Egrariand Chronicles Book 1: The Curse of the Black Stone

The Scavengers

Sunset had finally drained out of the sky overhead, sheathing the quiet town in shadow. Lucas and the others ate their last meal with Vangar and the other scavengers. They planned on leaving first thing in the morning. After what happened to Emily, all of them were distraught, they were also trying so hard for their identities to stay hidden. They were struggling to find peace.

They were only welcomed by the scavengers because Fina was their comrade, but the fact that these people were outcasts of the kingdom they were living in, who knew what would they do once they knew that nobles now walked among them. In their territory, hiding in plain sight.

Lucas noticed some of them eyeing the prince as if they were ready to strike. They already had their doubts the moment they saw the prince. Even though he was wearing ragged clothes, and was covered in dirt, nothing could stain noble upbringing. He noticed Blaine was quiet most of the time, that maybe, so as not to draw attention to himself. He looked at Blaine and saw from his gestures he was on his guard all the time.

Lucas was about to put a spoonful of porridge into his mouth when he heard their leader, Vangar, addressing Fina.

“You are making a big mistake, Fina,” he said in a deep boom of a voice. He was quite intimidating. He was old, but he had an aura that could make anyone not want to mess with him, his old features only accentuated his experience. He was a veteran, not of prestigious titles, but of something more. Lucas felt intrigued by the reason why he was there, hiding together with the other outcasts.

“Vangar, you are the only one I know who can point us to the location of the Gorttaurs. I remember you managed to reach the boundary years ago,” said Fina. “We need a map.”

“No! I cannot allow it. Go back to where you came from. You will all be killed. You need to listen to me,” said Vangar in a fatherly tone.

Steve clenched his fists, he stood up, and walked toward Vangar and Fina. “You can’t just say that to us!” he said in an anger tone, still thinking about his sister, worried and restless. “We need to reach the Land of the Gorttaurs at all costs.”

Vangar looked at him and studied him lazily. “Your sister might be dead by now,” he said, emotionless, as if it was a normal thing to say. “As you described, she was most likely abducted by the Gorttaurs. Go home.”

Steve felt a sudden surge of rage, his veins began to pound in his temples, his blood almost reaching a boiling point. He was about to attempt to punch Vangar’s face. He didn’t care if that man was intimidating or skilled in fighting. He would not let anyone tell him what to do or what should not, especially if the life of his sister was at stake.

But Fina stopped him. “Calm down, Steve. We do not know that yet,” she whispered.

Steve’s face was sunken, and he seemed like he would explode anytime. His mind was consumed with so much worry, guilt, and anger. He couldn’t think straight.

Lucas approached Vangar before Steve could make a scene that they would regret afterward. If he needed to beg Vangar to help them, he would do it. He knew how dangerous the land of the Gorttaurs was. Amara told them with fear in her eyes. She actually didn’t want them to go, but Lucas would do anything to help her. In addition, the way Blaine and Altair reacted the first time they heard about their plan of reaching the land only signified that it was not a joke; that it was really, really scary. He couldn’t say that he was brave enough, fighting his fear to reach the land, or maybe he was just a fool, convincing himself that everything would be alright.

“Please?” he said to Vangar. “You don’t need to go with us. We just need a map. It’s our last chance for our friends. If the Gorttaurs got Emily, then it’s all the more reason we need to go there. Look at our friend Amara, the longer she stays in this world without being freed from her curse, the weaker she gets. I don’t want her to die.”