The Encounter: Shadow Guild Book 1

By Allan McCarville

Benjamin Pierce has spent the last five years grieving the loss of his wife. He has no desire to move on without her.
Then one day an injured young boy stumbles into his life, guided to Pierce’s lakeside retreat by a mysterious woman.
The boy sees a picture of the woman and shows it to Pierce.
It’s impossible, but the same woman the boy claims helped him was the woman he had buried five years earlier.
It couldn’t be her. His wife is dead.
Isn’t she

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allan McCarville
• Release date: Sep 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781777168469

Allan McCarville

Allan McCarville is an author and researcher who has a number of titles published in the genres of fantasy, crime thrillers and historical fiction. He and his family reside in Stittsville, Ontario where he does his best to make people think that he's normal. Apparently it's not working.

Book preview

THE ENCOUNTER

(Shadow Guild – Book 1)

A Novella by

Allan McCarville

THE ENCOUNTER

(Shadow Guild – Book 1)

©️ 2020 by Allan McCarville

Published by Mac Cearbhaill Independent Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-7771684-5-2 (Print version)

978-1-7771684-6-9 (Electronic version)

Edited by Sylvia McGee and RJ Partington

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information browsing, storage, or retrieval system, without permission from the author, except for discussion purposes by book clubs and schools.

The characters in this publication are fictional. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A previous version of this book was originally published as Fateful Encounters.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 – Escape

Chapter 2 – A Safe Refuge

Chapter 3 – Keeping a Promise

Chapter 4 – Unexpected Developments

Chapter 5 – The Snake Strikes

Chapter 6 – Complications

Chapter 7 – A Cabin in the Woods

Chapter 8 – The Presence of Death

Chapter 9 – A Fresh Start

Chapter 10 – Lurking Evil

Bonus Chapter

Other Titles by This Author

CHAPTER 1 – ESCAPE

He would be killed if they caught him.

The boy ran, terrified, knowing that if he was caught he would die slowly and painfully. He knew from experience that these people were masters at inflicting pain.

He twisted and turned, ignoring the branches that grabbed at his clothes and tore at his skin as he stumbled through the heavy brush, the sounds behind him indicating his pursuers, led by his stepfather, had not given up.

He made the mistake of glancing over his shoulder to see how close they were and missed his step. His ankle twisted, and he plunged, head over heels, down the side of the rocky ravine. Pain shot up his right leg and he heard, then felt, something snap in his left arm. He landed heavily at the bottom of the gully, blood trickling down his face but for a moment felt no pain at all.

Maybe I’m dead, he thought hopefully. Maybe I’m finally free.

Then the pain returned. He wasn’t dead.

He closed his eyes as tears leaked out; tears of disappointment more than pain. When he opened them, he found himself looking up into the face of a young woman he had never seen before regarding him with concern.

Don’t move, she whispered as she knelt next to him. You had a nasty fall.

For some reason, the boy found the woman’s presence comforting, reassuring, which surprised him. For good reason he was almost always fearful around adults, especially strangers. For good reason. The fear he felt lessened; it was still there, but now it was not mind-numbing, no longer impairing his ability to think.

The woman examined him quickly and methodically, and he did his best not to cry out whenever she touched one of his injuries. Finally, she gave him a small, sad smile.

I’m pretty sure you broke your wrist, Jake, she said. I think your right ankle is badly sprained, but I don’t think it’s broken.

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise. How did you know my name? He was certain he had never met her before, and he hadn’t told her his name.

The woman didn’t answer his question but instead asked, Can you stand?

I . . . I can try, replied Jake uncertainly.

She helped him to his feed then clamped a hand over his mouth when he cried out. She embraced him and then slowly removed her hand. I know it hurts, honey, but you have to be quiet.

The boy looked up at her and nodded briskly, indicating he understood. Jake wasn’t very tall; the top of his head didn’t even reach her shoulder.

There were noises coming from the top of the ridge above them. Keep looking! shouted a voice. The little bastard is here somewhere!

The woman put her fingers to her lips to signal him to be quiet. She looked down at the small figure and in a whisper asked, Are they looking for you?

He nodded.

Why? she asked. Did you do something to them? Did you steal anything?

Jake shook his head. I ran away, he said.

Why did you run away? the woman asked.

Jake looked down at his feet and shrugged his shoulders. That was something he could not, would not, ever, ever tell. To do so could cost him his life.

The strange woman observed that whatever this boy was running from was too upsetting for him to talk about. They hadn’t given her any information about the boy other than instructions for her to help him. They were breaking the rules by just sending her here. She was only granted a short time to intervene to help the boy and it was running out. She had to get the boy away and had no time to waste.

The woman glanced up toward the top of the ravine – no way they could climb up that.

She turned and pointed down the gully. "We’ll go that way. The ravine tapers off as it gets closer to the road. There are cabins across