Auren’s power could
save or destroy the world.
Shadow Stalker – Episodes
1-6
Shadow Stalker Bundles Part 1
by Renee Scattergood
Genre: Grimdark Fantasy
“This is the first time I’ve read a serial and I
didn’t know what to expect. I was pulled into the story right away. The pacing
was cleverly crafted so that while the action had the pages turning, there was
enough back story to keep you rooted in the plot.” ~ Melissa Barker-Simpson, Author of the Morgan
and Fairchild Series
“Scattergood’s writing style is simple and straightforward and her
characters very believable.” ~
Grant Leishman, Author of Tortured Minds
“One of the best things about the series are the characters, who are
human and sympathetic. The heroine is both a tough, capable young woman, and a
naive and self-centered teenager; the tension between the two sides of her
personality as she is suddenly forced to leave childhood behind and enter into
adulthood is often well-captured, as is her ambivalent relationship with her
foster father.” ~ E.P. Clark,
Author of The Zemnian Trilogy
“Hunted by an
empire, haunted by prophecy—Auren’s power could save or destroy the world.”
The shadows are
calling—and they know her name.
For eighteen years, Auren Trask has lived under the watchful
eye of her foster father, Kado. He’s trained her in combat, wilderness
survival, and strategy, but never explained why. His strict rules and secrecy
have left her feeling trapped, desperate for freedom and a normal life with her
friends.
That all changes the night she sneaks away for a simple
camping trip. When the Galvadi Empire invades, burning villages and capturing
innocents, Auren’s world shatters. She and her friends barely escape with their
lives—thanks to Kado’s sudden appearance and skills that suggest he’s far more
than a reclusive courier.
As the Galvadi tighten their grip on the Serpent Isles,
Auren discovers she is at the center of a prophecy that has haunted the empire
for generations. She is the delohi-saqu,
a shadow stalker destined—according to Galvadi belief—to plunge the world into
darkness. To stop that future, they will hunt her without mercy.
But the truth is far more dangerous than the Galvadi know.
Auren’s powers are awakening, shadows whisper secrets in her dreams, and even
Kado can no longer shield her from the path ahead. To survive, she must
confront the terrifying legacy of the shadow stalkers and decide whether
destiny is a prison…or a weapon.
Shadow Stalker Part 1
(Episodes 1–6) launches Renee Scattergood’s dark fantasy serial, a journey
through treachery, prophecy, and the struggle between fear and hope. Perfect
for fans of epic adventure, morally
complex heroes, and worlds where light and darkness are never simple.
**Get it FREE!!**
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* Goodreads
Episode 1 — The Hidden Truth
Chapter 2 | The invasion begins
By late afternoon, the fire was hot enough
to cook. Jade and I had to make another trip for wood to keep the campfire
going. As we returned to the campsite, we heard thunder rolling in the
distance. I looked up and caught the first stars flickering as the sky
darkened. There were no clouds, so I sniffed the air—the wind carried the salty
tang of the ocean, but it lacked the ozone scent or electrical charge usually
present before a storm.
“I thought it wasn’t going to rain
this weekend,” Jade whined, dropping her stack of wood beside the fire
pit.
“My dad said the weather would be
fine,” Deakan said.
“Obviously, your dad was
mistaken.”
Anxiety stabbed at my gut, and I missed the
rest of their spat. It seemed irrational, but I sensed something was wrong, as
if my life were in danger. A rumbling echoed through the valley again, and I
resisted the urge to run.
“Guys, we should go find a cave or
something,” I suggested, interrupting their bickering.
“Are you afraid of a bit of a
storm?” Deakan teased.
I didn’t respond. My eyes shifted to the
southern mountaintops, where the sky had just illuminated with a reddish-orange
glow instead of the typical white flash of lightning. It looked like flames and
sounded like an explosion rather than thunder. Something caught my attention as
I looked down the slopes. Small black dots swarmed into the valley, split into
groups, and moved toward the villages.
“Deakan, do you happen to have your
binoculars?”
He was busy mixing something in a pot.
“Yeah, why?”
“I need them! Quick!”
He reached into his bag. Jade stood,
squinting in the same direction I was looking, and her expression indicated she
saw nothing unusual.
“Hurry, Deakan!”
“Damn, you’re impatient. Here,”
he said, handing them to me before turning his gaze towards the valley.
I adjusted the settings and looked through
the binoculars, spotting hydrocars with the Galvadi Empire insignia surrounding
the village. Men emerged from the vehicles, but the chaos made it hard to make
out details. I couldn’t tell if they were killing anyone, but they started
burning the houses. Suddenly, I saw one hydrocars detach from the group and
head directly towards us.
“Put out the fire!” I yelled. I
shoved the binoculars back into Deakan’s hand and started throwing dirt from
the hole we’d dug for the fire pit onto the campfire. Jade helped me while
Deakan looked through his binoculars to check for himself.
“What’s happening, Auren?” Jade
asked.
I worried Jade might panic, but hiding the
truth wouldn’t help when something was clearly happening. “The Galvadi are
invading the island, burning villages, and a hydrocar is coming our way. They
must have noticed our campfire.”
“It might be someone coming to warn
us.” She stood and looked out over the valley again, hope in her
expression.
I shook my head as Deakan stored his
binoculars in his bag. Jade may not have noticed the hydrocar nearby, but she
definitely saw the flames consuming the village. She and Deakan silently helped
me cover the fire pit, after which Deakan hoisted his backpack.
“We’ll need to get to your hydrocar
and get off the island,” I said, studying the gap in the trees to the
north, where Deakan’s hydrocar waited just beyond the forest. From our angle, I
couldn’t see it, and I couldn’t spot any of the darker Galvadi vehicles. I
doubted it would take them long to reach the island and cut off our only
escape.
“Are you nuts? It’s too far. We’ll
never make it before they get here!” Deakan said, pointing towards the
Galvadi heading our way.
He was right. “Let’s head towards the
northern forest, and we can make our way to your hydrocar from there.”
The forest was about two kilometres away,
but the Galvadi were far enough away that we could reach it if we ran.
Deakan nodded, set off, and Jade and I
followed with our backpacks. His long legs quickly put him several metres
ahead. Seeing how far behind we had fallen, he paused to scan the hilltop, then
let us go ahead so he wouldn’t lose us.
Halfway there, Jade stopped and bent over,
panting hard. She was less fit than Deakan and I. “I can’t—”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her behind me.
“Run! They’re almost across the lake.”
Renee Scattergood lives in Australia with her husband,
Nathan, and adult spawn (yes, that’s what they like to be called). She has
always loved fantasy and was inspired to become a storyteller by George Lucas,
but she didn’t start writing her stories until her late twenties. Now she
enjoys writing dark fantasy. She is currently working on a novel series, Shadow
Guardians of the Serpent Isles, based on her serial, Shadow Stalker, and a new
series called The Emperor’s Blades. Aside from writing, she loves reading
(fantasy, of course), watching movies with her family, and watching YouTube
Videos with her spawn. Visit her site for more information and a free copy of
Shadow Stalker Part 1 (Episodes 1 – 6): https://reneescattergood.au
