Egrariand Chronicles Book 1: The Curse of the Black Stone

Final Chapter: Reclusion

Amara didn't move, trying to fight the urge to follow.

"What are you doing Amara?" a low chilling voice echoed the whole place, Emily's hair was standing on ends, black smoke surrounded her at her feet, eyes glowed bright white as she said.

"Follow my command!"

Amara fell on her knees on the ground, trying all her might to resist. She screamed in writhing pain as her chains sent a blazing sensation that burns her down to her bones. "N-No!"

"Amara!" shouted Lucas and Steve.

"How dare  you disobey me! You know you can't fight it. It will only hurt you! And in the end, you will end up doing what I say!"

Gorttaurs walked to Amara and held her, with their nails burying every part of her body. Amara screamed in excruciating pain as their nails were digging deeper and deeper.

"Stop it---" whispered Lucas. His face was gone dark. His shadows were slithering and slowly gathering around. He managed to break free from his ties and walked to the Gorttaurs who were holding Amara. He looked at them dangerously and they were thrown away from her.

But they were not easy creatures, they started to attack Lucas. He never felt rage like this before, now more than ever! That, he easily choked and killed one of them. The others managed to hit him and injure him. Lucas didn't flinch even if he was dripping blood all over. He threw the other creatures away then walked slowly to Emily. Each step with purpose. He tried concentrating all of his energy, his shadows surrounded him like jagged spikes in the air, aiming to fight the goddess.

"You will not hurt Amara," he said in low voice. He looked so terrifying as his power was growing and growing. It didn't matter to him anymore, even if he would be consumed completely by his shadows. He would restrain himself no more. He would unleash all his anger, his fear, his hatred. He would protect Amara with his life.

But...

Emily was unnaturally fast, in a split second she touched his forehead with her finger.

Lucas screamed in extreme agony and torment as his shadows that were gathering earlier went against him, the shadows entered the spot where Emily touched. It looked like a bullet hole, except this one was pitch black and vibrating.

"Your shadows have no effect on me, silly child," said Emily as she bore her eyes to him. "I am the one who gifted the elves with the power of mind. Your magic? It came from me." She then smiled wickedly. "What foolishness!"

Beneath all of the commotion, Blaine managed to reach a sharp rock using his hands that were tied behind his back and used it to free himself from the tight rope. He then threw it to Steve. He rushed to one of the fallen Gorttaurs, retrieved a jagged dagger, and lunged quickly to Emily in one fluid motion, not a movement wasted, he quickly pointed the dagger to her throat.

"Release Lucas!" ordered Blaine, holding his dagger, the sharp end piercing her skin as a bead of bright red blood stained the edge.

Steve rose up from behind him after freeing himself, took a baseball bat-sized branch from the ground, and knocked off Blaine's dagger from his hand, in one forceful sweep.

Blaine was startled with what Steve did.

"What are you doing?? This goddess should die! If she regains her power, this will be the end of all of us!"

Steve shook his head as his shoulders trembled. "I-- can't... I can't let you hurt my sister!"

"She is not your sister!!"