Crucible of Dust (The Clockwork Ascendancy - A Steampunk Saga)

By C. James Leone

Crucible of Dust - Epic Steampunk Fiction. Explore a unique fantasy setting with science fiction elements.

Hammond Flynn escaped the destruction of his home a broken man. Once, he was a knight of the Order of the Penitent Blade, but when the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds collapsed over the Order's land, a tidal wave of destruction enveloped everything Flynn knew. He fled that day, never looking back. As a refugee in the city of Wightgate, Flynn struggles to forget the mind-shattering horror of what he experienced, his memories buried amidst the dust of the dead.

But others still remember. A powerful criminal syndicate sees the opportunity to unearth the Order’s secrets from its still cooling corpse. When the ruthless crime lord, Yahn Christof, kidnaps Flynn, events are set in motion that will force the former knight to return to the place he has done everything to escape. The ghosts of his memories aren’t all that will haunt him, for something terrible anticipates his return. A crucible of dust awaits Flynn, and it will either destroy, or remake him.

Crucible of Dust is a 17,500 word steampunk novella.

The Clockwork Ascendancy series begins with three novellas that introduce the world of Lethe and its characters, a unique steampunk setting that blends fantasy and science fiction elements. Crucible of Dust is the first book in the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. James Leone
• Release date: Mar 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476462066

C. James Leone

C. James Leone spends most of his day in a cubicle where a computer tells him what to do. It really is as fun as it sounds. Having discovered that happiness can be found when a person pursues their dream, he has decided to pursue his own dream of writing professionally. In his spare time, he enjoys gaming and most anything that sparks the imagination. If you'd like to find out more about his work or the world of the Clockwork Ascendancy, visit his website at http://cjamesleone.com.

Book preview

Crucible of Dust

A Novella of the Clockwork Ascendancy

by C. James Leone

http://cjamesleone.com

Copyright (c) 2012 C. James Leone. All Rights Reserved.

First Smashwords Edition: March 2012

Editor: Cindy Davis

Cover Design: Streetlight Graphics

Map Design: Robert Altbauer

LICENSE NOTES

All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the original purchaser only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Map of the Clockwork Ascendancy

Crucible of Dust

About the Author

Map of the Clockwork Ascendancy

Crucible of Dust

1162 A.E.

Wightgate

A young boy stood propped up on a milk crate, his hand waving a newspaper while he shouted over the din of the crowd. Death cult abducts two more from the streets! Read all about it! Order refugees suspected!

Flynn ground his teeth hard as he passed the boy, his hands unconsciously drawing his cloak tight about himself, as if that would shield him from the child’s proclamations. Pushing through the throng of people in the market, he cast a backward glance every so often, muttering a curse each time. He had spotted his pursuers ten minutes ago—a short, barrel-chested man with a clean-shaven head, and a lanky fellow with watery eyes and a perpetual scowl. They trailed Flynn inconspicuously, stopping from time to time to look at the wares in one of the many stalls; but the tall man’s hollow stare inevitably found its way back to him.

A light dusting of snow drifted like feathers down from the heavens, covering the cobblestones in a smattering of white. Despite the frigid air, a trickle of sweat rolled down the side of Flynn's brow. He longed for a drink, something, anything, to make the running easier. Once he started, he didn’t know how to stop. Keep moving Flynn. Don’t look back, keep moving.

The crowd was all he could see now, a mass of faceless people each wrapped in their own individual world. Looming to the left was an alley, a narrow space running between two tenements and shrouded in shadows. He pushed his way past several people, ignoring their glares. Behind him, there was a crash and the sound of a cart being overturned, followed by a chorus of shrill shouts.

Flynn didn’t look back. He darted the last several feet into the alley.

It was not the escape he’d hoped for. Flynn found a wall in the shape of a man, the hulking figure blocking the passage with his girth. Dressed in a long blue overcoat with gold trim and gray trousers, he had shoulder length black hair that was so dark it shone blue in the meager light. The man smiled, not a reassuring or friendly gesture, but the smile of a predator having caught its prey. A trio of scars ran across his face, jagged slashes that were made by something angry and otherworldly. One large hand clamped down on Flynn’s shoulder with a vice-like grip.

Hold a moment. Such a beautiful day and yet you rush about. Relax, the man said, the bite of his guttural accent adding a layer of menace to the otherwise friendly words.

Flynn placed him as a Rivengaardian. Despite the fact that the war between Rivengaard and Lyonis ended nearly eighty years ago, there was still a strong feeling of enmity between the two nations. After all, seceding from the Clockwork Ascendancy, of which Lyonis was the heart, had a tendency to upset the Imperial power. Even to this day, a Rivengaardian was not a welcome sight on Lyonian soil.

Flynn’s hand flickered instinctively to the polished wooden grip of the holstered pistol concealed beneath the folds of his cloak, but he paused when a voice gnawed at the back of his mind. You could shoot him, but would he even notice?

I’m touched by your concern, truly. You’re a vision of my own mother, but I’ll have to ask you to kindly step aside. Flynn kept his voice as nonchalant as possible.

The man shook his head and kept on smiling. Flynn tensed, and his fingers deftly moved to slide the release from his holster. If he pulled fast enough, he could get a shot off before that club of a hand pounded him into the ground.

He didn’t get a chance to find out. Steps echoed behind him and a body blotted out the scant light that filtered into the alley. Flynn

Reviews for Crucible of Dust (The Clockwork Ascendancy - A Steampunk Saga)

[billygenetaylor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

cool read