Freedom or Chaos;
Stability or Control?
The Lesitha Veil Tales
by CM Dawson
Genre: Epic SciFi Fantasy Adventure
The Edge of Oblivion
The Lesitha Veil Tales, #1
by CM Dawson
Genre: Epic SciFi Fantasy Adventure
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Chapter 16 Excerpt:
Then there was the Great Xan Janal, who claimed to
have gone over the Edge and slayed a mighty beast to save a village. He boasted
that there were many worlds, all separated by the Veil. There were people of
different races who spoke weird languages. Some were tall and fair with long,
flowing, silver hair. Others were short, squat, covered in fur and grunted a
lot. Those stories always made me laugh. My eyes blurred as tears welled up,
thinking of him. Whether they were real or figments of his imagination, Xan had
given his life to sharing his stories of adventure. And I wasn’t about to let
him down.
As I crawled on, I wondered which world I would find
on the other side of the Veil. Would it be a world of thick jungles, filled
with loud, screaming creatures jumping from one towering tree to the next? Or
would it be a crystalline world overflowing with unimaginable colours? I
was hoping for the water world, for Muut’s sake, except for the whole swimming
thing. That scared me.
I looked back again and then beyond Muut. I scanned
the horizon and watched as the heat rippled off the scorched ground. The only
things that stood as high as a man here were the boulders that dotted the
landscape. There was no lush green foliage, and the rivers were more often dry
more than filled with water. I dreamed of seeing the leaves of a plant that was
as big as me. I fantasised about dipping my fingers into a cool running stream
and carrying the refreshing water to my lips; skipping stones across its
surface and seeing splashes instead of puffs of dust.
I didn’t know if Xan’s stories were real or made-up
fantasies to impress the ladies. But what I knew was that I didn’t want to die
without at least attempting to find out. I owed him that much. So I turned back
and faced the Edge. I checked the straps that held my knives tucked against my
wrists. I placed my right hand out in front of me and then my right knee, then
my left hand, left knee. I slowly crawled to the Edge.
The fingers on my left hand reached it first. I
stopped and looked at my hand. The tips of my fingers curved over an edge. My
breath caught in my throat. I moved my right hand up to match my left and
swallowed deeply as the tips of both hands were now bent joyously over the Edge
of our world. I slowly lowered myself down to the rough ground and felt the
sharp rocks poking me in my chest and belly.
Carefully, I pulled my body up to the Edge and peered
over. The air coalesced into a swirling mist of obscurity, roiling and bulging,
causing my vision to slide and refocus as I tried to peer through it.
I pulled myself up to the Edge, raising onto my elbows
and stretching my neck as far as I could. The grey mist swirled around my head
forming dewdrops on my cheeks. I blew into it, watching as it whirled madly
away from me, quickly folding back in on itself. I extended my arm and felt a cool
dampness cover me like a second skin. The further I extended it, the less I
could see of it.
I pulled myself up and swivelled around to sit on the Edge
with my legs now dangling freely. My feet disappeared into the swirling mist
that roiled below me. Then I leaned out as far as I could and swished my arms
back and forth, trying to clear a view through the grey wall.
I either leaned too far or whipped my arms too wildly,
because I tumbled off the ledge into the mist. My heart leapt as I felt myself
sliding down the edge of the world. Suddenly, I jerked to a stop when the rope
tied to my ankle caught me tight. My breath gushed from my lungs and my heart
pounded my ribs.
I heard Muut calling to me, his cries distant,
muffled.
I hung for a moment, dangling upside down against the
edge of the world. I released my fear as I pushed myself up away from the rough
rock face. Curling my knees beneath me, I crouched for a moment, waiting to see
if I would fall. Nothing happened. The cool mist swirled around me; my head
swooned with the mesmerising movement.
I filled my lungs with the moist air and stood. Fully
expecting to topple over, I stretched my arms wide to catch myself when I did.
I stood there as rigid as a boulder with my arms spread, knees locked, breath
held, eyes tightly closed.
Nothing.
I slowly opened my left eye, peeking, face scrunched tight,
awaiting the imagined impact. Both eyes sprang open, and the air exploded out
of my lungs. A breathtaking view assaulted my eyes.
Dark Side of the Veil
The Lesitha Veil Tales, #2
**On Sale for Only .99cents on Amazon & Kobo!**
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CM Dawson is an indie fantasy author and the founder of Crystal Path Publishing, writing multi-world adventure fiction from the rolling green hills of Wiltshire, England. Her debut series, The Lesitha Tales, follows Bex Gartan — a headstrong, impulsive 17-year-old who finds herself thrust into a power struggle that spans multiple worlds. Compared to Samantha Shannon, Brandon Sanderson, and Suzanne Collins, the series blends fast-paced action, vivid world-building, and a fierce coming-of-age heart. She crafts immersive multiverse fantasy filled with emotional stakes, dark magic, and lore rich worldbuilding. The first two books — The Edge of Oblivion and Dark Side of the Veil — are available now. A space opera trilogy, a short story collection, and a dystopian novel are all in development. When she is not writing, she can be found gardening, editing the local parish magazine, playing skittles, or being bossed around by her two English Bulldogs, Sage and Bubba.
