In book 2 of The Blackburn Chronicles, the Wind Reapers, Charlotte and Sheriff Riley brave the tumultuous Wasteland to secure a cure for the deadly Ashen Croup -- a devastating illness that drowns victims in their own lungs. Caught up in a storm just outside the glowing electric dome that protects the city, they find a way in through the decaying grid...
In the distance, lightning lit up the dark sky
illuminating an enormous black cloud. I squinted, adjusted the violet lens of
my goggles down over my right eye, and froze. A roiling mass of churning wind
and ash, the dark cloud rumbled with flashes of light in its belly. It moved
like a massive wave towards us.
Riley motioned and I followed him along a tacky
path to an opening just ahead in the dome. The tar never could seem to set into
its final hardness where the dome met the street. Lit only by the flickering
pulses of the grid’s energy, we stole along the curved base of the protective
covering. Behind us, the howling winds raced in from the dark, hot abyss of the
wasteland.
A deep rumble tore across the landscape as the mounting wave of ash
and rain built to a colossal storm. It was far off still, but closing in.
Already, frigid splatters of the Blood Blizzard flew at us. They hit the cross
sections of the grid and hissed as water evaporated and ash burned to shiny
hard spots on the ground. The tainted rain left red splashes on my gloves and
sleeves and made me appear as if I had survived some terrible, bloody battle.
The strangely violent and unpredictable climate of the Blackburn Chronicles world was so much fun to use as a way to push the characters to the limit. The Wasteland offered a multitude of dangers to anyone foolhardy or desperate enough to venture into the desolate lands between the domes.
Red ash from the fissure fires mixed with the water of the storm left anyone caught in the torrent dripping wet with crimson. Quite a frightening sight, but an appropriate warning for those thinking they might try the journey.
If you like dystopian thrillers with lots of adventure and strange devices, they check out The Blackburn Chronicles.
For a taste of this fantastic world, try the FREE NOVELLAS here.