Chapter 670: Poisoned
Eva received a different sort of attention.
A woman sorting bundles outside a doorway stopped when she saw her, her fingers remaining motionless around a length of cord.
Farther along, an elderly man scowled and turned his back, while a boy standing beside a stall stared until the woman behind him pulled him out of sight.
Eva kept close to Elion, looking down at the street.
’What did you do to make them treat you like this?’ he wondered, though he doubted asking her in front of the guards would accomplish much.
Her presence was like a plague to all those who saw her.
They passed beneath a broad stone arch and entered a quieter district, where the houses stood farther apart.
Several had been built against the remains of ancient structures, their modest walls occupying spaces between columns large enough to support an entire palace.
Here, the cavern’s spectral light fell across little courtyards and narrow stairways, illuminating pots of pale flowers beside the doors.
Laundry hung between balconies, and from somewhere nearby came the warm smell of bread.
The familiarity of it all was almost disorienting.
Elion could still remember Eva kneeling beside that corpse, yet here were people sweeping their thresholds, carrying baskets and discussing their work in ordinary voices.
Nothing in their manner suggested that they found their existence strange.
The threads remained, of course, and that was yet another question to be answered, and it troubled Elion deeply.
Every time someone crossed in front of him, a filament moved with them, faintly visible for an instant before disappearing among the others. All of them stretched toward the same distant point.
Their lodgings turned out to be a large building overlooking a small square. Its upper floor projected over the entrance, supported by thick wooden beams fitted into the ancient stone beneath it, and several lamps burned along the sheltered walkway outside.
One guard opened the door and stepped aside.
Within, a woman seated behind a broad counter rose quickly, wiping her hands against her apron. Her gaze moved over the group before settling briefly on Eva, and the welcoming expression she had begun to form faded.
"They are guests of the master," the guard said.
The woman straightened, looking away from the girl.
"Of course. Welcome." She reached beneath the counter and retrieved several keys, placing them carefully in front of her. "We have adjoining rooms upstairs. There’s a sitting room between them, if you’d like somewhere to gather."
"That would be ideal," Maya replied, speaking before Elion could answer.
The woman led them up a narrow stairway, while the guards remained beside the entrance below. Elion noticed that they made no move to leave.
Upstairs, the rooms were surprisingly comfortable. Clean bedding covered broad wooden beds, water stood in covered pitchers, and a row of lamps illuminated the shared sitting room.
Elion checked the windows first.
They opened toward the square below, where their escorts had now taken up positions beneath the overhang. One stood beside the door, while the other watched the street with his polearm resting against his shoulder.
"Dinner will be brought up shortly," the woman said from behind them. "If you need anything, please call."
Maya thanked her, and they waited until her footsteps had receded down the stairs before anyone spoke.
"A few days?" Mayumi asked quietly, looking toward Elion.
"I agreed to somewhere to rest tonight," he replied, turning from the window. "I haven’t decided anything beyond that."
Maya folded her arms, though her eyes wandered toward Eva before she answered.
The girl had settled on the edge of a chair, her feet dangling above the floor as she watched them with subdued curiosity.
Elion followed her gaze, then let out a slow breath.
"We’ll talk about it in a moment," he said, lowering his voice. "First, I’d like to know why those guards are still outside."
Cole moved toward the other window and looked down into the square. After a few seconds, his expression soured.
"Perhaps we should also find out whether they intend to let us leave."
Mayumi scoffed.
"Of course they aren’t going to leave us alone. What would you do if a group of travellers suddenly appeared in your hidden town, asking to see your boss? It’s clear that they already suspect us." She narrowed her eyes before continuing. "Either way, what are we going to do? I have a bad feeling about this place."
Nora nodded in agreement. "I don’t want to spend a second longer here than necessary."
"Right," Cole added, his face turning a ghastly shade of white. "This place gives me the creeps. If we take what we’ve seen at face value, then we should assume they eat people here."
Elion looked toward Eva, who merely tilted her head, keeping the same smile on her face. She didn’t seem to understand what was troubling them in the slightest.
His thoughts continued to spiral. According to their map, there shouldn’t have been a town here, meaning they had made a new discovery, something that should have been a joyous occasion.
Instead, things were quickly spiralling out of control, and the others were right to feel uneasy.
"Argh..." Elion groaned, rubbing his forehead.
’I already regret coming here. We should have just continued on our way after running into Eva.’
Unfortunately, regretting it wouldn’t change anything. It was too late to cry over spilt milk now.
The woman brought them food, and thankfully, it didn’t turn out to be human flesh. It was simply dry bread and hot herbal tea, though neither tasted particularly good.
Elion noticed that no plate had been brought for Eva, and the woman left without so much as acknowledging her. With a wry smile, he passed his own bread and tea to the little girl, after taking a bite and a small sip to taste, though she hesitated to accept them.
"But I was stingy with my food," she murmured, looking between him and the plate. "And you’re giving me yours..."
Elion brushed aside her concerns and told her to eat without worry.
His kindness brought tears to her eyes, and she began eating hungrily, apparently still famished despite having devoured almost half an adult corpse.
The others gave Elion questioning looks, pausing over their own food. They seemed curious about why he had given his portion away; unappetising or not, it was still food.
Is the food poisoned? Maya mouthed silently.
Elion shook his head, mouthing, No, it’s fine.
That is, until the system’s voice echoed in his mind.
[Actually, it’s very much poisoned,] it informed him casually.
Elion froze.