Wicked Without Chaos: The Mind of a Conqueror by Kayelle Allen

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Villains are wicked of course, but a my guest, Kayelle Allen, has a villain with more depth than most. Enjoy her Wicked Wednesday post! 

Pietas, known as the Bringer of Chaos, doesn’t create chaos by mistake. He creates it on purpose.

When we talk about chaotic villains, we often mean unpredictable. Reckless. Destructive for the sake of it.

Pietas is none of those things.

That’s what makes him dangerous.

He doesn’t lash out. He doesn’t lose control. He doesn’t act without purpose. Every decision is measured. Every action has intent. He doesn’t need permission to take control of a situation—he simply does.

There’s a kind of wickedness that comes from excess. And then there’s the kind that comes from certainty.

Pietas knows exactly who he is.

He was born into power, raised to command, and forged in a system where loyalty wasn’t optional—it was enforced. Structure defined everything. Authority wasn’t questioned because it didn’t need to be.

Until it was gone.

Exiled to a world where none of those structures exist, Pietas doesn’t lose power.

He loses the safeguards that kept it contained.

On this world, there are no institutions to enforce loyalty. No systems to define right from wrong. No one to step in when a decision goes too far.

And Pietas still believes he’s right.

That’s the kind of wickedness that doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t roar or burn or destroy everything in sight.

It simply… acts.

And expects the world to adjust.

But power without structure isn’t stability. It’s pressure. And pressure reveals.

Especially when he’s forced into an alliance with a person who has every reason not to trust him.

Because Pietas doesn’t see himself as the villain.

He sees himself as necessary.

And that’s where things get complicated.

Watch Your Six, the last book in the Bringer of Chaos series, releases this August.

If you’d like to see how that kind of power behaves when the rules disappear, you can start the series here, with Lights Out. If you’re already familiar with the story, you can access a sample of Watch Your Six here.

Kayelle Allen is a worldbuilder who writes with a scalpel, a strategist of tenderness, and who understands that the most dangerous thing in any universe isn't power—it's attachment. To sum it up: “Epic scale. Microscopic pain. Absolutely intentional.”

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Fearless Traveler by Kayelle Allen #FearlessFriday #military #travel

FEARLESS FRIDAY

I'm so happy to have the amazing author, Kayelle Allen on Discover... today. She has a great tale of fearlessness. Enjoy!

24 years old, in love, and fearless: Kayelle Allen shares her European journey 

In 1975 I was 24 years old and fearless. Which is why I made a trip to Europe without buying an airline ticket, with only $400 in my pocket.

I was active duty military back then (Navy) and so was my husband. He was stationed on the John F Kennedy, doing a cruise in the Mediterranean while I was stationed in San Diego. Each was completely half-way around the world from the other.

We'd only been married since December of 1973, and it was now October 1975. He'd left on the cruise the day before Valentine's Day. (Thank you, Uncle Sam.) So when I had the chance to take 30 days of leave and go visit him, I jumped into action.

If you're active duty, you can hop onto a military flight at no cost, as long as there's an empty seat. I paid for a flight from San Diego to Pennsylvania, got a shuttle bus to the Air Force base there, and put my name in for a flight. I was a lower priority than someone reporting for duty, but if there was an open seat, I was in.

A retired couple who'd been there for weeks trying to get a flight told me it might take a long time. I was higher priority than they were, so I had a chance. But I convinced them that I was getting on a plane that very night, and for them to check out of their hotel and stay in the airport with me. One of those gut feeling decisions that you make with no reason. I am intuitive, and I had a good feeling about it.

About 3:30 in the morning, an unexpected flight came in that was heading to Germany non-stop. I wanted to go to Naples, Italy, but Germany was a lot closer, so I said I'd go. The other couple came with me. The plane took off a little after 4:00 with empty seats. The three of us had been the only people in the airport.

Once I arrived, I met an active duty couple who were flying to Aviano, quite a long way north of Naples, but still in Italy. I got on that flight with no trouble. The couple invited me to stay overnight at their place because there were no flights scheduled for 2 days. I joined them for an evening out with friends and ate the best pizza of my entire life. I hadn't slept well in a few days, so once I stretched out and closed my eyes, I was gone.

When the next flight was scheduled, they drove me to the base, and I thanked them and checked in. I was on a flight within an hour or so. This one went straight into Naples.

An American guy who was living in Naples said he'd show me the hotel if I'd pay the taxi fare for both of us, which I did. Had a wild ride through the city. He told me that the people in Naples start their car and blow their horns. It was noisy enough that I had no trouble believing that.

Next day, I got a ride to the Navy base where the liberty launch (a smaller ship) was bringing people in for leave. I was beside myself when I saw my husband. We had quite the unforgettable reunion, believe me.

This was all back before the internet or cell phones. One call home from Italy cost us $99 because we talked so long. We didn't have text messaging. We had to communicate where we'd be and when by mail, days ahead.

Looking back, it was a gutsy thing to do. I wouldn't dream of it now. But back then, I was young, in love, and fearless.

Check out one of Kayelle's books: 

Surrender Love

An immortal alpha male. An illegal, near-blind rock musician. And twelve thousand years of lies...

Luc is the most powerful man in an intergalactic empire of 22 planets—but he's alone, life after life.

Izzorah survives by hiding both his illegal status and his blindness for fear of banishment.

Luc's immortal blood can heal Izzorah's sight—but only Izzorah's love can heal Luc's heart.

Luc might risk violating the highest law among the immortals by sharing his blood, but it means revealing the truth of what he is, and that means baring every damning secret, every twisted truth, and twelve thousand years' worth of dirty hidden lies.

With no guarantee their love can survive that kind of truth...

Amazon worldwide and Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/surrender-love-immortal 

About the Author

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role-playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is the author of multiple books, novellas, and short stories. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.
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