Cryos & Jade: Ruin: Cryos & Jade, #6

By Luke T Barnett

The Darkness has come, and nothing can stop him.

 

Beverly has put the moniker of Jade to rest, and with it, any danger to her and her kingdom, or so she thought.

 

Evil is creeping up from the depths of the world, its mind ravenous for the princess and the secrets she possesses. In the midst of her joy, darkness envelopes her land and her kingdom falls under siege.

 

Beverly must draw upon a power she has long denied. But can she control it? And will it be enough to drive back the Darkness and save her kingdom? Or is it already too late?

 

Witness the stunning final chapter of the Cryos & Jade saga, Ruined.

 

Everything will change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luke T Barnett
• Release date: Jul 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393842040

Luke T Barnett

Luke T. Barnett grew up playing RPGs (both pen & paper and video game) and watching any fantasy movies he could get his hands on. All those sessions inspired him to write a series based on his gargoyle character Cryos and his favorite RPG class, the rogue. Writing since childhood, he has grown his craft over the years and continues to do so even to this day. He is kept very busy living on the shores of Lake Erie with his awesome, beautiful writer wife, his two story-loving sons, and his dragon-slaying, princess-loving daughter.

Book preview

Ruin

Darkness.

Everywhere Jade looked, she saw nothing but darkness. The torch in her hand shed no light beyond its own flame. She clung to it regardless, knowing it was something she could no longer deny. A green light pierced the void. The jade dagger floated before her, its blade pointed at her feet. Its iridescent glow called her, drawing her towards it. An urge to touch it. She reached out.

The moment her finger touched the pommel, her hand wrapped around the grip, as if it had a life of its own. The jade from the dagger melded over her skin, beginning at her fingertips and moving up to her hand, then her wrist, then her arm.

No!

She yanked and pulled, desperate to free herself. The jade spread across her chest, moving up to her neck, its cold embrace sapping her will, stealing her breath. She gritted her teeth and slammed the torch into her chest. The jade receded, and she could breathe again. But as the shimmering green material melted back into the dagger, the magical weapon’s glow increased and it pulled her hand downwards. She resisted, pulling against it with all her strength. The descent did not stop, but increased the more of the jade it absorbed. She braced her feet against the ground and pulled with all her might, her hand still locked on the dagger.

Sweat broke out at the strain. The dagger shook in her hand. Its iridescent glow revealed a surface with a slot into which the tip of the dagger was lowering.

Jade screamed with the effort, all her will and strength pouring into resisting the dagger’s pull. The last of the jade melted into the dagger, and with a sudden lurch, the dagger slammed into the slot. It rotated, yanking Jade’s arm and causing her to cry out. Out of the darkness beneath the dagger, two hollow eyes lit up with the same glowing green light.

***

No! Beverly shouted, bolting upright.

Her wide eyes didn’t see her room, nor the sunlight peaking in through her curtains. Only the huge gargoyle statue that wasn’t really a statue standing poised beside her bed. She screamed in alarm and scrabbled backward. Her hands slipped on something wet and soft and she fell back into it. The statue shifted its head and her mind snapped into recognition.

Cryos? she said, her body rigid with fear. Cryos, what’s happening?

You are in your room, the gargoyle replied in his gravelly voice. You are safe.

No. No, I’m... she trailed off as she looked around. Something wet enveloped her. She wrung her hands, staring at her palms. Where is it? What happened?

I do not understand.

Her breathing calmed as her mind came back to reality. Sweat soaked her shift and bedsheets. She sat up and wiped her face with a shaking hand.

Are you all right? she asked, blinking away the vision of the jade-colored eyes.

I am. There is no danger that I see. Is there something you see?

No. No, I think it was a nightmare. Or some type of vision. Antina, it felt so real!

A hand to her chest told her how fast her heart was still beating.

Was it about the forest again? Cryos asked.

No, this one was different. All I can remember is the darkness, a pair of eyes, and...and the dagger.

There was darkness in the other visions.

You’re right. And the torch. The torch was there as well. If only I knew what it all meant. Wait. How did I get back here?

Her hands felt her back and the flesh over her heart.

The last I remember, we were at the remains of Ixtus’s keep. I was about to stab myself with the dagger.

You did. It would have killed you. But the jade woman appeared and healed you.

The jade woman? What was she doing there?

I do not know. She healed you and then disappeared. I brought you back here. You woke briefly and then went back to sleep.

"Yes, I think I remember now. I was talking to Katrice and my father. And you were there. Oh,