Title: The Bloodshed Of The Betrayed
Author: A. L. Slade
Genre: Fantasy/fiction, LGBTQ+, YA
Book Blurb:
Unable to feel emotions, angels are God’s devoted soldiers, who are tasked with carrying out God’s will. One of which is to answer the question: can angels handle the gift of emotions without it interfering with their loyalty to God?
Enter Laramie.
Angel Laramie is given emotions as a trial to decide once and for all if angels are ready to feel again. However, she soon becomes sidetracked by an infatuation with a human called Maggie, prompting her to neglect her orders and allow her mission to fail. She returns to her superiors in hopes of helping the human only to learn her feelings were a test. Her failure means her banishment to Earth until she fades away forever.
Magda Mercy is a twenty-three-year-old college student with dreams of becoming a doctor. Her life changes forever when her brother returns on leave from the military with devastating family news.
In exile, Laramie is confronted by Lucifer with a confounding revelation that changes everything Laramie has ever known as an angel. Lucifer presents an offer of eventual immortality in exchange for Laramie’s ceaseless fidelity. When Laramie declines, Lucifer lashes out by tormenting the innocent Maggie as punishment for Laramie’s refusal. Laramie must now do everything in her power to save Maggie and prevent Lucifer from realizing his goals, even if it means reaching oblivion sooner.
Excerpt:
Laramie shuffles into the Fulfillment Room once the angel ahead ducks out and leaves. She strides forward and stops in the center of the room, her body language reserved and submissive. A circular halo protrudes from the top of her scalp into a vertical ring of blazing light that binds all angels as God’s followers by forcing them to rely on God for their sight.
‘There is a task awaiting your… prowess which pertains to the happenings of Earth.’ Laramie’s designated Authoritarian Razael barks, one of many granted the responsibility to regulate the inner workings of Heaven and dole out consequences.
The hierarchy of Heaven, also known as the Angelic Choirs, classifies each angelic rank within three Triads. The First Sphere is composed of Authoritarians, Seraphim; fiery six-winged beings who personally oversee God’s throne as their immediate attendants and Elders; a modest assembly who listen to the will of God as living symbols of their justice and authority. The Second Sphere consists of Dominions; powerful beings who regulate the duties of lower angels, Virtues; the angels most frequent with their excursions to Earth, as they are those through which signs and miracles are made in the human world and Powers; those who supervise the affairs of angels to maintain order in the cosmos. The final triad, the Third Sphere, are Scribes; the educators and monitors of Earth who control what knowledge Humans possess of Heaven and God’s existence and manipulate it in whatever way God (or their Authoritarians) commands, Archangels; those entrusted with specific and crucial tasks within Heaven, and finally, Angels; the lowest order of celestial beings most concerned with the affairs of Heaven.
When Razael speaks, Laramie raises her head ever so slightly, and the tawny amber wings protruding from her back flutter behind her, resting carefully around her shoulders. ‘Something is amiss at 43.013000, -81.218900.’ Laramie immediately recognizes the coordinates relayed as one of her frequent stopovers, Lauder Ontario. ‘You have been enlisted to go there and record any irregular behaviour. A disturbance has been sensed and requires surveillance. You will be issued a Conversion Clock. Record your findings and meet with Scribe Batair to ensure they are transcribed properly.’
Laramie lifts her head, inky black hair parting around her face, to find a familiar gold stopwatch, a furled parchment strip, and an ornate quill-like pen placed atop the cardinal pedestal sat in the center of the room. She nods her head solemnly. “I will not disappoint.”
The air thins, and Laramie can feel Razael glowering. ‘I should expect not. Go now.’
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Author Biography:
A. L. Slade is the 17-year-old author of “The Bloodshed Of The Betrayed”, the first book in the anticipated series, “The Mercy Chronicles”. Slade brings this skillfully adapted tale to life with her endless creativity and descriptive storytelling as her hopes to enlighten readers and portray young authors in a bright and intelligent way is the backbone of her writing career. Slade has spent the past 4 years cultivating her first book, "The Bloodshed Of The Betrayed" to be able to share it with the world. Slade has been writing for as long as she can remember, as her craft has always come very naturally to her and is undoubtedly her greatest passion in this world.
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