Chronicles of Steele: Raven 1 Episode 1

By Pauline Creeden

Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter are as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.

Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore... Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.

The Chronicles of Steele: Raven is a steampunk-inspired fantasy set in an alternate universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AltWit Press
• Release date: Nov 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310055089

Pauline Creeden

In simple language, Pauline Creeden breaks down Biblical stories and applies them to real life in new ways. Her methods of teaching have brought new light to old scriptures. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.She is the Admin for Spirit Filled Kindle and an administrator for Readers’ Realm. Her articles, reviews, and devotionals have been featured in RUBY FOR WOMEN Magazine,Devotionals for Bloggers, Faith Filled Family Magazine, and Christian Fiction Book Reviews.One of Pauline’s short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group. She is currently editing and drafting several novels at various stages.

Book preview

CHRONICLES OF STEELE: RAVEN

Episode One

© 2014 Pauline Creeden

Cover Design Copyright © 2014 by Alchemy Book Covers

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Interior formatting and design by Backstrip Books Publishing.

Synopsis:

Human life has value.

The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.

The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.

Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.

Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore... Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in. The Chronicles of Steele: Raven is a steampunk-inspired fantasy set in an alternate universe.

Chapter 1

Human life has value.

The poor living in the gutter are as valuable as the rich living in a manor.

The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.

Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.

RAVEN STEELE COUNTED every footstep she chanced through New Haven with the knowledge that any could be her last. But the gamble wouldn’t last long. She quickened her pace. Only two kilometers of brownstone street stood between her and the safety of the forest.

A throng crowded the street. People. Men. Women and children. It had become too easy to think of them as cattle. But they were human. Her deepest desire was to become one of them and live a normal human life. Gregory would make her feel human; he always did. Her heart quickened at the thought of him, and her tread became light.

Raven winked at a fat-cheeked baby held by a pinch-faced woman with silver hair pulled into a severe bun. The woman looked Raven up and down, tching her tongue and shaking her head. Even in the city, a woman in breeches instead of a skirt remained unacceptable. Or maybe the crossbow snapped to the magnets on the back of her corset made the difference.

Would the woman know her secret?

Raven swallowed hard and assured herself of the ignorance of the populace. Few knew what a reaper was, much less their prohibition from the city.

Only the occasional cloud blighted the deceptively clear blue sky over New Haven. Sunlight sifted through and between the buildings stacked next to one another like books on a shelf. An automated horse bore down on her, and she flattened herself against the cool brick. The coachmen yelled at the crowd, Out of the way! Clear the road. Coaches before walkers!

The scraping metal and shouting continued down the street, scattering merchants who gave the coach malicious looks and then checked their wares for damage. Beside her, a bronze clockwork mechanical man pushed a merchant's cart, its jerky movements unsuitable for zeppelin-living high society. It stopped just before the haberdasher’s shop.

With a wave of his arm and a grand flourish, the man next to the clockwork man produced a small metal gadget in his palm. Don’t be the last of your neighbors to procure this one. You’ve never peeled potatoes as expeditiously or had as much merriment in the doing. Your children will quibble over whose turn it is to do what used to be scutwork.

He placed the gadget next to a pile of potatoes, and the clicking and whirring of the blades set the crowd into exclamations of eager yearning. The people applauded and mobbed the stand, blocking the entire walkway. No elbowing through the throng this time. With a sigh, Raven hopped off the walk onto the street, nearly stepping into a pile of manure left by a flesh horse. Her metal-heeled boots clicked with each step on the smooth stones.

Seagulls crowded a fishmonger’s cart on the other side of the street. The monger accosted her as she neared the bridge, but quickly moved on to the next person behind her when she shook her head. Boats docked behind him and bobbed up and down in the river. Skipping up the steps of the footbridge, she pushed away a black flyaway curl from her eyes and pulled the tendril behind her ear.

Halfway across the bridge, she inhaled a lungful of the salty air and released a contented sigh. Only a day’s journey still stood between her and

Reviews for Chronicles of Steele

[mishker-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Raven is trained as a reaper; one who assassinates people, but must save a life for every one taken. She lives in a world with steam-powered horses and other devices. Raven is on her way into town to fulfill her debt and ask the man she loves to marry her. When out-of-control steam horses fly by her carrying a young boy, Raven springs to action saving his life. The young boy ends up being a baron, Darius, but one that is cursed. Now Raven will have to protect the Darius and find a way to lift the curse with the help of the Woods Witch. With the Captain of the Guard Chronicles of Steele: Raven is exciting and fast-paced, filled with suspense and danger. Raven's character is awesome, her training as a reaper makes her fierce and independent. I loved that a lot of her skill is showcased as she is running from the Guard and protecting Darius. It was sweet to see the relationship between Raven and Darius grow and to see Raven's softer side. I am also intrigued by Darius' condition. It will be interesting to see if it is a gift or a curse. Suspense builds as Raven is just always one step ahead of the Guard. I liked learning more about Raven's back story and her skills. Another mystery is introduced with the appearance of life-like automatons in the southern part of the country and danger as everyone discovers just how the Wood's Witch plans to eradicate the curse from Darius. The ending had the perfect touch of romance, but still leaves some questions to be answered; hopefully with Chronicles of Steele: Darius!This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[magickislife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

absolutely brilliant and beautiful writing. I was sad when it ended because I wanted to stay with the characters forever.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I am so happy that I did. However, it's exactly the sort of book I would have picked up to read anyways. The cover art is scrumptious, the story drags you in and demands that you pay attention. It's perfection.

