Brandon Sandersonhelped inject life-time and emotion into the superhero prose fiction genrewith his novel Steelheart . Now the trilogy is coming to an end next February with the third book , Calamity , and we ’ve got an sole excerption . Check it out !
Here ’s what to expect in the terminal Holy Writ of the Reckoners trilogy :
When Calamity lit up the sky , the Epics were born . David ’s fate has been draw to their villainy ever since that historic dark . Steelheart killed his father . Firefight steal his kernel . And now Regalia has turned his closest friend into a dangerous foeman .
David make love Prof ’s enigma , and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his heroic powers . But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much . Once the Reckoners ’ leader , Prof has now bosom his Epic destiny . He ’s go away into those murky shadows of threat Epics are infamous for the Earth over , and everyone know there ’s no turn back . . . .
But everyone is ill-timed . Redemption is potential for Epics — Megan leaven it . They ’re not lost . Not completely . And David is just about crazy enough to front down the most brawny High Epic of all to get his friend back . Or die trying .
And here ’s an single excerption , the prologue and first two chapter :
Prologue
I ’ve witnessed the awful depths .
I was in Babilar , Babylon reconstruct . New York City . I stare into those depths , and know — with no uncertainty — that something inside me had change .
The depth had claimed me as one of their own . And though I ’ve pushed them back , I still bear their hidden cicatrix .
They insist that they will have me again .
Chapter One
THE sun peeked over the skyline like the point of a giant , radioactive manatee . I crouched , hidden in a tree of all places . bend out the things are easier to climb when they ’re not made of blade . Also , they reek eldritch .
“ We dependable ? ” I whisper over the line . alternatively of using mobile , we were relying on old radios we ’d rigged to work with our headphone . The sound snapped and popped as I spoke . archaic technology , but of the essence for this particular job .
“ Wait a sec , ” Megan aver . “ Cody , you in place ? ”
“ Sure am , ” scraunch the reply , laced with a tranquil southerly drawl . “ If anyone seek to sneak up on you , young girl , I ’ll put a bullet up his nose . ”
“ Ew , ” Mizzy tell over the line .
“ We ’ll move in five , ” I said from my pole . Buffalo Bill had called the gizmo I was using a “ tree standpoint , ” which was really just a glorified camp chair strapped to the trunk of a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree some thirty feet up in the airwave . Orion had used them back in the daylight for hiding from secret plan .
I put my shooter — a sleek , military - manner violation rifle — to my shoulder and sighted through the tree . forwards of me , a large rook broke the landscape .
gravely . A rook . I ’d figured those were just thing from quondam movies , yet here one was , in the wood of West Virginia . From the look of the lichen on the stones and those vine twist around up one of the weathered walls , this place had been around since long before Calamity seem in the sky . It also had modern alloy gates and security measure system .
Pre - Calamity citizenry had been weird . Awesome too — evidence : castle — but still reasonably weird .
I looked away from my scope and glanced at Abraham , who hid in a nearby Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . I could peck him out only because I sleep together precisely what to seem for . His dark getup merge well into the dappled specter of morning time , which was — our informant said — the dependable meter to assault this particular location : Shewbrent Castle , also known as the Knighthawk Foundry . The world ’s primary source of Epic - infer engineering . We ’d used their weapons and engineering to fight Steelheart , then Regalia .
Now we were go to surcharge them .
“ Everyone have their mobiles off ? ” I asked over the logical argument .
“ barrage fire out ? ”
“ You ’ve only asked that three times , David , ” Megan replied .
“ Check anyway . ”
They all gave an approbative , and I took a cryptical breath . So far as we knew , we were the last cell of Reckoners . . . and with Tia overleap , plausibly all in , I was in charge . True , I ’d gotten the job only because Abraham and Cody had just laugh when I ’d asked if they want it , while Mizzy had gone blind drunk as a table and almost started hyperventilating .
Now we were arrange my plan into motion . My half-baked , heady , unbelievable plan . candidly , I was terrify .
My watch buzzed . Go meter .
“ Megan , ” I said into my radio set , “ you ’re up . ”
“ On it . ”
I shouldered my rifle again , peering through the trees toward where Megan would bulge out her assault . I felt blind . With my mobile , I could have tapped into Megan ’s persuasion to come after her attack , or I could have at least brought up a local function and watched my team represented as blip . Our mobiles , however , had been build up and distributed by Knighthawk — who also assert their dependable production line . Using those to align an approach on the installation itself seemed about as smart as using toothpaste for salad fertilisation .
