From the west of Rushta, one could already see a corner of the vast, open Hazel Plain. Beneath the boundless night, the black sky merged with the horizon, while the stars reflected below, making it seem as though there were no end.
Brando's group stopped in a grove of alder trees. There was a farm nearby, and scattered lights shone faintly through the shadows of the woods in the distance. The southern edge of the grove rested on an open rise. Looking south from there, Sang Fort lay more than ten miles away to the southwest, and the gleaming outline of Lake Stroy was clearly visible.
They had been out of the city for half an hour.
The people who had gone searching soon returned dejectedly.
"Did you find any of the witches?"
"No."
"Did you find Babasha and the others?"
"No."
"Have Charles and the others returned?"
"Not yet."
Brando questioned them one by one, but all he received were disappointing answers. Ordinarily, if that witch had succeeded, she should have been waiting for them here by now.
And even if the other side had lied, Babasha and the others should have arrived by now.
Yet in reality, neither group had sent back any word.
There was not even any news of Charles, Hypamira, or the others. It was as if they had vanished inside the city. The presence of the Nightmare Clan had disrupted the mental network around Rushta, and they had even lost their last means of contacting their subordinates.
The situation was even worse than he had imagined. Although he had known from the start that all kinds of accidents might occur in the plan, this development still caught him completely off guard.
Fortunately, they eventually found Kouhua, whom they had left outside the city beforehand.