Lucius thought about apologies and reimbursement. The general stood for a moment longer, and Özcan watched intently to see what he would do next. Storm out? Yell? Chase after the Emperor? Based on the stories I heard about him in his last campaign, I wouldn’t be surprised if he rode Emperor Lucius down in the Square of Emperors, Worldrender or not.

Story Statement: Get revenge on your childhood friend turned Emperor. Antagonist Sketch: Sole heir to the Aeressian throne, Lucius ïst Havice de Vincentius is a tortured musical genius who takes every opportunity to embark on debaucherous and indulgent adventures. He daydreams with Cyra, his childhood friend, of running away to be a violinist and live his truest life, which includes romantic relationships with men. This is highly controversial in the Empire, especially for an Emperor who chief responsibility is continuing his bloodline. When Lucius’s father dies abruptly, he’s thrust into the position of Emperor at only eighteen years old. To protect his secret and secure the throne during a tumultuous transition period, he banishes Cyra and marries her romantic interest, Marilla. After this betrayal, Lucius begins to unravel as the collective psychic toll of the title he never wanted drags down his spirit with each passing day. By the time of the rebellion, Lucius is viewed by many in the empire as a weak, erratic recluse, and regularly has difficulties performing his tasks as emperor. Breakout Titles: -Hell Hath No Fury- Evoking the classic saying ‘Hell Hath No Fury like a Woman Scorned,’ this title follows the same pattern as Joe Abercrombie’s most celebrated standalone fantasy novel ‘Best Served Cold,’ another story about revenge. The main character, Cyra, is a woman scorned when her childhood best friend Lucius is elevated to Emperor and exiles her to protect his dark secrets. The novel is about Cyra’s furious revenge, and her slow sinking into more violence and anger to achieve her ultimate goal. -Let Leak Their Treacherous Blood- A declarative statement spoken from Cyra’s perspective; it is also meant to have a similar format to the famous Shakespeare line ‘Let Slip the Dogs of War.’ This title can convey very succinctly not just the tone of the book but also the stakes the reader will encounter. ‘Treacherous’ let’s readers know the speaker has been betrayed. And the image of leaking blood lets the reader know that whoever committed the treachery in the novel is not just treacherous in their actions, but treacherous to their very core, as it is in their blood. -A Plot of Pain and Vengeance- This one might be a bit over the top, but it uses a very recognizable title convention made popular by Sarah J Maas’s ACOTAR series. A ___ of ___ and ___. It gets right to the point in a format familiar to fantasy readers and lets the reader know exactly what the pot is about. Cyra’s plan to take revenge on Lucius. Genre Comparables: -Anji Kills a King- A soon to be released book in 2025, the main character of this book is also a woman who assassinated a king and must deal with the political turmoil that follows. Gritty and dark, the tones of these books match up. This book is also being published by a first-time author, Evan Leikam, and would find fans among readers who enjoy authors like Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman, which would be my target audience as well. -The Daughter’s War- Released early 2024 to rave reviews, the themes of war, violence, and revenge are heavy in this grim dark story about a female main character who finds herself in the middle of a vicious war. The magic in the Daughters War is also very minimal, and much of it is focused on the character work, similar to my book. Again because of the themes and tone, The Daughter’s War and my work would have a lot of crossover fans of other authors such as Joe Abercrombie and R.F. Kuang. Hook Line/Conflict: A banished outcast seeks revenge on her childhood best friend for exiling her after he is crowned emperor, fighting through legions of his lackeys and her own self-doubt to receive the justice she so desperately thinks will make her whole. Inner Conflict: Before Cyra was banished from Aerassas, she was brought up in the capital as the daughter of a famous general who served alongside Lucius’s father, Emperor Havince. This afforded Cyra a modicum of privilege in society. She attended the Aeressian Civil Academy to get an education and never had to worry about her own physical safety or not having enough money. As part of her education, she was raised on stories of great men doing great things, striving against all odds to overcome their enemies and succeed no matter what. Stories that glorified individuals and their actions. This kind of neo-liberal idealism is pervasive in her flashback chapters. It leads Cyra to believe that all she needs to do is work hard enough and leverage her position as friends with the emperor in waiting, Lucius, to achieve her dream of becoming the first woman ever to serve in the Imperial Assembly. Obviously, this does not come to fruition. Instead, she is betrayed by Lucius who banishes her when he is elevated to the throne. This results in Cyra experiencing several inner conflicts. The first and foremost are serious trust issues. Much like Aaron Burr in Hamilton, she becomes obsessed with ‘being in the room where it happens.’ Previously, she thought that she could just work hard and have everything turn out well for her. When we see her in the present, Cyra believes she must fight tooth and nail to always sit in the room where real decisions are made, so that no one can ever determine her fate other than herself. She also becomes hyper fixated on achievement. She doubles down on hard work to get what she wants, neglecting her physical, emotional, and social health. This narrow world view leads her to making decisions that only serve her own ends and lack consideration of anything else. For example, as the rebel army marches towards the capital, they find they need more laborers to help haul supplies to increase the army's speed. Cyra points out there is a settlement nearby that’s recently experienced a population boom due to a sharp increase in logging activity. In the next scene, we see these people in chains and being forced against their will to carry packs and haul wagons for the rebel army against their will. While Cyra knows this to be an indiscretion bordering on slavery, she justifies it in her mind by saying it will help achieve her goal. Eventually, Cyra grows crueler and more violent to combat her cognitive dissonance in the face of the mounting evidence that the cause she is supporting might not have the moral high ground. At the end of the novel, Cyra’s rhetoric/actions are just as bad if not worse than the same rhetoric/actions she claimed to abhor at the beginning of the book, bringing the cognitive dissonance full circle. Secondary Conflict: While there are several secondary conflicts, one that complicates the story most in Cyra’s sexuality. To be a gay woman is something that would be considered deeply shameful, especially for a woman in a position of higher standings. It is a secret she must constantly contend with and is one of the reasons Lucius has her banished in the first place. After she is banished, Cyra becomes paranoid about everything to do with her sexuality. She takes one of the maids in the governor’s manor as a lover but only does so under very strict and unsavory conditions. Combined with the patriarchal culture under which she was raised, she ends up not treating this girl very well, over committing to patriarchal norms to insulate herself from scrutiny by her peers. This overcompensating pattern repeats in several instances throughout the novel in a variety of instances, as Cyra sees the emulation of terrible male behavior as the only way to get what she wants. Cyra falls victim to this in a number of ways, including plenty of misogyny, and when confronted with her behavior she must either make changes or risk alienating most of her close personal relationships. Setting: Inspirations: This is a bit of background for how the setting came to be. On the scale of plotter to discovery writer, I tend to swing more towards the discovery side of things. By the time I sat down to write this book, I had already written two books and a novella using exclusively discovery writing. But I knew that in order to be a successful writer, I’d need more plotting involved in my creative process. So, I took inspiration from another famous discovery writer, Geroge RR Martin, and decided to write a fantasy novel inspired by real life events. (A Song of Ice and Fire being inspired by The War of the Roses) At the same time, I was reading a book on famous events in Roman history for DND inspiration. When I stumbled across the civil war known as The Year of Four Emperors, my mind immediately filled in the narrative. This is the inspiration for a lot of geography and set up of the Aeressian Empire, however I advanced the setting to be more reflective of Renaissance era Italy because frankly that historical time period is fascinating. Geography: The setting for this novel is a massive, ocean-spanning Empire called Aerassas, named after the capital at the center of the Empire. The capital sits on an isthmus and controls large swaths of land divided into provinces. For narrative streamlining, the story mainly focuses on a few major provinces Aerassas is home to Cyra, Marilla, and Lucius, as well as the site of the novels inciting incident and climax. Amorin is an industrious and wealthy province Cyra flees to when she is banished from the capital and where she spends many years off screen being tutored by its provincial governor, Governor Hadis. Then there’s Chamavi, a northern frontier province where other major characters come from, like the Assemblyman Özcan and Regina. The final