Gears of the Fallen Empire (eBook)

S. H. Cross (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
404 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
9798993453170 (ISBN)

Infos

When the empire's greatest hero falls, can an orphaned engineer save what remains?

Victor Hargrove never wanted to be a hero. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as a military engineer, building airships and perfecting clockwork innovations for the Kingdom of Shion. But when Aeternum falls to a 300-year-old evil returned from darkness, Victor finds himself fleeing the burning capital with a desperate group of survivors-including the princess herself-racing toward the last bastion of hope: the Western Stronghold.

In a realm where gears turn by imagination and dragons are more than myth...

The empire is crumbling. Aeternum has fallen to shadow. Ancient creatures-an evil dormant for three centuries-pour through rifts in reality, consuming everything in their path. The journey to the Western Stronghold is fraught with danger, betrayal, and mysteries that challenge everything Victor thought he knew about engineering, magic, and the Kingdom of Shion itself.

Armed with his engineering skills, a clockwork fox named Cinder, and a small band of survivors, Victor must navigate:

The treacherous journey to the Western Stronghold through shadow-infested lands

Political intrigue as the empire fractures and loyalties are tested

Ancient magic that defies every law of engineering he's ever known

The Princess, whose survival could mean everything for what remains of Shion

Secrets about the shadows that have been hidden for 300 years

His own limits, as a military engineer forced to become something more

But the shadows are spreading. Time is running out. And the journey to the Western Stronghold will test whether Victor has what it takes to survive in a world where the old rules no longer apply-and where the fate of Shion may rest on the shoulders of a military engineer who never wanted to be a hero.

Perfect for fans of:

Brandon Sanderson's intricate magic systems meets Victorian ingenuity

The atmospheric world-building of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate

The epic scope of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series

Steampunk that takes both the steam AND the punk seriously

'Where brass gears turn by pure imagination and dragons soar alongside dirigibles...'

Gears of the Fallen Empire is the first book in The Soul Dragon Saga-an epic steampunk fantasy series years in the making. Experience a meticulously crafted world where every cog has purpose, every dragon has history, and one young engineer must decide whether to rebuild an empire or let it fall.

Scroll up and grab your copy today. The gears are turning. The shadows are rising. And the soul dragons are waiting.

Textauszug

1

Chapter 1: The Sundering of Aeternum

The sky wept fire.

Victor Hargrove stood at the window of his quarters watching massive plumes of crimson and amber erupt across the horizon. His engineer’s mind kept him awake, processing strange reports filtering in from the frontier outposts. Strange energy signatures of unknown origin alongside coordinated, tactically baffling attacks. Concerns turned real now bathed Aeternum Veritatis et Iustitiae’s grand towers in fiery light.

The airship fields, once bustling with brass and steel vessels, now lay in ruins. Burning wreckage fell from the sky like dying stars. Their majestic silhouettes transformed into skeletons of twisted metal.

The distant sound of heavy artillery blasts continued to vibrate through the walls of the barracks. The marble floor beneath his boots trembled as he pressed closer to the window. His eyes widened at the apocalyptic vision before him. The grand capital of the empire, the beating heart of the most sophisticated civilization in known history, was under attack.

Through the shattered glass he could see the immense outer wall of the castle complex. It was a marvel of engineering that had stood impregnable for three centuries. Its surface gleamed with brilliant copper and bronze highlights that characterized imperial architecture. Massive gears, visible through transparent panels, constantly adjusted and reinforced the structure. Portions of that barrier now crumbled under methodical bombardment. Every impact was precisely calculated for maximum structural damage.

Through smoke and flame, Victor studied the defensive systems while something nagged at his mind. The gear configurations weren’t familiar. Subtle differences became clear in the cycling patterns. Reinforcement struts seemed to follow an older design philosophy. He’d noticed similar inconsistencies earlier during his weapons inspections. Elements that didn’t quite match standard imperial schematics. His father dismissed such questions with a wave, muttering about

What had his grandfather known that current imperial engineers had forgotten?

“They’ve breached the Philosopher’s Gate,” Victor whispered to himself, his attention snapping back to the present. He watched as columns of steam erupted from ruptured pressure valves along the eastern section. The twelve-foot tall clockwork sentinels, with rifles and telescopic-lens eyes, tumbled from the ramparts like discarded toys.

A deafening crack split the air as something massive struck the eastern wall of the barracks. The impact sent Victor sprawling across the floor, fragments of polished stone and mortar cascading around him. Dust filled his lungs as he struggled to his feet, and he instinctively reached for the modified rifle propped against his desk.

His fingers found the familiar weight of the weapon, as he began the activation sequence his father had drilled into him since childhood. The specialized ether conversion system hummed to life. An innovation that could transform standard projectiles into energy-based ammunition. “Remember, Little Lion,” his father’s voice echoed in memory, “conventional weapons fail when facing the unconventional. Always have another option ready.”

Victor’s thumb traced the engraving along the barrel: “Veritas et Iustitiae”—Truth and Justice. The motto of the empire and the principles he had sworn to uphold as a soldier of the Resplendent Empress. In the flickering light of the burning city those words seemed to mock him. What truth was in this sudden devastation? What justice was in an enemy that struck without warning or clear cause?

