Chapter 244: A town of guilty faces.

Zyra and Hunter reached the settlement just as the early night settled over the Wild Lands. Lanterns and glowing lamps shone bright along the pathways, casting a warm light over the wooden gates. It was nowhere near as advanced or heavily fortified as Hollomgad. Even from a distance, they could see that the flood had taken its toll on this place.

The houses were partially ruined, some completely. Fallen trees and leaves surrounded the settlement. Small beast corpses were still floating around.

A broken carved wooden sign hung near the entrance, swinging gently in the evening breeze.

"Twig’s Blue Crossing!" Zyra chimed happily, clapping her hands together with a bright, beaming smile.

Hunter looked down at her and chuckled, his eyes softening. "We found them. We finally found the maidens and we can finally go home. It’s too cold out here." He pointed to the footprints outside the town and sniffed the air. "It’s them, they are here. I can smell a scent that was in the plane."

Without wasting another second, Zyra reached for her link band and called Tessi. As soon as the glowing image flickered to life, Zyra practically bounced on her toes. "Tessi! Tell Etania and the others that we made it! We’re right outside Twig’s Blue Crossing and they should come out."

Tessi’s projection nodded, but her lips were pressed into a tight, anxious line. "That’s great news, Zyra. Once you meet up with them, Etania and Claudia can use their energy to teleport all of you straight back to Beast Valley. Thank God this nightmare is over."

Zyra was about to celebrate, but then she paused. She realized Tessi had a heavy frown on her face_ a strange look for someone who had just received such good news.

"Hey_ Tessi?" Zyra asked, her smile fading slightly. "Is something wrong at Beast valley? You look like you just ate a sour lemon. What now? Please don’t tell me you invited another group of people into my shelter without letting me know first!"

Tessi sighed, rubbing her temples. "No that’s not it. And everything is fine here. I’ve been in constant contact with Etania’s group all day, but_ I haven’t been able to reach them for the last thirty minutes. I am worried that they are in trouble or Etania has run out of soul energy." She couldn’t add that she was also worried that if she mentioned this, Zyra would hesitate to find them.

Zyra’s brows furrowed. "Did they say they were in trouble?"

"No, that’s the thing," Tessi replied, her voice filled with worry. "Personally, I didn’t want them entering the town in the first place. I told them to stay put in the woods. But Etania said the towns people were incredibly friendly, sweet, and welcoming. The last time I spoke to her, she said the villagers were hosting a huge feast for them as a thank-you gift for saving the town from a beast attack. Then_ total silence."

Zyra shook her head vigorously, trying to expel the creeping bad feeling in her gut. "It’s fine! It’s probably just a bad signal or a connection glitch with the connection. We’re going in right now."

Zyra cut the call, and she and Hunter stepped through the open gates into Twig’s Blue Crossing. Just past the entrance, sitting on a damp wooden crate, was a tiny, sad-looking little boy, picking at his muddy shoes in the dim light.

Zyra walked over, crouched down, and pulled a shiny, brightly wrapped candy out of her pocket. "Here you go, little guy."

"Are those not Spice’s candies?" Hunter asked.

"Don’t worry, they are 100% safe for humans. Aren’t we all descended from animals at the end of the day?" Zyra asked, her fingers in a dismissive manner.

Hunter scoffed. "You alone." He muttered.

The boy took the sweet, his eyes sparkling slightly. "Thank you, pretty sister_"

"Can you tell me where the town leaders are?" Zyra asked gently.

The boy popped the candy into his mouth and pointed deeper into the streets. "Everyone is at the town square_"

Hunter walked up, gave the boy’s messy hair a affectionate shuffle, and looked toward the center of town. "Let’s go take a look."

When they arrived at the town square, the sight was completely baffling. Beneath a giant and old tree decorated with festive red ribbons, long stone tables were set up. But the environment was far from a celebration.

The residents sat in awkward, deathly silence. Some were holding their cheeks with gloomy expressions; others were chewing their food so slowly it looked like they were eating poison. A few men were gulping down alcohol like someone was holding a blade to their throats.

Hunter’s instincts flared up instantly. Something is wildly off here, he thought. He exchanged a quick, sharp glance with Zyra, and they approached the tables.

"Excuse me?" Hunter spoke up, his deep voice slicing through the quiet air.

Several villagers jumped in fright, dropping their wooden spoons. Everyone turned to stare at the two strangers with wide, guilty eyes.

Zyra, however, wasn’t looking at their faces. Her eyes were locked onto the tables packed with roasted sea beast meat, steaming stews, and fresh bread. Her stomach gave a loud, embarrassing rumble. She was honestly starving_ it felt like a hundred years since they had eaten a proper meal!

Master Zoo, sitting near the head of the main table, stood up and eyed Hunter and Zyra coldly. "If you’re looking for a place to sleep, keep moving. The town lodge is completely full tonight."

Hunter didn’t budge. "We’re not looking for a lodge. We’re looking for our friends. A group of young women, some are Soul maidens."

The moment the words ’soul maidens’ left Hunter’s mouth, the entire square went dead quiet. Silverware dropped onto plates. A few men shifted uncomfortably in their seats, staring at the ground.

Before Master Zoo could speak, his wife, Gwenevia, stood up with a sweet, overly fake smile. She picked up a large, steaming bowl of freshly roasted sea beast meat_ the exact same dish the soul maidens had eaten earlier_ and walked over to them.

"Oh, you poor travelers must be exhausted!" Gwenevia cooed, holding out the bowl. "You must be so hungry from your journey. Here, have some hot meat first, and then we can talk about your friends. I think Emile saw them, but he has gone to fetch some of luggage back from the cave. Have some fresh soup while you wait for him."

Zyra reached out toward the bowl, for the sake of politeness. She planned to pretend to take a small sip when suddenly a red text flashed violently across her vision.

[Alert! This soup is heavily laced with a strong neuro-paralytic sleeping drug. Drink at your own risk.]