Chariots of the Godless

By Robert Jeschonek

The old gods have returned and walk among us. Their powers are divine, their glory awesome to behold.

But someone, somehow, is abducting them.

As gods go missing, their disappearance seems inexplicable...until strange clues impossibly point to beings from beyond the stars. Alien abduction expert Dr. Hector Nessus gets the call to investigate, working with the breathtakingly beautiful Captain Mayet, goddess of justice.

The hunt for the missing becomes a race against time, as more gods are taken and Nessus and Mayet discover a dark purpose behind the abductions. As brutal conflict between the godly and the extraterrestrial looms, only Nessus, with his own secret past, might stand a chance of stopping the carnage.

Or bringing down a cataclysm unlike any the world has ever known.

Don't miss this exciting fantasy novelette by USA Today bestselling author Robert Jeschonek, creator of the Gaia Charmer, World Warrior urban fantasy series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Jeschonek
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463629253

Book preview

Chariots of the Godless

CHARIOTS OF THE GODLESS

UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY: DEITIES

ROBERT JESCHONEK

Blastoff Books

CONTENTS

Chariots of the Godless

About the Author

Back Matter

Special Preview: Heaven Bent

UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY: DEITIES

CHARIOTS OF THE GODLESS

Text copyright © 2023 by Robert Jeschonek

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ReDeus and associated characters © 2023 Crazy Eight Press

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Cover design by Allyson Longueira

Uncollected Anthology logo art © Tanya Borozenets / Dreamstime.com

Uncollected Anthology logo design © Stephanie Writt

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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CHARIOTS OF THE GODLESS

I still remember their alien faces looking down at me...their skin ash gray, their huge eyes black as ebony, their lipless mouths screened with rippling gray mesh. Four of them stared down at me as I lay frozen in my bed, too terrified to move.

Imagine yourself, twelve years old, surrounded by these strange creatures in the middle of the night. You try to scream for your parents, and no sound comes out of your throat. No one comes to save you from the visitors.

I remember the touch of their fingers, sparking with static at first contact, then scaly and rough as they lifted me up and carried me off. I remember the sounds they made, like the echoing sighs and moans of whalesong overlaid with the rattle-rasp of cicadas on a summer night. But what I remember best, other than the stare of those ebony eyes, is the smell of them--like the strongest antifreeze mixed with the most fragrant roses you can imagine.

After the creatures brought me back, they never returned...but that smell lingered in my room. It was there for as long as I lived in that house, haunting me, reminding me.

Now here it is again. As soon as I walk into the Las Vegas penthouse apartment of the missing god, it leaps out at me, as clear as the first time I smelled it all those years ago.

A shiver of recognition and fear passes through me as I inhale the telltale smell. Suddenly, I understand why I was brought in on this case.

Doctor Nessus?

A woman's voice cuts through the fog. Peering through the apartment, which is crowded with busy cops and law enforcement agents, I see her striding toward me, regal and serene and stunning in every visible way.

Yes? As she gets closer, my heartbeat speeds up. I can't help it. The stories of her beauty have not been exaggerated; if anything, they haven't done her justice.

She tosses her mane of jet black hair and blinks her dark eyes. Even if I didn't already know she has a divine nature, I would use the word goddess to describe her.

Thank you for being here. Her voice is in the mid-range, neither high-pitched nor deep...yet it has a sensual flow, slow and deliberate, warm yet commanding. I could listen to it all day and never grow bored.

I nod. My pleasure. The words couldn't be more true, as least in regard to dealing with her. As for the rest of it, the case itself, my curiosity is piqued. There hasn't been another case like it, as far as I know.

She stops in front of me and introduces herself. Captain Mayet. She reaches for a handshake. Special agent, Division G.

I'm so nervous at the thought of touching her that I almost don't return the handshake. Captain. But then I do. Good to meet you. Her hand feels warm and soft in my grip, though I know she's supposed to be a tough woman. I feel the blood rush to my face, and other parts of my body, beyond my control.

Thankfully, she breaks the connection. The Hall of Gods appreciates your service under these difficult circumstances, Doctor.

No problem. Other people might be honored to serve the Hall--the United Nations of the Gods, for all intents and purposes. Some folks would give their eye teeth to get on the good side of the pantheons that set up shop on Earth twenty years ago, after The Return.

But those folks haven't been where I've been or seen what I've seen. They might not share the same aversion to creatures who come down from the sky and meddle in our lives.

Though, admittedly, I think I'm making an exception for this smoking hot Egyptian justice goddess with the jet black hair.

What do you know so far? She plants her hands on her hips, pushing back her black blazer from the red satin chemise underneath.

I make it a point not to stare at the swell of her chest or the curves of her slim waist below. Nohoilpi, the Navajo god of gambling, is missing. He disappeared 52 hours ago.

Correct. Mayet has a single white feather hanging from her left earring. When she nods, the feather sways against the glossy black fall of her hair. But there is more to the story than what you have been told.

There is? The smell of the room has already tipped me off, but I try