The Outcast and the Survivor: Chapter Two

By Trevor A. A. Evans

Kaela has escaped the pursuing Temple Guard and now enters the caverns beneath the mountains, the next step in her quest to reach the hidden staircase leading down to the Ethereal Plains. As she journeys through the darkness using the instructions she found hidden in the abandoned structure, she finds more signs that her world is, or at least was, filled with more life than she ever thought possible.

The Outcast and the Survivor is a chapter-series that follows Kaela, a princess of the mythical kingdom of Kalepo. After her father's sudden death, Kaela is exiled from the kingdom by her older sister Mariam, who claims their father's throne within moments of his passing. By being made an outcast, Kaela is forced not only to say goodbye to her homeland, but also to all of civilization. Kalepo is known only to itself, meaning that Kaela should expect to find a world devoid of humanity beyond the kingdom's borders, but because of something her father whispered to her on his deathbed, she knows that there is more out there, a world of dark secrets for her to discover.

The Outcast and the Survivor is released one chapter at a time at the start of each month. There were times in the past when writers would release stories as a series, often for newspapers or magazines. It's not much different from TV series in that each chapter often has its own sort of conclusion, though the larger story is not completed until the end. The series is being written with the intent of ending it at chapter 36, which is scheduled for December of 2017, though this could change as the story develops.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trevor A. A. Evans
• Release date: Oct 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311021687

Trevor A. A. Evans

Trevor wrote a story for himself when he was young divided into three parts: go to college, become a lawyer, and be happy. But when the first part was done, he stood at the edge of a cliff, staring down into the despairing depths of part two, and thought, "Nahhh." Instead, he skipped right on over to part 3, which he discovered creating stories and worlds while marrying the girl of his dreams. At the ripe old age of 29 with plans to write new series in fantasy and science fiction, Trevor's just getting started.

Book preview

The Outcast and the Survivor

Written by Trevor A. A. Evans

Text Copyright © 2015 by Trevor A. A. Evans

Published by Thirteen Crossroads Publishing

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotation in articles and reviews.

www.thirteencrossroads.com

Preface

The story that follows is part of a chapter-series, The Outcast and the Survivor. It has been made available on Kindle and Nook as a convenience, since it is available free of charge directly on the Thirteen Crossroads Publishing website. The story will continue with a new chapter being released each month until the last chapter is published in December 2017.

Chapter Two

What was that noise?

I turn around to face the direction it came from, lifting the torch in my hand above my head to stretch its light a little further as I step forward, but there is nothing before me, just an empty cavern filled with darkness.

Is anyone there? my quivering voice echoes off of the tall, lifeless cavern walls.

The thought of the dark figure from the mountains suddenly enters my mind, and I begin to tremble. In the hours I’ve traversed this underground labyrinth, there has been nothing but absolute silence to accompany me. The only things I’ve really heard have been the pitter-patter of my own footsteps and the rustling of the pack against my shoulders.

My eyes search the darkness for any signs of motion, but things remain still. As my nerves calm down, I try to reassure myself that anything following me for so long wouldn’t have so carelessly revealed itself. The sound I heard was like the dragging of something heavy across the dirt, preceded by odd scratching noises. Maybe I stirred something from its slumber. Hopefully it will leave me alone, whatever it is.

I force myself to continue the way I was heading instead of dwelling too long on what could be all around me. I can’t even imagine