The holy war had been kinder to John than she thought. His body wasn’t as broken as the horror stories that had been told to her from other women who had received their husbands back. There were cuts, gashes long healed, wounds with horrible stitching, but nothing that would physically change anything, especially not her attraction to him. Before John left, they were a doting couple, he was ten years her senior, and she was more than enamored by his manliness and knighthood, his rank and power as a warrior and soldier, it was something that she really liked and loved about him. But also, John treated her well, with decency and respect. When he left, to fight a holy war of all things, it was those markers of his identity that she feared most would not return back to her even if John did.
“Willa,” John called to her from the other room.
She had been in their chambers too long, lost in her own head. Faisal had probably already cleaned up after dinner.
“Be right there, my lord,” she heard herself yell back.
Willa went back to staring at herself in the metal basin on her wardrobe that held the fresh water. She tried to see the eyes of the woman that peered back but couldn’t, not clearly. Yet, she could tell that John was different, she was different as well. In six years a lot had happened and although she had played his return over in her mind a thousand times, she wasn’t prepared for it, not now, and she realized in those moments, probably never.
“It’s time, you know it is,” a soft yet raspy voice much like her own but shadowy and from deep inside, spoke to her. “He is not pure any longer.”
Willa tried to shake the voice, fiercely moving her head from the left to right.
“He has killed innocents in the name of falsities and you know it,” the voice continued. “He is no longer your kind, Willa.”
“Willa!” her husband John called for her again from the other room
“I know,” she found herself saying low to herself, “But he is my husband and he has returned home to me.”
“But who are you, you must ask, that he has returned home to? Are you not a stranger to him, Willa? Do you not know the secrets of life now? Whereas, he has given himself wholly to a belief that causes death to others, all in the name of falsities…He will take it all from you now!””
The voice wouldn’t leave her alone, no matter how hard she tried to literally shake it away. Her husband had returned home, he was different, but so was she.
“Willa --” John had started to call for her again.
Willa stepped out from the doorway of their chambers. John was there waiting. He was frail, she could see it clearly now. His brawny body before the war had indeed thinned. And she could now smell the death on him, it was musty and harsh.
“You ran off after dinner. It is almost night now,” his voice was wild, his questioning came from a place of wonder, she could sense that as well.
“I’m sorry, my lord. I wanted to… Prepare myself for you,” she heard herself speak.
His eyes fell softer, then looked her over. Up and down. Her husband was back home.
But he was different, and so was she.
To Be Continued:
Well, there you go, Part II of WILLA. There’s obviously something deeper going on with her, and it’s affecting her thoughts and feelings toward her husband, who’s just returned home from fighting a war. Next week, on January 17th, all will be revealed in Part III and conclusion of the story.
A couple of house keeping items for y’all: As this new year begins, I am attempting to do more with my imprint GNOSIS Studios.
GNOSIS is about self-awareness, knowing yourself, and that’s who I am and what I’m about as a person. And that’s a part of how I create. So, in 2023, there’s an intense focus for me to put out stories through this vehicle that reflects that. For right now, Kickstarter and this Substack will be the platforms to get all GNOSIS titles (we will also be using Gumroad for PDF downloads for digital Kickstarter rewards). Our first quarter (January-March) has begun and here’s what we have on slate:
January 24, 2023 AMERICA’S KINGDOM #1-3 Kickstarter Launch. Here’s a look at the official Issue #3 cover.
January 17, 2023 WILLA: PART III will drop on this CHARACTER + OBSTACLE = STORY Substack.
January thru March there will be more episodes of Season One of SEPARATE BUT EQUAL releasing on this Substack every Friday.
And our horror/slasher comic, THE LUNATIC, THE LOVER, & THE POET Issue 3/Act 3 Finale will launch on Kickstarter March 9, 2023 (one day before SCREAM VI releases in theaters — so it’s gonna be a horror celebration, y’all!!!)
And that will wrap up the first quarter of GNOSIS Studios’ releases. We definitely hope that you all will continue to roll with us as we try to consistently put out good titles. Also, please remember that we want your thoughts and feedback so please don’t hesitate to let us know what you’re thinking.
Last but not least, my foray into traditional publishing will also continue. I have a few titles coming out from different publishers in 2023, starting with the return of my mythological horror series, THE VINEYARD, from AfterShock Comics.
Issue #3 finally hits stores January 25th so if you’ve been waiting for it, please make sure you go grab a copy. If you haven’t yet, please consider checking out the series — Sami Kivela, Jason Wordie, and Taylor Esposito have all been brilliant bringing this murderous familial tale of tragedy and horror to life.
Thank you all for continuing to subscribe to CHARACTER + OBSTACLE = STORY. Having this Substack and having all of you be a part of this community and platform truly means a lot to me, to all of us, all of my collaborators, and the team at GNOSIS.
Talk soon —
Brian
1/10/23