Chapter Four: The Voice in the Dark

Matty Caff AI Comic Fantasies: These are independent stand alone AI and Face Swap created comics of fantasy and some personal experience. I use my face in every comic.

For two thousand years, demons and humans waged war against each other. Twenty-five years ago, that all changed. Now two demon princesses must navigate a world that's been forever altered - and yet they'll soon find that far too much of it remains the same.

This is the story of Mikaela, and Charlotte, twin princesses (born to the protagonists of Demon Queened), forced to become adventurers as a rite of passage. In theory, it'll be easy! They're literally demi-gods after all. It's not like anything can hurt them... but will it really be so simple for two pampered princesses to live the life of adventurers?

From prejudiced humans to old demonic grudges, hidden villages, romance and potential heartbreak, the girls will soon find that there's a lot more to life than they realized.

This is a sequel to Demon Queened, but I'll do my best to make sure you don't need to read the original to make sense of it. I still recommend the original - it was a good series, in my opinion! - but reading it shouldn't be a necessity.

In the quiet heart of southwestern Wyoming, a small town clings to its small-town ways. But when a sudden boom brings big money and bigger secrets, what’s left of the town they thought they knew?

As usual, I want to thank Malady for beta reading, and helping edit.
I'd also like to thank those who comment for their part in beta reading too! :-)

Chapter 32

July 5th, 2028

10:00 AM

Subject: You’re not who they cheer for

From: millieB@ghosttrail.net

To: denise.smith@gradecounty.org

Denise,

You looked radiant in the parade. The ponytail, the swimsuit, the cheers. All so perfect.

But let’s be honest. They weren’t cheering for you. They were cheering for the land. The trust. The inheritance. You’re the vessel, not the victory.

They smile because they want something. They praise because they’re afraid to lose access. You think they see you—but they see acreage, not identity.

You’re not their daughter. You’re their deed holder.

Enjoy the spotlight while it lasts.

—Millie

Late March - New York - Mark Steele’s Penthouse

Mark tried to be helpful. Really.

He knew what posh girls used on their faces though he never really had the money to buy any of it when he was working at the Licorice Elephant. So he bought Angel three types of cleanser, and a Sephora haul large enough to bankrupt a minor country. The first morning, he left a care package on her side of the sink: organic moisturizer, a detangling brush, a perfect lipstick matched to her skin.

Angel found it and said nothing.

Walking the Blue Line.
Every rookie police officer knows the dangers of the job by the second week under their training officer. By the end of their training every rookie understands that there are something they can’t control, and not all crimes will be solved. Though all rookies share the same dream. Their first assignment following training. For 21 year old Officer Joe Cartwright of the Baltimore PD that dream is to be a member of the Mounted Patrol. What he got would lead to a life changing path.

Chapter 7

It took a week, but Willow ended up with twenty-six seats and a hefty invoice to pay, which she did, immediately. She sat down to list the twenty-six who would be there. Two would be her and Garry, two would be the two girls from the office who pulled the rabbit out of the hat, and others would include Vivienne, Nancy, the Head, Hilda, the Russells, Howard, her parents and the Bishop. She expected that Gina would have reserved seating for Maisie and the two husbands.

February - New York - Angel as Mark

Dinner was already plated when Lena Park arrived. Mark (formerly Angel) wore a black-on-black best, no tie, sleeves rolled, the perfect blend of intimidating and disarming. She wore a silver slip dress, daring by her standards, paired with a blazer that she refused to remove even after two glasses of wine. Mark clocked the nervous micro-glances at his forearms, the way she tucked a stray hair behind her ear when she meant business, the tic of her heel under the table.

Author's Note. I took a long break from this one because I was having trouble coming up with the next relics that would drive the story further. I have finally found what I was looking for and am looking forward to moving this story on.

Chapter 10 — The Weight of Two Relics

In the quiet heart of southwestern Wyoming, a small town clings to its small-town ways. But when a sudden boom brings big money and bigger secrets, what’s left of the town they thought they knew?

As usual, I want to than Malady for beta reading, and helping edit.
I'd also like to thank those who comment for their part in beta reading too! :-)

Chapter 27

June 30, 2028

7:46 AM

Agent Marla Keene arrived the next morning, and when she met her, Fran had to admit that cyborg seemed forgiving. Deputy Carlson picked her up at the airstrip at what was colloquially called the “bottom of Grade”. Grade was so named as it sat on a hill. The top was the edge of city limits, at which was the county sheriff’s office. The bottom was an airstrip, situated where the small planes that landed and took off were sheltered from the winds that blew, uninhibited, across the landscape.

