The Rune Thief

The heart of the city is dying, and the only cure is a spark that could ignite the world. In the salt-crusted, iron-choked city of Aethelgard, light is life-and it is a luxury the poor cannot afford. Kaelen is a common thief driven by a desperate, singular purpose: saving his sister, Mira, from the ravages of crystal-sickness. When he infiltrates the forbidden High Spire and steals the Keystone-the city's ancient, pulsing source of power-he plunges the metropolis into a terrifying, lightless chaos.
Pursued by the cold, mechanical cruelty of the Wardens and the predatory hunger of the Broker, Kaelen and Mira must flee into the lawless Blackwood. But the Keystone is more than a battery; it is a sentient relic that is beginning to change Mira from the inside out. As she develops a terrifying connection to the earth's raw essence, Kaelen must decide if he is willing to sacrifice a city's survival to save his sister's soul.
From the steam-powered heights of a decaying empire to the frozen, mystical peaks of the North, this is a tale of sacrifice, forbidden magic, and the bond between siblings that defies the laws of nature. Approximate Length: 17, 000 words (Novella)