Page 16 of Fated to the Hunter (Xarc’n Warriors #13)

“Is this really a dwelling for just one family?” I asked as I took in the entranceway to the mansion for a second time.

I’d been searching for signs of the scourge the first time and hadn’t noticed all the details.

But I had noticed the sheer size of the estate, and that had me questioning whether I was securing the right location.

The humans had referred to the destination as a home.

But this place was large enough to house an entire army.

“Yup.” Her eyes were wide too. “The owner must’ve been rich as fuck.”

I had seen many human homes, and none had looked like this. Luckily for me, this one had tall fences all around the premises, meaning I had only to close the front gate to prevent any of the ground scourge from entering.

Then it was a matter of hunting any scourge that had gotten trapped, unable to return to their nest. I found only a handful and dispatched them easily, luring them to the shadow of a large tree to avoid drawing the attention of the flyers.

So far, I was rather disappointed by the lack of fighting and action despite being inside a Dead Zone.

I might have to embellish this story if Jorg’k asked about it.

Or perhaps I could describe the thousands of scourge we saw on either side of the highway on the way here, without clarifying that we’d avoided them all by following Kiera’s carefully plotted path.

Jorg’k didn’t need to know that Kiera’s skill in conflict avoidance had meant we hadn’t needed my talents of conflict resolution yet.

Now that I wasn’t actively hunting for scourge, I began picking up on details I’d missed the first time I was here.

The large slabs of stone lining the floors were veined with white and silver streaks, the pattern like a churning river, but forever frozen in time.

Polished to a high shine, each piece had been cut with precision and fitted so tightly together that it looked seamless.

It was smooth and cool under my feet, and my claws clicked against it with every step, the sound sharp and amplified by the large space.

In front of us, a wide staircase with a dark, intricately carved wooden banister curved up to the second floor. The lofted ceiling stretched up above us, and the midmorning sun poured in through the generous window over the double doors we’d entered through.

“Oooh! Look at the size of that chandelier.”

I followed Kiera’s gaze to the golden structure hanging above us, glittering with thousands of tiny crystals. How had I missed that the first time around? “My translator says chandeliers held candles. I see no wax.”

She chuckled. “It’s electric. No candles, just lights. It’s an old word that we just kept using.”

But despite its opulence, there were unmistakable signs that marred its grandeur, and the longer I looked, the more they stood out.

Holes from Earth-made firearms were scattered across the foyer.

Dark stains on the red carpet in front of the stairs told of lives lost. And there was damage from scuttler claws everywhere.

One slab of the marble flooring was cracked like a flyer’s spike had speared it once right down the middle.

Kiera glanced down the hallway to the right. “A little dark and dusty, and probably full of spiders.” She turned to the left. “Bigger and brighter, and probably fully looted out. Which way first?”

I knew what spiders were. They were small arthropods native to Earth that somewhat resembled our scuttlers, but without claws and with more eyes.

Aside from a few venomous ones, they were relatively harmless, but some human females still feared them.

I’d witnessed a female slay a scuttler with an axe to the head, only to turn around and screech at the tiny eight-legged creature. I did not understand it.

“I apologize. I didn’t check for Earth arthropods.”

She just laughed, and she relaxed. Grabbing my arm, she tugged me to the left. “Let’s go this way first.”

Each room was as opulent as the entrance way, some even more so, with large, heavy furniture, much of it intricately carved. There was an abundance of decorative items, and heavy, multi-layered drapes framed the windows.

What was the point of so many layers? While they were pleasing to look at, they were completely useless at keeping the scourge out.

As a result, many of the windows throughout the house had been boarded up, especially those on the ground floor, as they were accessible by scuttlers and lungers.

That hadn’t stopped the scourge from getting in.

Kiera went through each room looking for something, though I didn’t know quite what. But when we got to the doors to the mess hall, I stopped her. I’d closed the heavily claw-marked wooden doors on purpose.

“You do not want to go in there.”

“Why? What’s in the dining room?”

“Nothing now.”

She frowned. “That’s not very helpful. I want to search the whole house just in case I’m missing something. We still haven’t cracked the riddle yet.”

“What are you looking for? I will search for you.”

“What's wrong with the dining room?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“The owner and his family were in it when the scourge attacked.”

“Oh. So it’s a bloodbath. Okay.” She put a hand on the back of my arm, the touch sparking a sense of connection between us.

“Thank you, Bael’k, for trying to protect me mentally and emotionally.

I appreciate it. But I think I can handle it.

I’ve seen a lot of shit in the last few years. I can compartmentalize.”

“As you wish.”

I relented, opening the doors for her.

She stepped inside. “Oh. Poor things.”

I knew what she saw. Every surface was stained by blood, especially the once-white tablecloth.

Bullet holes and claw marks riddled the walls.

The chairs lay toppled and broken, and there were splinters everywhere.

The chandelier lay atop the dining table, its crystals flung across the floor, catching stray beams of light that shone in through the broken window.

They’d tried to board up the large west-facing window, and there were large containers of water stacked up against it as fortification.

Every item told of the final moments of the people who’d once lived here, their last fight to stay alive.

The weapons had been left on the floor. I recognized the Earth-made rifles and smaller firearms. They must have taken shelter here after boarding up the windows.

Not the best idea since it was on the main floor.