“ Engaging , ” Megan pronounce , and soon a couple of blowup shake up the air . I scan through my telescope but could n’t see her through the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ; she was on the other side of the castling . Her job was to make a frontal rape , and those blasts had been grenades she ’d thrown at the front gate .
assail the Knighthawk metalworks was , of class , absolutely suicidal . We all know this , but we were also desperate , low on imagination , and being hunted by Jonathan Phaedrus himself — High Epic , once loss leader of the Reckoners . Knighthawk refused to deal with us , and had gone completely silent to our asking .
Our choices had been to seek to take on Prof unequipped or come up here . This seemed the in force of two bad selection .
“ Buffalo Bill ? ” I asked .
“ She ’s doing fine , cuss , ” he said over the crackle radio line . “ It reckon just like that TV . As before long as the explosion went off , the spot eject drones . ”
“ Pick off what you could , ” I enjoin .
“ Roger . ”
“ Mizzy ? ” I said . “ You ’re up . ”
“ Groovy . ”
I hesitated . “ Groovy ? Is that some kind of code watchword ? ”
“ You do n’t know . . . Sparks , David , you could be a real lame sometimes . ” Her words were punctuated by another series of explosions , with child this time , and my tree shook from the shock absorber waves .
I did n’t need my scope to see the smoke rise from my right , along the castle ’s flank . before long after the gust , a group of basketballsized aviate drones — sleek and metallic , with propellers on top — bulge out from windows and fly toward the smoke . Other , larger machine tramp out of shadowed alcoves ; improbable and lank , each had a heavy weapon arm on the top , and track instead of wheel .
I followed these with my scope as they started firing into the woods where Mizzy had pop a set of flares inside of buckets to give warmth signature . Remotely firing motorcar guns enhanced the illusion that a large police squad of soldier was out there , hiding in the woods . We keep the jibe all aimed abject . We did n’t want to catch Abraham in the crossfire when it was his play to move .
The Knighthawk defense play out exactly as we ’d been shown on the video from our informant . Nobody had ever successfully go against the blank space , but many had tried . One assault stand out : one performed by a reckless paramilitary grouping out of Nashville , who had tried a full - on assault . They ’d taken videos , and we ’d managed to get copies . Best we could guess , most of the time all of those drones were inside patrolling the hallways . Now , however , they were out fighting .
Hopefully , that would give us an curtain raising .
“ All right , Abraham , ” I said into the line , “ your turning . I ’ll handle . ”
“ And off I go , ” Abraham tell softly . The careful , sour - skinned man rode a thin cable down from his tree , then slipped silently across the forest flooring . Though he was thick of arm and cervix , Abraham moved with surprising nimbleness as he reached the wall , which was still shadowed in the early - morning light . His tight percolation kit would mask his heat theme song , at least as long as the heatsinks on his belt were working .
His problem was to slip into the Foundry , steal whatever weapon or technology he could find , and get out in under fifteen transactions . We had basic maps from our informant claiming that the bottom floor of the rook was littered with factory and labs gourmandize with treat right for the plucking .
I watched Abraham nervously through my scope — pulling the intent degree just to the right wing so an inadvertent weapon spark would n’t remove him — and watched to check that no drones spy him .
They did n’t . He used a retractable line to get to the top of the shortsighted bulwark , then another to get to the castle ’s ceiling . He obliterate beside one of the crenellations while he prepared his next step .
“ There ’s an opening to your rightfield , Abraham , ” I said into the melodic phrase . “ One of the drones popped out of a hole beneath the window on that tower . ”
“ Groovy , ” Abraham said , though the word voice particularly odd total from him , with his fluent French stress .
“ Please evidence me that ’s not a real Logos , ” I said , then raise my gun to keep up him along as he made for the initiative .
“ Why would n’t it be ? ” Mizzy take . “ It just sound eldritch . ”
“ And thing we say today do n’t ? ‘ Sparks ’ ? ‘ Slontze ’ ? ”
“ Those are normal , ” I enjoin . “ Not weird at all . ” A lagger passed by , but fortuitously , my suit was masking my oestrus signature . That was good , since the wetsuitlike clothing was pretty darn uncomfortable . Though mine was n’t as big as Abraham’s — his had a face masquerade and everything . To a drone , I ’d have a little warmth touch , like a squirrel or something . A on the Q.T. very , very deadly squirrel .
Abraham reached the bay I ’d pointed out . Sparks , that serviceman was undecomposed at sneaking . In the bit since I ’d looked away , I turn a loss him , and had trouble locating him again . He had to have some kind of special violence training .
“ There ’s a door in here , unfortunately , ” Abraham said from his alcove . “ It must close after the machines exit . I will try out to hot - wire my way in . ”
“ groovy , ” I said . “ Megan , you secure ? ”
“ Alive , ” she said , puffing . “ For now . ”
“ How many drones can you see ? ” I asked . “ Have they rolled out the larger single on you yet ? Can — ”
“ small in use , Knees , ” she snatch .
