The group from Alarna stood in awe as their eyes wandered over the camp area. Compared to their hometown, this place might have appeared rudimentary, but it was a remarkable feat for this band of criminals to have constructed it within a week of being out here. A decently sized and well organized team of Workers and Handiworkers might’ve been able to accomplish the same feat, but this group was believed to be composed mostly, if not entirely, of people without practical Callings. They had done the impossible.

Examining the settlement more closely, Lait noticed several curiosities besides the buildings. Like the workbench in the distance, that lacked the usual items one might expect to find on it, such as hammers, nails, and other common tools, raising suspicions about the group’s methods.

Did they do all this without tools? he wondered.

Indeed, the objects built from wood around them appeared to have been fixed into each other, holding themselves up without additional support. Even the houses showed no signs of having been nailed or glued together. Lait couldn’t help but marvel at the ingenuity.

While he ran estimations for how many people might be residing in these two houses, Irric and Taeme were focused on the scripture sigils found on some of the trees, as well as the slight indentations cut into them right below the scripts. They very much gave the trunks a resemblance to water sources, but that, too, seemed ludicrous. Trees couldn’t give water. There was no way.

Or is there? they thought as their gazes met, their eyes wide. Previous reports did speak of finding traces of chalk on trees while following Tomar’s group, and the blessings were seemingly the same. They realized that Tomar and Riala might have been capable of even more wondrous things than anyone had previously thought.

They also spotted a series of beast pelts, lined up behind some trees, evidence of the group’s successful hunting efforts. From where they stood, they counted at least ten, and stretched between wooden stakes for drying, the pelts seemed about ready to be used. This was proof that “The Guild” wasn’t making empty claims about being able to supply Alarna with valuable resources.

Zara was momentarily entranced as well, but was the first to recover from the initial shock. Noticing the bewildered expressions on her companions’ faces, she once more recognized the effect this group’s actions had on people. From the moment Lilly set foot in Alarna, everybody was enchanted by their abilities and promises.

She was ashamed to have previously fallen for it as well. Zara had just gotten her sister back when Lilly convinced her she should continue to stay with them most of the time, through promises of responsive education, money, and more spare time for Zara. It was a good offer. Now that Tomar was trying something similar on a larger scale, she understood the ploy. They were powerful enough to give people what they wanted, and humans were bound to be grateful for each and every concession or opportunity.

Though the citizens of Alarna remained wary of Tomar and Riala for the time being, Zara did not believe that it would stay that way. The people had thrown their leaders to the curb once before when presented with the promise of better lives by a group of literal criminals. They would almost certainly do it again if the circumstances were right.

These thoughts in mind, she snapped her fingers to get the others’ attention and strode towards the house Taul where was waiting for them. He piped up as they approached, eyeying Zara and Lait as the leaders.

“You two may enter with one guard each. The other two will have to wait outside.”

Lait nodded. This was standard procedure, and he wasn’t surprised it would be followed if they were going to meet with Hayla. Turning to their guards, he instructed Keo and Jonan to follow them, while Irric and Taeme took up positions at the entrance.

With their numbers reduced to four, they stepped into the house after Taul. They were first greeted by a simple living room, partially furnished with wooden chairs and a couch. The walls were adorned by a couple of well-made drawings of the group’s members and the Wildlands, adding a personal touch. The all-wood design gave the room a rustic charm, and Lait recognized Hayla’s influence. The group had undoubtedly bigger concerns than a nice entrance hall, but appearances mattered if they wanted to receive people in this camp. Commoners were unlikely to recognize this need, but a Ruler like Hayla would.

Taul led them towards a door on the far-side of the room. The illusion of simple perfection began to crumble to a degree when Lait realized that the door was just a board pressed into the doorframe, lacking a mechanism to open and close easily. Though by this point he was sure that they’d be able to take this hurdle as well in time.

After knocking on the door and receiving an invitation from within, Taul moved the board out of the way, revealing what appeared to be an office. Zara’s and Lait’s eyes fell on Hayla, who sat at a desk, facing them. It was filled with organized stacks of papers, and Lait couldn’t help but smile at seeing her apply Hertar’s lessons.

Upon seeing her guests, Hayla put her quill aside and looked up. Taul took position at her side, and she gestured for them to enter. “Lait, Zara, welcome. Please, take a seat,” she said, gesturing at two chairs on their side of the desk.

Lait respectfully bowed his head, preparing to follow her instructions, but Zara had other ideas. “Where are Tomar and Riala?” she asked, her voice forceful and unyielding.

Hayla remained composed, offering a small smile as she gestured towards the chairs once more. “We can discuss that shortly, but please have a seat first.”

Zara remained unmoved. “I don’t care about you,” she spat. “All I want to know is where my sister is, and then I’ll be out of here.”

Lait’s eyes widened in anger and exasperation as he hissed her name. “Zara! Sit, please.”

