A Beacon and the Darkness – Ebook

$6.99

by Russ Thompson

Book One in The Loop Breaker Series

“A gorgeously imagined new world, filled with action and intrigue. I was enthralled until the very end.” –New York Times Bestseller Lisa Maxwell, author of The Last Magician and UnHooked

“True high fantasy, gritty and consuming!” –New York Times Bestseller, Wendy Higgins

The Empire of Lucent has stood for centuries as a beacon of strength and light. But now an otherworldly realm has unleashed an army of nightmarish creatures upon the peaceful empire, spreading a lethal plague called The Decay which consumes its victims mercilessly from the inside out.

The king of the Empire of Lucent calls upon “Lady of Death” Zephera Travelle—an infamous assassin with a weakness for braided cinnamon bread and a striking aptitude for murder and mayhem. He sends her on an impossible quest to find the one person who can concoct a cure and save the realm from total annihilation. Together with her best friend, Zadkiel, and crew of misfits comprised of a mage extraordinaire, a girly city-guard, and a broody warrior, she embarks on a journey that will test her wits, will, and sanity. Along the way, she discovers that no one—and nothing—is as it seems, including herself.

Description

The Loop Breaker: A Beacon and the Darkness is a tale of ghostly mystery and suspense as well as a story of loss and recovery. Sixteen-year-old Lee Ann must face the tragedy of the loss of her mother along with the culture shock of moving in with her father in the tiny town of Laverne. Having grown up in the suburbs, she had no desire to return to this piece of nowhere nestled in the wooded hills of Tennessee where she was born but left when she was very young. Lee Ann has trouble fitting in at her new school, quickly bumping heads with the school bully, but she soon finds her tribe with her new friends, David, Katrina, and Jasmine.
Lee Ann begins to explore the surrounding woods of the wildlife preserve adjacent to their property and soon begins to hear strange sounds that resemble a human voice. Soon she begins to see apparitions in the woods from another time, plaintively seeking her aid. Lee Ann realizes quickly that she is the only one who can see and hear what’s taking place and that these souls are being drawn to her. After some research and the help of David, Katrina, and Jasmine, Lee Ann learns about the legend of Thief’s hollow, a story the town citizens use to explain the strange goings-on in the area. As the hauntings intensify, scenes unfold before Lee Ann that contradict the stories she’s heard and read about. Lee Ann comes to the realization that she is uncovering a shameful and tragic event connected to her own family that the town sought to cover-up while at the same time, dealing with the reality of her unique abilities.
With the help of the town psychic, Felicity, Lee Ann seeks to aid the lost souls to break out of the loop they are caught up in as they constantly repeat the last moments of their lives. On the anniversary of the tragic events, Felicity helps Lee Ann to let go of her fear and grief, which are blocking her natural ability to help the lost souls, enabling her to help them cross over to a new plane of existence. Once the town’s residents learn about the real story of Thief’s Hollow, the town of Laverne is forced to face the truth, reaping confusion and debate. LeeAnn, however, had begun the healing process as she releases the grief and trepidation that had haunted her, settling into her new life.