region is a southern province called Shavir, which is warm, muggy, and home to vast rainforests. The variety of geography is meant to reflect the expanse of the empire and illustrate just how obscene it is that all these different places with all these different people, cultures, and religions fitting into one empire makes almost zero logistical sense. Temporal: The time period of the book is roughly equivalent to what we would call the early renaissance. There are mentions of some trading guilds that are going under, as well as the introduction of gunpowder weapons. In the world of the novel, the time period is around three hundred years into the founding of the Aeressian Empire, so cracks are beginning to show. Constant wars weaken the government positions, and the Aeressian Empire is overextended on several fronts, allowing rebellions to fester all over the Empire, including the one Cyra participates in. However, instead of addressing any of the underlying issues, the ruling class of Aerassas prefer to blame all these problems on ‘the emperor being weak’ rather than addressing any of the systematic problems on which the empire was founded. Culture: In almost every way, I’ve written the Aeressain Empire to be described as a classic honor culture. The Empire is intensely patriarchal, as exemplified by important men not just carrying their surnames but also the names of their fathers as their full names. Honor cultures are also extremely violent and glorify that violence, as well as the individuals that commit it. As a result, those selected to rule in honor cultures are the ones deemed as societies ‘winners,’ which usually happens to be men that are already rich (shocker) or those that ‘prove’ themselves through extensive military experience. Women are, at best seen as second-class citizens, and at worst closer to property and valued primarily for their ability to produce more boys. For example, Cyra may be receiving an education in the novel flashbacks, but that is just to ensure she will be educated enough to educate her sons better when they are born. The other emphasis of Aeressian culture is the self. People are often judged by their personal strength and worth, which paradoxically leads to veneration of a few men everyone deems powerful. This is one of the primary drivers of early conflict in the book. Emperor Lucius is seen as a weak and effeminate man, something not helped by his rumored sexual deviancy, and much less of a man than his father. Due to cultural expectations of individual strength and distrust of weakness, a rebellion by a rival governor is formed because he is believed to be fundamentally ‘stronger.’ This culture of strength also leads to the Empire constantly being at war, expanding their frontiers with myriad campaigns that are meant to bring glory to the Empire really just serve to drain their coffers. After all, wars are expensive. Duels are legal and considered normal, as the merit of arguments being out done by strength in combat is another hallmark of an honor culture. As far as religion goes, Aerassas is vaguely polytheistic, however I never get too specific for a reason. The real religion of the Empire is the glorification of oneself. In the book, we see how several characters truly operate, and I wanted to make sure that readers understood that any mention of gods is surface level and self-serving. Magic: This world is fantasy and as such does have magic items called Hexerax. These primarily take the form of classical weapons from antiquity (swords, axes, spears) and grant their Handlers superhuman strength, speed, and senses. Some are more powerful than others, granting abilities that even allow the Handler to change the shape of the weapon to better fit their needs. While these weapons are powerful, no one knows how to make them anymore, meaning there is a finite number of them in the world. The primary reason for the Aeressian Empire’s successful expansion is due almost entirely to the stockpiling of these weapons. The most powerful, Worldrender, is a sword that is the hereditary right of the Aeressian Emperor. The emperor’s ability to Handle such a powerful Hexerax is one of the core reasons they are granted a position of dominance over the rest of the Empire. In the book, rumors that Lucius can’t Handle Worldrender are some of the primary reasons for initial discontent. While the magic may not be that complex, that is on purpose. These weapons are, basically, like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight in most cases. Those that can Handle them are usually shown to do so through brute force and hatred, a symbol of honor and by extension right wing cultural ideals around who should be the subjugator and who the subjugated. At the end of the day, Hexerax are the tools that were used to build the Aeressian Empire but are nothing more than magically efficient weapons used for oppressing people with overwhelming violence.