The Empire has dominated for six hundred years, demanding obedience. Any objection, however faint, and the fist comes down hard. It is the Imperial way.

In amongst the fading embers of the charred north is a boy. Just a boy. But Alidinia is a survivor, something few others can claim where the fist of the Empire is concerned. And he is also a boy with a grudge. The Empire killed his ma, and that means only one thing. He would have to kill the Emperor.

But standing on the precipice, he is turned from his vengeance by those who would save him.  He objects and he fights at every turn, but from the depths of despair, fragments of something emerge. Answers. The why of his ma and the why of his life. Hope blooms out of hopelessness.

And yet the Empire is never far away; ready to crush even the faintest uprising. He is alone again, and the north needs saving. By the sounds of it, it is all down to him.

"Distant Shadow"

by James Hockley