The supernatural blueprint Hephaestus devised was a scryers dream. It was a small pyramidal device consisting of five unique crystals, none much larger than a man’s fist. The first four gems would be perfectly geometric octagons and serve as the base. The fifth stone, the capstone, the crux, would be a little larger and sit upon the others. Each stone would be imbued with some of the esoteric dust, but it was the capstone that would be imbued with the most.
– Excerpt from The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal

The word ‘crux’ has three general meanings.
1. It is the principal subject of an argument.
2. It is an unresolved or unsolved question.
3. It is the crucial point for resolving an outcome.

In The Crystal Crux Series, the crux is both physical and spiritual, it is in a crystal, and it is in the human heart.

Apprehensive, scared, Pero looked to his chest expecting to see blood and ruin. He discovered to his amazement that his heart was not a heart. It was shimmering crystal with gold light spraying outward from the pulse within.
Excerpt from The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal

Anthea was angelic… Smiling, she opened the collar of her dress, exposing her breasts. Her heart was a crystal.
“That’s my crystal,” he thought, shocked. He checked his chest and as suspected, the crystal heart was gone. “Anthea has my heart.”
Excerpt from The Crystal Crux Series

Pero de Alava has difficulty sleeping since his problems with the Fabbro family began. As he starts his quest on Eagles Pass, the visions, hallucinations and nightmares he suffers only seem to get worse.
At this point of the story, Pero knows very little about the Bellerophon Crystal Sinibaldus wields. Tancred Fabbro, in the sanctuary prison, has just told him a little about it, the little he knows, which isn’t much. But immediately the significance of the crux takes on a deeper meaning. Pero had it in his heart but now Anthea Manikos bears it.
At the end of Betrayal, just before Pero finally manages to fall asleep, the light in the crystal in Anthea’s heart goes out. She tells Pero that she cannot come to him. He must find her.

Light filled her, bright rays shooting out of her eyes, ears and mouth. “I see you Pero. I can always see you… Some things always shimmer. Some things always shine.”

In subsequent books, Pero often sees Anthea in his dreams and visions with the crystal in her heart, heavenly light imbuing her with flight and serenity.
Anthea becomes a guiding light when he is able to right his mind. But all too often, the darkness keeps inviting him to look elsewhere, and he is drawn towards more mystery and danger, to the unknown and the fantastic.
Pay attention to how the crystal symbolism is used throughout the tale to represent Pero’s yearning to get home and resolve the situation. Everything hinges on him getting back to Anthea and repairing the damage he’s done. And it’s more than the physical act of leaving Anthea that matters. It is the betrayal of her trust and faith in him.
Until next time, stay inspired and keep reading!

What We Did Not Know Before Writing A Book

181 Chapters