The Lycan King's Fate Calling novel Chapter 1169

Crystal's POV:

Rufus' words made me realize that we had dawdled for a considerable amount of time. I hurried to catch up with his long strides.

I told myself that we would find Arron soon, and made sure that I had enough energy for the inevitable battle waiting for us.

Rufus pulled the map out of his pocket. I peered over his shoulder, dumbstruck at what I was seeing. It looked just like an abstract artwork done by some kindergartener! I frowned at the mess of lines and colors. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that this... thing had been designed to purposely confuse and mislead people.

"How are we supposed to read this?" I muttered under my breath.

"We're heading south," Rufus said without missing a beat, though he did take a few additional glances at the map before folding it again. He then led me down a side road.

I trailed behind him readily. He always had better navigation skills than me. I had every confidence that he would take us to our destination without a hitch.

Sure enough, after passing through a sparse forest, we arrived at a mushroom-shaped building about six floors high.

It was fenced off by a white railing, and two men stood guard at the entrance, both of them wearing blue masks. After a moment's observation, we learned that only those with invitations were allowed entry. I supposed we were in the right place,

then.

We moved forward, Rufus presented his invitation, and then we were admitted inside.

Once there, I felt as if I had stepped into another world entirely. Thick tapestries hung on the walls, completely blocking out all the light. No lamps were in sight. Instead, candles lit up the place from their places high up on numerous chandeliers. Up front was a giant stage, and it was lit up more than any other part of the hall.

I soon noticed that everyone around us was wielding a short, wand-like cylinder. But we hadn't been given anything at all. I flagged down a nearby staff and asked, "Did you guys forget to give us something?"

The man simply shook his head and said, "No. Those are monoculars. We provide them to the members of the audience who might not be able to see clearly due to their distance from the stage. You, however, have VIP seats, so you won't be needing them."

I nodded in understanding and said nothing more.