From the Ashes

By Caitlin McColl

It is 2011 in an alternate war-torn Victorian-era world. A young girl and her guardian seek the Emperor of the country to ask him to stop the ten year civil war. A war between those who are for, and those who are against new technologies, and between the non-religious versus those that still believe. This short story is a prelude to my upcoming novel The Clockwork Universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caitlin McColl
• Release date: Apr 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458162144

Caitlin McColl

Since childhood, Caitlin has written mainy fantasy - with dragons, wizards and other fantastical monsters. But now she writes Steampunk, stories that makes our world just a little bit more interesting, with the ability to mask the humdrum days we all have - those cold, grey, rainy, depressing days. The days you accidentally sleep in, lock yourself out of the house, battle morning rush hour and realize your still wearing your slippers. Caitlin lives in beautiful Vancouver, Canada with her husband and her dog.Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/caitlinmccollInstagram: instagram.com/caitlinmccollauthorSeptember 2020-Published The Clockwork Universe and The Stained Glass Heart, follow ups to Under A Starlit Sky. Also re-did covers for books.-Published All That Remains - a free short story collection from 2017-Republished The Diary of Dr Jekyll that was published by a Seattle based publisher that is no more2015-Released a free ebook compilation of stories from her short story blog, Under A Starlit Sky, collectively called The Dark And Shadowy Places.Hope you enjoy!

Book preview

FROM THE ASHES

CAITLIN MCCOLL

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Copyright © 2011 Caitlin McColl

All rights reserved.

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The tall stone building stained dark with age stood out like a beacon among the squat white buildings of the surrounding city. Rue shivered as she walked past it and pulled the thin, long sleeved workman's shirt tightly around her. She glanced up at the gargoyle perched on a column on one side of the church's large wrought iron gate. Wings splayed, one clawed arm reached down towards the pavement where she stood, as if the creature meant to take a step off its resting spot and pounce on anyone unlucky enough to be underneath it. Its mate, on the other large column on the other side of the entrance gate had long since disappeared, destroyed either by age, or the war. All that remained of it was a segment of the arm that rested on its platform, and its two stubby clawed feet.

'Don't dawdle,' said Kieran from behind, pushing Rue slightly and urging her past the church. 'I hate that place,' she mumbled, casting another quick glance at the building and the large cross roughly hewn into the face of the building.

'Hurry!' hissed Kieran into Rue's ear, 'the light is going quickly, and we do not