Elsewhere in Eston-upon-Werl

‘The Passage of Pearl’ links up with another story I’ve been working on. By ‘working on’ I mean ‘temporarily shelved because other stories crowded to the forefront’. I also needed to write ‘The Passage of Pearl’ first so I could get a better handle on the book that features so prominently in that story. I suspect it’ll be novel-length by the time it’s done and I plan to be working on it next. In this section, I’d like to give you a bit of an idea as to what that story will be about. Details are subject to change as the story is finished, but the general line will remain much the same.

The wingborn aren’t allowed in the capital city. Not without permits and only in certain areas. They aren’t supposed to love reading either, but Justin does and he’s spent several years hiding his true nature within the city, working at a bookstore and enjoying his life as much as he can.

‘The Gates of Dawn’ isn’t just a magical book; it’s a myth of a book. It’s said that whoever has possession of ‘The Gates of Dawn’ can make all their dreams come true. There are many stories about the book, but no one has ever seen it and both the magical and academic worlds discount it as nothing more than a fairytale, a hoax.

When a special agent comes into the bookstore Justin works in looking for ‘The Gates of Dawn’ and tells him that it’s a dangerous artefact that needs to be destroyed, he isn’t sure what to think. The only thing he’s sure of is that he hasn’t been as discreet as he’d always believed and the sorceress has just offered him a legal citizenship if he’ll help her locate a book that isn’t real. She’s also mentioned that if he doesn’t help her, she’ll get him arrested and thrown in jail.

So what choice does he have? Together they set off to locate a book that most likely doesn’t exist before it kills again.

And there you are. That’s the general, spoiler-free synopsis for ‘The Gates of Dawn’ and why I needed to write ‘The Passage of Pearl’ first. I needed to know how the book worked and what it is in more detail.