The ropes on which the sandbags hung fell away, every sandbag plunged to the icy cobblestones, and the airship, like a tethered hawk suddenly set free, shot into the sky. Eight centuries ago, the MageLords fled a foe they could not defeat, hiding themselves behind an impenetrable magical Barrier. For eight centuries, they have reigned there unchallenged, wielding their power to crush any rebellion by the oppressed Commoners. But the ancient spell that forged their fortress is fraying, and there are those seeking to hasten its demise. Prince Karl, Heir to the Keys that maintain the Great Barrier, survives a sorcerous attack-and sees his assassin incinerated by rebounding magic. Desperate Commoners, or deeper treachery among the Palace elite? Minister of Public Safety Lord Falk hunts the truth, but his ambitions run far deeper and darker: he plans to execute a forbidden ritual to shatter the Barrier, seize the throne, and unleash the Mageborn on an unsuspecting world. Yet what lies Outside is no empty wilderness. An airship crashes through the veil from a realm of steam and iron, its young pilot, Anton Carteri, bearing wonders-and warnings of empires that forgot the old wars, rebuilding without magic. Lord Falk seeks to magically enslave Anton to his cause, but Anton and Falk's ward, Brenna, escape him and flee across frozen lakes and savage wilds, pursued by ruthless Rangers and ancient clans nursing grudges older than the Barriers. Unknown to all, a vengeful Healer weaves a darker spell from atrocity's ashes: a weapon to unmake the MageLords forever. As pacts unravel and loyalties fracture, one boy's survival ignites a spark that could burn two worlds to the ground. In Magebane, saviour and destroyer blur. When magic collides with machine, who claims the ruins? Five hundred feet above the ground, the downdraft became a powerful westerly wind, hurling the airship out over the snow-covered prairie, the straining propeller adding to its eastward momentum. Freezing wind roared through the canopy. The envelope fluttered and twisted. Anton, staring over the side, saw the ground both streaming past and growing larger at an alarming rate. He looked forward. And ahead . . . . . . hills. Not very big hills, but big enough. Anton watched the clump of trees on the hill in front of them grow rapidly nearer. It would be a very near thing, but he thought they might just . . . Another loud tearing sound. The hole in the envelope grew larger. The airship lurched downward and twisted, and the tip of a towering pine, the tallest tree on the hilltop, tore through the side of the gondola like a blunt knife. The impact threw Anton forward; only a frantic grab at the rigging saved him from being tossed out. In the stern, the tip of the pine slammed into the Professor's left leg. Anton heard the bone break, a sickening sound, then the wind flowing over the hill tossed the airship skyward again, ripping the tree free of the gondola. The Professor dropped to the bottom of the gondola, eyes wide with shock. Anton scrambled toward him. The burner continued to roar, but Anton knew it couldn't last much longer. At the Professor's side, he peered out through the splintered hole in the wickerwork. Forest, a river . . . a road? A house? "Professor, there are people down there!" The Professor's eyes, which had closed, fluttered open. "Inhabitants? Inside the Anomaly?" He tried to roll over and look, but groaned with pain and flopped back. A sheen of sweat covered his white face. "Maybe they can help us!" The Professor closed his eyes. "If the gas won't lift us and the ballast is gone, lad, no one can help us but God." He coughed and smiled weakly. "Too bad I don't believe in Him." The torch flared hugely and went out. The Professor's eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at the envelope's torn blue silk. "It

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