January 2020, I posted my first excerpt of Kill the Gods on this blog. In case you don’t know, Kill the Gods is the novel I’ve been writing for the past two years. It’s finished now—currently on draft 8—and I’m beginning the process of looking for a publisher.
However, a lot has changed in Kill the Gods throughout the past year, including plot structure, world development, characters’ mannerisms, and even my writing style (shoutout to my sister Meaghan for all the helpful—and plentiful—critiques she gave me while reading the seventh draft). With that in mind, for today’s post, I thought it would be fun to share the rewritten version of the excerpt I posted a year ago. If you want to check out the previous post, find it here: https://www.kelseygatis.com/post/excerpt-kill-the-gods
And here’s what it is now... (Because this excerpt is from chapter five of the book, I apologize in advance for any confusion you have regarding the characters, who they are, and what the heck is happening).
The remaining two days it took to travel to Res’s mansion were long and gruelling. We had snuck through the god-made portal without much trouble—the gatekeeper was a man who was easily bribed with grora (Vados currency) and ‘forgot’ to check the contents of the crate where Res was hidden.
It took another day to get to Kzar, the realm of mortals. They lived short lives, those humans who got sick and died easily. Kzar itself reminded me of a hollow tree—cold, dark, and utterly void of life.
Luckily, we weren’t staying in Kzar that long.
Unfortunately, we were headed to the underground of it.
The horse galloped down a dirt road towards Res’s mansion. The whole place was dug out of the soil, extending for miles. There was no sun, no plants except for the occasional root that dangled above us, no life other than the crawling worms and beetles. It was Res’s own prison, a place that looked like it belonged on the bottom of my horse’s hoof.
The mansion poked out of the dirt, furnished so lavishly it was blinding to look at. It was big, much larger than any other house in the entire realm. Every detail had been plated in gold, including multiple chimneys scattered around the glass roof and balconies with shining rails. Golden spears scraped the ceiling of the underground cave as if longing to touch the sky, and glass walls exposed every detail of what was inside.
Res exhaled tightly. The house was not a symbol of his wealth but the opposite. Gold suppressed an Aemoln’s powers, similar to how ebony could hide things from the gods or how iron burned the fay. So much gold would significantly weaken his power.
“Welcome to my humble home,” Res said, but the words felt empty and vicious.
I pulled the cart to a stop. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I moaned, stretching my back and legs. We’d spent hours sitting atop that wooden contraption and my body did not appreciate it.
Together, we walked up the paved steps to his front door. He opened it (there was no lock) and stepped inside.
Gold tiled floors split off into several different directions, and a glass ceiling arched high above us. The entranceway was split with a grand staircase made entirely from sparkling diamonds, and a chandelier hung threateningly over our heads. To the right, I could see into the living room, furnished with antiques and priceless objects.
I felt like we were porcelain dolls living in a fake house. Everything seemed so fragile—if I looked too long, it would shatter under the pressure of my gaze—and there were no servants. A place this size needed servants; Res could never keep it clean by himself.
“It’s not safe here,” I said. “The gods watch this house more closely than any other. They could look down at any moment and smite us.”
“Do not fret, my dear. Come right this way.” He smirked, sweeping out his arm, and led me towards a pair of short black doors behind the staircase, into a room unlike the rest of the mansion. Instead of gold or glass, everything was made from dark, shiny wood, including the furniture. The walls had been covered with sheets upon sheets of paper—maps and drawings and sketches and blueprints.
“This is my study. It is made entirely out of ebony. The gods cannot see us when we’re here.” Res closed the doors firmly shut behind us, and when he did, he cackled madly.
I smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
He spun around, his trench coat swaying around him. My eyes trailed across his face, down the path of the nasty scar that marred him. He looked different than I remembered—I had realized this several times throughout the past few days. I didn’t know how to explain it, but his eyes had darkened to shadows. When he grinned, his teeth gleamed as brightly as the blade of a knife. Mischief had turned to malevolence.
His brow creased as he noticed my stare. “I—I’m glad you said that. I’ve missed you a lot, too. You scared me when you didn’t come to find me after my exile. I waited for you, but you never came.”
“The gods wouldn’t permit it,” I said, but it felt like an excuse now.
He sunk into one of the wooden chairs, running a hand down that long, jagged scar, a deep wound if his shapeshifting magic couldn’t conceal the mark.
I sat across from him. “Res,” I started slowly, “when I spoke with Rholnos, I asked him to give you your position back. He made it quite clear he never would. They speak of you… of plans to kill you. I don’t think your exile has satisfied them.” The words trembled as they left my lips.
“So that was the reason you agreed to come with me.” He frowned. “You’re certain you want to kill them? To get back what they took from me—from us.”
“Or let you die? Of course I’m certain.”
“And what, may I ask, was your mission in Farelle?”
I told him of my assignment with the heretics and how the gods believed I left on a ship. I would not be expected back in Haave for a long time, a few months at least.
He nodded along with my words, processing. “Well then,” he sighed, “we have limited time to accomplish as much as we can. I already have a plan—I’ve done my research. There are certain steps in killing a deity. The ancient scrolls of Víkídarth mention the Seven Divine Novels, history books belonging to each of the gods. I think that the way to kill them is written there. If we get your powers back and steal one of those books, we can successfully kill a god. And getting your powers back is far more simple than you’d think.”
Of course, this excerpt is longer than my previous post, and there are a few similarities between the two, but it’s easy to see what’s changed and how it’s been improved (or at least what I consider to be ‘improved’). Hopefully you liked it better, too!
If you'd like a little more context about what the book is about, or if you'd simply like to see more, check out the sample cover I created for Kill the Gods (you know, just in case I stumble upon an unsuspecting agent and/or publisher in the streets): https://www.kelseygatis.com/visual-media?lightbox=dataItem-ksoylq7p
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