In a relationship that violates rules and expectations, Mayr and Tash have found their perfect match in each other. Despite their fears and difficult pasts, they hope for a shared future with security and a family. When Mayr’s secret first love, Arieve, proposes they create that family with her, it seems dreams could become reality.
But life is complicated, and so is the delicate balance between duty and love. While Mayr protects the Dahe family at all costs, Tash is determined to succeed as a priest. Both positions require sacrifice, forcing their relationship into painful choices. To make matters worse, criminals lurk in the shadows, seeking revenge on them and those they guard.
The life they want risks losing everything—including Arieve and each other. Even if they can have it all, keeping it may take more than they can give.
Warnings: “Soulbound” contains some explicit content, references to self-harm, suicide, and mentions of suicide-related behavior and intent. This story also contains instances of graphic violence, references to rape and domestic abuse, and depictions and mentions of depression.
About the Series:
With the right people and the right price, the Republic of Kattal can be brought to its knees. But for every line crossed, someone waits on the other side, ready to push back.
Armed and ready to defend their lives, these heroes are not afraid of the fight. They stare adversity in the eye and dance with the darkness within. But in their justice, there is wisdom. In wisdom, there is protection. In it all, there is love. Sometimes it’s a matter of saving a village; sometimes it’s a matter of saving the one they can’t live without. Sometimes it’s just about doing the right thing and learning to love oneself.
Magic may lurk in the shadows. Crime may never sleep. But love doesn’t back down.
Archer is giving away three $10 Amazon gift cards with this tour – enter to win via Rafflecopter:
The Goddesses of Soulbound and The Republic Series
Welcome, everyone! I’m Archer Kay Leah, author of LGTBQA+ speculative fiction romance where all sorts of queer characters get to live their lives and shake things up. So many warm thanks to Love Bytes for hosting me today on the tour for Soulbound, and thanks to all of you for hanging out with us! <3
In The Republic series, each book has touched on the religion in their world, even if just briefly, because it’s an aspect of world-building. For Soulbound, however, religion plays a larger role, seeing as Tash is a priest and telling his story (and Mayr’s) requires more about it. Particularly since things will get really fun and chaotic when the goddesses come to play among the mortals!
When I first started the series, their beliefs were inspired by polytheistic and Pagan traditions, my defaults for anything I write. I didn’t plan it all from the beginning, though, especially since the characters in the first book (Aeley and Lira) aren’t very religious. I made details up as I went — typical, actually, since my writing process is half planned and half on-the-fly. But the second book changed that: when Mayr fell in love with Tash, I spent time getting to know their deities. Since then, it’s developed as I go, leading to some pretty cool details and intricate connections, many of which just happened. My subconscious tends to do a lot of the writing!
Having said that: a lot of it comes from gods, images, and themes found in real-life, just shaken up and stirred, with new things thrown in. In Soulbound, Tash shares what he knows of the four goddesses their society worships: Emeraliss, Laytia, Hastal, and Navara. The religion and its traditions weave in and out of everything, though it’s very open: not everyone practices their religion, or has to, and if they do, they don’t have to practice it in the same way. It’s left to the individual, allowing them choice and exploration. There’s also an extra element, though, which can really wreak havoc: the goddesses can show up wherever and however they please, then poke around in the lives of anyone they want… and just be generally sneaky.
Here’s a bit more about them with excerpts from Soulbound, just because I loved working out the images and legends! Also noteworthy: all four are pansexual.
Emeraliss, Goddess of Love
“… Emeraliss, Goddess of Love, stood barefoot in the middle, draped in layers of wispy gown and precious jewels. Her hair tumbled to her thighs in a cascade of untamed waves and tiny braids decorated with ribbons and beads. A majestic scepter rested in her right hand, while Halataldris, the Father of All Birds, perched on her left forearm. In a flourish of feathers, tail, and opened wings, Halataldris looked ready to take flight and sing. His longest and most complex song was reserved for when the entire world needed to be lulled into peace. With the silkiness of every fallen feather, he dispersed hope. With the quietest warble, he could pull any heart from despair…”
As Tash’s patron goddess, Emeraliss shows up a lot. Inspiration for her came from two really obvious real-world goddesses: Aphrodite (Greek) and Venus (Roman), though she also has a bit of the Norse goddess, Freyja, to her and maybe even some Frigga. There’s a lightness to her, softness, and sweet thoughts but she’s definitely an expert in tough love. Her elements are water and air, so while she’s often gentle as a breeze or her kindness flows like a stream, she can be equally as hard-hitting like a flood or storm. And such is love: sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard, but it still is.
