Page 4 of Fated to the Hunter (Xarc’n Warriors #13)

The market was alive with a steady thrum of activity, and I couldn’t help but smile at every piece of conversation and laughter I overheard as I made my way through the stalls looking for the bearers of the mythical map.

For the first time in a very long time, it almost felt like those horrible space bugs never landed.

The sounds of happy people combined with the mouthwatering aroma of roasting meats and deep-fried foods were enough to make me believe I was at a state fair. I just had to close my eyes and shut out all flashes of purple skin and silver shuttles.

I wove between neighbors and newcomers alike.

Everywhere I looked, someone was bartering or haggling.

At one stall, a pair of women appraised jars of preserves.

Next to it, a group of mothers was clustered around a table stacked with child-sized hand-knitted beanies and mittens.

The children? They were gathered around a table, handing out samples of Canadian maple syrup candies.

My heart swelled. The first-ever Trader’s Market was turning out to be a total success, and I’d helped put it together! I was helping bring a piece of pre-collapse society back!

But as much as I wanted to stop at every stall and peruse the goods, I knew I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I had my hands on that map!

My search for Jordan took me to the edge of the market and past a line for the outhouse where someone joked about surviving the hostile bug-filled only to be defeated by a lack of TP.

I was just looping around, ever vigilant for hyperprotective, purple hunters, when I saw two cowboy hats disappearing into the community center.

Aha! Found them!

I hurried toward the door and was almost there when a loud klaxon sounded from the speakers above.

That meant a centicreep had been spotted and was heading our way.

Great! So much for the illusion that this was just another pre-bug fair.

I’d forgotten that all it would take was one deadly scourge attack to ruin weeks of planning.

Of all the space bugs, the centicreeps were the worst. And the ironic thing was that it had evolved, mutated, right here on Earth, using centipedes as their genetic blueprint.

Long and sinuous with a set of sharp, rear-facing blades on each of its many body segments, the creatures were a thing of nightmares.

Unlike the other ground scourge, centicreeps could climb right over our walls. The only saving grace was that they were expensive for the nest to produce, and so were not as common. I hadn’t seen one since the destruction of the Franklin nest last summer.

Welp, that was the hunter’s problem now. I slipped through the slowly closing door and into the community center.

I found the Ainsley brothers in front of a sign listing out all the workshops available for the day.

“Hey, Jordan!” I called out, hurrying over.

He turned, then flashed me a smile of recognition, before patting the messenger bag that had been around his body before. “We went back to our room to pick up the map.”

They must be staying in our one and only inn. Many of the vendors and participants had gotten in yesterday evening, knowing that the surrounding areas would become dangerous for travel once neighboring nests caught scent of the market.

“Glad you freed yourself from that warrior. You know, they get kind of possessive if you let them,” Jeff said.

“Oh, I… we aren’t a thing. I met him like ten minutes before. Not sure why he’s acting like that. I sent a few fangirls his way to keep him busy, and the centicreep siren just went off as I was coming in.”

“Yeah, we heard it,” Jeff said.

“How are you guys planning on dealing with those things?” Jordan asked.

“There’s the early warning system. Any and all food is being covered, and everyone is heading in for cover until the security deals with the bug. That’s why it’s getting crowded in here.”

Jordan eyed the snack stall and the seats still available in front of it. “It is. Want to go over the map while we grab a drink? Not quite a dinner date.” He hesitated. “Not a date at all. I saw the way that Xarc’n warrior was looking at you, and I kind of value my hide. No offense.”

I sighed internally. I blamed this on Bael’k. Finally, a good-looking guy who I wouldn’t bump into often shows me some interest, and the infuriating hunter clam jams me!

“None taken,” I said. “And sure. A Xarc’n vitamin water sounds perfect.” I secretly loved the stuff even though some people complained they could taste the vitamins. I happened to like that artificial vitamin flavor.

“While you two are doing that, I’m going to go to this talk,” Jeff said. He pointed to the talk titled Weapons of Necessity: Crafting Tools from Scraps.

Jordan and I each bought a food bar snack wrap for a single token and filled our bottles with a big helping of the vitamin water before finding a seat in the corner.

Then he brought out the map. It was printed on parchment-like paper and made to look like a pirate’s treasure map. It was even rolled up like one.

He sent me a sheepish look. “I bought it like this,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“The guy said he was the original buyer. He needed antibiotics, and it was this or his wedding ring. And we don’t really have much use for jewelry.

We agreed to it for the novelty. We thought it was a joke until we saw your post.”

“It could still be a whole lotta nothing burger,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but it might not.” He turned the map over to face me. “Here. It’s yours.”

There were two X’s on the map, matching coordinates, and a riddle. No wonder he hadn’t been interested in looking for the hard drives. This was more like a treasure hunt than a simple X-marked-the-spot type of map.