He spotted her the moment she stepped off the plane. Her tailored black jacket looked like it was made from graphite – the shirt underneath, looked like it didn’t dare wrinkle.

Chapter 6

She passed the open book to him, and his eyes went wide as he looked at the picture.

“I remember the day that was taken. I had managed to get them a short tour of seaside towns as an opening band. That was the beginning of the growing fan base. Where did you get this book?”

Alex had a terminal Cancer diagnosis and thought she would die before she got to be the girl she always was inside. That all changes when she's in the wrong place at the right time and gets transported to another world and into the body of a girl. So what if she's not human, she's alive and a girl. Now if only she had her sister with her to navigate this new world and her new responsibilities. Wait, she's here too? The passage of their souls between worlds may have doomed the Earth to apocalypse, but Alex and Michelle won't be there to see it and they have enough problems on their hands.
 

Matty Caff AI Comic Fantasies: These are independent stand alone AI and Face Swap created comics of fantasy and some personal experience. I use my face in every comic.

Chapter 5

The day after they arrived home, the Randalls were sitting at the kitchen table after breakfast. Willow sipped her tea and smiled.

“It was nice for Mac to give us the Watford shed. I’m not certain that we’ll have a magnificent recording studio, though. I’ve been trying to remember the times we’ve been there, and it didn’t seem that big.”

Chapter 4

Willow got the two bands together in one of the function rooms after breakfast.

“I have some news that will please you. I received a phone call from Rufus, our manager, this morning. As of yesterday afternoon, he has made a deal with the manager of ‘Enlightened’ to be their manager outside of Australasia, as your manager doesn’t normally work outside of Australia and New Zealand.”

Samantha and her friends looked puzzled.

“What does this mean for us, practically?”

By Iona Laing

Chapter Nineteen – Nightmares and explanations.

(Julia.)

I was back at school, and it was playtime, and as usual the favourite game was shove Julia around.

“Who would want to be a foster carer for you?” Shove!

“You are a worthless piece of shit!” Shove!

January - London - Mark (as Angel)

The weeks blurred into each other like smudged lipstick.

Every morning, Mark got up, put on his gym kit, and ran laps around the canals, lungs burning, legs raw. If you looked past the stares from construction workers and the old women walking their dogs, it almost felt normal. Sweat, pain, the grind. He clung to it—routine was the only thing left that felt like his.

When billionaire financier Mark Steele opens an anonymous Christmas delivery—a rare First Folio containing a strange, shimmering parchment—his meticulously controlled life begins to unravel. Across the city, Angelique “Angel” Valentine, a sharp-tongued dancer with debts, secrets, and a crippled friend to protect, is blackmailed into entertaining a mysterious guest at a corporate Christmas party. Their worlds collide in a night of lust and deception—and by morning, Mark wakes up in Angel’s body, and Angel in his.

Trapped in a life of cheap wine, bruised knees, and rent arrears, Mark must learn to survive as the woman he once dismissed. Across town, Angel revels in her new power—money, muscle, and a Manhattan skyline at her feet. But as each struggles to master the other’s world, the lines between identity, class, and desire blur. Beneath the sex and glamour lies a simple question: when you strip away money, body, and name—what’s left of the self?

In the quiet heart of southwestern Wyoming, a small town clings to its small-town ways. But when a sudden boom brings big money and bigger secrets, what’s left of the town they thought they knew?

As usual, I want to than Malady for beta reading, and helping edit.
I'd also like to thank those who comment for their part in beta reading too! :-)
Chapter 17

For all the trouble he’d gone through, Fran decided to let Trey serve the warrant.

They stepped into the lobby of Spotless Solutions. Bill sat behind the receptionist desk, hunched over a clipboard. He glanced up—and his expression soured instantly.

“You again?” Bill asked, exasperated. “What have we done this time?”

His tone wasn’t curious. It was tired. Defensive. Like he’d been bracing for this moment since the last visit—and had finally run out of patience.

Trey didn’t flinch. He stepped forward, warrant in hand, and held it out. The silence stretched—just long enough to make Bill squirm.

By Iona Laing

Chapter Seventeen – Jessie is told she has to back off!”

(Jenna.)

Once Jacqui and Deborah had taken Julia off the ward, I closed the door to the side room.

Dr Hunstanton sat in front of Jess and studied her carefully.