The Hour of Dust and Ashes
Read The Hour of Dust and Ashes Online
Authors: Kelly Gay
Tags: #Science Fiction, #Fantasy, #Contemporary, #Fiction, #General, #Adventure
Ash
had been on the market for only a few weeks before we’d gotten it taken off the streets, but in that time it had devastating effects.
All because some stupid flower, the Bleeding Soul,
Sangurne N’ashu
, an extremely rare, bioluminescent flower from Charbydon that had the ability to win the war for the nobles in ancient times, and to kill humans or make them addicts for life.
Now the person responsible for putting
ash
on the market was right here. In my city. And he was about to get a visit from a very pissed-off, potentially divine ITF officer.
P
RAISE FOR
K
ELLY
G
AY AND HER “SMART, SEXY, AND EXCITING”
(
JENNA
B
LACK
)
SERIES FEATURING
C
HARLIE
M
ADIGAN
THE DARKEST EDGE OF DAWN
“What do you do when your first book is one of the most highly praised urban fantasy debuts of the year? If you’re Kelly Gay, you follow up
The Better Part of Darkness
with
The Darkest Edge of Dawn,
and force reviewers everywhere to try and find a better way to describe
amazing
.”
—All Things Urban Fantasy
A
LL OF KELLY
G
AY’S NOVELS ARE AVAILABLE AS EBOOKS
Turn the page for more rave reviews!
M
ORE ACCLAIM FOR
T
HE
D
ARKEST
E
DGE OF
D
AWN
“The second book in Kelly Gay’s gritty Atlanta-set urban fantasy series is even better than the first! Charlie is a vastly intriguing and likeable heroine…. Tight plotting keeps the pace brisk and the action exciting. This author is definitely on the rise!”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS
“This gritty urban fantasy … is extraordinary.”
—
Booklist
“[A] captivating urban fantasy…. Intricate world-building and richly complex characters mix with a fast-paced plot to create a standout start to a new series.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Kelly Gay is a star on the rise…. What sets this book apart, besides the great writing and the unique world-building, is the fact that our heroine is a single mom…. The love and protectiveness of a mother for her child as well as her family just gave so much depth to the situation as well as a real sense of urgency.”
—Night Owl Romance
“Charlie Madigan is an awesome character…. I could not put this book down.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“A strong debut … dark and gritty, with plenty of mystery and treachery thrown in…. An excellent start to an electrifying new series!”
—
Romantic Times
(4 stars)
“Solid, action-packed with a kick-ass heroine…. Kelly Gay knows her craft!”
—Lilith Saintcrow
“Charlie Madigan is the epitome of the modern kickbutt heroine, with a sassy demeanor and a heart of gold.”
—Jenna Black
“Kelly Gay’s sprawling tour of Underground Atlanta puts me in mind of an estrogen-driven
Blade Runner,
with an imaginative otherworldly population … and a heroine who doesn’t take crap from any of them. Her dark urban setting is so gritty, vivid, and original that it flaunts one of the greatest qualities of good fantasy: utter believability…. Kelly Gay whisked me into a dangerous world and made me want to stick around…. I can’t wait to spend more time with Charlie Madigan.”
—Vicki Pettersson
E
NTER THE THRILLING WORLD OF AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
KELLY GAY
The Charlie Madigan Series
The Better Part of Darkness
The Darkest Edge of Dawn
The Hour of Dust and Ashes
Writing as Kelly Keaton
Darkness Becomes Her
 | Pocket Books A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com |
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Kelly Gay
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Pocket Books paperback edition September 2011
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.
Cover design by John Vairo Jr.
Cover illustration by Chris McGrath
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 978-1-4516-2547-9
ISBN 978-1-4516-2549-3 (ebook)
This one’s for my sister, Kameryn Long
Integration Task Force | Officers Off-world Manual |
| 14th Edition |
| ITF.OOM.37–100–26 |
(Cont. Sec.1102.07 pg. 620)
•
Drug diminishes the will of the human spirit, causing weaker disembodied spirits to easily gain control.
•
Ash
has a honeysuckle aroma. Do not inhale. Once ingested, fatal overdose may occur. Survivors must maintain routine dosage in order to prevent fatal withdraw. No known cure.
•
Manufactured using Charbydon flower,
Sangurne N’ashu.
Colloquial term: Bleeding Soul.
Sons of Dawn:
A cult created by the biblical King Solomon (son of the human woman Bathsheba and the jinn High Chief Malek Murr). Said to have discovered some truth behind the legend of the
First Ones
. Purpose: to liberate Charbydon from the nobles and return control back to the jinn.
Known Members:
•
Grigori Tennin.
Jinn tribal boss. Resides in Underground Atlanta. Stands to become the next High Chief should the jinn regain control of Charbydon.
•
Llyran.
Adonai. Level Ten felon. Stole the Old Lore from the Hall of Records in Elysia and used the cult to foster his own bid for supreme power. Deceased.
•
Mynogan.
Charbydon noble. High Elder of the royal House of Abaddon. Manufactured the off-world drug
ash
along with Grigori Tennin and Cassius Mott. Orchestrated the ritual to bring darkness over Earth. Deceased.
The First Ones:
Divine beings mentioned in the Old Lore of the Elysians. Myth claims that from them, the three noble races descended: the Elysian Adonai, the Charbydon nobles, and humans. The myth also claims that the nobles once ruled in Elysia, but were later cast out into Charbydon.
Noteworthy:
•
The Sons of Dawn’s
mission is to find physical proof of the First Ones’ existence and prove to the nobles that their true home is in Elysia. This will lead to the nobles waging war for Elysian territory.
•
Ahkneri.
One of the First Ones. Called the Star, and later the instrument of vengeance, retribution, and punishment. Holder of the named weapon, Urzenemelech. (The remains of this being were supposedly discovered by King Solomon and used during the Winter Solstice ritual on top of Helios Tower by Llyran and the Sons of Dawn, but no evidence of such a discovery has been found.)