According to the instructions, I had to find and solve a riddle somewhere near the first X, which would bring me to the key. Then, and only then, should I head to the final location and unlock the safe with the key.

I stared at the first X. It was smack dab in a Dead Zone. As in, you go in there and you might as well be dead, because ain’t no one gonna get you out type of Dead Zone. Los Angeles to be precise.

Jordan noticed my frown and guffawed. “Yeah, that was my reaction too.”

“At least we know it’s genuine from before the collapse. No one’s stupid enough to go in there now. The guy really was eccentric, just like the forum said. Honestly, I’m shocked someone was crazy enough to actually pay for this. I wasn’t expecting a scavenger hunt.”

Jordan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Oops. He’d accepted it as payment.

“I meant the first dude. The one who paid a fortune for it.”

Jordan laughed. “I hear ya. The guy we got it from was a total loon.”

“And now we have it. What does that say about us?”

He chortled. “Guilty as charged. I’m weird as hell. The boy in me wants to go after this so bad. But…” He spread his hands. “Ain’t got no time for it. Gotta stay alive.”

I grinned. “You mean you’re not dumb enough to jump into a Death Zone for the possibility that maybe, just maybe, this might lead to something.”

“That too, but if anyone could do it, it’s going to be someone at New Franklin. You guys have the resources.”

“You have a point.” I looked at the map again and shook my head.

But even as I did, a plan started to form in my head. There was another nomad group that took on special missions. They demanded steep fees, however, which was understandable considering how dangerous it still was outside the settlement walls. But would they go into a Dea—

“Tooth! You little thief! Come back here this instant!”

I looked up, searching for Connie and New Franklin’s infamous resident squirrel, Tooth. There was a disturbance in the mass of people who were taking shelter from the centicreep outside. It wasn’t Connie who appeared first.

There were a few shrill screams as the sassy rodent jumped from person to person, making his great escape.

Behind him was Kyle, Alice and Kaj’k’s kid, hot on the rodent’s heels.

Connie must be babysitting. Kyle was only two and a half, but looked much bigger than his age.

He started talking early too. The tyke’s horns were getting too big for his head, but that didn’t stop him from chasing after the squirrel.

Was that a piece of funnel cake in his mouth?

I was seriously impressed that New Franklin’s tiny mascot could run so fast, considering that he was a rather big-boned squirrel, spoiled, and getting up there in age.

Tooth spotted our table and ran straight for it.

As the rotund rodent landed, I moved, scooping the creature up into my arms and tearing the large piece of fried doughy goodness from his mouth.

“Gotcha!” I held the squirrel prisoner by the teeny, tiny harness he was wearing.

He chittered at me angrily, trying to steal back his prize. But I knew better than to let him have it. Tooth had gotten more and more rotund as the years went by, and most people knew not to feed him, which was probably why he now resorted to stealing.

“Thanks, Kiera. I owe you. He just took it and ran.” Connie was panting slightly from her exertion. Her hair, which had been neatly pulled into a ponytail earlier this morning, was already making an escape from it and frizzing out around her temples.

“This must be the squirrel with the nuts,” Jordan said. “I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him last time I was here.

That had me giggling. Tooth really did have giant balls. He was famous for them.

Considering that Jordan was reacting so casually to Kyle’s mauve-colored skin, Xarc’n horns, but clearly human facial features, he must be used to seeing Xarc’n and human mixed children in his travels.

I handed the generously endowed rodent over to Kyle. “Here ya go.”

Kyle grinned, flashing the cutest little fangs, and clipped a leash onto Tooth’s harness.

It had taken months to train the squirrel to use a leash, and he’d chewed through every one that wasn’t reinforced.

But for an event this big, it made sense.

Other groups had pets too, and Tooth was basically a snack-sized target.

Worse yet, his best friend Waffle was a dog, so he hadn’t learned that not all dogs were rodent-friendly.

“Wow! Treasure Map!” Kyle exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Jordan grinned. “Sure is, kid,” he said, sending the kid a wink.

I made quick introductions, and soon, Connie was looking at the map and frowning, much like the way I had when I first saw it. “Is this what you, Sam, and Lenny were talking about?”

“Yeah. Have you seen Sam? I should go talk to her.”

I’d passed by the Great Plains tent earlier while looking for Jordan, but she hadn’t been there.

“Not sure, but I heard there’s some Tech Wizard thing in the library today.”

Duh! Of course! The library was Dottie’s and my domain, and I’d helped arrange it. But with everything going on, I’d totally forgotten.

“Coast is clear!” someone shouted.

It looked like the hunters took care of the centicreep before it even reached us. Nice work. As the door swung open, the crowd surged back outside, eager to resume their festivities.