Chapter 6

As night fell, the firelight in the central square cast long, dancing shadows. It illuminated the faces of the Silverfox Clan, their eyes glowing with a feral, hungry light. The entire tribe was gathered in a silent, expectant circle around the massive stone pot.

The air was thick with an aroma so intoxicating it was almost a physical presence. It hooked into their senses, a promise of rich meat and something else, something sweet and earthy they couldn't name. A few of the younger warriors were visibly drooling, swallowing hard. One tried to sneak a hand toward the lid, only to be driven back by a low growl from Bronson, who stood guard like a stone sentinel.

Abigail, relying on a cook's instinct honed over years of solitary lab work, judged the time was right. The tubers would be soft, having soaked up all the rich, fatty broth.

Using a thick piece of hide to protect her hands, she gripped the handle of the heavy wooden lid and lifted.

A dense cloud of white steam erupted from the pot with a loud whoosh, carrying the concentrated essence of the stew. The fragrance bomb hit the crowd, and a collective, involuntary groan of pure desire swept through them.

When the steam cleared, the sight within the pot was even more magnificent. The broth was a creamy, milky white. The chunks of meat were falling off the bone, and the tubers, once hard and pale, were now golden and tender, glistening with fat as they bobbed between the morsels of pork.

A sound like a hundred people swallowing at once echoed across the square. Even the Chieftain, a man of immense self-control, took an involuntary step forward, his throat working.

Abigail took the long wooden ladle and scooped up a spoonful of the stew, thick with meat and tubers. The aroma was maddening.

But no one moved. Decades of ingrained fear of the "Devil's Root" held them paralyzed, a war between their starving bodies and their superstitious minds.

Abigail had anticipated this. She turned and held out the first bowl, carved from wood, to the one person she knew she could trust.

Bronson.

He took the bowl. Without bothering to blow on it, he reached in with his bare fingers, plucked out a steaming hot chunk of tuber, and shoved it into his mouth.

The effect was instantaneous. His blue eyes widened in shock. The soft, starchy tuber melted on his tongue, a perfect vehicle for the rich, savory flavor of the pork fat and the subtle zing of the wild herbs. It was a flavor profile he had never experienced in his life.

He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His actions were more eloquent than any words. He began to eat with a brutal, focused speed, grabbing chunks of meat and tuber, slurping the hot broth, his movements a testament to the stew's incredible taste.

In less than ten seconds, the bowl was empty. He licked a stray drop of broth from the corner of his mouth, his eyes already looking back at the pot for more.

That was all it took. The dam of fear broke. A few of the hungriest clansmen started to push forward.

Suddenly, a small, filthy figure darted out from between the legs of the crowd. It was a young orphan, a boy named Pip, no more than five or six years old. Starvation had made him bold. He didn't care about poison or curses. He fell to his knees before Abigail, his eyes fixed on the pot, drool running down his chin.

Abigail's heart softened. She quickly ladled a small portion of the stew into a bowl, the softest meat and most tender tubers, and let it cool for a moment before handing it to him.

From the back of the crowd, Chelsea shrieked, "You're poisoning a child!"

But Pip didn't hear her. He plunged his face into the bowl, eating like a starving animal, making small, happy, grunting sounds.

Seeing him, the other orphans lost their fear. They scrambled forward, surrounding Abigail, holding out their small, dirty hands.

"Bronson, keep order," Abigail said calmly. She patiently began to serve every child, making sure they got the best, most easily digestible parts.

The children ate, their faces soon smeared with gravy. Some were so overwhelmed by the delicious taste that they began to cry with happiness.

Half an hour passed. The children, their bellies full for the first time in weeks, were not foaming at the mouth. They were chasing each other around the square, their pale cheeks now flushed with color and energy.

That living, breathing, laughing proof was the final blow. The curse of the Devil's Root was broken.

Someone in the crowd let out a desperate yell for food, and then it was a flood. The entire tribe surged forward, a chaotic wave of hunger.

The situation was about to turn into a riot.

Bronson acted. He released his aura, the crushing spiritual pressure of a seventh-tier warrior. It slammed into the crowd like an invisible wall, forcing the front ranks back several steps.

"LINE UP!" he roared, his voice cracking like a whip.

The frenzied mob froze, their hunger instantly doused by a cold wave of primal fear. They looked at Bronson, then at each other, and meekly, silently, began to form a long, orderly queue, holding out their motley collection of wooden bowls and hollowed-out gourds.

Abigail stood by the pot, protected by Bronson's formidable presence, and began to serve the tribe that had, only that morning, wanted to burn her alive. A small, triumphant smile touched her lips.