Before The Break Of Dawn: The Orb Mongers & The Flood

By A.B. Charles

Before the Break of Dawn is a collection of stories which take place in the mystical world of Eternal Dawn, the setting of the highly anticipated fantasy novel Dawnbreaker.

 

The Orb Mongers is the story of a pair of thieves who find themselves at a crossroads. Muse Orbs, the objects of their illicit dealings, are becoming increasingly scarce with the passing of each new night. A game of pure luck unveils the location of what could be the only remaining horde in Eternal Dawn. Will Chauncey and Trig's next big score be their last?

 

The Flood tells the tale concerning the final hours of the Last War. The Vagabond Master and his apprentice find themselves in a race against time. They must outrun an ancient evil as they try desperately to complete their final mission and bring light back to Eternal Dawn.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Banned & Burned Publishing
• Release date: Jan 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798988475705

Book preview

A.B. Charles

Before The Break Of Dawn

The Orb Mongers and The Flood

First published by Banned & Burned Publishin 2023

Copyright © 2023 by A.B. Charles

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

A.B. Charles asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

First edition

ISBN: 979-8-9884757-0-5

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For those that hide themselves away

Contents

Preface

The Orb Mongers

The Flood

About the Author

Also by A.B. Charles

Preface

The stories contained within Before the Break of Dawn serve as a prologue of sorts to the full length novel Dawnbreaker. I had recently completed the novel and started shopping it around. I also immediately started working on a new unrelated project. Try as I might, the characters from my old project kept bothering me. They weren’t content with being set aside to languish in the limbo that is the corporate book market. They were desperately waiting to ride again in a sequel that may or may not happen. They had taught me so much about myself already and it seemed they still had more to teach. I felt like I owed it to them to continue to listen. I hope you enjoy the adventures of Trig and Chauncey in The Orb Mongers and those of the Vagabond and the Apprentice in The Flood. They will all return in the novel Dawnbreaker when it is eventually published.

A.B. Charles

May 2023

The Orb Mongers

Why do you insist on wearing those ridiculous clothes? We’re on a mission for crying out loud. It was a question Trig had asked on countless occasions, a castigation with rhetorical foundations. They knew it would not be heard as such.

Chauncey had formed a repertoire of answers that he believed to be of sound reason. He scrolled through the Rolodex in his mind before offering, What we do tonight, dear Trig, is fraught with danger. If I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out in style. Leave a good-looking corpse and all that.

And who, pray tell, would come ‘round to mourn you? Trig chided. I’m your only friend and I barely tolerate you.

So we’re friends now, are we then? A rare admittance indeed. I’m going to have to mark this one down, Chauncey quipped. Though Trig would be hard-pressed to admit it, Chauncey always suspected that they held a spot in their heart for him. Why are you so concerned with my clothes? It’s not like they hinder my movements…see? The tallish elf-like man with dandy flair crouched down before immediately popping up to his feet. He then threw out a few leg kicks for good measure. See, full range of motion. I had a good tailor after all.

For the last time, I’m not your bloody tailor, Trig responded before adding, If you’re going to waste your orb on something as stupid as clothes, they should at least have some function. They had become aggravated. Their glowing purple veins started to pulse. Can we just focus on the task at hand?

Hey… Chauncey started, unsure as to why Trig had become flustered, …you’re the one that brought it up.

A fresh regret indeed, Trig said as their eyes drew down to the old mill at the base of the hill upon which they found themselves perched.

A field of glowwheat stretched down the hillside, filling in the gap between their hide and the target ahead. The Lonely Sister bathed the area with a crimson moonbeam which mingled with the gold of the field to produce an orange hue. Trig thought of smoldering embers as they watched the stalks move back and forth in the warm autumn breeze. They brought the hood of their cloak up to cover the shock of electric blue hair that sat atop their head and they beckoned Chauncey to do the same. Okay exactly as we planned…No diversions.

No diversions, Chauncey echoed.

***

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