Feeling a slight migraine beginning to well up, Zara begrudgingly recognized the importance of this meeting to her husband, and that she wouldn’t get around treating the process with a degree of respect. Reluctantly, she followed the instruction and took a seat next to him. Mirroring Taul, their guards stood at attention next to them.

Lait took a moment to scan this room as well. Its decoration was more sparse, and clearly a work in progress. There were no shelves or cabinets, with stacks of papers resting on the bare ground. The bed standing in a corner and the bags stored under it seemed somewhat out of place. Nonetheless, for a temporary situation, this was perfectly acceptable, and they wouldn’t have to be ashamed to conduct meetings in this room.

After a moment of silence, Lait spoke up. “Thank you for receiving us, Ms. Hayla.”

“How could I not?” Hayla replied with a friendly smile. “It’s good to see you, Lait. How have you been?”

“I’m well, thank you for asking, Miss,” Lait said politely.

“That’s good to hear. Though I admit that I’m very surprised to see you here. You too,” Hayla said, glancing at Zara. “I understand you’re here about your sister, but did my uncle truly sanction such a visit?”

“He did,” Zara said curtly.

“I see. Am I right to assume that you bring more news with you though?”

Lait nodded. “Yes, we have also been told to deliver a preliminary response to your demands.”

Hayla’s gaze sharpened at his words. “Let’s begin with that, shall we?” she said, her curiosity piqued.

Frowning, Lait continued hesitantly. “Very well... I’ve been told to give you just one word in response. ‘No.’”

To his surprise, Hayla’s expression changed from one of earnest interest to a wide grin as she began to chuckle over this reply. It was unlike her to let her guard down like this during a meeting. It didn’t lessen Lait’s view of her though. Instead, he felt a pang of trepidation, seeing the confidence in her eyes. The king not agreeing was within her expectations, and she wasn’t concerned about it. Rather, her expression seemed to say, “You will come around soon enough.”

Hayla leaned back in her chair, her expression reverting to a composed smile. “I suppose there is nothing more to say for the time being then. He will receive our response in time.”

Lait nodded as he seized Hayla up, worried about what she and Tomar would do to attempt to push their demands through.

During this brief pause, Zara saw her chance to interject and redirect the conversation. “If there is no more to say about this, allow me to inquire about my sister,” she said, her tone slightly softer now. “I’d like to see her as soon as possible”

“I understand,” Hayla said. “She is looking forward to seeing you again as well. Unfortunately, she’s not here at the moment. You see, we’re monitoring beast activity in more detail now, and we’ve learned about a large group that was on its way towards Alarna. In our new position, the Guild went to intercept them before that could happen.”

Lait squinted in suspicion. The mission Hayla spoke of might explain the emptiness of the settlement, but that they went to intercept them contradicted the Rulers’ suspicions of their intentions. If Tomar wanted to manipulate public opinion, intercepting the beasts in plain sight near Alarna would have been far more effective. Hayla's announcement sounded like a flimsy excuse, but Lait knew her too well to believe she was lying.

“Is it another group, like the one from before?” he asked, hoping for more information.

“Yes,” Hayla confirmed. “It will likely take until tomorrow for them to return. Of course you’re very welcome to visit us again another time.”

“We’re staying,” Zara interrupted abruptly, her eyes intense with determination.

Hayla’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Zara’s resolute tone. “You want to stay here? Out in the Wildlands? I wouldn’t recommend it,” she said. Hayla had clearly not expected such a declaration, and it appeared that she was trying to convince Zara to leave instead.

While Lait noticed this shift in her behavior, he was of the same opinion. “She is right, Zara. Staying the night is not—” He stopped when a sharp pain shot through his body.

Slowly turning her head his way, Zara glowered at him. “Lait...” she said, her voice threatening. “We’re staying until I see my sister.”

Getting to Riala was her one, big desire, and it was the main reason they were there. He would need to accept her wish or try to convince her otherwise, and he knew her well enough by now to know she wouldn’t budge. He weighed his options, but ultimately he was left with no other choice, so he pivoted and turned to Hayla again. Maybe he could use this to their advantage to learn more.

“Ms. Hayla, would you be so gracious as to provide accommodations for us for the night? We appreciate your concern, but the Guild does have the Wildlands well under control, does it not? Surely we are safe here.”

Despite her best efforts, Hayla couldn’t entirely mask her reluctance to host them overnight. And yet, Lait knew that she couldn’t refuse either, not if she wanted to appear like they were truly in control.

Hayla forced a pleasant smile, though her eyes betrayed her unease. “If that’s your wish, we’d be happy to host you for the night,” she said. “Though you will have to excuse the simplicity of the accommodations, as we’re still in the process of building up our headquarters.”

“Of course, we understand,” Lait said. He offered a polite nod, hiding his disappointment over having to stay.

Neither of them was happy about the group from Alarna spending the night out there, but they would. For better or worse.