The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 143: Nadai Infestation

In the streets of Shisen, Kija was leading them down to where they ventured last night and found Jae-ha since Shin-ah wasn't with them. Yona had asked the blue dragon to stay behind and keep an eye on the green dragon they had forced to sleep, so he was recalling it all from memory.

Hak followed him as he wound his way through the town with Yona in tow, harrowed eyes darting to every nook and cranny as if he could catch a glimpse of any clues as to what had transpired before Jae-ha went down.

Zeno and Yoon weren't far behind them, with Calista bringing up the rear, hood up and face covered.

Calista had made sure to dress properly before they left, thankful that her clothes and cloak were finally dry. Her daggers back on their rightful place on her forearms, she felt a certain sense of peace by having them there.

"Last night, Jae-ha fell unconscious around here." Kija announced to the group, whipping his head around as he scoured the area for anything out of place but he came up empty.

"What's wrong, Yona?" Yoon asked, noticing that she had stopped in the middle of the road when he nearly crashed into her, and Hak's gaze flickered over to her as well.

"Something..." She mused with a small frown, brow wrinkled as she stared at something Calista couldn't see. "It feels like someone's watching us."

Yoon tilted his head, not knowing whether to be puzzled or alarmed. "Huh?"

Yona turned around, full circle but came up empty. "I wonder if it's just my imagination..."

Calista swiveled on her feet, glaring at all the people around them and analyzed every single one of them. She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary but a claim like that shouldn't be ignored.

Besides, the princess' instincts usually weren't too far off the mark.

Yoon yelped as the fighter suddenly pulled him into her side, tucking him under her arm with zero qualms about how this looked to the onlookers.

She had been building up her strength to get it back to where it was before. It was slow but it was steady progress. She had even moved onto actual sparring sessions with Shin-ah, although he always took it easy on her.

If Yona commanded her, she could scout ahead to figure out if her feelings were right but for now, if they were being tracked, then she had to ensure the safety of the others first.

"Miss!!" Zeno called to the both of them before she could ask, holding a hand up to his eyes to block out the sunlight. "It looks like there's something over there."

They rushed over and Calista's breath caught in her throat as they came across a man face-down, floating in the river. She clapped a hand over her mouth, gagging on the suffocating stench of decaying matter.

Despite the countless amounts of locals milling about, no one blinked twice. It was only after Zeno pointed it out did two of them come forward.

She distinctly heard one of the bystanders comment how the man probably lost his footing last night when it was raining and slipped into the river but the way he seemed so nonchalant about it, as if this was normal, had her blood running cold.

Her ears were ringing at the sheer horror of it.

The two men pulled the body out of the river and Calista looked away, avoiding making eye contact.

Just because she was exposed to the harsh reality of death countless times didn't mean that she liked to see it.

Yoon, on the other hand, went pale and curled into her shoulder. "That man..."