Catalyst of Chaos: Cosmic Requiem Circle, #1.5

By Lucinda Wicked

You know what they say about jobs done in haste…they are a ready recipe for disaster.
 

Misery has more important things to do than play executioner with rotten humans but there's nothing she won't do for her lady.

She's working round to clock to speedily round up the souls on her kill list but she meets an empty house upon arrival – the Dupuchois are on another trip to some remote beach in Greece and Misery does not have neither time nor patience to track them.
 

And so she does what any reasonable hell citizen would do in that instant – dump a glob of hell matter stuck to her boots inside their well – after all, a soul claimed days later is a soul claimed all the same.
 

What Mistress Misery does not know is that the Dupuchois are scheduled to host a ball upon their return and half of England is going to be there clinking glasses full of drinks made from that one well…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucinda Wicked
• Release date: May 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224483648

Book preview

Lucinda Wicked

Catalyst of Chaos

Unveiling the Black Plague’s Architect

Copyright © 2024 by Lucinda Wicked

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Lucinda Wicked asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Lucinda Wicked has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

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To Eris,

In the boundless expanse of words and worlds, you are my guiding star, the Misery to my Death, weaving chaos into the tapestry of the Cosmic Requiem Circle. Your brilliance and unwavering support bring life to the cosmic dance within these pages. Thank you for being the spark that lights my literary universe.

With boundless gratitude,

Lucinda

You start one plague and no one lets you live it down.

- Mistress Misery

Contents

Howl of the Abyss: Mistress Misery’s Melodic Embrace

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

5. Chapter 5

6. Chapter 6

7. Chapter 7

8. Chapter 8

9. Chapter 9

10. Chapter 10

11. Chapter 11

12. Chapter 12

~ Official Merch ~

About the Author

Also by Lucinda Wicked

Howl of the Abyss: Mistress Misery’s Melodic Embrace

You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring

Told Ya So - Get Scared

phlegm in the windpipe - Twiztid

House of Wolves - My Chemical Romance

King For A Day - Pierce The Veil, Kellin Quinn

Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace

Suite-Pee - System Of A Down

SECOND & SEBRING - Of Mice & Men

Makeshift Chemistry - Crown The Empire

Shadow Moses - Bring Me The Horizon

THIS ONE’S FOR YOU - Of Mice & Men

Situations - Escape the Fate

Kick Me - Sleeping With Sirens

If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is - Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows

Sarcasm - Get Scared

Partners in Crime (feat. Ash Costello) - Set It Off, Ash Costello

The House of Wolves - Bring Me The Horizon

Not The American Average - Asking Alexandria

Bulls In The Bronx - Pierce The Veil

A Match Into Water - Pierce The Veil

I Won’t Give In - Asking Alexandria

This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II) - Escape the Fate

Hollow Bodies - blessthefall

Reincarnate - Motionless In White

Devil’s Night - Motionless In White

Stabbing In The Dark - Ice Nine Kills

Brand New Numb - Motionless In White

Break - Three Days Grace

One For the Money - Escape the Fate

I’m Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of? - A Day To Remember

Headache - Motionless In White

Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) - My Chemical Romance

Cynical Skin - Get Scared

One

Chapter 1

Misery sat opposite the ghoul, her chosen form draped in a long black cloak that seemed to suck the rays of light that came close. Perhaps it did have magical properties. The original owner had sworn it was ordinary when he handed it over but it didn’t seem to be and Misery was glad for it. It covered her from head to toe, shrouding her features in darkness. The clients did not need to know more than they should to work with her.

The ghoul had to be someone influential to have had the means to find her. Their meeting room was magically reinforced as well as it was opulent. The room was adorned with rich, vibrant colors – deep reds, bold blues, and luxurious gold accents. Intricately patterned silk tapestries hang from the walls, depicting scenes of nature, mythology, or traditional motifs. The floor was covered in plush, intricately woven rugs that looked like they had been woven in a different realm. They had finely woven geometric designs that looked eerily like fae genitals.

Low slung carved wooden chairs and tables were scattered throughout the room. Ornate screens with delicate lattice work and painted panels provided both privacy and decorative flair. Bonsai trees or bamboo plants added a touch of greenery, whilst ceramic vases filled with cherry blossoms or lotus flowers infused the air with a subtle, sweet fragrance. Misery found the scent strong and cloying.

Soft, ambient lighting emanated from paper lanterns and silk-shaded lamps, casting a warm, inviting glow across the space. Delicate porcelain teapots and cups sat atop lacquered trays, inviting guests to partake in the ritual of tea drinking.

The room was serene. It was a deceptive kind of calm. The calm before the storm.

The ghoul, a small, delicately boned creature attempted to sip tea from a delicate porcelain cup, her gnarled fingers struggling to grasp the handle. Misery observed silently, her presence haunting the serene atmosphere of the oriental room. The chill should ordinarily have come from the ghoul but it came from her instead.

The ghoul’s phantom hands, translucent and insubstantial, hovered before her, unable to interact with the physical world in the same manner as a corporeal being. Misery watched with a mixture of fascination and detachment as the ghoul’s attempts to sip the tea ended in frustration, the liquid spilling from the cup in clumsy drips. She had managed to raise the cup with telekinesis but even if she did bring the cup to her lips, she could not drink from it.

Though Misery was not a ghoul herself, she understood the creature’s plight all too well. She was condemned to exist on the fringes of mortal perception.

To her surprise, the ghoul tried again. Misery observed the ghoul before her, its elongated fingers struggling to grasp the delicate teacup a second time. Phantom hands