Sunday, February 7, 2021

Sunday Snippet: Calamity of Chaos (a Chaos novella)

So far, February has been cold and snowy in Ohio. Not a complaint or anything. It's been a while since we've had snow that stuck around for longer than a day or two.

Had a fairly busy work week but I did manage to get a couple of shows watched. I started with the last two episodes of Queens of Mystery and also caught the behind the scenes and easter egg specials. I'm looking forward to another season of this show if they decide to go ahead.

I started another episode of Silent Witness and should finish it up over the next day or so. This two-parter will round out the eighth season and I'll start nine in the near future.

Caught the first episode of a new-to-me series, No Offence. Set in Manchester, I really liked the first episode. It's a bit of a dramedy which isn't usually my cuppa but I'll give this one a solid shot.

Also got another episode of Blue Heelers almost finished. This had a fun crop circle thing going on to offset a tragedy. The only thing left is the reveal of who committed a murder.

Caught my usual Ovation mysteries also. And I found a channel that's showing Poltergeist: The Legacy, which I loved when it originally aired. I really miss old-school Syfy channel sometimes. The current incarnation annoys me to the point I can't really watch it anymore. I think the freak of the week movies really ruined the entire channel for me.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Calamity of Chaos, a novella that follows Consortium of Chaos with the return of Ashton and Esme.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Esme and Ashton embark on a trip to America, on the trail of their nemesis's partner. Calamity ensues when they stumble upon a dastardly plot to keep them from returning home.

And a preview snippet…

Esme Von Staunton opened the door to greet her brother. "Eric, what brings you here?" She stepped back so he could enter.

Eric glanced behind Esme. "Is Ash here? I've got some news." He removed his coat and swung it over his arm.

Smithers entered and frowned then crossed over and took Eric's garment, which he hung up to avoid wrinkling. "Mr. Sylvester will be in shortly. He's finishing up a letter to the consortium." With a nod, he exited the room.

Esme rolled her eyes. "He's been particularly proper lately. It's driving me mad." She led Eric to the seating arrangement and let him decide where to land.

He chose the settee, which didn't surprise her. His tall frame never settled comfortably on smaller furniture. Esme perched on the edge of a side chair.

Ash entered. "Eric. A nice surprise to have you here." He greeted Esme's older sibling with a firm handshake then turned and dropped a kiss on Esme's lips.

Eric got straight to his point. "I've got news. You're going to have a tough time finding Mobride's partner because he isn't in Briton." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.

Ash shot Esme a quick glance. "You're certain? We haven't exhausted all of our resources here yet." He sat on the chair next to Esme's.

Eric lifted his chin. "Don't waste them here."

Esme cut in. "So, where should we be looking? Europe's a big continent." She hated the idea of the man being out there, pursuing Mobride's agenda.

Eric snorted. "He's not in Europe. If you want to find the baron's partner, you'll have to head for America."

Esme's mouth dropped open. "America? That's something we didn't foresee." But why would they?

Ash cocked his head. "How good is this information?" His face grew thoughtful, the wheels in his brain no doubt shifting into overdrive.

Eric rolled a shoulder. "Mobride's top aide was overheard discussing how difficult it's been to manage the business interests with the baron in confinement. He's only allowed to see him once during the week." He paused, his lips pursing. "He's getting pressure from someone in America, wanting to know how long Mobride is going to be held and weighing the idea of coming to Briton to take over the enterprise." Eric sat back, shaking his head. "Can you imagine?"

Ash's lips thinned to a slash across his face. "No. And it won't happen. We're not going to have anyone else mucking up the recent progress we've made." He got and paced back and forth a few moments.

Esme didn't need Ash's extrasensory ability to guess what would come next.

Ash stopped midstride. "Es. Better get the Lady V checked over."

Eric frowned. "Whatever for?" The light dawned. "You're not really considering—"

Esme laughed, cutting him off. "Oh, yes, he is, brother dear." She got up and made her way to Ash's side. "We're going to America."

This is such a fun series even if it has some dark turns. I love writing Esme and Ashton and their merry band of friends.


 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

No comments:

Post a Comment