Emeraliss is a goddess of all types of love, not just romantic or sexual. Because of that, she’s also their goddess of peace, family, interpersonal relationships, affection, empathy, connection, liberation and freedom, the passion and love of life, adventure, experience, and the realms of the soul, heart, and spiritual self. She is their patron goddess of friends and lovers, as well as musicians and artisans. Her season is the summer.
Laytia, Goddess of Wisdom
“… Beside Emeraliss was Laytia, the Goddess of Wisdom, in a sleeveless pleated gown. Her tiered skirt was embellished with cords of nuts and fruit, and its ghostly hem faded into the background in airy tatters. Strands of dew drops and tears hung from the lace sash around her waist, between chains of rings and tree-shaped charms. Laytia’s knee-length hair was twisted and bound in four sections, secured with plaited twine like the bundles of stalks at harvest. She clutched a scepter in her left hand, while the six Eseldeer seeing stones were presented in her outstretched right hand. Believed to be the oldest stones in existence—shards snatched from the birth of the universe as its predecessor burst at the seams—the Eseldeer granted the power to see past, present, and future within the invisible webs that bound them. When set together to form the thread that connected all things, the Eseldeer became the spindle around which time wound. If one of the Eseldeer were lost, life, death, and the worlds in between would bleed into one another, blending into a new consciousness, chaotic and uncertain. Should all of the Eseldeer be lost or destroyed, the universe would unwind, unravel, and collapse into a new darkness without end…”
While working with Laytia, I quickly realized she’s related to all of the nature goddesses in real-world pantheons, and those known for their motherly, nurturing aspects. That makes sense, considering the stones she carries are part of the physical universe. In the end, she was most inspired by the Celtic goddesses Danu and Brigid, the Greek goddess Demeter, the Norse goddess Frigga, and the Egyptian goddess Isis. Her elements are air and water: both are interconnected deeply with so much of the natural world, which reflects Laytia so perfectly.
Having said that, Laytia is their goddess of all forms of wisdom, knowledge, and nature, along with connection, harvest, and home and hearth. But she’s also their goddess of time, growth, memory, and moderation, as well as living, birth, rebirth and renewal, cycles, starts and beginnings, and the realms of the mind, inner self, and identity. She is the patron goddess of families, parents and children, healers, and storytellers. Her season is the spring.
Hastal, Goddess of Protection
“… To the left of Emeraliss stood Hastal, the Goddess of Protection, in armoured plates over a thick bodice and hide dress. Like her open cloak, the layered strips of her knee-length skirt were trimmed with jagged rows of teeth and sharpened claws. Over her short hair, Hastal wore an elaborate headpiece made from four curved antlers and dangling shards of bone with feathered edges. In her left hand stood a staff; in her right, She carried a shield, the ancient script on its face a match to that engraved on Hastal’s breastplate. Named Talean the Unbreakable, the shield had been forged from time itself in the fires of a dozen suns and polished with the angry breaths of a thousand storms. Even when Talean had tumbled into the molten abyss at the centre of their world, striking every rock and scathing jewel on the way to the roiling core, Talean remained intact. It was only after Talean had drifted on the liquid earth to the Caves of the Found inside the southern mountains did Hastal find the shield gleamed like the stars, blinding all who dared attack…”
Not only is Hastal the toughest badass of the bunch, she’s what happened when I last binge-watched Xena: Warrior Princess. Okay, it’s a bit more complex than that. While Hastal is heavily inspired by the Amazon warriors in the TV show and then some, there’s more to it: Hastal is this series’ version of the warrior goddesses found in real-world pantheons, including — but absolutely not limited to — Freyja and Skadi (Norse), Diana (Roman), Artemis (Greek), and also the Valkyries. Wherever there’s a warrior or hunter goddess, that’s Hastal. Her elements are fire and earth — fierce, hardcore, and not to be trifled with. She’s also transgender.
