Terror of the Sixth Spire Book Preview #1
The below selection is an early part of the book where Monty and her friends have been searching the city of Parn for Nadalia. They are currently watching a grand celebration from the shadows of an alleyway. To Monty’s horror, her friend is part of the exhibition.
“I found your friend, Nadalia,” the cat said.
“I am glad to hear that, Nora,” Monty said. “I wish we could’ve helped Calais’ friends.”
“We can’t help your friend either, child,” Nora said looking at the crowd. “Look over there at the wagon, they found her before we did.”
A wagon was approaching the platform. Being pulled by two large horses, the wagon was mostly a cage that held a beautiful blue-skinned woman. The woman just sat in the corner of the cage with her knees pulled against her chest. It was too far away for Monty to see the corrupted’s expression.
“Oh no,” Monty gasped. “Is there anything we can do that won’t hurt anyone?”
“Nope,” Denarith said. “Let’s wait to see where they take her, and then we can bust her out.”
The crowd screamed and backed away when they saw the wagon. Several women grabbed their children and moved away. The rest of the crowd remained unnervingly quiet. The baron remained calm and was smiling. “Be calm, my dear people,” he said. “With our new detection systems, we caught this corrupted before it could hurt anyone. I promise you that you are safe even from the corrupted. When we do face corrupted, the empire has these new soldiers.”
From out of the sky, several mechanical constructs landed on the ground. Their large metal wings folded up into a compartment on their backs. Being over ten feet tall, they looked like giant human skeletons with spinning gears and armored plates. They wore metal helmets with glowing red eyes. Each one was armed with massive swords and shoulder-mounted cannons. Thick metal plates covered their body and managed not to impede their movement. Monty could see an unsettling red glow within their machinery. The crowd remained still as they watched the six constructs.
“I introduce you to the spire knights,” the baron said. “Made from the same power and technology as the spires, they can kill anything including the corrupted. To prove their ability and to calm your fear, they will execute this creature.”
“We have to do something,” Monty said in a panic.
“Are you okay with us killing mechanical monsters?” Denarith said.
“What are they?” Monty said with uncertainty. “Are they like me? Do they have a soulforge like a maru?”
“I see nothing like a soulforge,” Calais said examining them. “There is something, but I am not sure what it is.” Monty had known Calais for only a short time but learned that summoners could see people’s very soul and essence. It allowed them to capture it within their drawings. “Maybe I can try to sketch them. I should learn more about them.”
As Calais was pulling out her book, Monty startled at a horrendous roar. The crowd screamed and ran out of the square when several corrupted transformed into their hideous, beast-like forms. The largest one looked like a wolf hybrid, but he had horns covering the top of his head, neck and arms. Brown scales covered most of his body. It towered over the running people but didn’t attack. After bellowing at the sky, it raised a large sword while skulls rattled from its belt. No soldiers or knights approached.
“That is an elder corrupted,” Calais said astonished. “I didn’t think they existed. He has to be almost a hundred years old.”
Around the elder corrupted, others transformed into their beast forms. Some were like cats while others were similar to exotic birds. Even a few vampires whisked through the air. Baron Verrandrin was stunned by the surprise attack while the soldiers drew their swords. The mechanical knights simply waited while the corrupted growled orders and pointed to the wagon.
“They are going to take Nadalia,” Nora said while crouching near the ground. “If we are going to save her, we must go now.”
–Excerpt from Chapter 2, Terror of the Sixth Spire, Fallen Spires Book 2