The barrack door flew open with a bang. Elias Thornton burst into the room, his uniform disheveled but his eyes shone with grim excitement. A streak of soot marked his cheek, and his immaculate brass insignia was covered with dust. Despite the chaos, his voice carried the unmistakable note of eagerness.

“Vic! By the Empress’ grace, you’re still in one piece!” Elias exclaimed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “The Umbral Legion is at our doorstep and they’ve brought destruction with them. The airship fields were the first to fall! Not a single vessel escaped! They knew exactly where to strike.”

“All the airship fields? All?” Victor’s voice cracked as his mind raced to grasp the implications. The empire’s aerial fleet represented the pinnacle of their technological achievement. Hundreds of vessels, from nimble scouts to massive dreadnoughts, that could project imperial power across vast distances. Their destruction in a single stroke was inconceivable.

Elias nodded. “Precision strikes, timed to the second. The Admiral didn’t even have time to give the order to deploy. The strategic response protocols-”

Another explosion rocked the building, much closer this time. Cracks spread across the ceiling like lightning. They followed stress patterns inconsistent with proper imperial construction standards. More of those subtle inconsistencies. The builders possessed structural knowledge modern engineers have lost.

“No time for strategy now,” Elias continued, checking the mechanism of his own rifle. “Commander Valarion has ordered all troops to the Grand Promenade. We’re establishing a defensive perimeter around the Imperial Sanctum. The Empress herself is coordinating the defense.”

Victor hurried to put on his combat harness and checked the specialized modifications he’d made to his pistol. A clockwork acceleration mechanism that doubled the muzzle velocity. It was his own small contribution to the empire’s arsenal. Victor intuitively understood weapons technology, though he never matched Robert’s legendary genius.

The memory came in a moment: a workshop session three years ago. Victor struggling with the ether flow calculations for his acceleration mechanism. His father had watched in silence before making a single adjustment. A tiny modification to the resonance frequency that doubled the system’s efficiency.

“How did you know that would work?” Victor had asked.

Robert’s expression had grown distant. “Sometimes the old ways know things the new ways have forgotten. Your great grandfather used to say the best innovations come from remembering what we choose to overlook.”

Now, as Victor secured his equipment, those words carried new weight. What had they chosen to overlook? What old knowledge might have prepared them for this night of fire and shadow?

“Hurry,” Elias urged, his hand already on the doorknob. “The Seventh Battalion is holding the western approach, but they won’t last long without reinforcements. This is what we’ve trained for, Vic! The chance to prove ourselves in battle!”

A strange, eager grin stretched across Elias’s face. A youthful naivety that made Victor’s stomach tighten. They had trained, yes, but against an enemy they knew. The Umbral Legion was something else. No one had ever faced them and survived to describe the experience. Only barren, smoking craters remained where proud cities once stood.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Victor assured him, securing his sword belt and reaching for his helmet. “Save some glory for me.”

Elias offered a mock salute. His eyes were bright with anticipation. The sound of his boots echoed against the marble as he disappeared into the corridor. Toward what he still believed would be victory.

The barracks shook again as Victor finished gathering his equipment. A section of the ceiling collapsed at the far end of the room, releasing a cloud of dust and debris. Through the newly formed hole, Victor could see one of the castle’s massive defense turrets. A behemoth of gears, pistons, and tempered steel, swiveling to track multiple targets. The twin cannons belched steam and fire. It was precision machinery like this that had made the empire invincible for centuries. Now, however, it seemed pathetically inadequate against the shadowy onslaught.

Even as he watched, Victor noticed something that made his analytical mind recoil. The targeting patterns were wrong. The turret was firing at empty air while obvious threats approached from its blind spots. The automated systems were responding to phantom enemies.

What kind of foe could confuse imperial targeting systems so completely?

Victor cinched his final strap and turned toward the door, ready to follow Elias into the fray. Three steps in, a commanding presence in the doorway stopped him cold.

Robert Hargrove stood silhouetted against the flickering emergency lighting of the corridor. His imposing frame blocked the exit completely. His head was cleanly shaven. The overhead lights reflected off his scalp. His white goatee was immaculately trimmed despite the chaos surrounding them. No dust dared settle on the Imperial Weaponeer’s uniform. Tailored leather and bronze plating masterfully combined utility with authority. His chest plate displayed a unique emblem distinct from all imperial ranks. A fierce wolf with fangs gripping a shattered spear.

“Father,” Victor acknowledged, straightening instinctively. Even amid catastrophe, Robert Hargrove commanded respect through his mere presence.

Robert’s steel blue eyes assessed his son, but Victor glimpsed a flicker of something else behind his professional mask. “Your orders have...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.10.2025
• Reihe/Serie: The Soul Dragon Saga
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction
• Schlagworte: airship fantasy series • clockwork magic empire • engineer protagonist fantasy • epic steampunk adventure • shadow magic rebellion • steampunk fantasy dragons • Victorian gaslamp fantasy
• ISBN-13: 9798993453170 / 9798993453170