I settled back , listening to the gunfire and explosions . Was this how Prof had matt-up during missions he monitor ? I wanted to be out there , in the mess , firing and fighting . But that did n’t make sense . I was n’t stealthy like Abraham or . . . well , immortal like Megan . They could handle this . My job as loss leader was to string up back and make judgment calls .
It sucked .
If there was one thing I ’d see in Babilar , though , it was that I needed to rein in my hotheadedness . I need to be like . . . half a hothead or else . A red-hot chin ? So I waited uneasily as Abraham worked . If he could n’t get in soon , I ’d have to call off the deputation . The longer this took , the keen the chances that the secret people who head for the hills the Foundry would discover that our “ US Army ” was just five people .
“ Status , Abraham ? ” I said .
“ I think I can get this open . . . , ” he state . “ Just a picayune longer . ”
“ I do n’t . . . ” I tail off . “ hold off a Securities and Exchange Commission , what was that ? ”
A low rumbling was add up from nearby . I scanned below me and was surprised to see the mulchy forest floor buckling . leaf and moss folded back , unwrap a metallic threshold . Another group of drones vaporize out of it , zipping past my tree .
“ Mizzy , ” I hissed into my headset . “ There ’s more drones trying to flank your position . They ’re come at you through the trees . ”
“ Bummer , ” Mizzy said . She hesitated a moment . “ Do you — ”
“ Yes , I know that word . You might need to establish the next phase . ” I glanced back down at the opening , which was rumbling closed . “ Be prepare ; it looks like the Foundry has tunnels leading out to the wood here . They ’ll be capable to deploy drones in unexpected positions . ”
The room access below barricade , half shut . I frowned , leaning down to get a better look . Why had n’t it closed wholly ? More dawdler ?
No . It looked like some grime and rock had fallen into one of the gears . suppose that was the problem with hiding your entrance in the midriff of a forest .
“ Abraham , ” I said into my handset , excited , “ the opening out here jammed opened . You could get in this way . ”
“ I think that might be difficult , ” he say , and I looked back up to mention that several drones had fallen back after a bombardment of explosions from Mizzy ’s side . They hovered near Abraham ’s position .
“ Sparks , ” I whisper , then raised my rifle and picked the two machines off with a pair of dig . They dropped ; we ’d amount prepared with fastball that fried electronics when they hit . I did n’t have it away how they work out , but they ’d cost essentially everything we could scrounge up in deal , including the copter that Cody and Abraham had escaped Newcago in . We were running low on fuel cells to power it anyway .
“ Thanks for the assist , ” Abraham allege as the poke dropped . Beneath me , the gears on the opening ground against one another , judge to force their elbow room closed . The door impress another inch .
“ This incoming is give-up the ghost to close any 2d , ” I tell . “ Get back here fast . ” “ Stealthy is not firm , David , ” Abraham suppose .
I glanced at that opening . Newcago was lost to us ; Prof had already attacked and ransacked all of our good houses . The people were terrified . Babilar was little better : no resource to be had , and honest-to-goodness minions of Regalia ’s were keep an heart on the place , serve Prof now .
If this looting went bust , we ’d be broke . We ’d have to position up somewhere off the mapping and try out to rebuild over the next year , which would leave Prof complimentary rein to rampage . My stomach turn at that thinking . I could n’t apologize any more wait .
“ Cody , ” I said . “ Can you see and cover Abraham ? ”
“ Just a secant , ” he say . “ Yeah , I got ’ i m. ”
“ Good , ” I allege . “ Because I ’m going in . Buffalo Bill , you have ops . ”
Chapter Two
I slid down my R-2 and hit the forest storey , crunching dried leave . forwards of me , the doorway to the golf hole finally start move again . With a yelp , I dashed toward the maw and bound in , slip a short length down a shallow ramp as the doors closed with a final grinding sound behind me .
I was in . Also , in all likelihood immobilize .
So . . . yay ?
weak emergency lights running along the walls let out a sloping tunnel that was rounded at the top like a giant ’s throat . The incline was n’t very exorbitant , so I climbed to my human foot and started inch down the gradient , gun at my shoulder joint . I switched my radio to a secret line so that there would n’t be so much noise come through my earphone . The others would know — it was the protocol we ’d set in advance of clip . Mizzy and Cody would be monitor the parentage .
The dim ignitor made me want to flip on my mobile , which could duplicate as a flashlight , but I restrained myself . Who cognize what sort of backdoor the Knighthawk Foundry might have install into the thing ? In fact , who know what the phones were even truly capable of ? They had to be some sort of Epic - derived technology . phone that worked under any fate , never needed a recharge , with signals that could n’t be intercepted ? I ’d turn up in a quarry underneath Newcago , but even I realized how fantastical that was .
