Shadows of the Ancient World - Carrie Ray

The ritual at the Sun-Spire should have been the end. Instead, it was a flare that drew every predator in the dark to Aethelgard.

Ryn and her unlikely band of survivors have escaped the mountain, but the world they return to is no longer their own. The Shadow hasn't just spread-it has evolved, turning the familiar landscapes of their home into a nightmare of shifting ruins and ancient, waking terrors.

Guided by the pulsing, unpredictable power of the Heartstone, the group must plunge into the Shifting Labyrinth of the Elder Oaks. Within its depths lie the secrets of the ancient world-and the truth about a war that was lost eons before they were born. But the Labyrinth is a place of illusions, where Frost, Fire, and Fate collide to test the bonds of their fellowship.

As Thane struggles with the weight of leadership and Mira faces the ghosts of her past, Ryn begins to realize that the Heartstone isn't just a weapon. It's a cage. To save the future, she must unlock a history that was never meant to be found, even if the price is her own humanity.

The descent has begun. The shadows are waiting. And in the heart of the ancient world, the void is finally looking back.