Perhaps they’d been desperate. I wondered if the attack had come before or after they had quarantined the city. I knew that many humans had refused to leave their homes. Was this what had happened here?

“If there were clues in here, they were probably destroyed long ago.” Kiera was oddly undisturbed by the macabre scene. “Let’s check back here if I can’t find any more clues around the house.”

We continued through the large estate, going room by room, as the sun tracked a path across the sky above.

“Jackpot!” She held up a few packages of food in her hand triumphantly. “This entire kitchen is still stocked. I guess the looters never got this far and quit after the first two. Look, a whole cabinet of MREs.”

The Meals Ready-To-Eat were the equivalent of our food bars, and originally created as soldier rations for Earth’s many armies.

They were not as nutritionally dense as our food bars but much more flavorful.

I wouldn’t mind having some today, as long as the medical unit we’d brought along declared them free of the scourge fungus.

“I guess it’s easier to be apocalypse-ready when you’re filthy rich. These guys had three kitchens! Who the hell needs three kitchens?”

“Four,” I corrected. “There is another in the very back.”

“Ridiculous!” she said, shaking her head.

I helped her gather several packages and stuff them into a second bag she’d magically produced from her already full pack.

Where had that been hiding? It doubled our carrying capacity.

That was one thing I’d had to get used to when working with humans: they liked to bring many tools with them.

I’d offered to carry her bag earlier, but she’d refused, saying she preferred to keep it with her.

“I think these people stayed behind to protect their home after they announced the bombs and blocked all the roads. I mean, it makes sense. They bombed downtown L.A., but this is far enough away. And this home is gorgeous. I probably wouldn’t want to leave it either.

“Like I said, they were prepared. There are still tons of food. I’m surprised they met their end in the dining room of all places and not half-starved in a bunker.”

“I did not find any secret passageways to a bunker.”

“Not from here. But we didn’t check the guest house or the shed. I bet if they had a bunker, the entrance is in the shed. Either way, they never made it there.”

She opened a few more cabinets and found one filled with water in glass bottles.

“Oh, look! Fancy water. Good thing too, because all the plastic bottles are starting to break down.” She stuffed those into the new bag as well.

“I will carry it.” I took the bag from her, glad she did not refuse my help this time.

We headed back the way we came, Kiera walking in front of me.

She was completely oblivious to my attention as she climbed the stairs, but my eyes never left her perfectly round ass.

The small stuffed representation of Tooth dangled from her bag, hitting her soft bottom with every step.

She’d called it a good luck charm, and it was indeed lucky. Too lucky.

Krux! I was getting envious of a stuffed rodent. What was next? Wishing I could be the clothes adorning her body?

She gravitated toward a set of doors with a pair of statues in front. I frowned.

“What are those animals? I have never seen them on your planet.”

“Oh, they’re lions.”

“I have seen your large cats. These are not them.”

She sent me an amused smile. “They’re stylized version of lions. Sometimes they’re meant to bring luck and prosperity. And other times they’re for protection. And sometimes they’re just for decoration.”

“They do not look very formidable. They should put two Xarc’n warriors instead.”

She chuckled and pushed open the door. “I agree! I bet this must be the guy’s home office.

I didn’t see one downsta—” She gasped, her face lighting up.

“A library! Look at this collection! I’m not even sure what's in it, but I’m sure it’s a freaking goldmine.

” Her pace quickened as she scanned each shelf, the building excitement giving a bounce to her step.

“Wow. This guy dabbled in a little of everything. Science. Philosophy. You name it. It’s here.

” She took several long videos of the room, panning from shelf to shelf, with her communication device. “Dottie is going to want to see this!”

“Who is Dottie?”

“Dottie’s the head librarian. I work with her.

Technically, I archive electronic data, and she does physical books.

But we both handle acquisition procurement.

” She looked around her, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“This is like finding actual treasure.” Then her face fell.

“But I’m not sure we’d be able to get any of it back. ”

“We will take some back in my shuttle.”

The smile she sent me was enough for me to offer to come back to retrieve them all.

“You’re right. We can!” She started drafting a message on her device, dictating the words out loud.

“Can only save a shuttle full. Here’s the selection.

Let us know what to take.” She attached the video she’d taken earlier and sent it off.

“I sent it to Sam. We’ll come back and search this place thoroughly.

” She took one last look around. “And I’m sure there’s something important in here as it pertains to the riddle.

But it’s going to take me a while, so let’s finish the rest of the house first.”

I was almost disappointed to leave the room of books since she seemed so happy in there. The way her eyes sparkled and her voice became charged with energy filled me with joy. I wanted to see her this way all the time.

She went down the hall, methodically checking each and every room the same way she’d done on the lower level. The flyers that had been lured away earlier had returned, and we had to be careful not to stray too close to the windows lest they saw us.

Each time she stepped out of a room empty-handed, she looked a little more disappointed. I didn’t like it.

“What are you searching for? I will help.”

“Honestly, I’m not too sure myself. Something related to the riddle? Point to the stars with a question, and there you will find the answer. So, I guess something to do with stars. Or maybe the question of life? If something says forty-two, I’ll probably take it as a hint.”

“Forty-two?”

“Never mind. I just think I’ll know it when I see it. Intuition, you know?”

I did not know, but I let it be.

We’d just stepped into what I’d guessed was a youngster's room when she grabbed my arms excitedly.

“Look! Our first clue!”