Broken World Book Three - A Land Without Law (36 page)

The forest
people wept as the trees fell, and fled with the animals deep into
unknown lands. A few good strongholds sprang up, but Torrak Jahar
attacked these and forced their denizens to flee into the shrinking
forests as well. Semi-ants captured some, who spawned new hives of
manants, each citadel subtly different from the others. Those with
strong spider ancestry possessed long legs and killed their prey
with venom. Others that had beetle in their genes flew on filmy
wings and killed with serrated jaws. Their Trueman blood endowed
them with intelligence and a lust for conquest that made them wipe
out Trueman cities, then bury them beneath giant hives of dried
mud.

Some rulers
banded together for protection, but the rapidly multiplying manants
continued to spread and lay waste to Trueman lands. The spreading
corruption swallowed vast areas, and in places the ground tore open
and birthed rivers of earth blood that killed all in their path.
Huge dustbowls blossomed like brown flowers, and the gritty winds
that played in them choked the life around them. Often, the earth
trembled, and storms tore out trees and flattened whole cities in
their fury. Disaster and famine stalked the world, and people died
of strange diseases that spread through the towns like wildfire.
Crops failed and animals died for no apparent reason. Floods washed
villages away and fires ravaged forests and plains alike. Chaos
consumed the dying world as the laws vanished, and the elements
that formed Shamarese unravelled.

*****

The tale continues in Book IV,
The
Staff of Law
.

About the
author

T. C.
Southwell was born in Sri Lanka and moved to the Seychelles when
she was a baby. She spent her formative years exploring the islands
– mostly alone. Naturally, her imagination flourished and she
developed a keen love of other worlds. The family travelled through
Europe and Africa and, after the death of her father, settled in
South Africa.

T. C.
Southwell has written over forty novels and five screenplays. Her
hobbies include motorcycling, horse riding and art, and she earns a
living in the IT industry.

All
illustrations and cover designs by the author.

Contact the
author at [email protected]

Acknowledgements

Mike Baum and
Janet Longman, former employers, for their support, encouragement,
and help. My mother, without whose financial support I could not
have dedicated myself to writing for ten years. Isabel Cooke,
former agent, whose encouragement and enthusiasm led to many more
books being written, including this one. Suzanne Stephan, former
agent, who has helped me so much over the past six years, and
Vanessa Finaughty, good friend and business partner, for her
support, encouragement and editing skills.