The only flaw I found with it was of course that it ended but that is usually what happens with a good book.

[dabofdarkness · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in a steampunked England, this story follows Raven Steele, Reaper, as she tries to find balance in her life. She is tasked by the eldest son (Solomon) of the Duke to see Darius (the youngest son) safely to the Wood Witch in the hopes she will be able to cure his strange malady. Raven soon finds herself caught up in in a tangled web of plans laid by various nefarious folks. She is not sure that she can keep young Darius alive… not sure at all.The Reapers are a unique set of assassins and righters of wrongs. For every life they take, they must in turn save a life. Raven comes from a line of Reapers and was raised with the code. I liked this give and take aspect to the story. It allowed some of the characters to pass that final judgement but did not relieve them of their responsibility to turn around and save a life without having passed judgement upon it. In this case, young Darius needs Raven’s protection from his own father, but he also needs specialized medical attention for this mysterious condition. This gives Raven plenty to worry about. Plus Darius has a loyal dog, Nikki, who Raven must also keep safe.Raven has this corset that I really want to get my hands on and have a similar one made. It has big magnets on the back, making it easy for her to store a crossbow or sword. It’s sexy and steampunky, so I can overlook the obvious drawbacks of having items accidentally knocked loose or even someone imply taking something when she’s distracted by fighting. She is a careful and deadly fighter, so I am sure she has weighed the pros and cons of this. I trust her judgement.Most of the cast is male. Raven stars at the center of the story, but there are few females besides her. Later, we do meet the Wood Witch, and also an herbalist names Marietta. These two ladies affect the plot and play integral roles. I grew quite fond of Marietta – so practical and a little sharp tongued. There are a few more, but they had very minor roles. Meanwhile, Raven is surrounded by men for the bulk of the tale.Captain Jack Grant has been tasked by the Duke to bring Darius back. He’s also a potential romantic interest. He can’t figure Raven out and she is stumped over him. They have to build trust first, especially since the Duke wants Darius dead. One of my little criticisms is that I was confused for most of the story about Jack Grant. Now, obviously I now know that he is a single person. But for much of the story he is referred to either as Grant or as Jack and only a very few times is he called Captain Jack Grant. So, for most of the story I thought we had two separate men working in the Duke’s guards and that both were potentially interested in Raven. It was confusing. And I fear that I did the same thing with the medical doctor, Colton…. who I think might be Gregory Colton? Or are they two separate people? Sigh…. Obviously, if their last names were obvious surnames like Coltonson or Grantson, then I think I would be able to keep them straight with ease during this action-packed, fast paced story.The steampunk aspects are nicely built into the story. The author doesn’t dwell on the mechanics and instead makes the mechanized items (like steampunk horses) tools for the characters. I like that not every bit of technology works all the time as planned and that not everyone likes the technology. Later in the story, we get an additional plot line that involves mechanized servants. This, along with keeping Darius safe, gives Raven plenty to keep her busy. Story was definitely entertaining!I received a copy of this audiobook from the narrator at no cost in exchange for an honest review.Narration: Andrea Emmes did a great job with voices and accents. Her little kid voice for Darius was perfect. I especially liked her accent and attitude for Marietta. All her character voices were distinct and she did a variety of regional accents too.

[lrhubble · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reaper Tenants:All human lives are valuable.The poor are just as valuable as someone rich and living in a manor.The scoundrel and the saint are equal in value.For these reasons for every life a reaper takes they must redeem one.Raven has lived by the first tenant of a reaper since she was first trained by her father. Though since she lost her father she has spent the time redeeming the different lives she has taken. Now by her count she is even and she can now put the assassin life behind her. She thinks she can feel human again if she settles down and becomes a wife. On the way to the life she thinks she wants she is given a new task to complete by the baron of New Haven. It is a task she just can’t ignore. Just when she thought she was done with the life of an assassin she ends up pulled back in.This is a fun book with all the elements that makes for a great steampunk novel. The action keeps coming right up until the very last page. The characters are interesting and keep the story moving at a fast pace that makes for a book that is hard to stop reading. With all the twists and turns that the story takes it will have readers wondering just what will happen next. Readers will not be disappointed with the twists and turns. The heroine is strong and determined and makes for a very likable character. It will also leave readers wanting more from this world and from the characters.