Hastal is a goddess of all forms of protection, fight, and hunts, which means she’s also the goddess of survival, battle and war, journeys and quests, strength, and defiance. Personal journeys and self-preservation are included in that (represented by her shield), as well as the realm of the Divine. She’s the patron goddess of soldiers, guards, warriors, and hunters. However, she’s also the patron goddess of anyone who is transgender, non-binary, or questioning their gender. Her season is autumn.
Navara, Goddess of Justice
“… Navara, Goddess of Justice, stood to the right of Laytia, dressed in a patchwork gown of chain mail and silk, finely threaded with veins and sinew. The petal-shaped scales and circular links in her girdle fell in tiers, tied around the middle with a belt woven from locks of hair taken from every living creature. A circlet of frozen embers adorned her forehead, the rest of the band lost in the tight curls of her short hair. While Navara gripped a staff in her right hand, her left hand held up the Onamarre, the balanced scales of fate. The plate on the left represented the weight of falsehood, paired with the plate of truth on the right. Crafted from a world’s worth of lost souls, their essences captured in the voids of ethereal dust, the Onamarre balanced on a frame of bone fragments taken from the spines of the most just and the least kind. Every judgment was weighed on the backs of the cruelest spirits and the most selfless hearts, allowing fate to tip in whichever direction it desired…”
Half of the inspiration for Navara is terribly obvious, given the scales in her hand: Lady Justice, also known as Iustitia (Roman), Themis and Dike (Greek), and Maat (Egyptian) in real life. Except the use of those scales to also weigh one’s soul is similar to the weighing of hearts by Maat and the Egyptian god Anubis, though I didn’t notice the connection until afterwards!
The rest of the inspiration came from Hel (Hella), Norse goddess in charge of Hel, realm of the dead and Germanic underworld where those who die of natural causes, sickness, and old age reside. And no, I’m not talking about Hela from the Marvel comics and movies! In Heathen lore, Hel is said to be half blue/black and half flesh-coloured, with a gloomy, fierce, and downcast appearance. I love that imagery, leading to where I took Navara: Navara has a duality, represented as the beautiful and the macabre, hard and soft, life and death.
Her elements are earth and fire, which works perfectly with the concept of ashes to ashes, dust to dust… Not only is Navara a goddess of justice, judgment, truth, fairness, and balance, she’s their goddess of mortality, death, and the realms of the physical self, including flesh, blood, bone, and spirit. She’s the patron goddess of law enforcement and authority. Her season is the winter… naturally.
There’s so much more I could say, but I think I’ll end here! Thank you so much for reading, folks. I love hearing from readers, so feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and musings! 🙂
Three loud knocks rapped the door, scaring them both. Cursing under his breath, Mayr opened the door.
Arieve.
Every foul word tumbled back down Mayr’s throat. “Hey.” He leaned against the door, one arm sliding up the side.
In an instant, he tripped on his own feet and stumbled into the door, swinging it open further.
“You can’t possibly be drunk already.” The corners of Arieve’s eyes crinkled with her smile, her glossed lips painted pink like her cheeks. Dark curls and plaits cascaded over her shoulders, the firelight lending a golden hue to the white-blonde streaks in the fringe of hair across her forehead. She held a silver tray, presenting two glass goblets filled with a bluish-purple drink and fragments of gold leaf sprinkled on top. “Otherwise, this might be a bad idea.”
“What’s a bad idea?” Mayr grimaced, his mouth suddenly dry as if filled with pillow stuffing. Quick to recover, he smoothed his shirt, resettled his belts, and slicked back his hair, pretending he meant to be clumsy.
“Your after-dinner drinks. Lira was going to bring them, but I thought I’d save her the trip. She’s having fun trading stories with your mother.” Arieve cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”
The tray rattled in her hand. The drinks threatened to slosh over the rims.
Mayr steadied the tray. “Thanks for that. This. These.” He offered her an awkward smile and took the goblets. “I’ll let you get back.” So you won’t see me kick my own ass for being completely inappropriate.
“Thanks, Arieve,” Aeley called from her desk.
“You’re welcome.” Arieve hesitated as she lowered the tray. She swayed gently, the rich green layers of her tiered, ruffled skirts moving with her. “I’ll let you finish.”
Before Mayr could say anything else, Arieve hurried down the hall and around the corner.
