Induction

By Tom Dillon

The world was once a place of plenty and wonders: famine and disease were largely unheard of, cities floated through the sky, everything appeared to be perfect. But it could not last. When the magic called Ve collapsed, society collapsed along with it: millions starved and the floating cities crashed to the ground. In the wreckage the byproducts of Ve use, magical beings called Amekt, went feral. This along with the ensuing wars rendered the mainland uninhabitable.

In the last days of the old empire, as things began to fall apart, a small group split off an island-sized piece of rock and seeded it with a plant that would allow it to float. For nearly 500 years, the island of Ansau has drifted in isolation on the ocean currents. Life is more difficult than it was, but the Island’s inhabitants have learned to use the trickle of Ve and stability has been the rule. But things are about to change again.

Induction is the second story in the Broken Shores series. On the climb back up the cliffs after harvesting mussels on the beach, Emera slips and falls. As she plummets, she prays for help and wakes up do discover that she has been spared. But the help comes at a price . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tom Dillon
• Release date: Jun 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476107240

Tom Dillon

Tom Dillon lives in Olympia, Washington with his awesome wife and an assortment of cats, ducks, and dogs. When he isn’t busy writing or reading, you can find him riding his bike, working wood, or rock climbing.

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Induction

by Tom Dillon

A Broken Shores Story

Copyright 2012 Tom Dillon

Smashwords Edition

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All things are defined by their limitations. A kite without a string would not fly, no matter how much we wish it to. Ve is no different. It may seem that an unmediated supply of Ve might be more efficient or provide more power. But just as a kite suddenly freed may briefly soar, it will shortly thereafter crash, as was illustrated by the cataclysm that destroyed the Old World. –from Ve: A Treatise by Laan Senki

Korsem Island

2nd day of Skohi, 471 AC

Taine should have been there. That was all Emera could think of as she pulled mussel after mussel out of the shallow cave and stuffed them into the mesh sack that was tied to her back. It was nearly full, and she had picked only a fraction of the mussels clinging to the rocks. Instead, he was on a trip to Kinav with his family. She imagined him walking through its streets, surrounded by the colors and excitement of the City.

As she began the climb back up, she felt the weight of the mollusks pulling