In the dim light of a storeroom, Vekaya wakes up, alone and with no memory of who she is, where she is, or how she got there. In an orphanage run by an arcane religious cabal, our first protagonist has no choice but to become an investigator, a rebel, and her very own hero. At nearly the same time and not far away, a mysterious and deadly force from an uncharted region causes the town of South Hall to destroy itself, leaving Gyrath and his little brother Caedrus equal parts baffled and horrified. Taken from a stable and easy life, they are now adrift in a world of wolf packs, shapeshifters, will-bending shamassons, and the death crawler: a worm made entirely of corpses, the size of a tower that breathes violent madness into those unlucky enough to be near it. The trio must learn to put aside their differences in the hopes that the three of them will survive their adventure and save Hammercleft - and possibly the world - from those who would dominate it. A Flash of Sparks is created by Emile Bienert, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.

A Flash of Sparks

I awoke in a tent. I was on a grayish blue sleeping roll that looked darker and more used than the fabric of the tent. Caedrus was there at my side. Vekaya was, too. When my eyelids fluttered open, my little brother hugged me. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t exclaim “you’re awake,” he just hugged me. He wasn’t shaking or crying or whining. I could feel reassurance and relief in his arms. The pain in my shoulder was masked and beneath the overlarge military shirt I wore, I could feel some sort of bandage on it. Vekaya looked at me with a look that betrayed confusion and conflict. Caedrus’ actions told me that we were relatively safe. Vekaya’s told me that she wasn’t sure about much of anything.


“You still don’t-” I stopped, “You don’t remember much.”


“But you came back for me. For us.”


Chapter 40: The Meeting of Before and Next