Chapter 721: Eagle
Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Eagle
That’s right. Flynn Hansen’s injuries were the best proof. Those weren’t wounds from a fall, and it was impossible he’d inflicted them on himself. The bloody holes in his arms and the claw marks on his body had healed, but the scars remained. Previously, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick had discussed this, both concluding there must be wildmen in Devil’s City. But seeing the runes and various stone tablets, Evelyn was confused again.
Many years ago, they had seen real wildmen. They were tall with powerful limbs and long, hard fingernails. It would have been easy for them to pierce a person’s arm and leave a bloody hole.
However, wildmen lacked faith and civilization. That alone was enough to overturn Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick’s earlier theory.
If they ruled out wildmen, that only left animals. But it was even more unlikely that an animal could draw runes, especially since they were written with a mixture of Vermillion and blood. Unless an animal had somehow become sentient, it would be impossible.
After thinking it over, Evelyn concluded there had to be "humans" living in Devil’s City. Otherwise, there was no way Flynn Hansen and his teammates could have been so badly injured.
The group rode their horses a few hundred meters farther, and Evelyn Ford spotted a massive stone tablet standing before them. Atop the tablet sat a giant clay sculpture of an eagle. Its wings were spread, its feathers so lifelike they seemed real. Its head was held high, its expression proud and solemn, much like a victorious general.
Staring at the sculpture, Evelyn Ford suddenly recalled the two eagles that had appeared a few hours earlier.
"Today has been surprisingly smooth. Although it was a little terrifying when the wind picked up, overall, I don’t think Devil’s City is as scary as they say. It’s not what I expected at all."
Quincy had barely finished speaking when Miles Vaughn shot him a glare. "Don’t be a jinx."
"When you’re out in the field, don’t say unlucky things or make arrogant claims. You’re supposed to avoid tempting fate," Liam Sterling said grimly. "Haven’t you heard the expression, ’a casual remark becomes a prophecy’? It means that careless words can come true."
Right at that moment, the two eagles that had flown away came back. They resumed circling over everyone’s heads, letting out piercing shrieks.
"You don’t think they want us to follow them, do you?" Evelyn Ford stared at the two eagles as a bold thought suddenly occurred to her.
"Could they be asking us for help?"
"Why don’t we bring Zoe out? She should be able to communicate with them," Quincy suggested.
Evelyn Ford thought for a few seconds. "I’ll go get Zoe."
Evelyn Ford dismounted, slipped into her space, and found Zoe helping in the fields. After a quick word with Wyatt Vaughn, she brought Zoe out with her.
Evelyn Ford had been worried Zoe would be frightened, but unexpectedly, the girl was even braver than Quincy. Her eyes went wide with excitement as she took in the scenery.
"Auntie, this place is so beautiful!"
Evelyn Ford didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "It is beautiful. Here, let’s put on our goggles and masks first. Zoe, do you see those two frantic eagles up there? Take this megaphone and ask them if they need our help with something."
Zoe looked up at the two eagles, tilting her head first to the left, then slowly to the right.
"Auntie, I think they’re cussing us out."
Evelyn Ford raised an eyebrow. "In that case, how about I teach you some really good words later, and you can help us curse them back, okay?"
’Quincy’s expression went numb. Teaching his daughter to swear right in front of him... Evelyn was really something else.’
Zoe, on the other hand, was delighted. She took the megaphone and started to communicate with the two eagles.
Ryan Rowe, Liam Sterling, and even Leo Denton were completely shocked that Zoe could communicate with eagles. But shocked as they were, they didn’t let it show.
After two minutes of back-and-forth, Zoe finally lowered the megaphone and looked at the group. "They say their master is sick. They want us to go and save him."
"Master?"
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look. They hadn’t expected the two eagles to have been raised by a person. Most importantly, this meant humans were truly living here in Devil’s City.
"Their master is just ahead, not far. We can get there quickly. If we save their master, they can lead us out of here."
"Alright. Tell them we’re willing to go save him."
Zoe picked up the megaphone and communicated with them again.
"We can go now. They’ll lead the way."
Evelyn Ford nodded, then lifted Zoe onto her horse to ride with her. They followed the two eagles down another path. After about forty minutes, they saw a stone house in the distance. The two eagles landed, one perching on each side of the door. Evelyn dismounted and led the group toward it. To be safe, she had already given everyone a gun on the way over.
As she approached the stone house, Evelyn Ford caught a sour, foul stench. She didn’t enter rashly. Instead, she had Ronan Kendrick listen for any movement inside. Ronan reported that there was one person inside, still alive, but their life force was very weak.
"Auntie, they said their master is inside. He’s injured and can’t move or speak."
"Zoe, ask them if they encountered a group of four people here about three and a half months ago."
Zoe relayed the question, and the two eagles suddenly grew agitated. "They said yes, they did. They wanted to ask those people to come back and save their master, but the people wouldn’t. They tried to grab them and bring them back by force, but they kept fighting back and eventually escaped."
’Evelyn Ford stared at the eagles’ talons for a long while. She’d never imagined the truth behind the injuries of Flynn Hansen and his team was that they’d been clawed by these eagles. And the eagles had only tried to grab them to save the master who had raised them.’
After putting on masks and gloves, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick slowly approached the stone house while the others waited outside. As they stepped inside, one of the eagles followed them. The doorway was very wide and tall, likely built to allow the eagles easy entry and exit.
It was pitch-black inside, without a single sliver of light. Evelyn Ford took out a powerful flashlight and switched it on, instantly illuminating the stone house as if it were daytime. And there, they saw the eagles’ master, lying on a straw mat and breathing their last.
If not for the faint rise and fall of their chest, Evelyn Ford would have thought the person was already dead.
Their exposed limbs were severely swollen, and the straw mat was covered in dried pus. Their swollen legs were already decaying, the rotting flesh exposed to the air and emitting waves of a horrific stench.
The eagle crouched by its master’s side, trying to nuzzle them with its head.
Evelyn Ford took out a battery, a power strip, and a lamp. Ronan Kendrick switched on the light as Evelyn retrieved her medical kit and slowly approached the eagle and its master.
The master’s hair was long, their face gaunt with high, sunken cheekbones. Aside from their swollen limbs, the rest of their body was just skin and bones. Evelyn Ford couldn’t determine their gender, so she decided to first administer an anesthetic.
The eagle remained perfectly still, guarding its master with no intention of leaving. Evelyn Ford didn’t shoo her away. After putting on a protective suit, she began to examine the master’s body.