On the Matter of the Red Hand (Judicar's Oath Book 1)

Fantasy noir horror in the Last City of Man.A forsaken city by the sea can hold many alchemical secrets.

Thom never quite got accustomed to the visions that came like molten gold in his blood, but then the premonitions were just part of the job. As a Judicar, his oaths to the city brought him nothing but problems, but this time it's a problem that may get him killed.



Or worse.



Thom's alchemical prognostications lead him to the door of a ruthless man, Santiago Il Ladren. Santiago is a monster, rumored to have his enemies creatively tortured to death; that is, the ones that don't simply vanish.



It is possible that Santiago will have Thom skinned alive, just for asking the wrong questions.



Soon, the mystery grows even more sinister. Thom wanders in a labyrinth of misty streets and knife wielding thugs looking to leave him and his raven all too dead. There is a missing girl, and it just so happens that Santiago is her brother. Thom stumbles through dark alleyways and finds only tortured horrors, forbidden alchemy, and the ramblings of a madman.



Then things take a darker turn.



A Myriad of Worlds... This story is the first one in the series, Judicar’s Oath, regarding the adventures and case of Thom Havenkin, a man who keeps the law for the Last City of Man. It is a story of a steampunk realm, a place where corruption runs rampant and secrets can kill.



This series is itself a strand in The Paean of Sundered Dreams, a multi-genre, universe-spanning array of tales with Lovecraftian themes.



Some of the strands of this work are science fiction, some fantasy, and some steampunk, but they share the same horrific universe. They weft and weave together, each leaving breadcrumbs of clues for the next story.

Each tale echoes a beating heart of darkness, cackling quietly in the shadows of existence.



These stories may be enjoyed as individual series or as part of the Paean in its proper order. If you are a reader who is only interested in Thom Havenkin and his adventures, the next story in that series is a prequel, Regarding Oaths and the Whispering Flame.



If, on the other hand, you are the kind of reader who cannot rest until every secret is found, for whom genre is unimportant, and who will travel a wide and vast multiverse to learn things man was not meant to know…

Welcome, wayward wanderer.



This was written for you.