by Ben Hale
The tremendous power of the eruption had not been channeled by the greater summit—but rather the iced wings of the iseonix. Sunk into the ground and encased in yards of solid frost, the wings had kept the eruption's might at bay.
Marked by the shadowed tinge to the iseonix's wall, the Dark seeped through gaps in the ice and touched the bubbling molten rock. Rather than deterred by it, the sinister shadow spread across its surface and joined the burgeoning cloud rising above the mountain.
Cinders and chunks of flaming stone faded from sight as the Dark filled the ash cloud. The plume of gray darkened, until it became a void of black, until nothing remained. Then the Dark seeped lower. The brightness of the lava dimmed as the Dark followed its red currents down the mountain.
Tess felt her fear spike as she witnessed the Dark's movements. It didn't act like fog. It moved like an organism. Large faces of horned creatures rose from the shadow, their jaws open to devour scattered fires and fallen trees. Giant claws burst forth from the black, and consumed lingering piles of snow, and any points of light. Its movements were almost gleeful as it gradually absorbed the entire mountain. Within an hour Mt. Elbrus had faded from view. The Dark's advance caused even the morning sun to wither.
And it was spreading.
The Chronicles of Lumineia
By Ben Hale
—The White Mage Saga—
Assassin's Blade (Short story prequel)
The Last Oracle
The Sword of Elseerian
Descent Unto Dark
Impact of the Fallen
The Forge of Light
—The Second Draeken War—
Elseerian
The Gathering
Seven Days
The List Unseen
Author Bio
Originally from Utah, Ben has grown up with a passion for learning almost everything. Driven particularly to reading caused him to be caught reading by flashlight under the covers at an early age. While still young, he practiced various sports, became an Eagle Scout, and taught himself to play the piano. This thirst for knowledge gained him excellent grades and helped him graduate college with honors, as well as become fluent in three languages after doing volunteer work in Brazil. After school, he started and ran several successful businesses that gave him time to work on his numerous writing projects. His greatest support and inspiration comes from his wonderful wife and three beautiful children. Currently he resides in Florida while working on his latest writing and business endeavors.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about the upcoming sequels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow the author on twitter @ BenHale8 or Facebook.