The Forge Burns Bright: Book Two Progress Update

The ancient forge fires burn brighter tonight, my fellow bloodbound. I'm thrilled to share that Book Two of the Maladies of Empire series has crossed the 65% completion threshold. For those who’ve walked the blood-soaked paths through the Rift alongside our vengeful mother in Makerborn, you know the darkness only deepens from here.

Without revealing too much, I can tell you that the sequel delves deeper into the forbidden territories beyond the Blackened Lands. The Sonomancers’ collar magic takes on new, more terrifying dimensions as we explore what happens when the ancient bonds between the Old Gods and mortal flesh begin to fray. The mother’s quest for revenge has awakened things that were meant to stay buried beneath centuries of ash and bone.

The writing process has been both exhilarating and haunting. There are nights when I step away from the manuscript feeling as though I’ve been wandering those cursed landscapes myself. The characters’ pain becomes visceral when you’re living in their world for hours at a time, crafting dialogue that emerges from places of genuine anguish and desperate hope.

Those who’ve read the opening chapters know that Shakespeare’s words—“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”—set the tone for everything that follows. In Book Two, that wickedness has not only arrived, it has made itself at home in the hearts of those who thought they could resist its call.

I’m grateful for your patience as I forge this tale with the care it deserves. Every scene must earn its place in the larger narrative, every death must serve the story’s inexorable march toward its dark conclusion.

The bloodbound legion grows stronger with each passing day. Thank you for walking this grim path with me.

— Daymon