“I wonder what the mix is this time.” Aeley snatched one goblet to sniff it. “Hint of gaffa nectar, soured pamolea extract, and a bite of fulore. Plus maybe, probably—” another sniff “—syrup from the Sailor’s Sweetheart bush.” She took a sip and nodded. Flakes of gold leaf clung to her top lip. “Not as fun as last night’s concoction, but I could get used to it.”
“That’s what you always say.” Mayr brushed the flakes from Aeley’s lips with his thumb.
Aeley wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “Not always, just a lot. Cook knows her stuff. To be fair, she’s known me since I was three, getting into her puddings and tarts anytime she turned around. I trust that when she serves up a hodgeypodgey drink, it’s got personality.” She tapped her goblet against his. “I’m heading back to our guests. You should, too, considering it’s yourparty. We can resume this conversation later.”
After a kiss to his cheek, Aeley flounced out the door and through the corridor, humming to herself.
Mayr stared into his goblet, watching the gold swirl in an abstract pattern. My stomach. My head. I can’t even…
He set the goblet on Aeley’s desk. He needed Tash’s forgiveness more than he deserved a fancy drink.
As he exited the room, questions assaulted him hard enough to drown the sound of the door latch as it caught. One question practically shouted above all the others: how much had Arieve heard of his conversation with Aeley?
His heartbeat faltered. He was mortified. The door was not impervious to sound. What would Arieve think of him had she heard…
Hey, stupid! It doesn’t matter.Mayr grumbled and hooked his thumbs around the back of his belts. It still comes out to you’re taken and happy, so shut up.Dragging his heels, he wandered through the corridor and turned into the next, towards the ballroom.
Around the corner, Arieve leaned against the wall, head bowed, with her face hidden by her hair. She twined the trailing black laces of her bright green tunic around her fingers and pulled taut, then released them only to repeat the process. The empty tray rested beside her, abandoned against the wall.
“Hey.” Mayr stopped, careful to leave two foot lengths between them. “I thought you went back?” He toyed with his marriage ring, twisting the band nervously. Memories of Tash surged forward, the airy weight of his kisses almost real enough to feel.
“I wanted to wait for you.” Arieve raised her head and offered a tender smile. “I probably won’t get a word in the rest of the night given the company, so I thought…”
She was in his arms before he could reply. Her hug stole his surprise, shredding it until all that remained was stunned.
“Congratulations,” she murmured, her forehead tucked beneath his chin. “He’s got a good heart, solid. You’ve found your match. If the Four could grant me one wish tonight, it’d be for you two to have everything you desire.”
Mayr hesitated, his hands hovering over Arieve’s back. Touching was a bad idea, especially while he kept Tash from the truth. “Thank you.” Quick as he could, he embraced Arieve and pushed her away, feeling worse than the coward he was. “Let’s go back. I need to stop my mother from revealing every baby story she has or everyone’s going to hear about my naked backside and trailing diaper crowns.”
Arieve picked up the tray and started up the hall. “I’m sure Tash is soaking them up as we speak.” She laughed, the joyous sound digging up a dozen memories.
Memories he needed to lock up and burn down.
He followed Arieve and cast his gaze to the ceiling. Please, Reverent Goddesses, get me through tonight. Then let’s talk about strength of will, because one of these days I’m going to have to confess everything and it’ll hurt more than scorching my pride.
Archer Kay Leah was raised in Canada, growing up in a port town at a time when it was starting to become more diverse, both visibly and vocally. Combined with the variety of interests found in Archer’s family and the never-ending need to be creative, this diversity inspired a love for toying with characters and their relationships, exploring new experiences and difficult situations.
Archer most enjoys writing speculative fiction and is engaged in a very particular love affair with fantasy, especially when it is dark and emotionally charged. When not reading and writing for work or play, Archer is a geek with too many hobbies and keeps busy with other creative endeavors, a music addiction, and whatever else comes along. Archer lives in London, Ontario with a bigender partner and rather chatty cat.
Author Website: http://archerkayleah.wordpress.com/
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[…] 8, 2018 – Guest post @ Love Bytes “The Goddesses of Soulbound and The Republic Series” Learn more about the four goddesses in the […]
Thank you so much for being part of the tour! It’s been great having you on the roster. 😀
This sounds like a fascinating piece of writing! I’m really looking forward to this!
[…] 8 – Guest post @ Love Bytes “The Goddesses of Soulbound and The Republic Series” Learn more about the four goddesses in the […]