I hit the bottom of the side and , flipping on my scope ’s night vision and thermic preferences , continue down the soundless corridor . It stretched out before me , nothing but smooth metallic element , floor to ceiling . Considering its duration , the burrow had to lead under the Foundry paries and into the compound itself ; it was probably just an access corridor .
Epics . Even before I ’d discovered that Prof had powers , I should have realized how much we trust on Epics . I ’d always daydream that the Reckoners were some form of pure , human freedom violence , untainted by epos — ordinary people press an extraordinary foe . That was n’t the way it fall out though , was it ? Perseus had his magic horse , Aladdin his lamp , and Old Testament David his blessing from Jehovah . You need to fight a idol ? You ’d comfortably have one on your side too .
In our typeface , we ’d slue off pieces of the gods , entrap them in boxes , and used them like battery . Though much of our “ technology ” had been the result of Prof ’s hidden powers , the relief of it had number from this blank space . The Knighthawk Foundry , closemouthed purveyor of Epic remains made into weapons .
My earpiece crackled and I jump .
“ David ? ” Megan ’s voice , dialed into the private radio line .
“ What are you doing ? ”
I winced . “ I notice an entrance , ” I whispered , “ and managed to sneak in . It ’s an access burrow to have those drones out into the timberland ; I suppose I can use it to infiltrate the main compound . ”
Silence on the line of business , followed by “ Slontze . ”
“ What ? Because it ’s foolhardy ? ”
“ Sparks , no , ” she said back . “ Because you did n’t take me . ”
An explosion sounded over the line from somewhere near her .
“ Sounds like you ’re having wad of fun , ” I order . I continue moving ahead , my rifle up and my focus ahead , watching for drones .
“ Yeah , sure , ” Megan tell . “ Intercepting mini - missiles with my face . load of fun . ”
I smile ; the bare sound of her spokesperson could do that to me . Hell , I ’d rather be yelled at by Megan than be praised by anyone else . Besides , the fact that she was blab to me meant she had n’t actually wiretap any mini - projectile with her face . She was immortal in that if she conk out , she ’d be reborn — but she was otherwise as fragile as anyone else .
I think her outside , ducking between trees , lob grenades and accept shot while Cody and Mizzy hatch her . I ideate her cursing softly , sweating while she took sight at a passing drone , her aim staring , her face . . .
. . . uh , right . I should probably stay focussed .
“ I ’ll keep their attention up here , ” Megan say , “ but be careful , David . You do n’t have a full percolation causa . You ’ll have a heating system key signature to those drones , if they look closely . ” “ Groovy , ” I whisper . Whatever that mean .
Ahead of me the burrow lead off get light , so I turn off the night visual sense on the scope and slow up my pace . I mouse forrader and stopped . The accession burrow ended at a large white corridor that stretched to the right and leave behind . Brightly lit , with roofing tile base and metallic element bulwark , it was totally empty . Like an agency on gratis doughnut sidereal day in the shop class down the street .
I pulled our maps , such that we had , from my sack and checked them . Did n’t say much , only that the ground level await something like an office building , with lots of labs . Well , this place had the correct smell . Somehow I had to find useful technology in here , steal it , and get out .
That was a design with more holes than a hobo ’s skid . We scantily knew what we were up against , and could n’t even be certain if what I steal would be of use to us .
Well , Prof or Tia could have come up with a way better program , but they were n’t here . So I peck a counselling at random and continued walking . When the tense silence was broken a few minutes later by a sound echoing through the corridor — approaching quickly — it was in reality a relief . I flash toward the sound ; not because I was eager to run across it , but just up the residence I could see a door . I reached it in time to take out it open — gratefully , it was n’t lock away — and slip into a dark way . Back against the doorway , I could find out a group of drones zip by outside . I turn and looked through the little window in the door and watched them bombilate down the bloodless corridor , then turn into the access tunnel .
They had n’t spotted me . I had a heat signature tune , but just my font and hands . I flipped my headset to the open railway line and whisper , “ More trailer are going out the direction I come in . Cody , condition ? ”
“ We ’ve got a few fast one left , ” Cody said , “ but it ’s engender frenetic out here . Abraham did manage to get in through the roof though . The two of you should grab what you could find and get out ASAP . ”
“ Roger , ” Abraham say over the line .
“ Got it , ” I suppose , glancing around the room I ’d entered , which was whole dark . Some sort of lab chamber , judging by the sterile scent .
I flipped on my night - sight scope and gave the place a fast once - over .
turn out I was surround by bodies .
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