Spinel Cries Novels & Stories

The spine of the world was snapping. It began as a vibration in the soles of Tristan’s boots—a low, discordant hum that bypassed his ears and rattled his teeth. The Sky-Spire, the obsidian needle that had pierced the heavens of Oakhaven for three centuries, was screaming. KR-THOOM.

The pulse came from the north-east, from the direction of the Singing Canyons, home to the Stone-Tail lizard folk, a reclusive species we had only recently made tentative contact with. Scouts returned with grim news. A section of the canyon, a place the Stone-Tails called the "Harmony Spire" was vibrating itself apart. The unique, resonant stone of the spire, which usually emitted a low, stabilizing hum, was oscillating out of control. The lizard folk were panicked; their entire culture was built on sonic architecture, and this was like watching their greatest cathedral scream itself to pieces. It was a crisis of pure, unstable magic. A problem for shields and scalpels, not swords.

Whatever Ashlynd and Tabitha did to him, they did it deep and they did it well. Grunting I dig deep, digging spiritual claws into the depths of the spell, my soul tears at the perversion, ripping it apart with spectral teeth and nails. I refuse to give up when I am this close to winning everything. I continue to pull the spell into myself, feeling the strain on my body as my abdomen begins to pinch and burn. "Stop," Halcyon screams. "Something is wrong with our pup!" A sharp pain pierces my side, like a little dagger stabbing me in my gut. Grabbing my belly, I rock back and forth in pain. I try to reach out to our connection, but it is weak and fading.

Raven shouted, “Spike! The spiral’s pulling resonance from every Monument at once!” The ground trembled. Shards of light shot skyward from the spiral, arcs of red and gold that stretched toward the horizon. Far-off Monuments answered—Maracay’s arches glowing faintly, Medellín’s fire flaring higher, Córdoba’s rigid stone vibrating in response. The lattice was singing. Elise cried out as her loom blazed, threads threatening to burn her fingers. Sophia grabbed her wrist, steadying her. “Hold it!” The weave tightened, threads locking into the spiral’s stone. For an instant, balance shimmered across the Monument—grief and joy braided together, laughter and loss entwined.

The pain of longing. "Ahh!" Another torturous scream left her throat, her fingers digging more into her palms and wrist while her vision spun before her eyes. "Stop!" She cried out...but to who? Her pleads went unresponsive, not passing through the four corners of her room. "Shailyn...!" The name barely left her lips, coming out in a faint, light tone while her vision continued to spin. "Shailyn...!!" She called again, a bit louder. "SHAILYN!!!"

My purity makes me the wielder, but the cost could be my life. Cassia’s breath hitches, her aura fading, and I choke back a sob. “I won’t lose her,” I say, silver blood dripping onto the gem, lunar light flaring. Taryn’s chant rises, the gem pulsing, Cassia’s aura stabilizing, crimson threads flickering brighter. But the spire shakes, Veyra’s wraiths breaching the entrance, her frost-eyes gleaming through the chaos.

she cried, curling herself in a corner, in a failed attempt to block the belt from hitting her face. Charles has gone blind with rage, his ears are blocked from the sound of his own curses, he can't hear her cries and he can't see her tears or maybe he just refuses to listen, maybe he just refuses to see her screams fill the silent house with terrifying echoes. The house sobs, and wails along with her, maybe seeing her get hurt, hurt the house, maybe it was just mocking once again reminding her she is nothing but a prisoner to be trapped and tortured in this luxurious house of echoes and screams

Allison’s sharp voice rang in my ears. “Eric, are you crazy? How dare you push him in front of everyone?” As she spoke, Allison hurried over to pull Aaron out of the fountain, but he floundered in the icy water for quite a while without getting up. It was winter, and the fountain water was freezing. Aaron sneezed several times, his carefully styled hair now soaked and disheveled. He looked utterly miserable. Some colleagues even pulled out their phones and started taking pictures.

The chain was adjustable, allowing Aqua to wear the pendant at just the right length so that it rested over her heart. As she wore it, Aqua noticed the stone's clarity, reflecting her calm and balanced state of mind. Whenever she felt at peace, the pendant remained clear and pristine. However, when her emotions stirred, the pendant would change. A slight hue of blue appeared when she felt sadness, while a warm golden tone emerged during moments of happiness. If anger or fear took hold of her, the gemstone would darken, turning a deep, unsettling black.

I had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed, and now I would have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life. Brax tried to pull me away from Spike, but I screamed out in pain, begging him to leave me alone. "I killed him," I cried, my voice filled with pain. My tears now soaking spikes face, I opened my eyes looking down at him. "please don't leave me," I begged as I placed a kiss on his lips. As I did, a light began to shine brightly from spikes ring slowly it poured out of it until a large glowing light stood in front of me.