The Sleep of Stone

But the signs they made and the prayers they muttered were merely symbols, not true magic. They had no power to affect Ghryszmyxychtys, as she crouched behind a rocky outcrop a hundred feet above the pass and gazed down upon the scene with burgeoning interest.

The story:
Ghryszmyxychtys, or Ghysla, is the last of her race. The last of the shapechangers that ruled the land before the humans. Though lonely, she is content with her life, until she meets Anyr.

She falls hopelessly in love with him, and appears to him in the shape of different animals, hoping to win his love. But then she finds out that he is to marry, and her desperation grows.

For Anyr loves Ghysla, not this newcomer. He has told her again and again that he loves her, and so Ghysla find a way to get rid of his bride for him. Not to kill her, but to bind her in the Sleep of Stone; a spell that will transform the young woman to stone, and make her sleep for all eternity.

Thoughts about the book: This is, in my opinion, Louise Cooper's most beautiful story. It is a sad story of love, loneliness and hope. If someone would read one, and one only, of Louise Cooper's books, I think this would be the one I would recommend.

About the author Louise Cooper

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