“Either Side of Night” is the first in a series of six short stories called the Linear Cycle, released officially on April 21, 2017. The Linear Cycle is a darker fantasy saga, with each story told through a single point of view. For the first, that is Dusk, an 11-year-old boy running from the supernatural horrors swarming his city. Here is the blurb for this first part:
Lines of magic run throughout the Valtian Empire. Some are natural, but many more are artificial, made by the hands of man, and it is these that have produced the great advancements of the modern empire. In the capital city of Midra, even a child can feel the magical energy coursing through the conduits beneath every street and into every house. To live in the empire is to live with magic all around you, to learn to wield its power from a young age.
But researchers in the southern town of Corvala have made a startling discovery. A new plague has arisen, a plague of magic. The very lines themselves have sickened, and all who draw power from them take find that power tainted. Those who are touched by this supernatural poison are consumed by it, becoming monsters, shambling abominations whose only desire is chaos. Lines created the Valtian Empire. Now, they may destroy it.
You can get “Either Side of Night” at the Kindle store for only 99 cents, or donate to ny Patreon to gain access to it and the rest of the Linear Cycle, as well as other stories I’ve written.